All That Charm: (A Morning Glory Novel Book 3) by Liz Talley

Author:Liz Talley [Talley, Liz]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ARTalley Books, Inc.
Published: 2017-05-01T18:30:00+00:00

“Oh my gosh, you were fabulous,” Jess said, wrapping Eden into a bone-crushing hug that smelled like mojito and clean apple shampoo. “I mean seriously, sister, you were great.”

Eden blew Jess’s apple-scented curls out of her mouth and managed a breathless “thanks.”

Jess released her and stepped back, giving Ryan a meaningful look and a slight jerk of her head.

The man glanced at Jess and then reached over to awkwardly pat Eden’s back. “You were good, Eden.”

His discomfort made Eden smile. “The Brain” was like a supersexy Sheldon Cooper. Not so good with social situations or . . . touching. Unless it was Jess, of course. He couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her friend.

They stood outside Gatsby’s, midnight closing in on them, yet Bourbon Street was jumping. Drunken revelry at its finest. And oddly enough, the exuberant crowd suited Eden just fine. Tipsy people were loose with their money, which meant good tips. Of course, it also meant the bouncers at Gatsby’s had to be very aware, especially when a slurring shrew grew incensed over Eden or another performer rubbing against her equally intoxicated man. The night before last, one such woman couldn’t comprehend it was all in fun and tried to attack Eden when she shimmied a bit too close to her boyfriend. Ah, drunkenness, a double-edged sword.

“I’m starving,” Eden said, drawing her friends down the street, away from the bustle of the Quarter. Toward Esplanade sat her new favorite tourist trap—Port of Call. The place kept late hours and had the best burgers. She swerved around Corky, a homeless man, and his dog Elmo. Corky shamelessly used the beagle mix to get change dropped into his worn top hat. The man spent every night there, raking in plenty. Eden had bought him a sandwich the first night she’d encountered him . . . and then she realized he was a fixture and not so hard on his luck. The city was full of down-on-their-luck scammers.

Ryan stared at the man and fished into his pocket. Eden winked at Corky as Ryan dropped a ten-dollar bill into the hat.

“And God bless you, sir,” Corky cried.

Before Ryan could blink, he was accosted by Sandra, a thong-and-pasty-wearing photo opportunity carrying a lacy parasol. Two seconds later, a man coated in metallic paint showed up to con his few dollars from Jess’s softhearted boyfriend.

“Come on,” Eden said, pulling Ryan from the grasp of Bourbon Street’s “performers” and maneuvering them toward the outer French Quarter, which was quieter if not any less pungent. “You’ll give away every dime if you stay much longer.”

Jess put her arm around her big nerd’s waist. “I love how bighearted you are, babe.”

Ryan beamed and dropped a kiss atop Jess’s head. “And I love how you—”

“Good Lord, stop it already,” Eden said, faking a shudder.

Both Ryan and Jess dropped their arms and looked sheepish.

“I’m just kidding. Y’all being happy makes me happy.” Eden quickened her step. Usually she went to Port of Call with some of the other performers.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.