being ridiculous, she told herself. It was just the uneasiness left over from her experience in the fortune tellerâs tent. The woman was probably still laughing at the three of them. She probably ought to report Susan to the tourist board. Imagine! Trying to scare them, telling them to leave town. That was hardly good for business.
She opened the door a crack and peered out.
The man was gone. She was relieved.
And also disappointed.
She let out a sigh, irritated with herself for still feeling nervous.
She was so nervous, in fact, that she took her time, unwilling to go back out into the club right away. She splashed her face with water after she washed her hands, reminding herself that she was being ridiculous. When she finally left the restroom behind, there was no one in the hallway.
The bar had grown more crowded while she was gone. As she wended her way through the crowd, she could see that Heidi was alone at their table. Frowning, she noticed Deanna was at the bar, chatting with a tall dark man. For a moment her heart thudded. Was it the same man?
No, not unless he had changed his shirt. The man she had met had been wearing a tailored shirt; this man was dressed more casually.
She started toward the bar and her friend. Deanna had definitely imbibed more than she had Tonight, and she wasnât sure she wanted to let her friend get too close to a stranger in that condition.
On the other hand, Deanna wasnât the one getting married. She was free to flirt if she chose.
Apparently she was simply worried in general tonight, Lauren thought. She headed for the bar, but as she did, the man turned and headed out to the street.
âHey There,â Deanna said as Lauren reached her. âHer majesty wanted more cherries for her drink,â she said with a grin.
Lauren forced a smile in return. Deanna didnât seem all that drunk, she thought. In fact, she seemed more pleasantly tipsy than anything else. âCool,â Lauren responded, then asked, âWho was that?â
âWho?â Deanna frowned and flipped back a length of her long dark hair.
âThe guy who was just there.â
âOh. Just a guy.â
âCute?â
âYeah, kind of.â
âAnd?â
âI told him I was with friends tonight,â Deanna said. And she laughed. âIâm a big girl, so donât worry about me.â
âI wasnât worried,â Lauren lied.
âYes, you were. And you still are. Youâre still tense.â Deanna looked at her and sighed. âWe shouldnât have made you go to that fortune teller.â
âDonât be silly.â
âShe was weird.â
âShe was striking, donât you think?â Lauren said.
âA great face to sketch, yes, but weird. Come on. Letâs get back to the table. Heidi is going to want her fruit.â
The band was playing exceptional jazz; it sounded as if they had been together forever. As she sat, Lauren let the music engulf her, and she smiled. She came from this state, after all. Sheâd been in New Orleans hundreds of times. She knew the city well. Why she was letting the antics of a Jackson Square fortune teller disturb her, she didnât know.
âSo are you ever going to tell us where the honeymoon is going to be?â Deanna asked Heidi.
Heidi shrugged. âIâll tell you guys, but not Barryâs friends. A few of them are crazy enough to show up.â
âOkay, where?â Lauren asked.
Heidi leaned forward, and her love for her soon-to-be husband was apparent in her gamine smile and powder blue eyes. âFiji,â she said.
âFiji. Wow,â Lauren said.
âYou really think Barryâs friends might show up in Fiji?â Deanna asked.
âYou never know,â Heidi said. âI can guarantee you right now that weâll all probably end up in the pool at the reception, and that theyâll tie cans to the car and do anything else ridiculous