sweating. He stepped away quickly, his shoulders stiff.
“It’s just me, cousin,” the waitress, Teela, spoke from the end of the bar. “No one saw anything but me.”
“Yeah, hey Teela, when Jerome gets those beignets done, gimme a holler, will ya?” Caleb’s voice shook a little which he covered by snagging Darcy’s little finger and more or less pulling him down the corridor to the stairs and up before she could reply.
Once the door closed, Darcy watched him take a deep breath. He walked into the small kitchen at the back of the large open room. “Want some juice, cher , or milk?”
“Orange juice will be fine,” Darcy wanted to ask more but thought it would be best not to pry.
“Teela is my cousin, of a sort, her mama is one of my grand-pere’s bastards, grand-pere means grandfather by the way. Well, she’s his daughter. Maman always said it’s what killed grand-mere , his cheating on her. I know of Teela, we have the same eyes. We suspect there are a few more. Grand-pere left them very little but enough to raise questions. Hell, sometimes I swear he would have left me nothing at all if Maman weren’t already sick and Jeb incompetent. He wasn’t a nice man.” Caleb poured two tumblers with orange juice and handed one to Darcy before he seated himself on the counter. Pushing back, he let his feet dangle. “He didn’t approve of my lifestyle. I spent a long time away from home because I wasn’t welcome here. Jeb carries on his bias, but he has no control over me. I try to keep it to myself.”
“But they know,” Darcy hadn’t meant to say it. Caleb’s jaw tightened.
“Everybody knows. I sleep with women to make them forget. It’s New Orleans, nobody cares until it’s in their face, then everyone has an opinion. I’m gay, big deal. When Maman is gone, keeping it quiet won’t matter as much.”
Before Darcy could think of a reply, there was a soft knock at the door. Caleb looked up in alarm as it opened and Teela came in carrying a heavy tray of food. “Damn, them stairs are steep.”
“You didn’t have to haul that up here, cher . I would have come and got it.” Caleb slid over on the counter opening up a spot for her to leave the tray. Darcy helped her steady it as she lowered it to rest beside him.
“I thought I’d save you the trip and the scrutiny. Jerome sent up a bunch of stuff, he’s a good man. The rest are twittering in the corner when they think I’m not looking. It’s been a long time, cuz, a long time.” She bumped his leg with her hip, her eyes on Darcy. “He is a pretty one. Oh lawd, look at him blush. Sugar baby, is sweet.”
“Stop embarrassing him, cher , you’ll make him run and that will make me cranky and guess where one shifty waitress will find herself.” A hint of pink infused Caleb’s face, a small smile stretched his lips. “He is sweet.”
“Remy Caleb Lasseigne Mitchell, paw-paw just turned in his grave.” She laughed, a high-pitched sound that made Caleb blush even more.
“Yeah, well, he’s just looking for someone to kiss his ass in the afterlife,” Caleb said with a snort. “Okay, get on with you, I’m hungry and you’re supposed to be taking care of my business downstairs instead of minding it upstairs.”
“I’m going, uppity cousin thinks I’m his fucking slave,” she grinned on her way to the door. Stopping she blew him a kiss.
“And lock the damned thing this time,” Caleb shouted when she was gone. “Well, cher , I’m embarrassed to my bones right now. You hungry?”
Darcy loved the way he ducked his eyes, the faint blush spreading lower onto his chest. His stomach made a strange little flip but Darcy didn’t think it was hunger. Oh, God. “I could eat.”
Caleb snaked his foot out and tucked it behind Darcy’s thigh. He hooked his knee and dragged him closer until Darcy’s knees hit the cabinet. Caleb smiled and hooked his other foot behind his legs, holding him close. “Then let’s get you fed.”
Darcy
“It’s just me, cousin,” the waitress, Teela, spoke from the end of the bar. “No one saw anything but me.”
“Yeah, hey Teela, when Jerome gets those beignets done, gimme a holler, will ya?” Caleb’s voice shook a little which he covered by snagging Darcy’s little finger and more or less pulling him down the corridor to the stairs and up before she could reply.
Once the door closed, Darcy watched him take a deep breath. He walked into the small kitchen at the back of the large open room. “Want some juice, cher , or milk?”
“Orange juice will be fine,” Darcy wanted to ask more but thought it would be best not to pry.
“Teela is my cousin, of a sort, her mama is one of my grand-pere’s bastards, grand-pere means grandfather by the way. Well, she’s his daughter. Maman always said it’s what killed grand-mere , his cheating on her. I know of Teela, we have the same eyes. We suspect there are a few more. Grand-pere left them very little but enough to raise questions. Hell, sometimes I swear he would have left me nothing at all if Maman weren’t already sick and Jeb incompetent. He wasn’t a nice man.” Caleb poured two tumblers with orange juice and handed one to Darcy before he seated himself on the counter. Pushing back, he let his feet dangle. “He didn’t approve of my lifestyle. I spent a long time away from home because I wasn’t welcome here. Jeb carries on his bias, but he has no control over me. I try to keep it to myself.”
“But they know,” Darcy hadn’t meant to say it. Caleb’s jaw tightened.
“Everybody knows. I sleep with women to make them forget. It’s New Orleans, nobody cares until it’s in their face, then everyone has an opinion. I’m gay, big deal. When Maman is gone, keeping it quiet won’t matter as much.”
Before Darcy could think of a reply, there was a soft knock at the door. Caleb looked up in alarm as it opened and Teela came in carrying a heavy tray of food. “Damn, them stairs are steep.”
“You didn’t have to haul that up here, cher . I would have come and got it.” Caleb slid over on the counter opening up a spot for her to leave the tray. Darcy helped her steady it as she lowered it to rest beside him.
“I thought I’d save you the trip and the scrutiny. Jerome sent up a bunch of stuff, he’s a good man. The rest are twittering in the corner when they think I’m not looking. It’s been a long time, cuz, a long time.” She bumped his leg with her hip, her eyes on Darcy. “He is a pretty one. Oh lawd, look at him blush. Sugar baby, is sweet.”
“Stop embarrassing him, cher , you’ll make him run and that will make me cranky and guess where one shifty waitress will find herself.” A hint of pink infused Caleb’s face, a small smile stretched his lips. “He is sweet.”
“Remy Caleb Lasseigne Mitchell, paw-paw just turned in his grave.” She laughed, a high-pitched sound that made Caleb blush even more.
“Yeah, well, he’s just looking for someone to kiss his ass in the afterlife,” Caleb said with a snort. “Okay, get on with you, I’m hungry and you’re supposed to be taking care of my business downstairs instead of minding it upstairs.”
“I’m going, uppity cousin thinks I’m his fucking slave,” she grinned on her way to the door. Stopping she blew him a kiss.
“And lock the damned thing this time,” Caleb shouted when she was gone. “Well, cher , I’m embarrassed to my bones right now. You hungry?”
Darcy loved the way he ducked his eyes, the faint blush spreading lower onto his chest. His stomach made a strange little flip but Darcy didn’t think it was hunger. Oh, God. “I could eat.”
Caleb snaked his foot out and tucked it behind Darcy’s thigh. He hooked his knee and dragged him closer until Darcy’s knees hit the cabinet. Caleb smiled and hooked his other foot behind his legs, holding him close. “Then let’s get you fed.”
Darcy
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