Tonya looked at her in surprise. She wondered if Gage had told St. John about his new responsibilities at the school, and he in turn told Hannah, who’d passed the news on to her cousins. “You know about that?”
LeAnn smiled. “Honey, please. Everyone knew about that the day it was announced. I still keep in touch with a few teachers at the high school, and they couldn’t wait to tell me that a few shameless hussies were practically throwing their panties at him. And knowing what I know about Gage, there’s no way he’s going to mess with any of them. He hasn’t changed a whit since I had him in my twelfth-grade English class. He was always good-looking and I’d always shake my head whenever some fast-ass young girl wearing a skirt that barely covered the cheeks of her behind would bend over in front of him.”
Suddenly intrigued, Tonya leaned forward. “How did he react?”
“He didn’t,” LeAnn said, “but that didn’t stop them from trying. I had a parent-teacher conference with his mama and she told me he’d decided he wanted to go to New York for college. She was worried because he was only sixteen, but then I reassured her that I’d taught students who were eighteen and some nineteen who were not as mature as Gage. He was very intelligent, talented, and competitive because he took extra classes to accelerate and graduate a year ahead of his peers.”
Paige crossed her arms under her breasts. “What had me shaking my head was why he married Winnie Fouche when everyone knew she couldn’t keep her skirt down or her knees together.”
“Maybe she was offering something he wasn’t able to refuse,” LeAnn countered, as a frown creased her forehead. “At least he came to his senses and divorced her before she saddled him with another baby. She probably thought giving him a son would make him stay, but I heard he had given up soon after the boy was born.”
Tonya was barely able to control her gasp of astonishment. When she’d told Gage about Samara, he never mentioned that he had fathered a child. “Where is his son?” The question was out before she could censor herself.
Paige met Tonya’s eyes. “The last I heard he was living in Baton Rouge with his mama. When they were living down here, the boy was bad as hell,” she spat out. “He must have taken after his mama, because I’ve had many a Toussaint in my classroom over the past forty years, and I never had a problem with any of them.”
“Did you also teach high school?” Tonya asked Paige.
“No. I taught elementary. I’ve watched a lot of kids grow up, and thankfully those that stayed made something of themselves.”
Tonya wasn’t usually prone to gossip, because she had witnessed firsthand the fallout from “you said, I said” scenarios that escalated into verbal and occasionally physical confrontations, and she chided herself for asking Paige about Gage’s son. If he had wanted her to know that he was a father, then he would’ve revealed it. The one thing she’d learned as she matured was to choose one’s friends carefully and respect their privacy—something she preached to her daughter once Samara entered adolescence.
“When do you project opening your restaurant?” LeAnn asked Tonya, breaking into her musings.
“If all goes well, then it should be sometime in October.”
“Are you excited?” Paige asked.
Tonya shook her head. “Not yet. Once I’m told to move out of here and back to the main house, then I’ll know it’s about to happen.”
LeAnn tightened the elastic band on her short ponytail. “Are they going to work on the café for the inn’s guests and the supper club at the same time?”
“No. As soon as the renovations to the house are completed, then they’re going to convert the guesthouse closest to the inn into the café. The architect’s plans include constructing a glass-enclosed, climate-controlled walkway connecting it to the inn. That way the guests won’t have to go outside to reach the café.”
“When Hannah first told me she was thinking of turning the DuPont House from a personal residence to a business, I thought she had gone and lost her mind,” Paige said, “because I knew it would not be an easy undertaking. Thankfully, the house is structurally sound, or it would take more than a year to do everything she wants to do.”
“I do like the idea of her putting in an elevator,” LeAnn added. “That will make it easier for guests to get to the second floor.”
“Are you going to become involved in running the inn?” Tonya asked the sisters.
Paige met her sister’s eyes. “We initially told Hannah we wanted no part of running the inn, but if she needs our assistance with something, of course we’ll step up.”
“That’s when we’re not traveling,” LeAnn reminded Paige.
Tonya sat, listening to the two women talk about the places they’d visited since retiring and felt a bit nostalgic when she recalled how much she’d enjoyed going to a new country and immersing herself in the culture and cuisine. When they asked if she had traveled abroad, Tonya regaled them with tales of how difficult it had been for her to grasp some of the languages until she began cooking. It was as if food didn’t need any translation because it was an international language for bringing people together. It was close to nine when LeAnn and Paige left to begin packing for their move from the Garden District to Marigny.
She decided not to put up several loads of wash until the next day. After all, Chez Toussaints was closed because of the holiday, and she had all day to do laundry, clean, iron, and unpack the remaining boxes in the other bedroom.
Chapter 13
Gage rapped lightly on the door to his teaching colleague Louis Murdock’s hospital room, successfully concealing his shocked reaction to the number fading bruises and Steri-strips covering the man’s tawny-brown face. It was more than a week since the hit-and-run, and Louis’s wife revealed he was now able to receive visitors. She also reassured Gage that her husband was expected to have a full recovery, but only after several months of inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation.
“Room service,” Gage announced cheerfully.
“I hope you brought some gumbo, because I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to tolerate this hospital grub.”
Gage sat on a chair next to the bed. “The food may not be what you want, but I must say your accommodations are rather nice.”
Louis nodded. “It’s not too bad. I have views of the river, flat-screen TV, and all the legal painkillers I want whenever I want to get high.”
Any mention of narcotics to Gage was akin to someone shoving a sharp object under his fingernail. He wasn’t a neophyte when it came to drugs; on occasion he’d smoked marijuana before it became legal in many states, but that was in his youth. It was only after he’d married and become a father that he stopped.
“Are you in a lot of pain?”
A pair of light-brown eyes met his. “It comes and goes. I usually take something to help me sleep through the night, but I hold off during the day.” Louis closed his eyes. “I still can’t believe that sonofabitch knew he’d hit me but still didn’t stop.”
Gage studied the face of the man whom he thought of as his mentor since becoming an artist-in residence. During his tenure he met with him biweekly, although it wasn’t required, to keep Louis abreast of the direction in which he wanted to take the jazz band. He thought of the man as a musical genius who was able to engage students to appreciate music that went beyond rap and hip-hop. Louis played high school basketball and was offered athletic scholarships from several colleges, but his love of music won out when he decided to go the Crane School of Music. Now approaching sixty, he had not changed much from the tall, gangly boy with a tawny complexion and sparkling light-brown eyes.
“It may take a while, but the police will eventually catch him.”
Louis opened his eyes. “My wife told me they’re checking every body shop within twenty square miles, because it’s certain the vehicle has front-end damage. You said you wanted me to look over the proposal for the spring concert.”
Gage handed him a folder. Louis reached for a pair of half-
glasses on the bed next to his right hand. “These are the preliminary strategies from those on the concert committee.” He had spent countless hours researching the evolution of music and dance before presenting it to the committee for their input. In the end he was left with a healthy respect for the amount of time and energy it took to put on a production.
Five minutes later, Louis peered over his reading glasses at Gage, a slow smile parting his still bruised lips. “I like it. Karla’s going to be in seventh heaven because her drama and musical theater students will have a major role in this production.” He took off the glasses. “I knew I was right to recommend you to be an artist-in-residence, because your handiwork is all over this production.”
“That’s because I have an incredible mentor.”
“Cut the bull, Gage. You got into Julliard while they rejected me.”
“And do you think getting into the Crane School of Music is like a walk in the park?” he countered. “You’ve taught music all of your life, while I’m still dabbling in it.”
Louis ran a hand over his thinning, cropped gray hair. “You don’t have to dabble in it if you stay on as head of Lafitte’s music department.”
Gage shook his head. “No! I’ll stay on until the end of the school year, and then I’m done. Done as department head and done as an artist-in-residence. I came back to the States twenty-three years ago to help my brother run the family business, and now it’s time I step up and do it again.”
“You’re going to give up music?”
“Not altogether. I’ll still play a few sets at Jazzes. And besides, you’re too young to retire.”
“Don’t forget I’m sixty.”
“You’re still too young to retire,” Gage repeated. What he wanted to tell Louis was that if he hadn’t had any other options, he would accept the responsibility of becoming a full-time teacher. He’d only earned a degree in music education as a backup, but now it was obvious his backup had backfired. “I’m sorry, Louis, but my first priority is to my family, so I suggest you forget about retiring and come back to do what you do best. And remember, I’ll always be available if you ever need my input on a project.”
Louis nodded. “That’s good to hear. I suppose I’m just indulging in a little self-pity because I spend most my day in this damn bed.”
“When are you scheduled to leave the hospital?”
“My doctor said as soon as they get a bed at the rehab facility, I’m out of here. My coccyx is healing, so it’s just my legs that don’t work.”
Gage patted Louis’s hand. “You’ll be up and running again in no time. And once you’re settled at the rehab center, call me and I’ll bring you some gumbo.”
Louis smiled. “I’m going to hold you to that.” He patted the folder. “Can I keep this?”
“Yes. I made that copy for you. I’ll be in touch.”
“Thanks for coming.”
Rising, Gage nodded. Although the principal had permitted him complete autonomy in the music department, Gage still wanted to keep Louis apprised of what was happening in his department. He left the hospital and headed home. He had several hours before he was to pick Tonya up and take her to Jazzes. He’d committed to playing one set because he wanted to spend as much time with her as possible.
Gage had deliberately kept busy so he didn’t have to think about Tonya. He had interacted with a lot of women abroad and in the States, but she was the first one whom he believed was his alter ego. Whenever they were together, he could be himself because of her easygoing personality. What initially surprised him was her candor, but now it was something he expected and looked forward to.
Even Eustace couldn’t stop talking about how she was now able to duplicate the family’s recipes for gumbo and jambalaya, and that he sold many more sandwiches now that the bread was baked on the premises. And Tonya would remain after closing hours to put up dough for ciabatta, pita, and focaccia, along with the baguettes, and by closing time they were able to sell every loaf. While he had trained under a Michelin-starred chef, Tonya’s extensive training far exceeded his, and once she opened her restaurant, he knew she would become a much sought-after chef in a city with a number of high-profile celebrity chefs.
He did not want to think of her romantically, but every time they were together Gage found it more and more difficult not to fantasize about making love to Tonya. Everything about her was lush, feminine, and sensual. Perhaps it was time he stop living in the past; marriage had made it hard for him to trust a woman, and divorce was even more bitter because he had lost custody of his son. If he had raised the boy, he was almost certain Wesley would have chosen a different lifestyle than the one that could only lead to him losing his life.
His cell phone rang and his mother’s number appeared on the dashboard screen. Tapping the Bluetooth feature on the steering wheel, he said, “Hello, Mom.”
“Hi, Gage. I’m calling to find out whether you plan to come up next week to watch the Super Bowl with us?”
“I can’t. I’m helping Eustace with a couple of catering orders, and then we’re going over to St. John’s to watch the game. Why?”
“Some of my friends are going up to Baton Rouge to hang out at Frank Lemoyne’s place to watch the game.”
Gage paused. This wasn’t the first time his mother had mentioned Frank’s name, and he wondered if something was going on between Desirée and her former classmate. “Make certain to have a designated driver,” he warned softly.
“I’m going to be the designated driver, because the older I get the less I can tolerate alcohol.”
“You sound like Eustace. He claims that if he has a couple of cocktails, then he’s done for the night.”
“I still remember meeting Eustace when he was only ten, and now he’s planning to attend his high school’s fortieth reunion.”
“Time goes by so fast that sometimes it’s hard for me to remember what I did the month before.”
Desirée’s husky laugh filled the interior of the vehicle. “You’re much too young to talk about having senior moments.”
“I’m busier now than I’ve ever been.” Gage told his mother about the change in his teaching status. “I still play at Jazzes on Friday and Saturday nights, and help Eustace whenever he has to cater a large party.”
“You boys are just like your father. You work too much. And it isn’t as if you need the money, because André provided for all of us.”
Gage nodded, even though his mother couldn’t see him. The terms of André Toussaint’s will designated his wife and younger son as the beneficiaries of two of his life insurance policies, and his older son the ownership of Chez Toussaints. “The restaurant has been in the family for nearly a century, and there’s no reason why it can’t be passed down to Lindy, Nikki, and their kids for future generations. I’m certain you feel the same way about grandma and grandpa’s antique shop.”
There came a pause before Desirée said, “You’re right. I’ve been trying to get Jennifer to come and work with me, but she’s having problems with Tommy cheating on her. She knew he was tomcatting before she married him, so I don’t know what made her think he would stop after he became her husband.”
“I hear you,” Gage whispered. His mother’s niece had married a man she couldn’t depend on, while he had married Winifred, unaware of her reputation of sleeping around, but he had wanted to do the right thing when she told him she was pregnant with his child. “Talking to her is not going to solve her problem. She won’t do anything about it until she’s had enough and divorces him.”
“It’s not going to be easy for her, Gage. Remember she has three children all under the age of eighteen. I told her she could come and live with me, but she’s afraid when her husband has too much to drink that he’ll start in on me.”
“That’s never going to happen, Mom, because I’ll drive up to Lafayette and stomp a mud hole in his ass. I know you don’t want to get between them, but Jennifer is blood, and if you want, I’ll talk to Tommy, because it�
��s not only about Jennifer but also her kids.”
“I don’t know, Gage. Tommy may yes you to death, then after you leave he’ll turn on her and the kids.”
“We’ll see. I’ll come up to visit with you and grandma and grandpa in two weeks, and while I’m there I’ll stop in to see Jennifer. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to take Tommy aside and have a man-to-man talk with him. He may be a bully badass with his wife and kids, but I’m hoping he’ll be civil with me.”
“And what if he isn’t?” Desirée asked.
“Then Eustace and I will invite him to a blanket party.”
“What’s that?”
“We’ll throw a blanket over his head, and you can guess what happens next.”
Desirée laughed until she was breathless. “I never imagined my boys would turn out to be thugs.”
Gage smiled. There was never a time when his mother didn’t refer to him and his brother as “my boys” or “my sons.” “Everyone has a dark side, and remember we were raised to protect our women.”
“I always remind folks that’s how I met your father. Tell St. John I said hello, and send my best to Hannah. Did Eustace tell you that he and Janine came up to see me on Dr. King’s birthday?”
“No, he didn’t,” Gage admitted. Eustace had mentioned taking his wife on the cruise, but not that he had traveled to Lafayette to see Desirée.
“He said they were going on a dinner cruise later that night because it had been a while since they’d spent some quality time together. I must admit he looks good now that he’s losing weight.”
“He’s really stuck to his New Year’s resolution.”
“I know you’re busy teaching, helping Eustace, and playing at the club, but are you taking time out to have a little fun?”
Gage’s eyebrows lifted as he slowed and came to a stop at a red light. “What do you mean by fun?”
“Stop pretending to be obtuse, Gage! You know I’m talking about you seeing a woman.”
He smiled. “I am seeing a woman. In fact, I’m on my way home to get dressed before I pick her up.”
Breakfast in Bed Page 17