Almost There, page 9
“Addie Mae!” Tiana nearly dropped the tray. “My goodness, you scared me. What are you still doing here?”
“Mr. James made me promise not to leave you here by yourself,” Addie Mae answered.
“I should have known.” Tiana rolled her eyes. And to think she’d felt such a sense of triumph after convincing Daddy to go home early. “Well, let’s get these cleaned up so that we can both get out of here.”
She and Addie Mae made quick work of the dishes and had the kitchen looking spotless in no time. Of course, it would be a mess again the next night, but that was how things worked in the restaurant business; she wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“Thanks for the help,” Tiana said as she followed Addie Mae out the back door that led to the alley behind the restaurant. She snapped her fingers. “I forgot Mama’s dessert,” she said, remembering the bread pudding she’d promised to bring home. Her mother had left early with a headache, probably from all that dancing.
“I’ll wait for you,” Addie Mae said.
“No, you go on home,” Tiana said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She went back inside and found the thick wedge of bread pudding wrapped in tinfoil sitting where she’d left it near the coffee percolator. She slid it into her bag, then looked over the kitchen one last time to make sure all was in order.
Letting out a deep breath, she tried to make the stress of the night dissipate. This is all yours and Daddy’s.
And no one could take it from her.
Tiana walked back into the alley and gasped, struck by how thick the fog had become in just a few minutes. She could barely see a foot in front of her.
“My goodness,” she whispered.
She kept the alley behind her restaurant clear of clutter, but she still tiptoed about, making sure she didn’t trip over anything she couldn’t see.
Despite its still being February, a sultry heat lingered in the air, making the night warm and damp. Tiana hefted her bag more securely onto her shoulder and took off for the Rampart streetcar line. If she didn’t make it in time for the last ride to the Ninth Ward, she would find herself walking home.
At least the walk from Tremé would be shorter than if she’d bought that old sugar mill from the Fenner brothers. In fact, maybe it was a blessing that the realtors had sold it to someone else.
“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that,” Tiana said with a huff.
“You always go around talking to yourself?”
A streak of cold rushed through Tiana’s veins. She took a step back. “Who’s there?” she called.
A low, distinct laugh came from just over her shoulder. Tiana quickly turned. She blinked twice as the thick fog parted and the Shadow Man appeared.
“Well, hello there, Tiana,” he greeted in that deceptively cordial voice of his. “Fine night out, isn’t it?”
She straightened her shoulders, refusing to show an ounce of fear. “What can I do for you, Mr. Facilier?”
“Why so formal? We’re old friends at this point, aren’t we? And it’s Doctor Facilier.”
“We are not friends, Doctor. The bottle of the potion I got from you this morning should last for at least two weeks, so we have no further dealings with each other until after Mardi Gras.” Tiana hefted her bag higher on her shoulder and began to walk past him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s late and I need to get to the streetcar stop. I have another long and busy day ahead of me tomorrow.”
“I can imagine,” he said, stepping in front of her and blocking her path. “This little restaurant of yours is all anyone can talk about.” He looked toward the building. “It’s…nice.” He didn’t sound impressed. “Of course, the one I offered you would make this look like a shabby shack in comparison.”
Tiana stuck her chin in the air, ready to defend her restaurant, but he spoke again before she could.
“Your guests don’t seem to mind, so why should I?” he said with a casual shrug of his bony shoulders. “It appears your food makes up for the lack of…ambience, shall we say.”
“The food is the most important thing at a restaurant, and yes, my guests love the dishes Daddy and I prepare here. That’s all that matters.”
“Yes, it is,” he said. “I’m particularly interested in that étouffée you cooked tonight for Mr. Eli LaBouff.”
Tiana’s eyes shot to his. “How do you know that I served Mr. LaBouff étouffée?”
A wicked smile curved up the corners of his mouth.
Tiana suddenly recalled the stranger who had stalked past her, nearly knocking her over.
“You were here tonight,” Tiana said in an accusatory tone.
Facilier peered down at his fingernails, then buffed them on his shoulder. “I may have stepped inside for a moment. I wanted to see what all the buzz was about.”
Tiana narrowed her eyes at him. She didn’t trust this one as far as she could throw him.
“I need to get going,” she repeated. She tried to move past, but this time he stopped her with his cane, shoving the long stick out in front of her.
“Not so fast,” Facilier said. “I have a proposition for you. Call it an amendment to our original arrangement.”
Tiana shook her head. “No. I’m fine with how things are now. I’m not making any more deals with you.”
He moved in close, his voice growing more sinister. “Look, girlie. You got off easy with that first deal. And if you want things to continue as they are, you’d better listen to what I have to say. It would be a shame if there was a horrible accident at this restaurant you’ve opened, but we all know how quickly fires start. Don’t we?”
Tiana gasped. “You wouldn’t.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Now that I think about it, it would be far worse for you if something were to happen to that dear father of yours. Or your mother.”
Dread sliced through Tiana like a knife through an onion.
“You keep my family out of this,” she hissed. “That was part of the deal.”
“Things change.” Facilier shrugged. “You of all people should understand transformations.” He reached inside his jacket and drew out a vial similar to the one she’d gotten from him earlier today, but bigger. “You can still avoid harm coming to your family. All you have to do is add this potion to all of your food from now on. It’s simple, Tiana.”
“But why?” she asked. “Everything has been going just fine with me adding the potion to the gumbo. What difference will it make putting it in everything?”
“Enough,” he snarled.
Tiana flinched at his harshness, then cursed herself for showing even a hint of fear. She’d learned over the course of this year that the best way to handle Dr. Facilier was to show that he couldn’t intimidate her.
“My question is legitimate,” she countered. “What’s the point of putting this potion in all of my dishes? You said I had to put it in Daddy’s gumbo because that’s the dish he’s known for.”
“I’ve cautioned you before about questioning my friends on the other side. Ask yourself, Tiana. Is it worth risking your daddy’s life when you just got him back? Is it worth your prince’s life when all you have to do is what you’ve been doing all this time? Why must you make things so difficult?”
“Because I don’t trust you,” she said. “I’m never going to just do something simply because you asked, Doctor Facilier.”
He grabbed her wrist and turned her hand palm up. He slapped the vial into the center of her palm. “Every single dish, Tiana.”
She threw the vial directly at his face. He snatched it as if he had been expecting her to do just that.
“I don’t have to do anything,” Tiana said. “I’ve held up my end of our bargain. You hold up yours.”
She knocked his cane out of the way and brushed past him. She moved like her feet were on fire, refusing to look over her shoulder to see if he was following her. Her entire body trembled as she ran on shaking legs for the streetcar stop. Tiana could hear the bells jingling, indicating its arrival.
She was still yards away from the stop.
“Hold on there!” she shouted, frantically waving her hands even though the conductor wouldn’t be able to see her through the thick fog. “Please! Don’t leave!”
She reached the corner of Ursulines and South Rampart and looked both ways through the haze before stepping into the street. The moment her foot hit the roadway, the headlights of a Model T blasted through the fog.
Tiana yelped, jumping back onto the curb.
She slapped her hand over her erratically beating heart.
“Goodness,” she whispered. She looked again for vehicles, then crossed the street, grateful that the streetcar was still at the stop. Tiana climbed aboard and paid her fare, then made her way to the back of the streetcar. She collapsed onto a seat and covered her face with her hands.
What was she going to do? Could Facilier really hurt her parents? Or Naveen?
Of course he could. The man had turned both her and Naveen into frogs. He could do whatever he wanted to do with that strange power he wielded.
She never should have made that deal with him. She knew better than to get involved with the likes of the Shadow Man.
But if you hadn’t, Naveen wouldn’t be human. And Daddy wouldn’t be here.
Once she reached her stop, Tiana alighted from the streetcar. She could barely see her hand in front of her face. The relentlessness of this fog took her breath away.
She traveled this route so often she could probably have made it home with her eyes closed, but it was still unnerving not being able to see where she was going. Not knowing if anyone was out here with her.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Tiana whispered.
This was Facilier’s fault. Her run-in with him had her on edge, causing her heartbeat to escalate and tendrils of anxiety to cascade down her spine. But she was in her own neighborhood now. She didn’t have anything to worry about. Right?
Taking a deep breath, Tiana couldn’t help running the rest of the way.
The Ninth Ward, New Orleans
Friday, February 1927
Four days before Mardi Gras
Tiana lifted her favorite camel-brown hat from the rack in the corner of her room and fixed it over her hair. She turned to face the mirror and frowned.
“You look like you’re off to shovel manure in this getup,” she said to the image staring back at her.
She expelled a frustrated sigh as she tossed the hat on the bed and went back to her chifforobe for what had to have been the dozenth time this morning. There must have been something in there that would be appropriate for shopping at the most prestigious department store in all of New Orleans.
“Ah, yes! This one should work.”
She pulled out her green-and-white polka-dot dress with the satin ribbon that tied at the waist, and the matching satin trim that ran along the hem of its ruffled skirt. She would normally only wear a dress like this to a wedding, or on Easter Sunday, but if she was going on this outing with Lottie to Maison Blanche, she had to look the part of someone who belonged there.
Because she did belong there.
She was just as good as anybody else who set foot in that establishment, and she was going to make sure everyone who was there knew it.
Tiana pulled the dress over her head and pinned the barrette Ms. Rose had given her as a gift behind her ear. It had tiny gardenias attached to it, adding an elegant touch to her ensemble. She swished around from left to right in the mirror, admiring the way her dress twirled about her legs.
She stopped.
“Wait…” Tiana murmured.
She stepped closer to the mirror and peered at the barrette. She could have sworn the two flowers on either end of the trinket had been buds. Now all four of them were full gardenia blooms.
She must have been mistaken about the buds. Had to have been.
But she had specifically remembered those buds. She’d remarked on how pretty they would be if they could bloom.
She shook her head. There had to be a logical explanation. Maybe she’d bought a second barrette and had forgotten about it? Or perhaps someone had switched them on her.
With shaking hands, she slowly slipped the barrette out of her hair and returned it to her jewelry box. She tried her best to ignore the uneasiness that continued to build within her gut.
Tiana closed her eyes tight and sucked in several deep breaths. When she opened them, all would be okay. She popped her eyes open and forced herself to smile at her reflection.
“See, everything is fine. You’re just tired.”
She looked back at the clock on her bedside table and realized if she didn’t get going, she would be late. When she walked into the kitchen, she was greeted with a surprised murmur from her mother, who sat behind her sewing machine.
“Well, look at you,” Eudora said after removing the needle she’d had sandwiched between her lips. “You’re dressed pretty fancy for making fried chicken and jambalaya, aren’t you?”
“I’m not going to the restaurant just yet,” Tiana said. She drew a cup of water from the tap and leaned against the counter as she took a sip. She stood up straight. “Wait, where’s Daddy?”
“He went out to Jefferson Parish to look at some gardening equipment. He said to tell you he’ll be back by this afternoon to start preparing for the Mardi Gras weekend kickoff.” Eudora threaded a second needle with purple thread. “I should have the last of these done just in time.”
Her mother had spent the past week making tablecloths in the traditional Mardi Gras colors as part of the decorations for the supper club’s weekend-long celebration. Tiana couldn’t wait to see how they would look.
Eudora glanced at Tiana. “You still didn’t tell me why you’re all dolled up.”
Tiana finished her water, rinsed the cup in the empty sink, and returned it to the cupboard.
“I’m going over to the LaBouffs’, and then Charlotte and I are going to Maison Blanche.”
Her mother’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, you’ve got Maison Blanche money now?”
“I’m not planning on buying anything,” Tiana assured her. “I’m only going with Lottie because she invited me.”
“Well, you have been working hard. You deserve to treat yourself to something from the department store.” Eudora pushed away from her sewing machine and came around the table. She reached into the pocket of her dress and pulled out a five-dollar bill.
“Five dollars?” Tiana cried. She backed away when her mother tried to hand her the money.
“Didn’t I just say that you deserve to treat yourself? Go on and buy yourself something fun.”
Tiana shook her head. “No way, Mama. I’m not wasting five whole dollars on foolishness.”
“It’s not foolishness. What’s the point of working so hard if you don’t enjoy the fruits of your labor?”
Eudora cupped Tiana’s cheeks with her hands. They were slightly callused from years of working with needle and thread. “I haven’t said this enough lately, but I am so proud of all the work you’ve put into the supper club. Your daddy is, too.”
A lump of emotion immediately formed in Tiana’s throat. There were few things in this world that meant more to her than making her parents proud. She closed her eyes and smiled, relishing the safety and comfort of her mother’s tender touch.
“Thank you, Mama.” She opened her eyes. “But I’m still not taking your five dollars.” She slipped out of her mother’s hold and quickly made her way to the front door. “Tell Daddy I’ll meet him at the restaurant later.”
“Tiana!” her mother called, her hands on her hips.
“Love you, Mama.” Tiana blew her a kiss before grabbing her purse and leaving the house.
Tiana headed south toward the river this time, opposite her usual route. That way she could hop on the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line, which would take her directly to the LaBouff mansion.
She greeted neighbors while simultaneously calculating the various tasks she had to complete before that night’s special dinner service.
The streetcar pulled up to the stop just as Tiana arrived.
“Hey there, Tiana,” the streetcar operator greeted. “I hear you’ve got a big name playing at your restaurant tonight.”
“I sure do,” she answered as she slid a nickel in the box. She spoke loud enough for everyone on the streetcar to hear. “Rudy Davis is kicking off Mardi Gras weekend at T&J’s Supper Club. Make sure you stop on by once your workday is done.”
Tiana smiled as she heard murmurs of excitement while she made her way to the back. She took an empty seat on the side that faced the river, and was immediately taken aback by the thick grayish cloud that hovered over the water—even thicker than yesterday. There might have been something to Councilman Dubois’s theory that this peculiar fog was coming from the river.
Tiana put her chin in her upturned palm and marveled at the activity buzzing along the riverfront. Despite the lingering mist, she could make out the fishermen casting wide nets off the pier that stretched along the banks of the Mississippi River. She and her daddy made a trip to that same pier at least once a week, making deals for fresh catfish, dreaming up new recipes.
A medley of worry, alarm, and sheer rage bubbled up inside as she recalled Facilier’s threat.
To ignore it outright would be unwise, but she did not want to bow down to his whims, either.
She now recognized her folly. She’d become too comfortable, foolishly trusting that a known con man would remain true to his word. She should have been expecting him to pull something like this all along.
Well, it wasn’t going to work. Unless he could give her a good reason to add that potion to everything she served at the restaurant, she wasn’t going to do it. Who knew what was in this new version, if it was even the same magical concoction keeping her daddy alive…or something more nefarious? And who knew what else he would ask if she complied?
Attempting to put Facilier out of her mind, she took in the sights and sounds of the city. The streetcar sailed past LaBouff’s enormous brick sugar mill. Plumes of white smoke bellowed from metal stacks, mixing in with the fog.
As she stared at the deep red bricks of the mill, another unwelcome thought made its way to her mind. Was Naveen somewhere inside? What was he doing? Was he considering asking her out for coffee again?
