“Ah, so mean.” She slumped in her chair like a grumpy ten-year-old who was about to get sent to bed without supper.

“You said you’re almost done. Bedtime for beautiful girls.”

“Fine, fine. But tell me about your night first. You kinda smell like you had a time of it.” She sat up again, prim and proper, took his hand, met his eyes.

“I was on Bourbon Street. Remind me not to do that again.”

“Don’t do that again.” She poked his nose.

“Thank you.”

“What’s going down on Bourbon Street tonight?”

“Trouble,” he said. “Not my fault. Didn’t start it. Might have finished it, though.”

Her eyes widened. She blinked.

“Now I’m awake. Tell me.”

He told her, starting with Doc who couldn’t keep his lips off Nora’s hands. Then Mister Pasadena who was, probably, right that minute, in the ER getting his foot put in a cast. And finally, the vampire and the witch.

“So,” Paulina said, nodding, “typical night in Nola?”

“I wish you could have been there, baby. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. That tiny little white girl broke the hell out of that boy’s foot. Just STOMP and boom, kid’s limping for life.”

“I can’t say I feel too sorry for him.”

“Nah. If that’s how he acts with a woman in public? Don’t even want to think what he’d do in private.”

That was one thing Cyrus never did and never had to do. He had never forced a woman in his life. Even at his worst, he had lines he didn’t cross.

“You make sure your new friend got home okay?” Paulina asked.

“Nora? Yeah, she’s home safe now. She keeps asking if she can come to our wedding.” He snorted. “No way.”

Paulina pretended to pout.

“You want a crazy white lady at our wedding?” he said.

“Your cousin Martin’s wife is going to be there, remember.”

“You want two crazy white ladies at our wedding?”

Paulina laughed so hard, she had to put her head on the table for a minute to recover.

“You’re ornery,” she said.

“I got nothing on Nora. That woman…my Lord.”

Paulina looked up. “You like her.”

“She’s entertaining. Then again, so is playing Mortal Kombat.”

She pushed his shoulder. “You like her.”

“She’s fun to get in trouble with, that’s for sure. I’d let her throw my bachelor party, but we’d all be dead or in jail by morning.”

“That’s how you know it’s a good party,” Paulina said. “Maybe I’ll let her throw my bachelorette party.”

“No. No. No.” Cyrus put his foot down with each and every “no.”

“It’s cute when you get all protective of me.”

“Glad you think it’s cute, because it’s not going to stop anytime soon. Except when you get us rich with that big brain of yours and we can hire bodyguards. Then I’m off duty.”

“I don’t think I’m going to get us rich as a middle school principal.”

“That’s just the beginning,” Cyrus said. “I got plans for you. You’re gonna be in the governor’s mansion in fifteen years.”