A roll of clouds was moving through the sky, fighting to blot out the sun completely. A storm was coming, I could feel it. Even as a little girl, I could always sense the rain before it hit. My mother thought I could smell it, something brewing in the air…

Elizabeth wanted to know the truth, but how much should I tell her?

I took a deep breath and opened my mouth. Then I told her the truth about my feelings for Asher.

Chapter Fifteen

Rosalee

The bride-to-be

By the time my cousin and I made it back to the Leblanc-Landry mansion, we were drenched from head to toe, our shopping and food bags soggy from the sudden downpour.

“Christ, it’s freezing in here!” Tinsley shivered, closing the door behind us. The rain was whipping up a frenzy outside, rattling the windows and doors.

I slid out of my tennis shoes and set my bags down in the foyer, teeth chattering. “Damn, it is cold in here.”

The chill felt so unexpected in the New Orleans heat but getting caught in the sudden rain on our walk back from the square had left us water-logged and helpless.

“I knew we should have called a cab.” Tinsley shuffled her bags next to mine and smiled.

“It was fun though. I love this city. I could walk around this place all day every day, minus the downpour,” I said.

“Me too,” Tinsley agreed.

“I hope Bri and Mara were smart enough to find a cab though.”

“Knowing them, they’re probably still down at the bar getting sloshed.” Tinsley frowned. Any time I had mentioned Mara on our outing today, I’d been met with clear distaste from Tinsley.

I nodded toward the hallway and collected our bags. “Let’s go get into something dry.”

We made our way down the dark hallway. Candles flickered in their holders, shadows dancing along the corners of the walls. I couldn’t imagine being able to go out on the town tonight, not in this sort of weather. But I knew so little about New Orleans’ weather patterns—I hoped it was like Florida, and the storm would pass as suddenly as it had arrived.

“Oh.” Tinsley stopped so suddenly in the great room as we approached the stairs, that I stepped on the back of her heels.

I followed her gaze. One of the large sunrooms was open, and two women, half-clothed, were lying on their stomachs, having massages.

“There you are,” Elizabeth said, turning her face over to give me a sideways scowl. A voluptuous woman with a huge head of hair was towering over Asher’s mother, knuckling her bare shoulders and back.

“Here we are,” Tinsley said, a flash of annoyance on her face. “I thought the massages weren’t for another hour or two.”