“Ummm. I wonder if the owner will ever find out who’s passing the phony money,” she said as they walked along Royal Street, heading toward Canal Street.
“I think so. It’s just a matter of time. And careful surveillance.”
As they reached busy Canal Street, one of the riverboats’ whistles blew.
“Let’s go see the boats,” she said impulsively.
“We could see if there’s room on the dinner cruise, have dinner aboard, if you like,” Josh said as they sauntered in the late afternoon heat. “It’d be cooler on the river.”
“I guess. It’s exactly what Caroline suggested, dinner and dancing at some romantic restaurant. What could be more romantic than a riverboat dinner cruise?”
“Then you’ll have something to tell her if she asks what we did today.”
“It beats telling her I shopped all day and didn’t buy a single thing.”
The stern wheeler was crowded when they stepped aboard. Saturday nights combined locals with tourists. But the festive feeling was infectious. When the Dixieland music started, Michelle tapped out the rhythm with her toes.
“You like Dixieland?” Josh leaned closer to ask. He could smell the sweet fragrance of her hair. Another fact to learn about his wife.
She nodded, smiling brightly. “When I was a little girl, we’d hear the music from some of the boats as they moved up river. It sounded so bright and exciting. Grandmother never let Dixieland in her home. She preferred the classics.”
“Then, I’m glad we came.”
He enjoyed the look of pure bliss on her face. Another way to snub her grandmother. He was glad he never met the woman.
Being on the ship made it a lot easier to resist Michelle’s allure with a couple of hundred other passengers around. He glanced at his watch. Another eighteen hours and Penny’d be home.
He could last until then. She made the perfect shield against anything personal developing between him and Michelle.
Dinner proved to be enjoyable. They shared a table with a couple from Texas and spent the meal exchanging stories about New Orleans and Dallas. When the last of the Bananas Foster had been consumed, Josh and Michelle went to the aft lounge to listen to the soft jazz that was now playing. Finding a couple of chairs near a dark corner, he put them together and sat beside her.
By the time the riverboat returned to the dock, Josh was ready to swim ashore. The cold river water would be perfect to quench the fire ignited by Michelle’s presence. She did nothing that could be construed as provocative, unless he counted her breathing. But it didn’t take much, he was coming to realize to turn him on. He enjoyed her company, liked finding out what made her laugh. She always seemed so naively startled to find she could do something she hadn’t tried before. He knew he was growing cynical and it was refreshing to be with someone who was still wide-eyed and fascinated about the world.
It was late by the time they reached home. But Josh was too keyed up to sleep. He bid Michelle goodnight once they were inside and headed for the living room. There were still a few more records to get straight.
“Aren’t you going to bed now?” she asked, pausing by the bottom step.
“I’ll be up later.”
“Thanks, Josh. This was a most interesting day.”
He looked at her, struck by her tone. “But not one you want to repeat too often.”
Hesitating a moment, she wrinkled her nose and slowly shook her head.
“I don’t think so. My feet still ache and if I never see a souvenir of New Orleans again, it’ll be too soon. I wish we could have caught the bad guy, though.”
“We’ll get him. Or the cops will. But it was a perfect day for showing you what a lot of my business is like. Next time, I’ll wait until I have some surveillance going where we sit in the car all night.”
“Please do. Thanks for taking me today. I liked the ending,” she said as she turned to run lightly up the stairs.
He’d have liked the ending more if he were going up with her, he thought wryly. He leaned against the archway into the living room and just listened. He heard Michelle enter the bathroom and close the door behind her.
For a moment the memory of her in the bath flashed into mind. Guess there wouldn’t be any more nights where she bathed by candlelight. At least not while he was home.
A few minutes later he heard her cross the hall to her room and again close the door.
Shaking his head, he pushed off from the wall and headed for the small stack of folders that waited. If he couldn’t sleep, he might as well be productive!
Michelle knew she’d blown it. Sunday morning and here she sat sipping coffee alone. Idly she twisted around the muffin she nibbled on. She wasn’t hungry. Sipping the coffee was about the limit of her interest in sustenance.
Josh walked in and when she looked up, she caught her breath. He’d obviously just finished his shower. His hair was still damp, and his face freshly shaved. The echo of the words he’d once said to her applied here. He looked good enough to eat!
He pulled out a chair, turned it around and straddled it, resting his arms on the high back.
“Penny will be home soon,’’ he said.
She nodded.
“I expect Caroline and Brandon will bring her in.”
“I guess so.”
“Which means we’ll have to play our charade again. Just wanted to make sure that’s what you wanted.”
Licking her lip, Michelle nodded. “If you don’t mind.”
Josh shook his head, his eyes boring into hers. “Once your sister’s gone, I thought I’d take Penny swimming. We’ll be out of your hair this afternoon.”
Michelle’s heart sank. He didn’t even want to be around her. Maybe she should throw caution to the wind and agree to his suggestion. It couldn’t hurt any more than if she didn’t. She was
