LaCasse Family Series

by Ju Ephraime

  He had to see if he could make her fall in love with him. This would be a complete deviation from his normal approach; he was usually the one chasing them off. If Daphne were to fall in love with him, surely she would be receptive to moving here, to being his wife? He became erect, just thinking about her and the things he’d do with her if he were ever to have her in his bed, night and day, day and night… utter bliss!

  Wolfe felt lost because he couldn’t discuss this with Foxx. Foxx, usually a good sounding board, was not much help in this situation. Foxx saw this thing with Daphne as a vacation fling and encouraged Wolfe to see it the same way, telling him repeatedly, “Wait and see. Everything will return to normal after Daphne leaves.” Unfortunately, Wolfe didn’t think so. He’d ended the conversation by walking out.

  He and Foxx never had a disagreement, except the one time, and that was a whole other story, so he wasn’t feeling good about not being able to talk with him.

  Evidently, Foxx felt the same. There was a knock at the door, and he walked in.

  “Look,” he began, “why don’t you talk to Maman et Papa about it? Maman’s good at solving problems. Take the afternoon off and go talk with her. Leave Daphne in her hotel so the two of you can spend some time apart. If you’re okay with it, I’ll take her to Saint-Pierre. Maybe she’ll enjoy visiting the old city.”

  Wolfe agreed to the plan, though with some reservations. Before heading to his parents’ house, he called the hotel but was not able to get in touch with Daphne. So, he left her a message, letting her know that Foxx would be coming to take her to visit Saint-Pierre while he took care of some unexpected business.

  He then left the restaurant and headed to his parents’. On the drive to his parents’ home, he missed Daphne something terrible. He hadn’t realized till she came along how much being with the right person made even the most mundane thing enjoyable.

  Usually calm and collected, he was a bundle of nerves today. He didn’t know how his parents would react to his contemplating marrying an American woman who was unfamiliar with their ways and customs. His only defense was that the entire thing had caught him unaware. He’d thought he was going to have a good old time and keep going on as before when Daphne returned to America. How was he to know his heart would be so badly compromised, as it had been from the very beginning?

  All too soon, he arrived at his parents’ home, only to find they were still in bed after the night of entertaining. He helped himself to some breakfast and hung out on the verandah with Jeremy and two of Jeremy’s friends who had spent the night. They were younger than him and seemed to treat everything like a huge joke. He had nothing in common with them. After the third irritating comment from one of the girls, he had to find somewhere quiet to sit with his thoughts.

  His problem was seriously affecting his mood. He tried to calm down by considering the hike he and Daphne had planned to take the next day, starting in Le Prêcheur and then hiking to Grand-Rivière on the Atlantic coast at the northernmost point of the island. Thinking of Daphne made him impatient for his mom to make her appearance. He desperately needed to talk with her.

  He had just walked back into the kitchen to get a fresh cup of coffee when he saw her making her way downstairs. She was stopped by one of the housemaids, and he could hear her soft voice as she talked to the girl. She made her way into the dining room, and he followed her. She was surprised to see him and rushed to give him a hug.

  “Wolfe, je ne savais pas que vous avez passé la nuit?”

  “I didn’t spend the night here, Maman,” he responded. “I came here to talk with you. Do you have a moment?”

  “For you, sweetheart, always!” she replied

  You say that now,Wolfe thought. Wait until I tell you why I want to talk with you. I’m not sure you will be so accommodating then. He took a deep breath. Here goes. “Mother, how would you feel about a foreigner for a daughter-in-law?”

  “Are you referring to your female friend? The one I met yesterday? She seemed like a nice young lady. Are you thinking of marrying her?”

  “I, um—Yes. But I haven’t asked her yet. I never planned to marry a foreigner, but Daphne… She may be a foreigner, but she’s not foreign to me. I feel almost as if she’s my other half, and I believe she feels the same way about me. I don’t know, though, how she’ll react to the idea of leaving her home in America and moving to this small island permanently.”

  “Wolfe”—she gave a shake of her head—“I’m honored that you value my opinion, but in this matter, I’ll support you, whatever you decide. You are my son, and I love you. Your happiness comes before any preconceived notions I may or may not have.”

  She buttered a croissant and offered it to him.

  Wolfe declined the offer. “I’ve already eaten, Maman.”

  “Good. Naturally, I would have been more open to one of our beautiful local girls, such as Sadie or Verona. You used to like being with both of them. What happened?”

  “I grew up, I guess, Maman. Those girls were just flings. I never considered either of them for my future wife or the mother of my children.” He sighed. “But, then again, neither did I consider a foreigner. Nevertheless, I happen to love this foreigner, and I believe she loves me too.”

  “Well, if you feel so strongly about it, why don’t you approach her to see how receptive she is to the idea of living here, let alone marrying you? Don’t put the cart before the horse, and try not to get too disappointed if she’s not open to the idea. You will meet someone else, eventually, if she is fool enough to turn you down. But ask her first before you get yourself all twisted up.”

  “Right as usual, Maman. I’ll talk with her tomorrow on our trip to Grand-Rivière.”

  “Grand-Rivière? Well, that’s as good a place as any to bring up the subject.”

  “Thanks, Maman. I couldn’t ask for a better, more understanding mom.”

  “Go on now, enough with your flattery. I hope your friend sees what an excellent young man she’ll be getting if she accepts you.”

  After leaving his mom, he took time to visit with his dad. He spent the entire afternoon with him doing some neglected work on the house, but he didn’t discuss the matter with him. He was much more comfortable talking with his mother about such matters. His dad was too much like him to be much help.

  He accepted his mother’s opinion. His only regret was that he wouldn’t have a chance to bring Daphne to talk with his very persuasive mom before he made his case.

  He called Daphne to let her know he would be spending the night at his parents’ and would meet her in the morning at seven-thirty, after his swim. They needed an early start if they were to take in Anse Céron beach at Le Prêcheur and Grand-Rivière. This was an all-day trip.

  She was very polite on the phone, and he couldn’t tell whether or not she was still upset. Hearing her voice made him miss her more than ever. He was tempted to drive down to her hotel to see her, but he talked himself out of it. He was going to have to man-up and wait until the morning.

  He hoped she had a good time with Foxx today and that she was no longer mad with him. He purposely avoided the subject. He would discuss it when he saw her in the morning.

  Wolfe kept himself busy with his family. When the work on the house was finished, he drove his cousin Jeremy to the neighboring town to drop off his girlfriend.

  When he saw Jeremy with his girlfriend, he couldn’t help thinking about Daphne and wondering what she was doing. He tried calling Foxx, but got no answer. There was nothing to do but wait until he spoke with Foxx later, but he hoped Daphne would call him. He so badly wanted to hear her voice again.

  F ourteen

  Daphne was having a good time with Foxx. He was silly, and he went out of his way to make her laugh. Foxx had been a tour guide while he attended university; he had a wealth of information about the historic sites on the island. He assumed his tour guide persona and took Daphne around to all the places he would have taken a tour group.

  After visiti
ng all the sites, they stopped at a quaint café for lunch. While they were eating, Foxx struck up a conversation with a beautiful woman who was sitting at the next table. He completely forgot about Daphne until she reminded him they should be leaving. He went to talk to the woman again, briefly, before reluctantly leaving with Daphne.

  After that, his mood changed completely. He became very quiet, almost subdued.

  Daphne couldn’t help commenting about the woman.

  “Who was that woman, Foxx?”

  “What woman?”

  “You know very well what woman. The one who had such a powerful effect on you, you went from happy-go-lucky, to a brooding Neanderthal.”

  “Now you are insulting me,” he said. “Obviously, I am not good company. Perhaps I should take you back to your hotel.”

  “Perhaps you should.” Daphne was only a little annoyed. Foxx didn’t matter to her, and she knew he’d wanted to ditch her from the moment he’d seen the woman. The drive back to the hotel was completed in almost total silence, a complete contrast to the drive into the city earlier. Daphne kept her own counsel and took the time to enjoy the beautiful scenery around them.

  As Foxx was dropping her off, some of his old cheerfulness returned. He kissed her on both cheeks. “I’m sorry, Daphne,” he said with a sheepish twinkle in his eye. “But I will talk with you later.”

  Foxx raced back into the city to the café. He was still reeling from the shock of seeing Therèse back on the island. When they’d parted two years ago, he’d thought he would never see her again, and he’d done his best to forget her. But some women are hard, or damn nigh impossible, to forget.

  His thoughts went back to the last time he’d seen her, two years ago; it seemed like yesterday. They’d fought because he hadn’t wanted her to leave. She wanted him to leave with her, but it was not convenient. She didn’t seem to understand that Wolfe needed him. He couldn’t abandon his brother with two struggling restaurants to follow her to England. So, he’d pleaded with her to stay a while longer, but in the end, she’d left him—left him in the most hurtful way. It had almost destroyed him.

  It had taken the combined efforts of him and Wolfe working together to bring the restaurants back to what they used to be, and better. For a while, it had been touch and go, which was why he’d chosen to remain with Wolfe. He had not regretted his decision, but at the time, it hurt like hell.

  He didn’t seem able to explain this to Therèse, who refused to abandon her own business in Bedfordshire and allow him some breathing room. They came to a stalemate, and in the end, she’d walked out on him, or so he’d thought.

  He thought he was over her, but judging by his reaction to seeing her, he was not over her. God knows, I tried! But no woman had been able to engage him as Therèse had.

  He walked into the café breathing hard, as if he’d been running. He looked all over the place for her, but she was no longer there. He inquired of the cashier, and the clerk admitted to having seen her before but knew nothing about her. Feeling like an idiot, Foxx left his number with the cashier in the event she showed up again.

  Outside the café, he found his mind was in turmoil. He was back to where he’d struggled to crawl up from two years ago. Memories of Therèse had tormented him; he’d seemed to see her everywhere he looked. He found himself running after strangers who looked a bit like her, even touching them to be certain they weren’t her. The harder he tried to forget her, the more persistently she’d haunted him. Now, it seemed he was back to the state he’d been in after she first left. He couldn’t—no wouldn’t—go down that road again. But he had to find her, just to preserve his sanity. He didn’t delve into how finding her would help him. And then there was Wolfe… Who knew what he would say to her? Wolfe didn’t like Therèse. So, Foxx was in no hurry to tell him she was back on the island. He hoped Daphne didn’t tell him he’d been bowled over in the café by a strange woman. He hoped Wolfe didn’t put two and two together. He’d tell him about her, but just not yet.

  Daphne was in her hotel room, listless and bored. She’d planned on spending the time away from Wolfe, with Foxx, but apparently Foxx had other plans. She ordered room service and settled down to read a good book, but her thoughts kept going back to Wolfe. She finally gave up the pretense of trying to read and just let thoughts of Wolfe fill her mind. Her life had been turned upside down since she’d met him. Sometimes even her business back home took second place to her need to be with Wolfe. She had to constantly remind herself to get her priorities right, but nothing that didn’t involve Wolfe had any priority in her life. It was frightening. When she received the phone call from him, she didn’t tell him she was back at the hotel, abandoned by Foxx; there was time enough to talk with him in the morning. On that note, she went to sleep. She hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since she’d met him

  Still at his parents’, Wolfe became worried when Foxx didn’t answer his phone. He began to imagine all sorts of things. Foxx never ignored his phone. He carried it with him everywhere, and no matter what he was doing, he answered his phone.

  If by chance he missed a call, he would call the number back to inquire about the missed call. The only time he could remember Foxx not answering his phone or returning his call immediately was when he was going through the difficult breakup with Therèse. That had been a terrible time. They were so close that whatever affected Foxx affected Wolfe, too. He was supposed to have a relaxing night, but it was proving to be difficult.

  He got involved in a movie on television and fell asleep to the sounds of gunshots and violent screams. He dreamed about Daphne. In the dream, they were having a terrible argument. For the life of him he didn’t know why they were arguing so heatedly, but in the end, Daphne walked away from him, and no matter how many times he called out to her, she just kept walking away. She had never looked back.

  Wolfe woke from the dream in a cold sweat. Was the dream a sign of things to come? He couldn’t shake the feeling of doom that seemed to be riding him. Something was going to happen. He’d been so happy and content the past weeks. He should have known it was too good to last.

  He spent the rest of the night thinking about his dream and what it could mean. As a result, he was up before dawn, and having nothing to occupy his time, he went for his swim much earlier than usual, which meant he was able to arrive at Daphne’s hotel much earlier than he’d intended.

  Arriving at her hotel, he was pleased to see her waiting in the hotel lobby. He was overcome with joy. That must be a sure indication that she missed him just as much as he missed her. He greeted her and took a seat next to her.

  “Are you ready for our trip?”

  “I sure am looking forward to it. But I have something I want to talk with you about.”

  “I have something I want to show you,” Wolfe said, “but ladies first.”

  “I want us to plan our time together to use every spare minute you have until I leave. Did you miss me yesterday?”

  “You know I did,” he said. “The question is, did you miss me?”

  “I missed you like hell. I thought of asking Foxx to call you for me, but I restrained myself. You have yet to give me your cell number, you know.”

  “I am sorry, chérie. I don’t really like using the cell phone, as you have seen, unless I absolutely have to, so it completely escaped me that I had not given you my number. As a matter of fact, I just assumed you had it, and there I was waiting for your call yesterday. Give me your phone. I’ll program it in.”

  He tried to breathe evenly as he programmed his number into her cell. He did not like being reminded that their time together would soon come to an end, and he didn’t want her to see how much it was affecting him. He still felt vulnerable where Daphne was concerned because they hadn’t been together long enough for him to really know her. For all he knew, she could up and leave any old time, and what could he do? He had no way of stopping her. He was swimming in unchartered waters here.

  “You said you had something you
wanted to show me. What is it?” Daphne inquired.

  “So I did,” he muttered. He’d been thinking a great deal about asking her to marry him and remain on the island and had written it in the sand. It was a desperate attempt to keep her with him.

  “I want to make a stop at the beach before we leave for Grand-Rivière. Is that okay with you?”

  “For sure. I’m ready. Let’s go."

  The drive from the hotel to the beach took ten minutes. It took much longer on the bus. He took her hand in his as they walked to her favorite spot, behind the shrubbery. He stopped her from going all the way in.

  “What’s going on, Wolfe,” she asked, laughing. “I thought you had something to show me.”

  “Daphne, as you know, I am in my thirties, and I believe it’s time I settle down,” he began tentatively. “I have given this considerable thought. I have never felt about anyone the way I feel about you.”

  God, he didn’t want to tell her how madly in love he was with her. He wouldn’t blame her if she scoffed at the idea. Even he had difficulty accepting it himself.

  He guided her to the spot where earlier he’d used a stick and written in the sand, Will you marry me?

  He was so filled with nervous excitement that his heart was racing. When she didn’t respond and just stood there looking at the writing in the sand, he became desperate and knew he had to say something to cover the awkwardness.

  “I know this is sudden for you, but I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I believe we suit. You are everything I’ve ever wanted in a wife. I am financially able to provide for you, and I believe we’ll be able to accomplish great things on this island. Borrowing a line from an old cliché, ‘You complete me.’ You make me whole. What do you think?”