Jewell (A Second Chance Novel Book 2)

by Tina DeSalvo

  “Of course, silly man.”

  Ruby threw up her hands and looked at her husband. “Well, I want a concealed carry license too. Why am I the last to get one?” She jammed her hands on her straight hips, making the long canary yellow knit top bunch under her fists. “Let’s go, ladies. Climb into Big John’s truck.”

  “Don’t worry about your truck, Tante Izzy,” Beau called to her as Jewell started to help her and Mignon into Ruby’s husband’s truck. “I’ll get it home to you later.”

  “Keep it as long as you needs it,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I can get rides from da family.”

  Big John waved to Beau and shouted to him before climbing into the driver’s seat. “I’m sorry about your car,” he said.

  “Thanks.” He nodded. “Glad you could come to get the ladies.”

  Jewell closed the door, folded her arms to her chest, and stepped back as Ruby’s husband drove away. Once the truck pulled onto the highway, she turned. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

  Beau rushed over to her. “Jewell? It’s okay. Please don’t worry about the wreck. I’ve got it covered.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not that.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Happy tears, Beau. These are happy tears. Look.”

  She unfolded her arms and handed him the black book she’d been hugging. “Bible,” he read on the old, worn leather cover.

  “Yes.” She clapped her hands, then wiped away a tear, her excitement palpable. “It’s the original Aguste François Bienvenu’s bible. The man everyone in your family referred to as François. The founder of Sugar Mill Plantation. Tante Izzy just gave it to me.”

  Mimi’s name wasn’t included in the Bienvenu family bible.

  Neither was Beau’s.

  Jewell felt a disappointment for one and a sadness for the other. She hadn’t really expected her grand-mère’s name to be there, since Mignon Duet hadn’t shown up in any Bienvenu family documentation during her research. She did expect to see Beauregard Bienvenu’s name. She supposed that was just fanciful optimism. She’d hoped François’s brother Emile’s branch would’ve been included all the way until present day.

  It was a mild fall day. The sugarcane fields lining the highway stood a dark green, tall and shining in the sunlight. The sounds of the breeze rustling the cane flowed through the open windows and harmonized with the rock music Beau played on his phone. Tante Izzy’s truck was so old that her radio only played AM stations in mono. Beau wore dark, designer aviator sunglasses and tapped his hand on the steering wheel to the beat of his music. He looked handsome, masculine, expensive and comfortable in his own skin. He didn’t look any better in a fancy European sports car riding with the top down than he did in the old Pepto-Bismol colored truck with the loaded gun rack in the rear window.

  Enjoying the feel of the wind blowing in from the windows, she spent the fifteen minutes it took to drive back to Sugar Mill reading through the names and corresponding birthdates listed on the family tree. It began with the man who was born in France and built Sugar Mill Plantation at the unbelievably young age of twenty-six. His first wife, Marie Brigitte Bissette and their six children were listed next, followed by his second wife, Caroline Cecile Giroux. They had one child together, a boy, who had the same name as his father, Aguste François Bienvenu.

  When Jewell came across a separate sheet of paper that had the family tree of Emile, she was excited. Her earlier hopes for him and his descendants to be included were realized. Well, at least partially. Emile’s family tree had been handwritten on old thick parchment paper and pasted into the bible. Emile and his wife, Marthe, had a very large family of eight boys and three girls. Ruby, Ronald and their spouses were named in that lineage as were other Bienvenu family members she hadn’t met.

  She shouldn’t have felt so badly that Beau’s name wasn’t in the bible, since there were others whom she’d recently met that weren’t listed either. But she did. She couldn’t help but wonder if his name wasn’t included because he was adopted and not a blood-related Bienvenu. Somehow, that just didn’t ring true. Even though Beau was closer to the root than other cousins who weren’t included on the offshoot branches, the omission of his name must’ve been simply a result of the bible not being updated in a couple of decades…except for the addition of Ben’s son Joey, and Elli, when she’d married Ben.

  Jewell didn’t share that during their drive back to the plantation. She didn’t have any new facts to discuss. There weren’t any new findings in the bible. As far as she could tell from first glance, the birthdates, marriages, and deaths were the same as she’d discovered in her research of the Bienvenu family.

  “I assume by your silence that Mignon isn’t listed in the bible,” Beau said as he parked in front of her camper and lowered the volume on the music. He looked at her, and she could feel his intense eyes on her, even though she couldn’t see them through his dark sunglasses.

  “You assume correctly.” She opened the door, but didn’t get out. “It looks like it hasn’t been updated in a long time. If Tante Izzy will allow me, I can do that for her.”

  “In your spare time, since you have so much of it.” Then, he nodded and his expression softened. “I’ll talk to her about it. I’m sure she’ll be happy for you to do it.”

  “I’ll need her help in gathering the names of the family members. If she doesn’t have their birth and marriage dates, I can get that information from public records or from the Catholic diocese.”

  “I have them.”

  “All of them? For the whole family?”

  He patted the phone in his pants pocket. “Yes. I have them all.”

  Jewell found that incredibly endearing. “That’s remarkable, Beau.” She looked closer at him. A faint flush of pink formed on his cheeks, just under the rim of his sunglasses. Was he embarrassed that she knew he cared enough to keep track of his family’s births, deaths and marriages?

  “Somebody has to remind everyone of important dates. Not everybody is on Facebook.”

  He grinned, and it made Jewel’s stomach do a little flippy thing. It wasn’t often she was around a man as good-looking as Beau. Those were the men her mother hung around with. Still, she couldn’t help but appreciate what an appealing picture he made with his white teeth, dark hair, angled features, and fashion-magazine sunglasses. Hell, if she could’ve gotten to her phone without any fuss, she would have considered taking a picture of him.

  “I’ll e-mail the list to you.”

  “Great.” She climbed out of the truck, holding the bible. “Don’t forget to include your birthdate and your brother’s.” She started to close the door but hesitated. “What's your brother’s name?”

  “Jackson. Jackson Landon Bienvenu.”

  “Got it.” She tapped the side of her head with her finger. “Memory like a steel trap.” She blew out a breath. “And Beau, I’m truly sorry about your car. I feel terrible about it. I hate you having to file your insurance for the damages when it’s my fault. Paying your deductible doesn’t seem enough. Your rates will go up.”

  “Jewell, it was an accident. Don’t beat yourself up over it. You’re the one who is insisting on paying something. I’ve told you, I’ve got this covered.”

  “I’ll pay you back. I insist.” She closed the door and leaned in the open passenger window.

  “Whatever, Jewell.”

  “Thank you.” She didn’t move. She felt like saying thank you just wasn’t enough, but she didn’t know what else to say that didn’t make her sound so desperate…which of course she was.

  She was relieved that he said she didn’t need to pay even though she intended to do so. His generosity gave her the extra time she needed. To pay now would’ve been an additional financial burden that would effectively put her out of business. She had no idea what kind of job she could’ve gotten to cover expenses and allow her to take care of Mimi, too. The thought was depressing.

  His phone dinged with a text. He slipped it from his pocket, slippe
d off his sunglasses, and looked at it. He frowned, and his eyes seemed to darken.

  “Problem?”

  “Yeah, you can say that. It’s a client whom I’d rather not deal with. He’s self-destructing and I can’t stop him.” He held up his hand. “Hang on a moment. I have to answer him.” He put his sunglasses on the seat next to him, then typed a short message. When he was finished, he returned his attention to her. “What’s your next move with your investigation?”

  “I want to see if I can find the name of the midwife or midwives from around the time when Twinnie was supposed to have been born…and Mimi. I think Tante Izzy or maybe a peer of hers from the community may have that information.”

  “Even if you do get the name of the midwife who was delivering babies almost ninety years ago, she wouldn't still be alive for you to interview.”

  “Of course not.” Jewell laughed lightly, talking to him through the open passenger window. She glanced over her shoulder toward the beautiful plantation. It stood so stately and quiet on the lush lawn, surrounded by mature green waxy-leaf camellia bushes. The plantation looked so lonely with no one around. Jewell knew that next week, it would be a lively center of activity with the film crew moving around it.

  “I’ll be looking for the midwives’ books,” Jewell said, “They often maintained a book or ledger where they kept detailed notes about the births they facilitated for their own record-keeping, education and legacy. I’m sure there were other reasons too. Anyway, it’s probably in the possession of a family member.”

  “Sounds like a long shot to me. Finding a needle in a haystack.”

  “Yeah. I guess it could be.” He was right. She’d come across a few over the years and had studied some in a class she’d taken on plantation life. “No stone unturned. I have to exhaust all potential sources to find information.” He nodded. “But first, I have to get going to complete my job for Elli and Ben.”

  “Speaking of…” Beau smiled, turned off Tante Izzy’s truck and opened his door just in time to greet a darling young boy in a Cub Scout uniform running toward him. Ben, Elli, three of their dogs and a boxer puppy she hadn’t seen before were racing alongside of him. Jewell figured that as he had the same dark hair and beautiful green eyes as his father and many of the Bienvenus, the thin, handsome boy had to be Joey. “Hey, little dude.” Beau tossed the seven-year-old boy over his shoulder and turned in a quick, tight circle.

  “Uncle Beau,” he giggled. The dogs jumped, tails wagging, as they pawed at Beau’s legs. “You’re making me dizzy,” he laughed. “I like it.”

  “Of course you do.” Beau’s grin was huge and infectious. Jewell’s bruised cheek hurt from smiling, but she couldn’t stop herself.

  “So,” Beau said, putting him down. “You’re leaving for the beach tomorrow?”

  “Orange Beach, Alabama.”The excited dogs tugged on Joey’s pants leg.. “We’re going to The Little Zoo That Could to pet the lemurs. And we’re going to see the Blue Angels and their planes in Pensacola. It’s close.” His sentences were running one into the other. “And the fort that’s at the beach. I forgot the name. It’s old.”

  “Fort Morgan,” Jewell said, smiling. “It’s over one hundred and eighty years old. There are several cannons, a dry moat and other things you can explore.”

  Joey looked at her and smiled, his eyes curious. “Are you my momma’s friend from New Orleans?”

  Jewell couldn’t say why, but hearing him refer to her as Elli’s friend touched her. It made her throat feel thick, but not in a bad way. It felt good. Really good.

  “Yes, she is,” Elli said, filling the silence. “Joey, this is my friend and the best historian in the state of Louisiana, Dr. Jewell Duet.” She moved closer to Jewell and lowered her voice. “Are you okay? I heard about the accident?”

  Jewell nodded, touching her cheek automatically. “Yes. I’m fine.” She wasn’t surprised that Elli had already heard of her wrecking Beau’s car. She was surprised by the genuine concern in expression. For the second time in minutes, she was touched by Elli’s warmth and friendship.

  Joey extended his hand to her. “Pleased to meet you.”

  Jewell’s eyes filled with happy tears. “I’m so pleased to meet you, young man.”

  “Are you a doctor who takes care of sick people or the kind who goes to school a long, long time?” Joey asked. “We just learned about that kind of doctor in school.”

  “The kind that goes to school for a very long time.”

  “Did you study forts?”

  “Yes. And a lot of other things.”

  Beau bent down to pet the puppy and take a stick the dog had picked up off the ground. He tossed it out into the yard and all four dogs chased after it. He grinned.

  “Time for you to get a dog,” Ben told him. Beau’s answer was to shake his head and laugh. He tossed a stick that the bloodhound named Doe brought back to him. It wasn’t the same stick the puppy had earlier. The Lab mix named Jenny had that one. The adult beagle, which Jewell knew was called BJ, trotted up to Beau dragging a very long, thin, dead branch about as big as she was. It was covered with dried leaves. Beau threw his head back and laughed.

  “You’ve been to Fort Morgan?” Joey asked.

  “Yes. I actually excavated a site there and wrote a long report on the artifacts we found. Some are on display at the Fort museum. Others are in a museum in Mobile, Alabama.”

  “Wow!” He looked at Beau, who was fighting BJ for the ridiculously long branch. “She must be smart like you, Uncle Beau.” Joey’s eyes widened and his head jerked to his mother and father. “And y’all, too, Mommy and Daddy. Y’all are smart too.”

  Beau roughed up Joey’s hair and laughed. “Yes, indeed. You’re a diplomat for sure.”

  “I don’t want to be a dip-lo-ma...I want to be a dog trainer like my dad, Uncle Beau. You know that.” He looked at Jewell. The beagle had given up on playing with Beau and had brought the dead tree limb to her. The other dogs decided it was a good idea and joined her. Joey ignored them. This game of theirs must’ve been commonplace, Jewell figured. The sweet little boy was more interested in the conversation. “Or I want to work dogs for movies.”

  “Very interesting and honorable professions.” She smiled, grabbing an abandoned stick and waving it in front of the pack. When she had their attention, she tossed it into the yard. All of the dogs took off running, leaving the sticks and limbs they had found so important a moment ago.

  “Maybe I should be a doctor of dogs. The school kind. Not a vet kind,” Joey said, his eyes shining. He moved closer to Jewell and looked at her boots. “I have boots like that, only mine are white shrimp boots with my name written on them with black marker. That way I can tell mine apart from my dad’s. We use them to work the dogs on the muddy field.”

  God, she loved this kid. He was so sweet. Engaging. And it was so endearing how he clearly seemed to like her. She was never around children. She should spend more time with them. Most of the time she was around old ladies, cerebral professors or either eager or apathetic college students. Children were so spirited. Refreshing, really. What a pleasure to be around such unencumbered, curious happiness. It was like breathing fresh air after being closed off in an airless, stuffy room.

  “That’s an excellent way to tell them apart,” she replied, after tossing the stick Doe retrieved, followed by the other three on the ground. “I’ll have to remember that trick.”

  “Well, we better get going before Jewell wears these dogs out and they’re too exhausted to walk on their own,” Ben smiled. “I don’t think Beau and Elli want to carry them to the kennel.”

  “Ha, ha.” Elli swatted her hand at Ben. “I’m ready.” She looked at Jewell. “We need to run the rescue dogs through their evening training exercises, finish packing, and get to bed for an early start tomorrow. If you need anything, call me.” She touched her own cheek in the spot Jewell’s cheek had been bruised, giving her her support without words . “Anything.” She looked at Beau. “Mak
e sure our friend recovers from the day,” she told him. He nodded. “And, thank you for taking care of Nancy while we’re gone. I know the kennel staff could do it, but I think she needs extra love and attention. She’s a baby and hasn’t been away from her momma that long.”

  Beau shrugged. “I will not be her substitute momma.” He laughed. “But I’ll take good care of her.” He looked at Ben. “She’s housebroken, right?”

  “I told you she was.” He shook his head, picked up the boxer puppy and handed her to Beau. “Her food, bowl, leash and bed are all in a duffle on my desk at the kennel. There’s a carrier there too. I recommend if you have to leave her for a little while, you put her in it.”

  The puppy gave Beau a sweet lick under his chin. He looked at the friendly animal who was staring at him with such adoration with her big brown button eyes. “Yeah, I know, you’re cute, but I’m not a pushover.”

  Elli started laughing. “That’s a funny one.”

  “Hey…” He frowned, and Jewell thought he actually sounded offended.

  “Let’s go.” Ben whistled for the dogs to heel. “Jewell, if you need anything with the project in the barn, Beau will help you.” He looked at Beau and waited for him to nod. “Good luck.”

  Elli hugged Beau. “Thank you for taking care of the movie crew and…Jewell.”

  “We’ll get back a few days after the crew arrives,” she told Jewell. “I appreciate your help.” She hugged her so tightly that Jewell felt the sincerity and heart of it in her bones.

  Jewell held on to her a few seconds longer when Elli let go to leave. “Thank you for everything.”

  Suddenly, both women were hit around the legs, causing them to stumble. Thin, small arms wrapped around them. “Group hug,” Joey shouted, giggling. “Come on, Uncle Beau. Daddy. It’s a group hug.” Beau and Ben mumbled something Jewell couldn’t understand, but they soon had moved into the hug. Ben stood behind his wife, giving her a kiss on the back of her neck. Beau carried Nancy into the group hug with him as he moved to stand behind Jewell. His clean, earthy scent enveloped her as his warm, hard body leaned against her back. She felt strength in the ridges of his muscles as one of his arms came around her shoulders with a tenderness she’d felt earlier, in the attic. He rested his cheek against hers, turning his face a little to take in a deep breath.