Then it was over, and they’d prowled around the French Quarter, watching partygoers and drunks stagger the area. They’d had dinner at an expensive seafood restaurant and Chelsea had proclaimed that she wanted to take a tour of the city the next evening, if they had time.
Of course they had time. Sebastian didn’t have a day job like everyone else, and Chelsea, well, Chelsea made soap. Their schedules were wide open. Plus, it wasn’t like they were going to be doing anything in bed together, so there was no need to rush back to the hotel room. So they roamed the streets and ate beignets and coffee and laughed at the antics of the street drunks. Chelsea avoided all alcohol, even the complementary bottle of cheap champagne that the wedding chapel tried to give them. Since she was determined to stay sober, Sebastian did the same.
“Oh, look,” Chelsea called as a group of people zoomed past them on Segways. “It’s a Segway tour! That looks like so much fun. Can we do that?”
“Do you want a Segway? I can just buy you one.”
She elbowed him and pushed the pink veil on her hair aside as it caught in the wind. They’d found a Bride-and-Groom souvenir stand and now Chelsea wore a rhinestone crown with a pink veil that said BRIDE and he wore a top hat that said GROOM. They’d been getting cheers and back pats from passersby all afternoon, which made things kind of fun. “I don’t want a Segway. I want to go on a New Orleans tour on a Segway with everyone else!”
A raindrop splattered on his hand, and he glanced up at the gray, angry skies. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Look at the weather.”
She looked up, and the skies opened up and began to pour. With a shriek, she grabbed his arm and raced for an awning. Everywhere, people were hiding under overhanging balconies or building awnings, and the streets were emptying out fast.
“Shoot,” Chelsea said, looking sad. Thunder boomed overhead. “Should we head back to the hotel?”
“Might as well.”
Their hotel was right off of Canal Street, so instead of calling a taxi, they ducked their heads and ran down the street despite the pouring rain. By the time they got to the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton, they were soaked to the bone. Chelsea’s frothy dress was clinging to her body like a second skin, so Sebastian took off his wet shirt and draped it over her shoulders, glaring at any men who looked in her direction.
If he couldn’t look, they couldn’t look, either.
Soaked and disheveled, they headed for the elevator, and Chelsea giggled again. “You know, that was kind of fun.”
He grinned at her. Nothing seemed to get her down. He liked her sheer cheeriness. That was one of the things that was most admirable about her—that she took everything in stride. It was nice to be around such a low-key person, given all the other people in his life who liked to manufacture drama.
When they got into the room, Chelsea shivered. “Okay with you if I take a hot shower to warm up?”
“Of course. I’ll go into the other room to give you some privacy.” That was the nice thing about a suite—there was plenty of room to maneuver around. Since they were “newlyweds” it had only one bed, but Sebastian was planning on taking the couch. He wasn’t a dick to press her into sharing a bed with him. Pillow forts were a joke. One wrong move, and someone would end up with a hand down someone else’s pants.
Then boom, no more platonic relationship. And considering they were newlyweds? It was too soon to go off the rails.
His phone buzzed with an incoming text. As the shower started, he headed into the other room and groaned at the sight of his mother’s picture that popped up.
Mom: Nugget, what is this I hear about you getting married????!!!!??? Call me!!!
Oh, his mom. He sighed. She did love her punctuations. At least she didn’t know how to do emojis yet. Then he imagined she’d be filling his phone with cartoon turds and angry faces instead of question marks.
Sebastian: Is the call going to be on the show?
Mom: Nugget, you know how I feel about that stuff. I film everything. It’s reality TV. This is my reality!!!
Sebastian: Then I’m not calling. And quit calling me Nugget.