by Amanda Usen
Kate shook her head, watching her warily.
“I’m not running, either,” Betsy said. “Last Call is yours, but I’m staying. I might travel with Quin, but New Orleans will always be home. History is important.”
“Really?”
The cautious excitement in her sister’s voice made her smile with relief. “Really.”
Her mother and sister were happy at Last Call. Betsy was the one who needed a change, but she hadn’t been able to admit it. She didn’t want to run a bar, but they did, and they had every right to pursue their happiness. It wasn’t her responsibility to take care of her mother, and her sister didn’t need a keeper anymore. Well, not quite as much. Betsy would probably never lose the desire to protect her, but Kate was old enough to take responsibility for her own mistakes, to claim her freedom while Betsy claimed hers. Both great—just different.
Her sister’s face split into a sunny smile, and Betsy caught a glimpse of the little girl who had followed her everywhere. She pulled Kate into her arms, and the gulf between them disappeared. “But I’m going to sit on the other side of the bar and get sloppy drunk every night so you’ll make me those fabulous flaming iced coffees.”
“Good.” Kate cuddled closer. “Because I love working at the bar…but I really love my big sister. I missed you, Bets.”
“I missed you, too.” Over Kate’s shoulder, she saw her mother sitting with Linda, carefully wiping mascara from under her eyes. The door opened, and she and Kate shifted out of the way.
“Uncle Q!” The boy leapt out of his chair and raced toward the door. Quin swept him into the air, and their joy lit up the room.
Betsy’s heart was so full it ached. How had she ever managed to hold herself together without the help of her family and friends? Her heart swelled even more as Lila, Jack, Jenna, and Roman piled through the door. She couldn’t wait to pick their brains about what to do with the candy store. Quin seemed to think she needed to open a restaurant, after all. Oh, that man.
He’d thought of everything, and he wanted to share it with her.
Quin put his arm around her, and heat flashed through her, as it always did, as she hoped it always would. She knew how she wanted this night to end…but first they’d have tea and pastries and enjoy their friends and families. Lila and Jenna were going to go crazy for Linda’s triple-chocolate cookies, and after that, they were going to go on a Voodoo tour, have dinner at the Keystone, and then hit the jazz bars near her apartment. She hoped Quin would play for them tonight—she wanted to show him off.
She grinned at her friends who were already swarming the pastry case, happier than she’d ever been in her life. “Let the good times roll.”
Quin pulled her close and kissed her deeply. “Your wish is my command.”
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Acknowledgments
I don’t even know where to start for this one! At the beginning? In that case, thank you to Jessica Topper who made me do NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month, http://nanowrimo.org/). I wrote Betsy’s whole story in November. It was an out-of-sequence-crazy-ass train wreck which had to be completely rewritten, even after I chopped it up into little pieces of paper and put in piles on the dining room table, but I had a book! Thanks, Jess! I love you, man.
And a really tight, smooshy hug to Liz Pelletier who asked for a different ending. (Endings…who needs ‘em?) Of course all those things you said needed to happen had to happen! I just couldn’t figure out how to make it work until you said all those things you said. Totally awesome. Next round of daiquiris in New Orleans is on me! In fact, I’d like to extend that offer to everyone at Entangled, from cover artist to formatter to publicists, who helped launch this book. It takes an army of enthusiastic, creative, sharp-eyed, savvy book lovers to make books happen, and the Entangled staff is all that and more!
I must also blow kisses to Veronica Vasquez and Karen McDonald for following my INTO THE FIRE (Book One in the Hot Nights series) blog tour and winning. Veronica got to name Quin and help characterize him. She suggested he play guitar and be sarcastic and sexy. Worked for me! (I hope it worked for you, too!) Karen got to choose a dish to go into the book: blackened chicken. The recipe is on my website, if you need a fun appetizer. Thanks, ladies!
I owe chocolate to Karen Stivali and wine to Natasha Moore for beta-reading this book in a flash. I truly don’t know what I would do without my writer friends. My husband (Super Ben for those of you who don’t know him already) keeps me sane. But my writer friends allow me to meet deadlines without going crazy. You guys are the best!
And so is my agent, Nalini Akolekar, who reminds me not every silver lining has a cloud.
I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to Susan Spicer, who hired me to be her pastry chef at her flagship French Quarter restaurant, Bayona, not long after I graduated from culinary school. It was an amazing opportunity and an experience I’ve never forgotten. I had so much fun remembering my good times in NOLA while I was writing this book!
And thank YOU, dear readers. There’s so much to do in this big, wide world, and I appreciate each moment you spend reading my books. Thanks so much! Laissez les bons temps rouler!
About the Author
Amanda Usen knows two things for certain: chocolate cheesecake is good for breakfast, and a hot chef can steal your heart. Her husband stole hers the first day of class at the Culinary Institute of America. They live in Western New York with their three children, one crawfish, two guinea pigs, a tortoise, and a beagle. Amanda spends her days teaching pastry arts classes and her nights writing romance. If she isn’t baking or writing, she can usually be found reading a book and trying to get out of cooking dinner.
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