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Bianca Hardwick definitely didn’t care about befriending ive a da she seeene pool needs a lifeguard

Sassy goddamn wo soe It tookup, another

"You feelin’ all right, sir?" asked Rayford, watching me in the rearview mirror with concern

"Of course Why?"

"Because you look a little funny Sick, maybe"

When I scowled, Rayford looked relieved

How fucking depressing I’d better never think about Bianca Hardwick’s sht think I was dying

FOUR

BIANCA

Whoever coined the phrase beauty sleep had obviously never seen ard reflection in the bathroos under your eyes, that’s a full set of luggage"

I splashed cold water on my face, pressed a ashcloth to my lids, and held it there for a minute, to no effect When I opened ht for staying up into the wee hours of theon a new menu

But if Jackson Boudreaux was serious about his threat to sue, I’d have to reva, fast Then I supposed I’d have to hire myself a lawyer

Stuck-up son of a lazy-eyed catfish!

What little sleep I’d had was filled with night chased from the restaurant by a pack of wolves, led by one particularly large and nasty specirowls, his black fur bristling as he snapped at , the sheets drenched in sweat And now I looked like I’d been chewed up and spit out by an ornery gator

I pinned my hair into a bun, then smoothed a dollop of po a protest around ot dressed, not bothering with makeup There was no concealer on earth that could tackle s today, and I’d never quitemascara Or lipstick, for that matter The last time I wore it was at Christmas, and by the time mass was over at church it had smeared all over my teeth I looked like I’d eaten a box of red crayons

So it was barefaced that I appeared at my mother’s door to check on her onShe took one look at me and raised her brows

"Well," she said, "I know you don’t look so rough because of a rave;re, so come on in and tell ave , then stepped past her into the small but beautiful front parlor of her home Perfumed with vases of flowers and the scent of her Shali from the hidden speakers in the walls, it was a little oasis of elegance and style aentle decay of Trehborhood in the United States, Tre all the way back to the seventeen hundreds, when slaves were allowed to gather in Congo Square on Sundays to dance and play hts movement started here We have brass bands, incredible cuisine, cultural history museums, more festivals than days of the week, and faalore

But it’s a bad idea for tourists to take a stroll after dark Drugs are a problem, and jobs are in short supply And all those boarded-up houses that were abandoned after the flood still stand, flowering with toxic black mold, a daily reood in Tremé, but it’s never been easy

At the ot excited "Well let lasses so I can hear you better!"

She often said nonsensical things like that It was part of her char you feel welcoh them Worn on a silver chain around her neck, they were her one concession to the fact that she was aging