Piper stood in front of Boulangerie Bertrand frantically trying to wave down a taxi. Each one that went by was already occupied.
She couldn’t be late getting to the parade staging area. Piper thought she’d left plenty of time to get to the place where she was to meet the film crew. She hadn’t accounted for the fact that she wouldn’t be able to get a ride.
She started to walk down Royal Street. If she could get over to Canal Street, she might stand a better chance of finding a cab. But when she reached the wide thoroughfare, she had no luck.
Her face twisted in a worried frown, Piper stood at the side of the street straining to catch a glimpse of any taxi in the distance. There weren’t any.
What was she going to do?
“Hey, cher. Need a lift?”
Piper looked over at the dusty, moss-colored sedan that had pulled up beside her. The car windows were open. A middle-aged man wearing a green T-shirt was behind the steering wheel.
“I need to get to Felicity and Magazine,” said Piper. “But I can’t find a cab.”
“And you ain’t gonna find one,” said the driver. “This is one of the busiest days of the year, cher. But I’m goin’ over that way to see the parade myself. I’ll give you a ride if you want. I don’t know if we’ll be able to get to Felicity and Magazine, but I’ll drop you off as close as I can.”
Piper quickly calculated whether it was wise to accept the stranger’s offer. It probably wasn’t. But she was desperate. She reached for the handle on the car door and got inside.
Her parents and Jack would die if they knew what she was doing.