Bayou beauty, p.21
Bayou Beauty, page 21
“I’m glad to hear that, because I want you around for a long time. I know that you and Rene married because of this situation with his family and the company.” She sat for a moment, her hand stroking Lady’s back. “But sometimes those arrangements can work out.”
“Like you and Ross?” Sylvie asked.
“Figured that out, did you? That’s why I said we likely would have divorced if I hadn’t gotten pregnant with Rene. I did it to help out a friend, and because honestly, it seemed like an adventure. After a few rough years, we turned out to be pretty good for each other. I think we would have had a wonderful retirement had he survived. Ross was a workaholic. Rene isn’t the same. He doesn’t love it the way Ross did. And the two of you have a much better base to start from. You already loved each other.”
Maybe his mother could give her some advice. “Rene is reluctant to use that word.”
Cricket sighed. “That’s his father’s doing, but he isn’t his daddy. I assure you his father wouldn’t go around calling himself a dog dad and fretting over whether a six-pound dog is properly eating.”
Watching Rene with Lady had been a revelation. She’d always known how thoughtful the man could be, but there was so much love in him. It was just restrained, and she’d come to understand that was a learned behavior. Something that was learned could be modified. He had to realize that it was okay to be emotional with her.
He certainly didn’t have any trouble showing his passion in bed.
Cricket reached up and put a hand to her cheek. “I think Rene has loved you for a long time, but he’s not sure he can trust it, and that in many ways is my fault. Mine and his father’s. We were honest with him. Too honest about how we married. I even admitted that if he hadn’t come along, we probably wouldn’t have stayed married.”
Sylvie felt her eyes widen. “When did you tell him that?”
“Many years ago. He was working in Chicago and he heard some rumors about us at a family gathering.” She sighed and sat back as Lady snuggled down in between them. “That’s the thing. The family will shut down all rumors in public, but they’ll let them fly in private if they think it will better someone’s position. Anyway, he was told that his father never loved me and had to marry me for money, which wasn’t true. Ross had plenty of money, but he needed my family connections.”
They hadn’t discussed his parents at all. Rene always seemed to change the subject. “Why did you marry him? You didn’t need the money, either.”
“Oh, no. My father ensured both my brother and I had ridiculous trust funds. My brother was interested in running the company our father started,” Cricket explained. “Even after he took the company public, he gave me a good portion of what he’d made because I’d let him have the company lock, stock, and barrel. Why did I marry Ross? Like I said, part of it was for the adventure of it all. I had a degree and a job, but it wasn’t a passion for me. If I’m truly honest with myself, I suppose it was because I wanted to please the man I actually did love at the time.”
Sylvie’s heart threatened to break. “Louis?”
A wistful look came over Cricket’s face. “Yes. I was the Rene in that situation. I pined for the boy next door, and he only saw me as a friend.”
Sylvie shook her head. “I did plenty of pining over Rene. He’s the one who pushed me away the first time. But that doesn’t matter now. Are you still in love with Louis?”
Because she thought the man might have changed his mind. He looked at Cricket like she was the sun in the sky.
Cricket hesitated long enough to let Sylvie know she was right. “Do you think God holds us to promises we make when we’re in our darkest hours?”
“Like what?”
“When Rene was in that accident, I promised God I would never ask for anything else if he saved my son.” Tears clouded her eyes. “I was in the car riding out to the hospital and I prayed so hard. I meant it in that moment. I even meant it later. When I had cancer, I didn’t pray for myself. I prayed that Rene would have enough strength to get through it. But lately, I’ve started thinking that I’m not dead and I could have something good for myself, but I made that promise.”
Sylvie shook her head, emotion welling inside her. “No. I might not know everything, but I know that’s not a promise God would hold you to. You are not old, Cricket Darois. There’s a whole world out there for you to explore. Maybe you did pick your room, but the door is open now. You raised a fine son and you were a good wife. It’s your time. No one else’s.”
Cricket turned to her. “Why is Rene suddenly treating Louis like an unwelcome guest?”
“He’s worried about some things that are going down at work.” She sighed. “And he knows something is going on between the two of you because I picked up on it. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Of course you should have,” Cricket argued. “It’s Rene who should have brought it up. I didn’t because I’ve been feeling guilty. He was so good when I was sick. And now he’s got all this responsibility on him.”
“He should have been good to you. He’s your son. He doesn’t get to dictate who you date.”
Cricket sat up straighter. “You’re right. I’ve been wondering a lot lately if I shouldn’t do some of the things we talked about doing after Ross retired. Even if I have to do them alone. I’ve been stuck in the house for too long. I let myself get old.”
She’d been sick and mourning, and Rene had stepped in. “I think getting out sounds marvelous.”
“I’m going to take the Benz out,” Cricket confided. “I didn’t drive for a long time because I felt too weak. Then it made Rene nervous.”
“Well, he did spend time in a hospital because he was hit by a woman who had a heart attack while driving.”
“He’s done nothing but worry for the last three years, and he needs to stop,” Cricket said. “I need to show him I’m strong again. I’m alive, and that means I need to get on with the business of living. I’m going to the library this afternoon. I’m meeting with the head librarian about starting some children’s programs and a book club that doesn’t involve drinking Celeste Beaumont’s cellar dry. Those women do not take the books seriously.”
“Yeah, my mom is way more interested in the chardonnay.” Sylvie heard the doorbell chime and stood, picking up Lady. “I think that’s a great idea, but are you sure you want to drive?”
Cricket stood as well, her shoulders in a prideful pose. “I do. I’m taking my life back. It’s a lovely day and I shouldn’t have to worry about traffic. It’s the perfect time to get some of my freedom back. Now, you should start trying on some clothes. I suggest finding a bag that doubles as a shield of some sort. You’re going to need it with Roberta.”
“Ma’am, there’s a delivery,” the housekeeper announced. “I told them to bring it up here.”
As her room started to fill up, Sylvie hoped clothes were all she needed to get through the next few days.
She held Lady and let herself smile as the Louboutins started to stack up. “All right. Let’s call Sera and Hallie and have a fun afternoon. What do you say? And no chewing on the shoes.”
She let go of her worries for a while.
* * *
* * *
Rene looked down at his cell and smiled. Sylvie had sent him a picture of Lady sitting in a sea of designer boxes.
She had taken the day off after working long hours, and he wished he’d been able to be there to watch her try on the clothes the shopper had picked for her. He’d found a woman with exquisite taste.
He was still smiling down when the phone buzzed. That was when his smile fled, but he slid his finger across the screen to answer. “Hello, Aunt Roberta. Did you get in all right?”
“Are you asking if the drive to this hellhole of a town went without a hitch? Of course it didn’t. First of all, your cousin can’t drive. Whoever signed off on her license should be fired. I will be making my complaints to the DMV as soon as I get home, and I assure you it will not be with that nincompoop of a girl.”
He winced. He’d let himself be talked into paying Ashley to fly to Houston and drive Roberta back since she would not fly in what she called a “pressurized metal tube filled with bacteria.”
He should have known better, but her brother Gabriel had basically begged him. Her job hunt wasn’t going well and he was worried about her.
“I’m sorry it wasn’t pleasant. I’ll find you another driver on the way home.” He hesitated to ask the next question. “How is the room?”
Roberta harrumphed. “It’s passable, and the Guidry girl seems to have located her brain. She’s already got a roast in the oven, and she’s promised I can have dinner by myself since I have to suffer through tomorrow. You should allow her to cater in the board meeting. She’s an excellent cook.”
It was good to know at least that part was going well. He wasn’t sure he liked being told she considered the meticulously planned party something she had to suffer through, but he wasn’t going to argue. Especially since he would likely be the one suffering. “I’m glad that’s to your liking. I hope you enjoy the party. I know Sera and Sylvie have been working hard to make it special.”
“Yes. I heard your wife has taken an interest in the party. Is her mother coming?” The question had an air of expectation.
“As a matter of fact, my mother-in-law has expressed an interest in coming by to offer you her congratulations.” Marcelle was more than willing to play her part. “You know she spends a lot of her time with Delphine these days. They were wondering if you would like a reading.”
“Marcelle Martine is the only good thing about this town,” Roberta said under her breath. “Yes, that would be wonderful. I swear the psychics in Houston are all con artists. Not a single one with a bit of sight, I tell you. And since we’ve got such a big vote coming up, I would like some guidance, if you know what I mean. I’ve heard some rather upsetting rumors about what’s going on at the company. You seem to be losing clients.”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” He wasn’t about to tell his aunt that he suspected one of his cousins of corporate spying. He certainly wasn’t going to mention that Louis was a suspect. He’d heard on more than one occasion Roberta talking about how Louis had ridden coattails all his life.
“You’ve lost two clients, and there’s rumors you could lose a third.”
That got his instincts tingling. “Who told you that?”
They were supposed to hear from Lowestone later today. If there was a rumor that they’d lost that, he would like to know who was talking.
“I have my sources, Rene. Don’t think because I’m old I don’t keep an eye on things. I have a responsibility to my family to ensure that you don’t screw things up. Your father was a good head of this family, but I can’t say the same thing of you yet. You have to prove it to me.”
He wanted to shoot back that he didn’t have to prove a damn thing to anyone but his wife, but he knew better. He’d had to prove himself to his family over and over again, and now he had to do it to save his mother’s home.
He had even more at stake since he had a wife now.
“Of course.” He bit back his anger.
“You remind me of your father. He always managed to sound calm, and yet there was always a bite of hate when he talked to me. I respect that,” Roberta said. “We’ll talk at the party. I expect to spend some time with your bride. Good night.”
He sighed and sat back. It was barely four, but it looked like Roberta was an early-to-sleep lady. He would have to make sure he left Sera and Harry the biggest tip, because they would be dealing with a lot.
There was a brief knock on his door and then Ashley was pushing through, a frown on her face. Her brother Gabriel was right behind her.
“Rene, I’m sorry. I told her you were busy.” Gabriel was flushed, as though he’d run to keep up with her.
“I deserve more money for putting up with that nasty old lady,” Ashley announced. “She complained the whole time. The entire time. She complained about my driving. She complained about my clothes. She complained about the music, even though I put it on the old folks’ station like she wanted me to.”
“Well, the good news is you don’t have to drive her back. She was just on the phone telling me to find someone else.” His irritation was starting to rankle. “So I have to do that.”
Ashley stopped, her face going white. He prepared himself to take the full-on blast of her rage. It was what he did. He got yelled at. He got blamed for anything that happened to go wrong.
“But I did everything she asked me to do.” Ashley’s tone was quiet. “I didn’t say anything.”
“She said you complained the whole time.”
Ashley’s jaw was tight, her words coming from clenched teeth. “I only talked to her when she asked me questions. I tried to be friendly, but she’s incredibly rude.”
“She’s also our great-aunt,” Gabriel pointed out. “And you were being paid to drive her, not to piss her off.”
“I did.” Ashley turned to her brother. “I did drive her. I didn’t even tell her that her stinky perfume made me nauseous. I don’t know what I did wrong.”
“You have to put up with it. You know that,” Gabriel said. “That’s how this family works.”
“I tried. I really tried.” She seemed for a moment like she would break down, but then she took a deep breath. “Screw this. I’ll find something else. Keep your money, Rene. I don’t want to owe you a thing.”
She turned and strode out the door.
Gabriel shook his head. “I’m sorry. She doesn’t understand, or she does and she doesn’t care.”
Or she was sick of being treated like crap. “Roberta can be a lot to deal with. Tell her I’ll pay her the full amount we agreed on.”
“Thanks. I’ll go and let her know. She’s got a lot on her mind. We all do.” Gabriel stopped at the door. “You’re not a bad guy, Rene. They make you out to be this high-and-mighty overlord, but you’re a pretty good boss.”
He didn’t know if he should thank the younger man or not. It did reinforce the idea that everyone viewed him as the bad guy in all scenarios. He was about to close the door when he realized Gabriel wasn’t alone in the lobby.
Charles was standing there, his eyes narrowed. He didn’t seem to notice as Gabriel strode past him. His eyes stayed on Rene.
Well, it was obvious he knew something had gone wrong.
“I take it we won the Lowestone bid.” He didn’t want to play with Charles a second longer. “You’ll have to find another place to receive packages from your spy. You need to understand that I’m going to prove that you’re the one undercutting the company, and I’ll use it to strip your shares.”
He would take them from Charles and hold them in trust for his children. They shouldn’t be punished for the sins of their father.
“You’ll do nothing of the kind.” Charles’s face had gone a blotchy red, but his words were ice cold. “I’m done playing nice.”
“Nice? This is your idea of nice? Corporate spying? You cost this company money.”
“Prove it.” Charles spat the words out.
“I’m working on it, but you should understand that even without prosecutable evidence, I’m going to talk about this at the board meeting and I will accuse you,” Rene explained. “We stayed at the cabin the night of the storm, and I found the bid there in the morning. Armie saw it, too, and he can be my witness.”
“Or you’re setting me up to hide your own failure. You learned how to do that from your daddy, didn’t you?” Charles glanced around as though trying to decide if they were alone.
“I think you should leave my father out of this.”
“I wish I could.” Charles moved past him and walked into his office. “You’re not going to say a damn thing to anyone except to tell Aunt Roberta tomorrow night that your marriage is a sham, just like your parents’ was.”
Had Charles lost his damn mind? “My parents’ marriage was a sham? They were married for thirty years. I know how it started, but I also know how it ended.”
“They only stayed married because of you. They didn’t love each other any more than Sylvie loves you. She’s going to leave you.”
“I think I’ll work hard to make sure she doesn’t.”
Charles stared at him for a moment. “You actually care about her, don’t you? I wouldn’t call it love because you have no concept of love.”
“And I suppose you do?”
“Not at all,” Charles agreed. “We’re very similar, Rene. You can’t see it, and I’m not going to try to make you see it. You think you’re so high above everyone else.”
It was the second time in less than five minutes he’d been accused of that particular sin. “I assure you I don’t think I’m higher than anyone else. If you would like to sell my mother the home she’s lived in most of her life, I’ll let you take over the CEO job and you can deal with everyone. You can see how high-and-mighty you feel.”
Charles waved him off. “I’ll have to pass. I’ll have both, and I think perhaps you’ll be the one selling your stock to me, for a reduced price, of course.”
“Why the hell would I do that?”
“Because if you don’t, I’m going to ruin Sylvie’s career.”
He stopped, his rage threatening to boil over. “Don’t you even say her name.”
Charles’s mouth turned up in an arrogant smirk. “I have her, Rene. I know some people in DC, and I can prove she had an affair with a married congressman she was working for. There are several people who are willing to talk.”
“She wouldn’t.” He knew his wife. If something happened between her and a married man, then she either hadn’t known he was married or she’d been forced.
