CHAPTER ONE
Bourbon Street was unlike any other place she'd ever visited before. People walked from bar to bar, large plastic cups clasped in their hands filled to the brim with alcoholic beverages. Catcalls and scantily clad women greeted Theresa Davis and her two best friends as they took in the sights.
Nothing could ever compare to the history and culture surrounding her. It was an amazing thing to take in with your own eyes. She loved it. The cracks in the asphalt and the historic streets that dipped to the side. Human musk combined with the heavily perfumed scent of too many people filled the air. Sweat, alcohol, food, and other things she didn't want to think about too long wafted about, forcing the smells into her nose.
Didn't matter to her, though. The experience of walking along Bourbon Street in New Orleans was unlike anything she'd seen before. A people-watcher by nature, she could sit for hours and enjoy the sights and sounds of the tourists letting go of their inhibitions. There was something to be said about letting loose in a place that would forget your name the next morning.
She continued walking down the wet, uneven street, doing her best not to trip over the cobblestone in the road. Eyes wide, she watched everything around her, mouth hanging open most of the time. She couldn't help but stare at everything with something akin to awe.
Far from a prude, she was still somewhat shocked to see strip clubs on every corner, and bars advertising Big Ass Beers everywhere she turned. It was out of control, and funny as hell that a street like this even existed.
She'd never been to New Orleans before. But now she was here and wanted to enjoy every piece of the city. She was too damn happy to be walking among the party goers who'd clearly been up all night doing God knows what. This is what New Orleans was all about, right?
She noticed husband and wives with children in tow, looking, pointing, and giggling at all the people stumbling around. There was something special about this city: the feel; the old-world look; the mysticism.
The magic.
New Orleans had its own personality. Everyone had their own reasons for coming here, but The Big Easy allowed people to believe in something beyond themselves. A higher power--or maybe a darker power, if truth be known. People flocked to New Orleans--to the entire state of Louisiana for that matter, seeking that elusive something they knew would change their lives. The one thing that would expose all the secrets of the world and lay out their future in front of them.
Everyone else may have believed in the magic, but not Theresa. She looked at the mystical legends and magical myths as just another layer. A special sauce added to the mix of a city so many people visited when they needed to do something a little different.
It was fun. It was an adventurous escape. But the city should never be taken too seriously.
"Come on, Theresa, let's go. You can't stand in one spot forever," her friend Cecilia said.
Theresa's footsteps slowed. She was distracted again. "I know. I know. I'm coming. But did you see that guy over there? The one standing completely still?" A huge smile covered her face as she turned in a circle. "He's dressed in all silver. It's like he's not even breathing."
"Yeah, I saw him. He's out here all the time. I've been here three times before, remember?" her other friend Angela replied with a laugh.
"Oh yeah I forgot--you almost live in this city," Theresa responded.
Angela had no shame. Turning around to walk backward, she smiled big before responding, "Yup, I sure do. Don't knock it until you try it. The things I've done would make your toes curl. Did I ever tell y'all about that time...”?
Stopping Angela before she could launch into another story about her sordid adventures in The Big Easy, Theresa interrupted. "Good Lord, yes. I'm sure you have."
Cecilia was laughing so hard, she bent in half, holding her stomach as tears fell down her face. "Oh my God, you are killing me with your sex stories. Angela, nobody wants to hear about how some dude had you face down, ass up, in his hotel room."
Rolling her eyes, Angela scoffed. "Wrong! It was on a balcony. See, I knew I hadn't told y'all that story. Whatever," she said with a huff as she turned back around and continued walking. Cecilia and Theresa looked at each other and burst out laughing at their friend.
Flipping her friends the bird, Angela rolled her eyes and sucked her teeth. "So, what are our plans for the day?"
"Well, we came here early for a reason. I want to see all the sights and I want to do everything. I even want to go on one of those fan boats on the swamp," Theresa said as she continued looking around.
"I'm not going on one of those things," Angela said, frowning. "There are alligators in the swamp."
"Neither am I," Cecilia agreed with a nod of her head, as if it ended the discussion. "The only fun I want to see is right here on this beautiful, wonderful, dirty, dark, damp street."
"How can something be beautiful and dirty at the same time?" Theresa asked with a raised brow.
"Well, I'm just saying. Have you looked around Bourbon Street? Yeah, it's beautiful for the history, but this is not the cleanest place in the world," Angela chimed in.
Looking around with a soft smile, Angela glanced at her friends. "It doesn't matter. It's still beautiful to me."
"I love to people-watch and if you want to people-watch, Bourbon Street is the place to be. So, I'm enjoying the sights in front of me and having some fun," Theresa added. Turning to watch as a drag queen walked past her, she wished she had that much confidence. "So, what do you think about Bridgette marrying Robert? When we saw her at the hotel earlier, she was glowing. I've never seen her like that before."
Giving her a side glance, Cecilia's voice was neutral when she responded. "He seems like a pretty good guy." Her attention was drawn away to a group of guys walking by. One of the men in the group continued to stare at Cecilia as he walked further away.
Theresa smiled. It never failed. Her friend could tempt an angel without even trying.
Angela said nothing, but she nodded her head as if Bridgette's future husband was an afterthought.
"I never thought she'd be the one to settle down. We all had plans. And none of those plans included tying the knot and becoming Susie Homemaker," Theresa grumbled as they continued walking.
As they got closer to the end of the retail area of the streets, she noticed one side still sported a few bars and on the other side, there were several small storefronts. Tourist traps.
"What's wrong with being Susie Homemaker? I want that one day." Angela's words cut into Theresa's internal musings.
Theresa vigorously shook her head. "No, you've never wanted that, Angela. None of us did."
Cecilia nodded her head. Words weren't necessary, since they all knew what the issue was.
None of them truly believed in a forever kind of love. They'd seen too many friends hurt by someone who claimed to love them. Over the years, seeing love crumble time after time had caused each of them to become cynical.
Theresa continued to speak. "You even said to us, if you ever decide to have a lobotomy and get married to some guy who's going to try and run your life, that we should commit you to the closest hospital for a mental evaluation," she finished as they all laughed.
Cecilia finally spoke up. "I think we're all getting wedding fever because we're here with Bridgette. It's in the air. We can't help but be touched by it. It's all she's talked about for the past year."
Theresa thought about her friend's words and knew she was right, but it didn't mean she liked it. She hated that she'd become this way over the years. At one time, she'd been the biggest romantic out there.
After a grueling day at the office, her daily escape had been to open a book. She would get lost in the world of make-believe created by the author, savoring the tales about the hero falling madly in love with the heroine, and doing everything in his power to have her in his life.
Too bad reality was never as good. After numerous heartbreaks, she'd given up thinking she would ever experience emotion like that. Her life was going in another direction and she was happy to be here for her friend. But she wouldn't lose her head and start thinking falling in love and getting married was for her.
Theresa rejoined the conversation. "No, I'm never going to fall for the okey-doke. Not again, anyway." What she didn't mention was that she was trying harder to convince herself of this, more so than her friends.
It was just a matter of time before she saw him this weekend. The way Levi Holden made her feel when she was in his arms almost made her wish for the white-picket fence, two rambunctious kids, and one well-behaved dog. Good thing she wasn't stupid enough to think what they had was a forever kind of thing.
"That's a bit cynical, don't you think?" Cecilia asked as they continued walking down the middle of the street.
"No. I just think it's reality. Sure, you might fall in love for a while, but when it's all said and done, the person's going to break your heart. Why go through all that?" she questioned.
Damn, was it too early for her to have a drink? She was killing the mood and that hadn't been her intent at all. This was something she just had to come to grips with on her own time.
Angela gave her a long look. "Wow, Theresa. I guess I never heard you say it that way."
Glancing at her friends, she saw the worry reflected on their faces and chose to stay silent. No need to make them any more worried than they already were.
Her issues with the relationship between her and Levi wasn't their concern. Soon enough, she'd have to decide. Fish or cut bait?
Theresa continued to walk beside her friends as they exchanged concerned glances. She was fine. Really, she was. There was no need to worry about her.
Maybe coming here for Bridgette's wedding had her thinking about things in a new light. Her future. Her plans. Was she destined to be alone? God, she hoped not, but with the way things were looking in the love life department, it was a very real possibility.
As they got to the end of the street, a sidewalk sign caught her eye.
Madame Sophie- Tarot Readings and More.
"Let's go into this store. I want to buy a voodoo mask," she blurted out, already turning toward the establishment stairs.
"Are you serious?" Cecilia asked in shock.
"Yes, very. I've always wanted one and now that I'm in New Orleans, I'm going to take the chance to buy one." Theresa was adamant about going inside. "Come on, you guys. Let's do this. We're supposed to be having fun and trying new things, right?"
Angela hesitated. "I don't know about this. Honestly, this place looks kind of...I don't know...kind of creepy."
Theresa kept walking toward the entrance, not sure why she'd chosen this particular shop. There'd been others along the way and they'd had many more people inside. Oh well, this place called to her and she was going to take a chance.
"Fine, it's creepy. It's supposed to look that way. And I want to go in. Are you coming with me?"
Angela and Cecilia looked at each and shrugged. She was positive they thought she was just trying to change the subject. She was, but she'd still been drawn to this storefront.
Throwing her friends a smile over her shoulder, she reached out to open the door. "That's the whole purpose. How they pull you in without you realizing it. They want you to think the magic is real. We all know it's not, so what's the harm? Just come inside with me and look around. I want a memento for our time here in New Orleans, and I need it to be something cool."
Rolling her eyes, Angela was the first one to step forward. "All right, girl. We'll go in, but if some crazy shit starts happening after we leave here, I'm blaming you."
"Fine," Theresa said with a laugh. "Maybe I'll even get a magic love potion." Laughing at the silly direction of her thoughts, she reached for the door.
Entering the shop, the smell of burning incense hit her nostrils. Every nook and cranny of the shop was filled with trinkets of some sort. Oh yeah, she would find something memorable in here to take back home.
Theresa began looking around at all the merchandise, taking her a few steps away from her friends. As she walked around, her thoughts turned back to their conversation outside. She wasn't really against love and marriage and everything that came with it. But she was realistic. Life didn't always go the way you would expect.
She put on a great facade in the cold, harsh light of day. But did she get lonely at night? Of course. Did she wish there was someone to hold her after a long day? Absolutely.
But she'd seen what happened when someone discovered the person they fell head over heels in love with no longer wanted them. It was horrible. Life wasn't the same ever again.
She'd seen her sister give her entire life to a man, and he left her for another woman without a second thought. One day out of the blue, her sister's husband had come home and told her he no longer wanted their life. That he'd found someone else to make him happy. There was no explanation beyond that. No discussion to try and figure out where things had gone wrong.
Just his own selfish decision that affected the lives of so many others. After ten years, he'd simply concluded her sister was no longer good enough.
It had taken her sister years to get back to her normal self. As Theresa stood by and watched her sister go through something like that, she vowed it would never be her. Never would she give a man so much power over her.
This thing she had with Levi would sometimes tempt her to go over to the dark side, to declare her feelings for him. Then something would happen to change her mind.
A woman from his past would show up. Or he would make a comment about not needing a woman to drag him down or turn his life upside down. She'd quickly wake up from the fantasy of the two of them becoming something more. Those feelings would be tucked away once again where only she could pull them out.
They were fuck buddies. Nothing more, nothing less. At least, that's what she tried to tell herself every time he'd leave her house and the loneliness would set in. She missed him more than she'd ever admit, especially to him.
"Would you like a tarot card reading?" a voice came out from the left side of the shop.