“Oh, fancy.” Baby drew her legs up underneath her, allowing the sheet to slip, revealing her bronze-colored cleavage.

She looked good enough to eat.

“Yeah, not according to the Gauthier dress code.” Lucky tucked his shirt into his jeans and sat on the edge of the bed to put on his socks and boots. He buckled his belt and slipped his wallet into his back pocket, attaching the chain to his belt loop.

“Well, you’re still hot in my book.”

“And that’s all that counts,” Lucky said with a quick wink. He leaned in and kissed her. Her lips were damn smooth and she smelled like a mixture of the bubble bath and sex. The scent made his blood rush to his groin. “I got to get the hell out of here before I never leave.”

Baby pretended to pout as she batted her long, dark eyelashes. He was relieved to see the color coming back to her cheeks. She was radiating.

“Not gonna work this time. The sooner I get this meeting over with, the sooner we’re outta here.”

“In that case, get out.” She blew him a kiss.

Lucky snatched his jacket off the stationary bike and blew her a kiss in return.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Baby Jade

“Cher, look atchya! I not see you look dis good in years.” Ma’Linn slapped her plump hand on the dining table.

Baby Jade had already showered and dressed in a pair of jeans and an old David Bowie t-shirt, donned with a pair of Ride Tecs and her hair restrained with a bandana. She had an outfit for everything and it had been a long time she dressed to ride.

Her small backpack held a few pairs of jeans, t-shirts, bras, and panties. A small makeup bag and a few toiletries fit into the front pocket. She added a small notebook and pen to journal along the way. Her wristlet held her ID, cash from her tip box, and a couple of old photos.

“Yeah, I guess it’s because I haven’t felt this good in years. It’s kind of scary. I’ve never been this happy before. Maybe it’s too good to be true.”

“I don’t wanna be hearin’ none dat kinda talk! You deserve da best ’n I t’inkin’ it be dat man who gonna give it to ya. I gotta good feelin’ ’bout dat one.”

Baby leaned back in the chair, cupping a mug of coffee between her hands, nodding in agreement.

“When you be leavin’?”

“We should be heading out any time now. He had a meeting this morning and he’s been gone for a couple of hours. I took care of everything on this end. You have the key if you need anything.”

“I take care of t’ings on dis end. Dontchya be worryin’ ’bout dat. I be checkin’ on your momma. Dat one hell raisin’ woman right der.” Ma’Linn rubbed her brown weathered hands up and down her chubby cheeks.

“Everything ok? I was actually thinking about trying to see her before I leave.” Baby’s green eyes narrowed. The thought of seeing her mother made her nauseous. She hadn’t seen her in a long time and didn’t know how Rozalie would react, but she didn’t know when she would get back to town.

“Honey, dat not be a good idea. Roz havin’ a hard time right now. More med’cine to help git her t’rough da night.” She gave a comforting pat on Baby’s arm.

“Is there something I should do? I hate to leave without saying good-bye.”

“Der’s nothin’ dat can be done. Let da docs do t’eir job. It’ll all work out. It always do.”

Baby smiled at her friend. She didn’t know where she would be without the old woman. Looking at her round face, it was clear she’d had her share of trials over the years. It broke her heart to think about what she had been through, what she is still going through. “That reminds me, any word from Phillipe lately?”

Ma’Linn’s face fell. Her eyes full of worry as tears welled. She shook her head and looked at her lap. Her shoulders sagged.

Baby didn’t know what to say, everything seemed trivial. “It’ll be ok. He’ll show up. He always does.”

“No, it never take him dis long.”

Baby squeezed her hand. “You know he’ll get to missing your home cooking soon. He’ll be home for some gumbo in no time.”

Her words made the woman shake with laughter. “Yeah, I guess dat be true. Ok baby girl, I gonna let you git ready.” She stood and took Baby’s face in her hands. “You take care of you, cher. I need you to com’back to me, ya hear?”

Now it was Baby’s turn to tear up. She had taken the relationship with Ma’Linn for granted over the years. She was the only family Baby ever had. It was hitting her now how much she would miss her. She also felt guilty about leaving her to deal with her mother’s drama, not to mention the fact that Phillipe was still missing.

Ma’Linn and Baby went over a few more housekeeping details and said their good-byes. She made sure she had the correct mailing address for her mother, hoping to keep in touch. It might make for an easier transition when she returned.

Whenever that might be.

Baby hadn’t thought about how long she and Lucky would be gone. He didn’t usually stay in New Orleans long. Would he come back and settle down? Would he expect her to stay on the road indefinitely? If he did, would she want to?

The only thing left on her checklist was to talk to Mickey. Panic set in and her nerves made her empty tummy flip-flop.

It was an overdue conversation. Baby decided to walk down to the club and do it in person. The entire way there, she played out various scenarios in her head. None of which were realistic, knowing what a hothead Mickey was when he didn’t get his way. It also pissed her off that she hadn’t heard from anyone at the club since passing out in the bathroom almost a week ago.

Standing outside the front door, Baby Jade sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. She pulled open the door and stepped inside the dark room. Since it was too early for a dance, the DJ booth blasted a standard southern rock track. The bartender looked up from cleaning the racks. Seeing it was Baby, he ducked his head and went back to busying himself.

Coral wiped down tables. When she looked up, her eyes widened and she looked as if she were fumbling for something to say. Baby cut her eyes and scanned the room. Jewella stumbled out from the hallway leading to Mickey’s office. Some things never changed. She spotted Baby standing by the entryway.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Jewella cocked her hip to the side, her voice booming across the empty club. Her words must have piqued Mickey’s interest because he bounded around the corner in seconds.

“Holy shit. She lives,” he said, dramatically clapping his hands in the air.

Baby gave an annoyed huff. “Not that you care.”

“Hey, don’t come in here being a bitch. What are you doing here anyway?” As the words left his mouth, Jewella looped her arm through, staking claim. Pathetic.

“Got a minute?”

Mickey looked at her for a few seconds before waving his hand, motioning for her to follow him to his office. She walked across the room, staring down Jewella as she passed. She closed the door to Mickey’s office to piss her off.

He sat in the worn-out chair behind his desk. “Sit.”

Baby folded her arms across her chest. “No, I’ll stand.”

“Suit yourself. What’s up?” He reclined back in the chair.

His flippant attitude pissed her off. It didn’t take her long to realize she had made a mistake by coming in person.

“I’m not here about what happened.”

Mickey’s back snapped, propelling him forward. He placed both palms on the desk. “It’s a good thing because I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” His brow furrowed as his narrow eyes glared at her.

“Yeah, right. Like I said, that’s not why I’m here.” She shifted, trying to muster up the right words. “I don’t know if I still have a job or not, but …”

“You haven’t been here in days. You never called in. I had to have someone cover your shifts. You know I don’t put up with that shit.”