Catching Mr. Right--A Clean Romance

by Carol Ross

  “You think it was one of the game wardens?” Hazel asked. “Do you know their names?”

  “Sure. It could have been one of them. Could also be one of the policemen. There was this rookie cop who tried to talk Victoria out of confessing.”

  Hazel shifted in her seat. “Gordy, would you be willing to tell this story? Back Victoria now if she came forward?”

  “Heck yeah, I would! Happy to. I would have done that a long time ago if I’d known it’s what Victoria wanted.”

  Henry sighed and leaned back in his chair. “Now all we have to do is convince Victoria.”

  * * *

  VICTORIA STOWED THE broom she’d been using to sweep the sidewalk and dug her phone from her pocket. Still no response from Seth. Olivia had shown up yesterday, the morning after their phone conversation, to hear her story. Victoria had told it with her mama, Mémé and Scarlett all listening in. The reporter had stayed for hours, asked a ton of questions, and was extremely thorough. Mémé insisted she stay for lunch. Scarlett and Quinn charmed her socks off. Vic had no doubt when the story hit the news this time that it would finally be the truth.

  Immediately after Olivia had departed, Victoria called Seth. She wanted to be the one to tell him her story before he read it online. And apologize and reiterate how much she loved him, and could they try again? No answer, and she’d ended the call without leaving a voicemail. Only his voice would do.

  Maybe he wasn’t ready to hear from her yet. And maybe that was what she deserved. If he hadn’t given up on her, she would find a way to make this up to him.

  What she needed was something to pass the time. Inside the office, she studied the schedule. Most of the campers checking out had already done so. No cabins to clean. Except for folks enjoying long weekends, it was a quiet Monday morning. Deciding she had time to spend an hour or two on the lake with her fishing pole before new reservations or drop-ins started arriving, she headed outside to find Scarlett and see if she wanted to join.

  Two vehicles were driving up the lane. The first was an SUV. Fishermen, maybe? No boat, she realized when they got closer. Campers without a reservation probably. They had space available, so she waited while they parked.

  A woman climbed out of the SUV, one who looked a lot like... Hazel? Yes, she realized as Henry emerged to join her. A flash of dark brown hair and there he was. Seth. Her pulse took off racing, and she tried to temper it because the second car contained Marissa and Gerard, and why would they all be here? A Romeo Reels matter seemed most likely, but what could it be that wouldn’t warrant a simple phone call?

  “Victoria!” Marissa took the lead, hurrying forward when she noticed her and pulled her in for a hug. “Sorry, we didn’t call first. It seemed better to just show up.” Stepping back, she asked, “How are you?”

  “I’m good. Surprised, but a nice surprise. I’m happy to see you.”

  The rest of the group approached, and Victoria began doling out greetings. When she got to Seth, she wasn’t sure how to acknowledge him, but he made it easy by sweeping her into one of his hugs. One of his amazingly perfect, soul-warming hugs. She wanted to hang on for dear life—and might have—if he hadn’t cut it short. Was it her imagination, or did he squeeze her a little tighter than necessary?

  Marissa began, “I’m sure you’re wondering what we’re doing here. Do you have a few minutes to chat?”

  “Of course, yes. Let’s go to the house. We can sit on the porch.”

  “Holy cow, this place is spectacular!” This from Hazel, who fell into step beside her. Gaze bouncing everywhere, she said, “Later, maybe we can talk about your little paradise being featured on my blog?”

  “We’d be honored,” Victoria said.

  Marissa, Gerard and Henry gathered around the picnic table. Hazel took the rocker. Victoria offered coffee and drinks, but everyone declined. She and Seth sat in two of the remaining chairs.

  Marissa said, “We’ll get right to the point. Romeo Reels has made a decision regarding the spokesperson position.” When Victoria started to gently interrupt, she held up a hand. “We know. You withdrew. Miles Romeo didn’t accept it.”

  “Can he do that?” Victoria asked.

  “No,” Gerard assured her. “And he had quite a fight with legal about it, which he lost. Technically, your withdrawal stands.”

  If that was the case, it seemed unnecessary to include her in this conversation. She opted not to mention that, because regardless, they had something to impart, and she was delighted to see them all. And she couldn’t wait to talk to Seth.

  Marissa continued, “Which brings us to the news we have to share.” Her gaze swept over Victoria, Seth and then Henry. “We want to thank you guys for your stellar performances, and let you know it was an extremely close vote. We all had our favorites, but the decision truly was made by the selection committee.” She smiled at Victoria. “Before this mess blew up, and you quit, Victoria, the committee had decided to hire you.”

  Seth and Henry exchanged knowing glances. A spike of happiness erupted inside of her. Even if it felt almost cruel to tell her now when it was too late, the fact that she’d been good enough to win was a true thrill.

  “Neither of you seems surprised,” Gerard said, looking pointedly from Seth to Henry.

  Henry shook his head. “We’re not. She’s the best choice.”

  “Absolutely,” Seth concurred. “We both called it.”

  “You guys!” Victoria admonished. “Either of you would be every bit as good as me. Better, even. You’ve both landed fish I’ve only seen in books and online. Compared to either of you, I’m barely adequate with a fly rod.”

  “None of you are doing a very good job of selling yourself,” Gerard joked. “Not that you need to, Henry.”

  “Why doesn’t Henry need to?” Seth asked, even as Victoria was forming the same question.

  Marissa looked surprised. “Henry, you haven’t told him?”

  “Not yet.” Henry grinned at Seth. “We’ve been busy with other matters. I’ve taken another job.”

  “Henry is getting a better job,” Gerard clarified. “He’s been offered his own fishing show.”

  “Henry!” Victoria was ecstatic. “That’s fantastic! You’re going to be incredible.”

  “Congratulations, man!” Seth reached out one hand to shake and clapped him on the shoulder with the other. “Vic is right. You’re going to kill it.”

  When they’d finished briefly discussing the details, Marissa picked up the thread again, “So, Victoria, in light of our own investigation and everything Henry and Hazel have uncovered about your case, we’re not ready to give up on you. In fact, the opposite is now true. We’d like for you to tell your story on the national stage. You were a young woman, a girl, who was lied to and taken advantage of by a powerful man and his son. It’s a story that needs to be told. You could be an inspiration to women everywhere if you will do this. You’ll have the full support of the Romeo Reels legal team and—”

  “Wait a minute,” she interrupted. “What do you know about my story?” Had Henry told them? The idea of him betraying her confidence was shocking, but how else could they have found out? Not that it mattered now.

  As if hearing her thoughts, Henry said, “I didn’t tell them, Victoria. Gordon Watts did.”

  “Gordy? But he’s Austin’s friend.”

  “They haven’t been friends in a very long time,” Hazel spoke up. “It was Henry’s idea to find him, which he did with my help. We asked him to tell us what happened, and he did. Everything. And he’s willing to share the truth with anyone who will listen. He’s supporting you one hundred percent.”

  “Why?” Victoria asked, growing even more empowered by the information.

  The genius of Henry’s strategy continued to sink in as Hazel explained, “Because of the details Gordy revealed, we’ve also contacted a game warden who was
involved. He lives in Maine now, and he’s claiming you were so ill you could barely stand up, much less fill that well with fish. He says he never believed Austin’s story but was overridden by his superiors.”

  Henry couldn’t in good conscience repeat what she’d told him, so he’d found the only other person who could. The fact that he’d go to this much trouble for her meant the world to her. Emotion clogged her throat when she tried to speak, “Henry, I...”

  “I hope you can forgive me, Victoria. I couldn’t let this injustice stand. Hazel suspected something was off, too, and she was a willing coconspirator. And, of course, Seth knew there had to be a very good reason why you felt like you couldn’t be honest with him.”

  “I know telling your story is going to be difficult for you, Victoria,” Seth said, and for the first time since he’d arrived, he made full-on eye contact. Hope erupted like a geyser inside of her because those eyes of his; he still loved her. She could see it.

  Between Seth’s belief in her, her mama and Mémé’s support, the lengths Henry and Hazel had gone to, and now this, she could barely contain her joy. She felt all sparkly and buoyant inside like she’d been lit from within.

  Beaming, she looked around and told them, “I already have.”

  * * *

  SETH EXHALED THE breath he’d been holding. The relief washing over him was almost dizzying. He’d been afraid of coming here, afraid they’d meet nothing but that same stubborn wall of resistance, and with it, any chance Victoria had of getting over this, of reclaiming herself.

  “That’s why I called you last night, Seth. I wanted to tell you that you were right.”

  “You called me?” Thinking quickly, all he remembered was seeing an unfamiliar number. He’d received several of those from reporters and bloggers. “I didn’t see any missed calls from you.”

  “Oh... That’s right. Yeah, I had to change my number. I should have left you a message, but I had so much to say. There was too much to...” she trailed off as if remembering they had an audience.

  He grinned. She returned it, and he knew. Everything was going to be okay.

  “Victoria,” Hazel said, looking up from her phone. “Who did you talk to? I don’t see the story anywhere online.”

  “I talked to Olivia Wallace yesterday.”

  “Olivia Wallace!” Seth, Hazel and Henry all protested.

  “I know... It seems like an odd choice, but she apologized.” Eyes on Seth, she said, “I trust her. She’s going to let me know when it goes live. I wonder if I should call her and tell her about Gordy?”

  The conversation steered back to the topic again. They agreed that Victoria should make the call to Olivia, who should also speak with Hazel and Henry. Or possibly even group chat with everyone about all the relevant details and the plan of attack going forward.

  “Victoria,” Marissa said after they’d decided how to proceed. “Before you do that, there’s one more thing we need to tell you.”

  “Okay?”

  “It’s about the spokesperson job. Gerard was right when he said that Romeo Reels accepted your withdrawal. But what you don’t know is what we’ve decided to offer you.” She paused to look from Victoria to him. “And you, Seth. We’d like to offer you both jobs. It will look a little different than the original contract terms. We would split some of the responsibilities and then others you would do together. The selection committee loved your chemistry, and we’d like to build on that, too. We don’t have an offer in writing yet. We wanted to make sure that it’s something you two would be interested in first?”

  “I’m interested!” Victoria fired off the words before Seth could form his response. “But only if there’s no clause about being romantically involved. I’m in love with Seth, and if I can’t have him and the job, I choose him.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  VICTORIA’S STORY TURNED out to be much bigger than she imagined, bigger than anyone could have anticipated. It went live two days later, and Olivia, after interviewing Gordy and speaking with Henry and Hazel, worked virtually nonstop, and vastly expanded the piece. Gordy was quoted extensively, and the game warden, too. Austin and Linus Galbraith declined to comment.

  The Romeo Reels promotion team was all over it and within hours it was trending on social media. Morning Wire invited Victoria and Olivia on their show. Victoria and Seth flew to Florida the next day for the appearance, and the story made national news.

  In light of her age at the time of the incident, and with the support of several women’s rights organizations, Victoria was largely understood for not coming forward sooner and praised for her courage in doing so now. Especially when faced with the wealth and privilege of the Galbraith family.

  “Listen to this,” Seth said, lowering himself to sit beside her on the stern of the airboat where they were currently floating on Lake Belle Rose. “A text from Hazel with a link to Romeo’s press release: ‘From all of us here at Romeo Reels, we are thrilled to announce that Victoria Thibodeaux has officially joined our family. Victoria is everything we could wish for in a professional angler and spokesperson. Not only does she have the skills to showcase our products, she has the ethics and integrity to be a role model for young anglers everywhere.’”

  “I am going to do my best to make that true,” she said, tipping her head to rest on his shoulder.

  “It’s already true.” Seth wrapped his arms around her. She still couldn’t quite believe how much feeling he could convey with an embrace, and that she could have it anytime she wanted. Victoria inhaled the comforting scent of him mixed with the bayou around them and reveled in the sweetness that was now her life.

  Turned out, Victoria didn’t have to choose. Romeo Reels was happy to have them sign on as a couple. Two days ago, they’d flown to Boston, to Romeo Reels’ headquarters where they’d signed their contracts and discussed the details of what their new positions entailed. They’d returned to Bayou Doré early this afternoon.

  Victoria was ecstatic to discover that Scarlett had continued to improve in the two days she’d been gone. Every minute she regained a little more mobility in her arm. Time would tell how much returned, but the doctors were hopeful.

  They’d hung out with Scarlett, Mémé and Mama until the Duquettes had arrived to pick up Scarlett for dinner and a movie. With Mémé’s guidance, Seth brewed two gallons of sweet tea for a dinner they were having that night with some “special guests.” They’d been cagey about the details. Then Mémé had requested they take the airboat for a ride on the lake and not come back before supper.

  “Something goofy with the motor,” she’d said. “I’d like you to check it out.”

  But it had purred like a kitten from the moment Victoria started it up and then performed with perfection all around the lake. Upon spotting a pair of egrets, Victoria had shut the engine off to drift a bit and enjoy the scenery. Peace and quiet at last.

  Everything was perfect. Almost. Thoughts of Austin kept creeping in to dampen her enthusiasm. With his campaign all but over and his political career derailed, Victoria had been expecting retaliation. So far, nothing but silence. In a particularly ominous move, he’d missed his visitation with Scarlett.

  She knew he was doing it on purpose, plotting his revenge and waiting for the right moment to strike. Not a fair analogy, she decided. Austin was a million times worse than a cottonmouth. A snake acted only out of self-defense. Things were only going to get worse when he heard from her attorney. Miraculously, Mémé had managed to find one who didn’t have a conflict of interest with the Galbraiths, and they were proceeding with the petition for a new parenting plan.

  “What’s the deal with this special dinner?” Seth asked.

  “I honestly have no idea. Celebrating, I guess? They probably invited a few friends for you to meet. They both adore you and have been wanting to show you off.”

  “But isn’t it odd that Scarlett and
Quinn wouldn’t be included?”

  “Umm.” Now that she thought about it, why would they send Scarlett off with the Duquettes? Why not just invite them? “Maybe?”

  “And there is absolutely nothing wrong with this boat. If there was, your grandmother would know.”

  Both Mémé and her mother were meticulous with boat maintenance. It wouldn’t be unheard of for them to give Victoria a specific task to perform, but this did seem odd. “That is very true. They were trying to get rid of us.”

  “Clearly.” Seth chuckled. “What do you think is going on?”

  “I do not know, but it’s time to go find out.”

  * * *

  IT MOST CERTAINLY was not a celebration, Victoria discovered a short time later when she and Seth returned to the house. The last people she ever expected to find were seated at the dining room table.

  Linus Galbraith stood. “Hello, Victoria. Nice to see you. Congratulations on your new job. Sounds like you’re doing well for yourself these days.”

  No thanks to you. Hiding her shock, she greeted him with a pleasant, “Hello, Linus. Thank you.”

  “Good evening, Victoria,” Austin said, surreptitiously looking Seth up and down. Seth had several inches and about forty pounds of muscle on him that Austin didn’t, Victoria couldn’t help but notice.

  “Austin,” she said, and hated how her pulse resounded like thunder inside her head.

  Seth took her hand, threading his fingers through hers and instantly her heart was coaxed into a more manageable beat.

  Mama graciously handled the introductions. Polite chitchat made the rounds.

  “Now, Ms. Effie,” Linus said, “would you like to tell us what this is all about?”

  “I would, Linus,” she said. “And I will. But first, let’s sit and enjoy this delicious meal that Corinne has prepared, shall we? Here in the bayou we believe news is best served with a good hearty meal.”