The Bridal Suite

Book 4: Innkeepers

by Rochelle Alers

Genres: Multicultural & Interracial Romance

Synopsis

Bestselling author Rochelle Alers' returns to romantic New Orleans in this uplifting series featuring four very different friends embarking on the dream of a lifetime . . .

With her besties in the Big Easy, Nydia Santiago is second-guessing staying behind in New York City. So when Jasmine Washington calls with the exciting news that she's getting married, Nydia happily rushes to New Orleans to be her maid of honor. Once she visits the lovely Garden District estate her friends are transforming into a luxury inn, she's wistful to join them in their venture. Then she meets the sexy engineer in charge of the renovation. With his seductive Southern drawl, Lamar Pierce could make her believe in love again . . .

Lamar is confident, responsible, and settled-everything her ex, an aspiring Latin music singer, wasn't. But Lamar is also a widowed father to a pre-teen girl in need of a mother, something Nydia's not ready to be. When her ex makes a very public proposal, suddenly Nydia is running from the paparazzi-straight into Lamar's arms. But is she ready to take the leap from singlehood to wife and mother?. . .

Release date: November 26, 2019

Publisher: Kensington Books

Print pages: 320

Sample

“Miss Santiago. Miss Washington is waiting inside for you.”

Nydia opened her eyes. She hadn’t realized she had fallen asleep for the second time that morning. The text message from a car service indicated a five a.m. pickup in front of her parents’ West Harlem brownstone. The drive to the Westchester regional airport was accomplished quickly, and a sleek private jet was on a runway awaiting her arrival.

She was one of seven passengers on the aircraft scheduled for several stops, with San Diego, California, as the final destination. Once they were airborne, members of the flight crew served a sumptuous breakfast prepared by an onboard chef, and as soon as the cabin lights were dimmed she reclined her seat and slept until the attendant woke her minutes before noon to inform her they were approaching the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Once the jet landed, she was whisked through to baggage claim and found a car service driver awaiting her arrival. She got into the comfortable sedan and promptly fell asleep again.

When they arrived, the chauffeur opened the rear door, and she placed her hand on the man’s palm as he assisted her out of the vehicle. “Thank you.” Tilting her head, she sniffed the hot, humid air and smiled. There was something about the way New Orleans smelled Nydia found intoxicating.

The hotel’s bellhop rushed over to the town car and removed her bags from the trunk. Jasmine’s fiancé had made the arrangements for her to stay at the boutique hotel where Cameron rented a suite.

When she’d asked her friend why her fiancé lived at a hotel, Jasmine had revealed his living arrangements were temporary; he had recently purchased a three-story Victorian converted warehouse with a rear courtyard and a garage with enough space for three vehicles. She said they planned to use the first floor for entertaining family, friends, and clients, and the two upper floors for their personal use.

Nydia took a step and bit down on her lower lip to stifle a gasp when she felt a slight twinge in the incision from a recent surgical procedure. It was a reminder that it had only been three days since she was medically cleared to travel. She had ignored what had become chronic pain in her right side for several weeks until it had become so debilitating that she was forced to call her father and plead with him to take her to the emergency room. Forty-five minutes after their arrival, she was wheeled into the operating room for the removal of a ruptured appendix. The surgery could not have come at a worse time, because she had been scheduled to fly down to New Orleans for the wedding.

This was her third trip to the Big Easy in thirteen months. The first was last July when she, Jasmine Washington, Tonya Martin, and Samara, Tonya’s daughter, drove from New York to visit their former coworker, Hannah DuPont-Lowell. So many things had happened to Nydia and her friends since they were downsized from an international Wall Street private investment firm.

Nydia, and two dozen other employees, could have never imagined when they walked into Wakefield Hamilton on a warm, sunny morning in May that it was to become their last day of employment. The company had merged with another institution, and although they were given generous severance packages, none were offered the option of staying and commuting to Trenton, New Jersey.

She, Tonya, and Jasmine had returned to New Orleans in October as bridal attendants for Hannah’s wedding to her former high school classmate St. John McNair. And Nydia’s third trip would have been this past June to witness Tonya’s wedding to St. John’s cousin, Gage Toussaint, if she hadn’t been hospitalized. She was back again to stand as maid of honor for Jasmine’s wedding to Cameron Singleton. A wry smile parted her lips. She didn’t know what it was about the Crescent City, but it was obvious her friends had been seduced by the food, music, and the men.

Gathering her purse, Nydia slowly followed the bellhop into the Louis LaSalle. The automatic doors opened, and the scene unfolding before her eyes made her feel as if she had stepped back in time. Marble floors, a trio of massive crystal chandeliers, overstuffed brocade-covered chairs and sofas welcomed one to linger a while. Gilt-framed paintings of men and women dressed in their finery from a bygone era hung from the ornately papered walls. An enormous bouquet of fresh flowers overflowing a hand-painted glazed vase set on a large round mahogany table was the lobby’s focal point.

“Bienvenido de nuevo a La Gran Fácil.”

Nydia turned and smiled. She hadn’t noticed Jasmine’s approach. The affection she felt for her friend was reflected in her smile as she extended her arms and hugged Jasmine. She was still attempting to wrap her head around the news that her former coworker was pregnant and planning to marry the father of her unborn baby in two weeks.

“I can’t believe you’re welcoming me back as if you’ve lived here for years instead of a few months,” Nydia teased.

Jasmine returned her smile. “I never thought I’d ever move from the Big Apple, but now that I live here, I’ve come to love the Big Easy.”

Easing back, she studied Jasmine’s face. The interior decorator turned human resource specialist’s longer, coal-black, wavy hair framed a face that was noticeably fuller than when they were last together. The genes she had inherited from her African-American father and Filipino mother had blended with a gold-brown complexion, slightly slanting eyes, a pert nose, and lush mouth. Nydia could see why Cameron hadn’t been able to pull his gaze away from Jasmine at Hannah’s wedding reception.

“You’re actually glowing.”

“Don’t you mean growing?”

“Please, Jazz,” Nydia drawled. “You don’t look pregnant.” Her friend had just completed her first trimester.

“It’s the dress. I’m already losing my waistline.” Jasmine looped an arm through Nydia’s. “Come with me. I’ll take you to your room.” She signaled for the bellhop with Nydia’s bags to follow her. “Oh, I forgot to ask. How are you feeling?”

“The incision is still a little tender, but other than that I’m good.”

“Good enough to dance salsa at my wedding?”

Nydia met Jasmine’s dark eyes. Both had agreed how much they enjoyed dancing to live Latin music. “You hired a band?”

A mysterious smile touched the corners of Jasmine’s mouth. “I couldn’t get one on such short notice, so I had the DJ compile a playlist with some popular dance numbers.”

They rode the elevator to the fourth floor in silence. Jasmine had confided to Nydia that only Hannah, Tonya, and Cameron’s family knew she was going to marry him the afternoon following his parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary banquet. However, someone had leaked that Cameron was engaged but failed to identify the woman who was to become Mrs. Cameron Averill Singleton. Once Belinda Singleton confirmed the rumor her son was indeed planning to marry, shock-waves reverberated throughout the city, because at the age of forty-eight, the extremely attractive wealth manager had earned the reputation as a serial dater. And whenever someone saw Cameron with Jasmine and questioned their connection, his reply was he’d commissioned her to decorate his new home.

Jasmine swiped a key card, opened the door, and stood aside as the bellhop pushed the dolly with Nydia’s luggage into the suite. Her friend waited until he’d placed the Pullman on a luggage rack and two carry-on bags on the floor in front of the bedroom closet, and then reached into the large patch pocket of her sundress and surreptitiously handed him a tip.

The young man nodded. “Thank you, Miss Washington.”

Once the young man left, Nydia walked into the suite, her hazel eyes noticeably widening when she surveyed the space where she would spend the next month. It was now the first week in August, and she planned to return to New York following the Labor Day weekend. The contemporary pale-gray and white seating grouping in the living room complemented the glass-topped dining room table with four alternating gray and white upholstered chairs set on a geometric black, white, and gray area rug. Gunmetal-gray floor-to-ceiling silk drapes were pulled back to allow brilliant sunlight to flood the open floor plan that included a galley kitchen with stainless-steel appliances.

She opened the refrigerator to find small individual containers with tuna, chicken, shrimp, and caprese salads. There was also a larger container filled with mixed greens. A shelf was filled with bottled water, juice, and small jars of labeled salad dressings.

“I didn’t know what you wanted to eat for lunch, so I decided to order a little something from the kitchen to tide you over until we have dinner with Tonya and Hannah tonight,” Jasmine said, as Nydia closed the refrigerator door.

She smiled at her friend. “You’re the best. Are we going out to eat?”

Jasmine shook her head. “Not tonight. I reserved one of the smaller private dining rooms here at the hotel. The owner just hired a new chef to oversee the kitchen, and he’s quite talented.”

“Is he better than Tonya’s in-laws?”

Jasmine shook her head again. “Not quite. There’s something about the food from Chez Toussaints that’s indescribable. That’s why I told Cameron I wanted Eustace and Gage to cater our wedding.”

“You have to remember that Tonya’s no slouch when it comes to throwing down in the kitchen,” Nydia reminded Jasmine.

She turned and made her way down a narrow hallway, peering into a half bath before entering the bedroom that also included an ensuite spa-bath. Yards of diaphanous white sheers draped a California-king mahogany four-poster bed and wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows. A seating area with a brocade cream-colored chaise, a small mahogany round table with two pullup chairs, and a bookcase filled with hardcover and paperback books and magazines provided a space to sit and while away the hours. The heavy, dark furniture was the perfect contrast to the off-white furnishings.

“Coño, mija,” Nydia drawled. “You really hooked me up.”

“It’s the least I could do for una princesa puertorriqueña.”

Nydia couldn’t stop laughing. She’d occasionally referred to herself as a Puerto Rican princess. Other than family members, Jasmine was the only one with whom she occasionally spoke Spanish. Her friend had learned the language from her mother and Tagalog from her grandparents whenever she’d visited the Philippines.

Jasmine followed Nydia into the living room and sat on the love seat, while Nydia sat on the sofa. “I knew you would like the bridal suite.”

Nydia sobered and gave Jasmine an incredulous stare. “You put me in the bridal suite?”

“Yes. It’s one of the nicest ones in the hotel. If you’re going to live here for a month, then you should have the best amenities. Other than the connecting suite where Cameron and I stay, all of the others only have minibars and microwaves. And it’s the least I could do for my maid of honor. And if you hadn’t strong-armed me into going out with Cameron, I never would’ve been given the chance to become a romance novel heroine and experience a happily ever after.”

“I didn’t strong-arm you, Jazz. I said you had nothing to lose by having one dinner date with the man.”

Jasmine patted her belly over the sundress. “And look what it got me.”

“It got you what you’ve always wanted: a baby and a husband who doesn’t need your money. Cameron is nothing like that slug you married who not only parked his shoes under another woman’s bed and got her pregnant, but subsequently snipped his cheating-ass dick and denied you a child. And on top of that the slimeball tried to pimp you out of a business you’d shed blood, sweat, and tears to make a success. Fast-forward a few years and you meet Cameron Singleton, who’d professed he didn’t want to marry or father children and boom! He takes one look at Ms. Jasmine Washington and folds up like an accordion.” She pressed her first two fingers to her lips, and then pantomimed dropping a mic. “Santiago out.”

Jasmine laughed until her sides hurt. “You know you missed your calling. You should’ve become a stand-up comedienne instead of an accountant.”

Nydia shook her head, and a mane of loose, dark-brown curls moved around her small, round face as if taking on a life of their own. “I’d never be able to come up with enough jokes to earn a living, and I’m not about to recreate stories about some of my crazy family members or people I grew up with, because that would be dangerous to my health. They’d know immediately who I was talking about. Some of the dudes in my old neighborhood have street names like Loco Carlos or Diablo Flacito and are walking billboards of ink advertising drugs, murder, and prison.”

Jasmine stopped laughing. “Talk about earning a living, have you given any further thought about investing in Hannah’s DuPont Inn? You know she’s expecting you to be her CFO.” Nydia had become the last holdout when it came to investing in Hannah’s new project to turn her ancestral home into an inn. Although Nydia found the offer quite tempting, she still wasn’t certain whether she wanted to relocate. Her family was in New York, and the opportunity to secure a position with a company looking for a certified public accountant with a salary commensurate with her education and experience had kept her from committing to becoming an innkeeper.

“I have thought about it. It is very enticing.”

“If that’s the case, then what’s stopping you, chica? And if you tell me you’re seeing Danny again I’m going to go, as you say, ape-shit.”

A slight frown marred Nydia’s youthful-looking features. She’d recently celebrated her thirty-third birthday, yet she was still mistaken for a college coed and carded whenever she ordered alcohol. And with her recent weight loss of more than ten pounds her petite frame could ill afford to lose, she appeared even younger.

“I told you before, I’m done with Danny. You know I was angry with Wakefield Hamilton because they’d fired us without warning, but now that I look back I know it’s the best thing that ever happened to me. If not, I still would’ve been renting a furnished apartment in my nosy landlady’s house and hoping, wishing, and praying for Danny to get his act together. Once Tonya told me I could sublet her apartment and I moved in, I was able to experience what it meant to be in complete control of my life for the first time since moving out on my own, because I don’t have someone clocking who’s coming and going in and out of the apartment. And one of the many perks in living in the renovated building is the security. Closed-circuit cameras are integrated within the intercom system, which allows me to see who is ringing my bell. So, even if Danny does happen to find out where I live, I don’t have to let him in.”

“I know you’re living out Tonya’s renewal lease until next year, but what are you going to do once it expires? Are you going to take it over under your name?”

Nydia exhaled an audible breath. Jasmine was asking a question she’d asked herself over and over the closer it got to the lease’s expiration date. “Lately I’m not sure. I know if I had a permanent position with a company I would definitely consider it. I gave Tonya the entire year’s rent in advance from my savings, and while I’m doing the books for several restaurateurs, I earn enough to cover nearly three-quarters of the monthly rent, which means with the new lease I’d have to dip into my savings to make up the difference and pay for utilities and buy groceries.”

“Have you begun looking for something permanent?” Jasmine asked.

“Not yet. I’ve decided to wait until after Labor Day to begin a job search. My brother’s friend who is an intelligence analyst for the FBI has been urging me to apply to the Bureau as an accounting and finance special agent.” Nydia knew she had shocked Jasmine with this disclosure when her jaw dropped.

“Why the FBI?” Jasmine questioned.

“Because I have the qualifications: bachelor’s degree in forensic accounting, an MBA and CPA.”

“What other qualifications are they asking for?”

“I’m within the age range, and have more than three years’ professional experience. Of course I’d have to pass a security clearance background check and a physical.”

Jasmine stared at the framed watercolor of a Venetian palazzo overlooking a canal with moored gondolas. “You’re an independent woman with options as to where you want to take your future.”

Nydia leaned forward. “Why would you say it like that?”

Her dark-brown eyes met a shimmering clear-brown pair with glints of green and gold in a complexion that reminded Jasmine of frothy mocha icing. “All my life I’ve relied on men to take care of me. First there was my father, and then Gregory Carson, who was my first lover and mentor. Gregory was thirty years my senior and he gave me what I needed to become a much sought-after successful interior decorator. I met Raymond Rios after Gregory died and married him a year later. I probably still would be married to him if I hadn’t discovered he’d cheated on me. Now three years later it’s Cameron Singleton.”

“What’s so wrong with that, Jazz? So many women never experience a man’s protection. And after what you had to go through with Raymond, you’ve been given a second chance at love.”

Her eyelids fluttered. “I know, but I wanted to wait until after giving birth to marry Cameron.”

A rush of color suffused Nydia’s complexion, and she clenched her teeth. “Why? So you can become a baby mama? Do you have any idea how many women would love to change places with you? I know girls who’ve had wonderful relationships with their boyfriends until they mention the B word, and then their men act as if she’s come down with bubonic plague. Halfway through our second year my college roommate told me her boyfriend wanted her to have an abortion over the winter break because he claimed he couldn’t afford to take care of another child. That’s when she found out that he had two other kids and both his baby mamas had taken him to court for child support.”

Jasmine smothered a gasp. “Did she have the abortion?”

Nydia nodded. “It was either get rid of the baby or lose the man. A month after she had the procedure he broke up with her. Talk about a hot mess. She had an emotional breakdown and dropped out of school. When I called her parents’ home, they told me she’d moved to Arizona to live with her older sister. Now back to you, Miss Soon-to-be Mrs. Cameron Singleton. You probably think Cameron wants to marry you because you’re carrying his child, but didn’t you tell me he’s admitted to being in love with you?”

“He has, and I’m in love with him.”

“Then, what’s the problem? Has he said anything about you going into business with Hannah?”

“No. He couldn’t because I’d given Hannah my word and we’d finalized our business agreement even before I realized I was pregnant.”

“The man has allowed you to be an independent woman and control your life, something his father hadn’t permitted his mother. So, why are you being a drama queen? I didn’t come down here during the hottest month of the freaking year to listen to you talk about marrying Cameron after you push out his baby. I love you like a sister, but, so help me, Jazz, I will go ape-shit and show my natural ass and end up on the local news if you don’t go through with this wedding.”

“You wouldn’t!” Jasmine whispered.

“Girl, please,” Nydia drawled. “There’s a crazy side to Nydia Stephanie Santiago you don’t ever want to see.” She snapped her fingers. “I can bring the funk with the best of them.”

“I didn’t say anything about not marrying Cameron. I was just saying—”

“Don’t say anything else, Jasmine,” Nydia interrupted. “Either it’s hormones or premarital jitters, but I’m going to help you get through this. I remember my sister-in-law’s mood swings when she was pregnant with her first child. She drove my brother crazy when she began calling him Nelson rather than Luis, which happens to be his middle name. We later discovered one of her exes was named Luis, and she did not want to relive her past, so to humor her we all started calling him Nelson.”

“What did he say to that?” Jasmine asked.

“My brother worships his wife, so she can do or say no wrong. Personally I think he goes along with her just to keep the peace. Being a cop is stressful enough without coming home to bitchin’ and moaning. His motto is: happy wife, happy life.”

Jasmine noticed Nydia’s eyelids drooping as she attempted to stay awake. She pushed to her feet, reached into the pocket of her dress, and placed two key cards on the coffee table. “I’m sitting here running off at the mouth when you need to rest after getting up before dawn. I’m going upstairs to my suite to take a nap before we get together later for dinner. I’ll meet you in the lobby at seven.”

Nydia stood. “Will Cameron be joining us?”

“I’m not sure. He’s scheduled an early dinner meeting with a client, and I’m not certain how long it will last.”

“Tell him I really appreciate his taking care of my travel arrangements.”

She nodded, smiling. “You can tell him yourself when you see him.” Turning, she walked to the door, opened it, and then closed it behind her. She’d wanted to tell Nydia that she was experiencing premarital jitters. That she’d committed to marrying a stranger—a man who had gotten her pregnant the first time they’d made love, despite using protection.

Jasmine had vacillated whether she wanted to marry before or after the birth of her child because she wanted Cameron to want her for his wife and not because she was carrying a Singleton. Openly admitting to Nydia that he loved her had helped her to acknowledge she’d made the right decision to marry the father of her unborn child at this time. Nydia said she loved her like a sister, and it was the same with her when it came to the gifted young accountant who’d graduated college with honors and passed the CPA exam on her first attempt; she could always count on her friend not to sugarcoat what she needed to hear. Not only had she asked Nydia to be her maid of honor, but she also planned to ask her to become godmother to her son or daughter.

Nydia punched the elevator button for the lobby. She’d put off taking a nap until after she’d eaten the caprese, chicken salad and mixed greens with a balsamic dressing. She then set the alarm on her cell phone to wake her at five o’clock, which gave her time to unpack and take a bath. Relaxing in the garden tub and luxuriating in the feel of pulsing jets of water on her body for the next half hour had revived her to where she was ready to reconnect with her friends and enjoy the warm camaraderie they’d developed over the past year.

At thirty-three she was the youngest of the quartet, and there was a twenty-plus-year age difference between her, Tonya, and Hannah; however, at no time had she ever thought of them as mother figures. To her they were her older sisters. Nydia still marveled that she was able to hold her own when interacting with them, perhaps because she tended to say exactly what came to mind. Jasmine accused her of having no filter, but the truth was she detested duplicitous people. She preferred folks to speak their mind, even if she didn’t agree with them.

The elevator stopped at the lobby, the doors opened, and as soon as she exited the car she saw Tonya, Hannah, and Jasmine standing together near the table with the massive bouquet. Tonya spied her first and approached Nydia. It was apparent marriage had more than agreed with the professional chef. A light-blue sleeveless linen sheath dress flattered Tonya’s toned body, while her short, gray-flecked hair flattered a flawless dark complexion radiating good health. Twin dimples dotted her cheeks when she smiled.

“Welcome back, sweetie.”

Nydia hugged Tonya. “I’m sorry I missed seeing you marry your muy-sexy Papi.”

Throwing back her head, Tonya laughed. “When I told Gage you were coming down, he said he couldn’t wait to meet you.”

Nydia had caught a glimpse of the talented musician for the first time when Hannah had taken them to a jazz club during their initial visit to the city, and she doubted that she was the only woman in the place transfixed by the handsome trumpet player’s Creole, Cajun, and African ancestry. Not only was he a gifted musician, but he was also a skilled Parisian-trained chef. Tonya and Gage Toussaint had begun a whirlwind romance once she became an apprentice at his family’s local restaurant, Chez Toussaints, and were married eight months later.

Nydia looped her arm through Tonya’s. “I’m planning to be here for a month; that is, if the heat doesn’t get to me like it did last summer.” She, Jasmine, and Tonya had cut their two-week stay short because of record temperatures and humidity.

Tonya shook her head. “After moving down here I realize I’d rather put up with the heat than the cold and snow.”

Hannah joined them. The tall blonde had put on a little weight since she’d married St. John, and Nydia had to acknowledge she looked wonderful. “Welcome back,” she drawled, smiling.

Nydia’s lids fluttered as she forced back the tears filling her eyes. She hugged Hannah, the recognizable scent of Chanel No. 5 wafting to her nose. Everyone was welcoming her back as if she’d left home. She hadn’t spent as much time in New Orleans as Tonya or Jasmine, yet there was something about the city that beckoned her to come and stay. It wasn’t called the Big Easy for nothing, because she always felt completely relaxed whenever she came for a visit.

“I’m glad to be back. And you’re looking good, Mrs. McNair.” Hannah was dressed entirely in white: cropped slacks, a man-tailored shirt, and ballet-type flats. Her silver-streaked, chin-length platinum hair was pulled off her face with a black-and-white pinstriped headband.

An attractive blush darkened Hannah’s fair complexion. “I feel wonderful.”

“Should that be attributed to married life?”

A fringe of pale lashes shadowed her cheekbones when she demurely lowered eyes. “St. John’s a wonderful husband.” Her green eyes narrowed as she gave Nydia a long, penetrating stare. “You’ve lost a lot of weight.”

Nydia glanced down at the navy-blue stretch capris she’d paired with a white tank top. “Not so much that I lost my booty.”

“Stop playing yourself,” Jasmine said, as she gave her a you have to be kidding me look. “I didn’t say anything earlier, but I wanted to tell you that you look a hot mess. And I’m going to make certain as long as you stay here, you’ll have regular meals and gain some of that weight you lost.”

Nydia wanted to tell her friends that the pain before the appendectomy had been so debilitating she had almost stopped eating altogether. Once she was discharged from the hospital she’d refused to take the prescribed opioid because she feared becoming addicted, so she endured the lingering discomfort as she waited for the incision to heal. However, in recent weeks she had regained three of the fourteen pounds she’d lost.

Tonya dropped an arm over Nydia’s shoulders. “I’m with Jasmine. Every day Mama’s going to make a special plate for you and have someone bring it over to you.”

She felt a warm glow flow through her from her friends’ concern about her. After she’d called Jasmine to tell her she was in the hospital, it was apparent she’d informed Hannah and Tonya, because they’d called to check on her condition, while Jasmine had sent her an enormous basket filled with fruit, gourmet confectionaries, cheese, crackers, and nuts from all three.

“Speaking of eating,” Jasmine said, “it’s time we head to the restaurant because everything has been set up for us.”

“Are we going out?” Tonya asked.

Jasmine shook her head. “No. I reserved one of the small private rooms here at the hotel where we can eat at our leisure. I hope y’all don’t mind that I ordered for us, because the kitchen gets real busy around this time.”

“I don’t mind,” Hannah said.

“You won’t get an argument out of me,” Nydia quipped. In addition to her friends, she missed the local dishes. She’d bought a cookbook featuring New Orleans cuisine and attempted to duplicate some of the recipes. It had taken several tries before she was able to perfect her favorite dish of red beans and rice. Even her mother raved about the kidney beans flavored with Cajun seasoning and spicy andouille sausage.

Nydia entered the room with the others, smiling when she saw the round linen-covered table with seating for four set with china, silver, and crystal. Mouthwatering aromas wafted from a number of chafing dishes on the buffet table. There were also bottles of wine, water, soda, and a large bowl of ice.

Jasmine picked up a plate. “Don’t be shy, ladies. Let’s eat.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Nydia said, smiling. There were trays of fried chicken and catfish, red beans, rice, grilled shrimp, jambalaya, and jalapeño cornbread.

“I hope that’s not all you’re eating,” Tonya said, as she stared at Nydia’s plate.

“No. As soon as I finish this, I’m going back for more.” She’d selected shrimp, c