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“What the heck!” I scrambled to sit, yanking the earbuds away with one hand and the sleep mask with the other. “What are you doing in my room?”
I had to hand it to him. Carter looked ruggedly handsome first thing in the morning.
“The word you’re looking for is bed. What am I doing in your bed? And, there’s a good explanation, one you should’ve thought about before you poisoned me.”
“I didn’t poison you.”
“Drugged is probably more accurate.” Carter cupped the back of his neck while resting on his left side. “If you’d wanted me to stay the night, all you had to do was ask.”
I felt my nostrils flare. “Was I the one in the kitchen? No. I didn’t want you to spend the night. We just needed time to—”
“It’s too early to try and come up with a lie.” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “But I’ll let you off the hook so you don’t stress about it. I’ve already talked to someone you know.”
“I don’t know anyone other than you, Walter, Ally, Ida Belle, Gertie, and all their friends and enemies.”
“You know more people than you’ve let on.”
“Southern phrase?”
He nodded once. “I knew you moved like someone with military training, but CIA? Didn’t see that coming. Assassin? Still not sure what to make of that one.”
“Harrison?”
He leaned closer and whispered, “And your cover persona’s uncle, Director Morrow.”
I fell against the bed and briefly closed my eyes. “I’m kind of relieved.”
“Yeah?” He kept watching me. I felt his eyes all over me, but it wasn’t a weird thing, oddly enough. In fact, I felt right at home with Deputy Charming in my bed, which couldn’t have been a good thing, especially since I didn’t plan to stay in Sinful forever.
“Were you ever going to tell me?”
I turned my head and stared at him. His head now rested on the pillow next to mine.
“It’s really not up to me.” I sucked in a breath, understanding what he must be thinking. “Ida Belle and Gertie figured it out, almost from the very beginning.”
“And you thought it was a good idea for—what was it Harrison called them—the senile snipers to know all about your past, but not me?”
He looked hurt and while I hated that, I was in a vulnerable position. I gathered my thoughts before I said, “Carter, Ahmad is a dangerous man. He’s out for blood because I killed his brother.”
“With a shoe. I heard all about it.”
I smiled. “It wasn’t as cut and dry as it sounds.”
“In love and war, it never is.” His eyes grew heavy. “You can trust me, Fortune. I have high security clearance, but beyond that, I’m a man of my word and want to keep you safe.”
I jiggled my head a little, trying to get comfortable. “This may come as a surprise to you, but I’m pretty resourceful and can keep myself safe most of the time.”
He laughed. “Don’t doubt it for a minute. I’ve seen how imaginative you can be when you don’t have a traditional weapon nearby.” He waited a beat. “By the way, how did you end up with the feather duster and old maid outfit?”
“Gertie thought it was close enough to a French maid costume. She had the plunger, skirt, and shoes in her trunk.”
“She probably keeps the former and latter in her car in case your foot gets stuck in a toilet again.”
“How’d you know?”
“She can be resourceful, too.”
“So you aren’t too upset?”
“Why? Should I be?”
“Didn’t want to bruise your ego,” I admitted.
He stared at my lips as if he were thinking about kissing me. Instead of leaning in, he pulled back and stared down the slender bridge of his nose. “My ego is the last thing you should worry about. Besides, I was starting to think you were just someone to avoid, a weird girl from the city. Now, I know there’s a method to your madness.”
I shook my head. “No methods here.”
“Don’t sell yourself short.” He grinned. “We’d probably be in real trouble if you had time to plan.”
“Sorry about the drugged root beer.”
“Don’t be sorry. You kept me here. Now, you can decide what to do with me.”
I mentally dismissed the first idea that came to mind. Then, I tossed aside the comforter and hopped out of bed.
“You can look now!” I called out.
“Honey, I’ve been looking this whole time. I just didn’t whistle.”
I peered around the door and narrowed my eyes. “You should be ashamed of yourself, Deputy LeBlanc.”
“No shame here,” he said, giving me a heated look. “But I figure I owe you a breakfast. I pried into your life. The least I can do is pick up the tab at Francine’s.”
“Meet me there?” I asked, not wanting to give the locals anything more to talk about.
He rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling. “Not on your life, Agent Redding. I’m walking in that diner with you on my arm.” When he looked at me again, his expression softened. “Now that I know why assassins are looking for you, you’ll play hell getting rid of me.”
“Who says I want rid of you?” I shot him a wink. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
As much as I hated to admit it, I kind of liked that imagery. Carter LeBlanc waiting for me in bed?
Yes, I could eventually get used to that.
Thank you for reading Bunny Brunch, a standalone novella set in the Miss Fortune universe.
If you’d like to stay updated on new and forthcoming releases, please send an email to rileyblakeauthor@gmail.com and request to be added to my mailing list. In the meantime, if you enjoyed this story, would you please consider leaving a review for other readers?
If you haven’t read the Bayou Cozy Romantic Thrills series, please look for the novellas and short stories at your favorite retailer. I’m currently working on the next two which will follow Bayou Christmastime. An excerpt follows below from Bayou Easter, which is one of the stories.
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Thank you again for reading my work!
~Riley