Chapter 7

7

TALLULAH

A few days after I’d moved into the guest house, I was finally getting the hang of being alone there at night. It wasn’t bad at all when the power was on, and I was even enjoying walking around the plantation in the early evenings, trying to connect with the history of it all.

That sense of peacefulness I’d had before the lights had gone out reigned supreme as long as they stayed on, and I genuinely loved the space and being able to explore it without a bunch of annoying people around. I could walk around for hours, and on every walk I took, I not only got a whole host of new ideas, but my appreciation for the old plantation also grew deeper.

As did my appreciation for the man who had dedicated himself to restoring it and other places like it. With each passing day, I felt like I was learning more about Niall and who he was. He’d been surprisingly open with me that night of the storm and the morning after, and even though I didn’t see him every day, whenever I did speak to him, he was remarkably frank.

A bit of a walking contradiction, Niall had these surfery looks that made him seem easygoing and laidback, but he definitely wasn’t that. With his reserved nature, I had a feeling he didn’t allow just anyone to get close to him and I was kind of enjoying having to peel back some layers to get a look at who he was inside.

As I brushed my fingers against some of the leaves in the garden on Saturday morning, I smiled up at the sunshine and exhaled. Despite the hiccup with the power that night of the storm, I was back to feeling like things were coming together.

A tiny, superstitious part of me wondered if some of the luck that had been held by the Ramparts of old had rubbed off on me that day in their house. That had been the day that my life had started changing, after all.

Another part of me recognized that all the change had started when I’d met Niall. Sure, it had been in the Rampart house, but it was while I’d been speaking to him that I’d first had the idea of becoming a tour guide and it was him who’d given me my dream job.

I doubted I would ever know whether it was luck, Niall, or destiny, but whatever it was, I was beyond grateful that it had brought me to where I was. As I approached the main house, I almost turned around and started back to my place.

I wasn’t supposed to work on Saturdays, but as I looked at the great old house, I decided to visit it anyway. I was curious about the guides who worked here, on the property where I lived, and I was curious to learn more about the history of the place itself.

And okay, I’m bored.

As I got closer to the house, I saw a red-haired woman wearing the navy tour-guide shirt used by Niall’s company waiting on the porch. She smiled when she saw me, rising from the rocking chair she’d been sitting on and waving. She moved closer to the railing.

“Hey,” she called. “You must be Tallulah. I heard there was someone living here now.”

I returned her smile, striding closer and ascending the stairs to the porch. “Guilty as charged. I’m assuming you’re a guide and not a trespasser dressed as a guide?”

“Sayra,” she said, grinning and extending her hand to me. “The weekend tour guide.”

“Only weekends, huh?” I asked as I shook with her. “Well, I suppose I’ll see you here next week then. Same time, same place?”

She laughed. “Nice to meet you, and yes. Every Saturday and Sunday. Same time and same place.”

“It’s good to have some company,” I said. “When is your first tour? Have you got a minute to show me around? Niall did on my first day here, but he wasn’t exactly a captivating guide.”

She chuckled. “He takes life way too seriously. Come on. I always get here at seven even if my first tour isn’t until nine, so I’ve got plenty of time. Coffee?”

“Please.”

Sayra led the way, her bright red hair tied up into a high ponytail and her green eyes alive with excitement. She told me some more about the place while we walked to the kitchen and gave me the highlights of its history as we made coffee. It turned out we actually had a lot in common.

“I love Anne Rice,” she exclaimed after I’d told her what had inspired me to move to New Orleans. “I cried for a week when I found out she’d passed away. I reread all her books every few years, and whenever I can’t sleep, the movies and TV shows based on her stuff are my go-tos.”

“They’re my comfort watches too!” I agreed eagerly. “We should get together sometime for a movie marathon.”

“I’m available tonight if you are.” She checked her watch. “My first group will be arriving soon, and I teach during the week, so I don’t get out much. Otherwise, there’s always next weekend.”

“No, tonight sounds good,” I said. “Come have dinner at the guest house, and if you’re up for it after, we can watch a movie?”

“Perfect.” She smiled and jerked her thumb back in the direction of the porch. “I should get out there, but I’ll see you around four?”

“See you then,” I agreed, letting myself out through the kitchen door as she went to welcome her first group of tourists.

Feeling like I’d made a fast friend, I was happy for the opportunity to use up some of the groceries Niall had complained about me not touching. Honestly, he’d bought so much that I wouldn’t have been able to make a dent in it in just those first twenty-four hours anyway.

After I got back to the guest house, I surveyed the options left in the fridge and decided on a roast chicken salad for dinner. Then I got stuck into my own work. Whenever I took a break, I prepped a few things I would need for the food, and by the time Sayra arrived, all I had to do was put it together.

She looked around as she stepped into the guesthouse, a bright smile on her face despite the long day she must’ve had. “You know, I’ve never actually been in here. It’s pretty, though. You’re so lucky to be living here.”

“Tell me about it,” I agreed. “How did the tours go?”

She shrugged, her eyes still moving all around as she followed me to the kitchen. “They were fine. I’ve been giving them every weekend for a few years and I’m still not bored of doing it. This plantation has some kind of magic to it, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely,” I said, pulling a bottle of wine from the fridge and showing it to her. “Interested?”

“Yes, please,” she replied enthusiastically, letting out a low whistle as she looked around some more. “I can’t get over how nice this place is. Did Niall have it restored too?”

“I’m not sure,” I said. “I didn’t actually ask. He did mention new plumbing and electrics though, so my guess would be that he did.”

I couldn’t believe it hadn’t even occurred to me to ask. But my brain didn’t always work right around that guy.

Sayra chuckled. “That sounds like him. He doesn’t do anything halfway, so it would make sense that he put some work into the guest house as well, even if we don’t do tours here.”

As she said it, I realized that I might finally have met someone to ask all my burning questions about Niall to. I didn’t want to make it too obvious that I was curious about him, but I was, and the internet had only gotten me so far.

“How long have you been working for him?”

“About five years in total,” she said after thinking it over for a beat. “I started as a temp in his office only during festival season. Back then, they were always looking for people to help out only during October and early November. Until the cleanup was done, basically.”

My eyes widened. “Wow. That’s a long time.”

“Yeah, well, I was twenty-one and in college. I needed the money and they needed the help, so I signed up. They used to have ads all over campus, and I guess I just got sucked in from there.”

“So you’re a teacher now too?”

“Yep,” she said proudly, grinning as she accepted the wine I’d poured for her. “Monday through Friday, I’m all responsible and buttoned up, but then on the weekend, I get to come out here. I’m so jealous that you get to live here. It must be amazing.”

“It is, but I’m sure he’d have let you have it if you’d asked. I didn’t even know to ask, but when he found out I didn’t have a car, he offered it to me. He seems like a good guy that way.”

“He is, but I couldn’t live here. I’m jealous, but it’s just too far for me to commute to and from school every day. Plus, did he tell you that it’s haunted?”

“He practically guaranteed it,” I said, pumping my eyebrows at her. “Needless to say, my first couple nights were a little exciting, but I’m getting used to it now.”

She laughed. “Better you than me, girl. I love giving the tours and I adore all things Halloween, but I like my house to be a happy place. Even if it is just an apartment in the city. I’m not sure I’d ever sleep somewhere that’s rumored to be haunted.”

“I hear you,” I said. “I’m not easily freaked out, but I’ve had a moment or two in this place so far, and it’s only been a week.”

“If you’re not feeling safe, tell Niall,” she replied immediately, her brow furrowing. “I’m sure he’ll come up with something to make you feel more comfortable.”

“Would he?” I asked curiously, glad that she’d brought him up again. “I don’t know him that well yet, and it was already mighty kind of him to let me have this house. I’m not sure I could ask for more.”

“You could,” she said confidently, and an unexpected and completely irrational stab of jealousy shot through me. “One of the greatest things about working for the Morrison Group is Niall himself. I know he’s not super approachable, but he is a good boss. If you’re scared, tell him. He owns plenty of other properties. I’m sure he’d make a plan.”

“I’ll think about it,” I said. “I’m pretty happy here, though. It’s just been a moment here or there that I’ve doubted it was a good idea to move in after he told me it was for sure haunted.”

It had really only been that first night, when the man himself had shown up to guard me. It still did all kinds of things to my insides when I thought about having that man in my bed. The faint scent of his cologne had clung to my bedding until I’d regrettably had to wash it, and I definitely hadn’t minded having it there.

The guy was hot. He was my boss and, sure, he was a bit of an asshole, but he wasn’t bad enough to make him any less hot. In fact, the more I learned about him, the hotter he seemed to become. It was a problem.

Just not one I cared to do anything about. I was a girl, and one who found herself surrounded by not many people these days. Having that as eye candy a couple times a week wasn’t something I was about to complain about.

Plus, when he’d been in my bed, I might’ve cuddled up to him a bit. Enough to know that he had a very hard body under all those fancy suits. A body I wouldn’t have minded getting to explore just a little bit.

“Tallulah?” Sayra said, breaking me out of my increasingly sexy thoughts about our boss. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine.” I took a sip of the cool white wine. “I guess I just got lost in thought for a minute there. What did I miss?”

She chuckled. “I asked how you were enjoying working for the Morrison Group so far? I heard you’re the new project manager.”

“For the festival, yes, but I’m hoping it goes well enough that it becomes permanent,” I said. “Any pointers on how to impress the boss?”

She tipped her head for a beat, her gaze slightly unfocused until she shrugged. “I know Niall to be honest, and fair, and kind. He’s a little prickly and a lot reclusive, but he’s always been polite to me. I think the best way to impress him is just to keep your head down and do the work. He respects that.”

“Right,” I said, mulling it over. “Is there anything else I should know about him? I’ve looked him up, obviously, but there doesn’t seem to be much online about who he is as a person.”

Moving her eyes back to mine, I saw the amusement as it sparked to life in them. She arched an eyebrow at me. “Who he is as a person? Why do you care? He’s just your boss, or do you have a little crush on everyone’s favorite billionaire?”

“I definitely don’t have a crush.” I did have the urge to lick him from head to toe, but that was it. Even so, heat spread on my cheeks and I started putting together our salads for dinner in the hopes that my hair would hide the flush.

Sayra chuckled. “I wouldn’t blame you if you’re crushing on him. I used to have a bit of a thing for him myself a few years ago, but then I met Andrew, my boyfriend, and I haven’t looked at another guy since.”

“Not even Niall?” I teased.

She laughed. “Not even him. Truth be told, I was already getting over it when I met Andrew.”

“Really? Why?” I asked, pretending to be interested only in her when really, I was dying to know more about him . “Did he do something to put you off?”

She gave me a knowing look, obviously smart enough to know I was dying for more information about him, but thankfully, she didn’t call me out on it. “It turns out that our beloved Mr. Morrison has a bit of a playboy streak. I’m not really into that. I never have been.”

“What?” My jaw dropped and I didn’t even try hiding it from her. “He’s a player?”

She nodded a few times. “Apparently, he loves the ladies and they love him right back.”

“No way,” I breathed, my head shaking as I stared into her eyes, but she seemed completely serious, which bowled me over. “I didn’t get that vibe from him at all.”

“No one does,” she said. “I think that’s part of his charm. He’s got that air of mystery thing going that makes it hard to get a read on him, but he’s a player, alright. He keeps it out of the office, but in some circles, he’s known as New Orleans’ most eligible bachelor. I mean, think about it, he’s filthy rich, he’s kind, he’s ridiculously good looking, and he’s got a bit of that bad boy broodiness we all know and love.”

For whatever reason, I felt on edge all of a sudden. Maybe even a little small. I had no reason to feel anything at all about the rumors circulating about him, but I really didn’t like hearing any of this.

That morning after the storm, I’d woken up before he had. I didn’t think he’d realized it because I’d pretended to still be asleep, but the reason I’d done it was because I hadn’t wanted to leave his arms. Somehow, we’d ended up wrapped around each other in our sleep, and waking up to him had been an experience I hadn’t wanted to cut short by immediately getting out of bed.

I’d felt safe in his arms. Protected. Even though the sun had risen by then and the storm had passed, it hadn’t been the ghosts or the darkness he’d made me feel safe from. I hadn’t been scared anymore and yet, at the same time, it’d been so comforting to be held by him that I’d just… stayed.

I hadn’t been with anyone since Carter, and we’d broken up two years ago. Niall was gorgeous, and I loved messing with him and pushing his buttons. There was definitely tension there. But he’s my boss. And a player, apparently.

My stomach tied itself in knots. I hadn’t taken him for just another rich playboy and it was disconcerting that he’d fooled me to the extent he had. Or maybe the rumors were just rumors. But with looks like his, it wasn’t much of a stretch that he could possibly get around.

Sayra and I ate together while she told me more about the company and the plantation itself. Then she checked her watch and her nose scrunched up. “Crap. I have to go. I’m meeting Andrew for a friend’s birthday party. I completely forgot about it until he called earlier. This was great, though. Thanks for having me over. I’m so excited to see what you come up with for the festival.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, shaking off my uncertainty about Niall for the moment and walking her to the door. “Thanks for coming. We should do this again.”

“Definitely.” She gave me a quick hug, leaving almost at a jog as she made her way back to the parking area in front of the main house.

I sighed, hugging myself after shutting the door behind her. Niall is no more than my boss. Who he chooses to have se ? —

My thoughts were cut off by my phone ringing in the kitchen. I dashed to get it, praying that it was Cathy or one of my other friends with an invitation to go out. Or anything to distract me at this point.

But it was Niall.

I answered reluctantly but curiously, wondering why on earth he’d be calling at this hour on a Saturday night. “Hello?”

“Hey, you,” he said, the words themselves warmer than his actual tone. “I’m sending a car for you now. I just wanted to make sure you were ready?”

My eyebrows slammed together until I remembered we’d said we were going to watch scary movies together tonight. “Oh, right. Yes, I’m ready.”

As uncertain as I was about him right now, I wondered if it was okay that I felt a little flicker of excitement about spending some one-on-one time with him. Everything Sayra had said was fresh in my mind, but did it really matter if the man had a past?

I wasn’t looking to be his future or anything like that. I was simply attracted to him, and for the first time in my entire life, I was going to be watching the kind of movies I loved with a man I wanted to climb like a tree.

In that moment, I decided that it was okay to be excited about it. God, isn’t it about time that I just let myself live a little?