Chapter 2

Just then, another man paused, to smile at Henry. Blond and thirty-something, he stepped forward.

“You have a great laugh,” he said.

Henry’s heart skipped a beat as the handsome man spoke to him. “Thank you.”

“And a beautiful smile,” he leaned against the wall next to Henry, opposite John. “I’m Cole Cunningham.”

“Henry Gastineau.” They shook hands. He seems to be just as nervous as I am, Henry thought. “You’ve been here before?”

Cole shook his head. “First time at Mardi Gras. First time in New Orleans.”

“How do you like it so far?”

“I love it,” Cole said with a sense of awe in his voice. “I feel like I belong here, like I know the place, which is weird since I’ve never been here before. I suppose I kept talking about coming here so often to my friends back home in Denver, they told me to get off my ass and go. I decided they were right, so I grabbed the bull by the horns and came.” Cole paused, looking sheepish. “Sorry, I’m just rambling.”