“She is no such thing. You will not have her locked up. Even if what you say is true, she's no criminal. She would never hurt anyone.”
A smirk crossed the nurse's lips. “Do you believe she is incapable of it? If you believe that, you're as nutty as she is.”
Eva did something she would never have believed herself capable of doing. She slapped the woman’s cheek. Stunned at what she had done, she ran from the room and rushed down the long corridor, past one hundred rooms containing one hundred demented souls. She did not want to know their stories nor see their dull, medicated eyes, but she could hear them crying and calling out to her as she passed by. She wanted only to get away to a place of sanity.
She reached the parking lot, backed the jeep from its space, and turned onto the road toward Vermilion Bay. Her visit had only deepened her worry and left questions unanswered. Adele had been in no state of mind to be questioned about anything. Eva had, in fact, lost whatever remnant of a mother she once had, and from that day forward, she vowed that she would bring her home.
The only thing Adele had contributed to her upbringing was a lesson she had unknowingly taught her: never count on anyone or give them control over your destiny. Yet she wanted to trust and love in spite of it all. Her eyes stung from tears that she hadn't the luxury to shed; once she gave into sadness, she knew she would surrender to it and lose control. If she were to save Winderlee, she would need the steely-eyed focus of a crusader.
Who was there to stand by her—Aunt Nadine, man-crazy and frivolous, or the male cousins made indulgent and complacent by trust funds? There was well-meaning Colette who had grown foggy-headed with age, she with her lifelong dependence on the Lejeunes, along with foreman husband Jasper. Who could she count on?
The vision of Gabriel Martin's manly face popped into her head— he with his no-nonsense attitude, swagger and business sense. He had the ability to rein Eva in and ground her, but there was something unsettled about him. Would he be there for her all the way, or would he return to Austin for good, to that nameless person who drew him there?
Despite her misgivings, she dialed his number, and when he answered, her words came in dashes of desperation. “Gabriel...Gabe, listen. I need you...I need you not to bail on me. Promise you will see this through with me... until I am in the clear. Then you can go back to Austin... or wherever you like... but right now... I need you to stand by me.”
His reply left her both surprised and relieved. “I stand with you, ready to do battle.”
6
Eva placed the unanswered questions on hold for the time being, as she focused on the salvation of Winderlee. Gabe placed Jace in charge of Destiny, and with the man's natural aptitude, they doubled the shrimp haul. As soon as the cane crop could be harvested late Fall, Eva could pay the bill at Bayou Shadows and bring Adele home.
So productive were the expeditions, Eva threw a celebration. Nadine, wearing her new platinum wig, showed up with the same roughneck she had wrangled at the Shrimp Festival. The Broussard cousins and families were there, along with the shakers and movers of Iberia Parish : Malcolm Bertrand, Father Renaud and families bearing the names of Thibodeaux, Fontenot and Guidry. Long tables were strewn with boiled crawfish and shrimp, potatoes and corn dumped from steam pots onto yards of butcher wrap.
Gabriel eased down into a lawn chair next to Eva and balanced his plate while giving Eva sidelong glances.
“What's on your mind, Gabe?”
“I have no choice but to fly back to Texas for a couple of days.”
“You might as well. We're at a good place. Just waiting for the cane to get high enough.”
“Would you mind asking Jasper to go over to feed Rambo? I can’t take him with me this time.”
“I'll do even better. I'll bring him to stay with me. What would you think of that?”
“I'll tell you what I think of that. I think that beneath that ice princess exterior beats an honest to goodness heart. I have x-ray eyes like Superman, you know?”
Eva laughed. “Then you see through to my soul and know I'm self-serving. I'll hold the dog hostage, so you have to come back for the sugar cane harvest.”
He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I'll definitely come back for the sugar.”
Eva pretended not to catch the Texan's play on words. He was not about to win her over. “You said you're going back to Austin...to someone?”
Gabe eyes sparkled, and he chuckled, as if he had just remembered a good joke. “Yes...but not in the way you think. You'll understand soon. Here's something to hold you until then.”
He leaned toward her, turned her face toward him, and this time, he kissed her deeply, until he felt her lips respond to his. “Does that answer your unasked question?” His ever changing eyes turned amber in the sunshine and bored right through to her heart.
“Tell me, Superman, what do you see with those miraculous eyes?”
“I see a woman who has so much love to give, but she’s afraid of having her heart broken like the little girl she once was.”
She took a deep breath to clear her head and slow her breathing. “Me? Afraid? You should have your x-ray vision checked. I learned a long time ago that emotion clouds judgment. I'm immune.”
His smile faded, but the glint in his eyes went to a slow smolder. “Life's a gamble, Eva, and the risks are as high as the reward. Sometimes you have to lead with the heart.”
He turned his face from her and concentrated on his food for a moment. She waited, knowing there was more.
“I guess you’re easy enough to figure out,” he said. “I mean after hearing how your parents were and the way Lucien raised you.”
“Let me guess who gave you my life story. Aunt Nadine...or maybe Colette?”
“Both, and each with her own slant.”
“I can imagine your upbringing as ideal.”
“Hardly. My parents did dote on each other and us―seven kids, all running wild. There were fights and laughter and tears and everything was bigger and grander than Winderlee but in a different way. Does that make sense?”
“Yes. It's a way of life I know nothing about. The closest our family came to normal was Nadine’s family―before her husband died. Mr. Broussard was a big jolly Cajun, so different from Lucien and Alex. I loved the visits with the boy cousins. We all ran roughshod through the cane fields, playing hide and seek. I was the one doing the searching and never finding anyone. I’d run home crying to Colette, for lack of a mother.” Eva smiled remembering. “'It’s not fair', I would say. 'They're older, and they’re boys!'” Colette would hug me and dry my tears, but if Lucien was around, he would always say the same thing. 'Who told you life would be fair, Eva Marie? Don’t expect it, and you won’t be disappointed'.”
I’m talking too much. Time to put on the brakes.
She closed the subject by gently tracing the old scar that ran along Gabe’s jawline. “Maybe some day you'll tell me the story behind this.”
“My brothers would love to give you all the gory details, if you ever decide to go with me to meet my family.”
“That just might be worth the trip to Texas...someday.”
He smiled as one who just racked up the winning numbers on the scorecard.
“Be careful what you wish for. You may not want to leave.”
Their minds had met and their hearts had touched, but within minutes, he escaped to his plane at the landing strip. She called after him, and he raised his hand in a farewell gesture without looking back. She was left in the darkness until the music and laughter faded, until the only thing she heard was the drone of the single engine plane heading west.
7
Malcolm Bertrand, attorney at law, was a meticulous man. His shrine to vanity was a full length mirror on one wall of his office. He checked his appearance throughout the day and was seldom without his floral silk ties and a bit of foundation makeup to even out his ruddy complexion. He knew what they said about him. It never mattered much, for he was the only lawyer in town.
His first client of the day arrived. From behind his desk, Bertrand looked up at a tall, tanned man with an edgy longish hair cut, short beard and sunglasses, even on that overcast day. The stranger seemed familiar, but he could not be sure. His would-be client was dressed in worn but expensive jeans, unseasonable flannel shirt and heavy hiking boots. When the man took off the dark glasses, Bertrand found something familiar about the cold blue eyes.
“Don't you recognize me, Malcolm Bertrand?”
“I can't quite place you, but you look familiar.”
“It’s Alex...Alex Lejeune.”
The lawyer pointed toward the chair across from his desk. “Well, then, have a seat. After all these years! Last time I saw you was when I handled yours and Adele’s divorce—a sad day, as I remember. How long has it been?”
“Over twenty years, but it was no sad day to me. I was glad to have the trollop out of my life. I wanted to get as far away from her as I could. Otherwise, it would have been salt in an open wound every time I saw her.”
Bertrand settled back, lit a cigarillo and took one delicate puff. “Why have you come back?”
“I read online that my father died, and so now I'll get to the point of my visit. I’ve come to see about the will. I'm sure the old man, with his unerring sense of ethics, has named me primary heir―no matter our differences. Nadine and I are his only children, you know, and I am his only son.”
“It distresses me to tell you, but Lucien cut you out of the will right after you abandoned your family.”
Alex leaned forward and stared in disbelief. “That can’t be! My leaving them had nothing to do with my place in the Lejeune family!”
“But it did. I don’t know if you’re aware of it, but Lucien and Esther had to commit Adele to Bayou Shadows after you left and had no choice but to take in Eva Marie. They raised your daughter without any help from you. She became more daughter than granddaughter. Your part of the inheritance went to her.”
“Well isn’t that rich, seeing as how Eva hasn't one drop of Lejeune blood. Now that the old man's gone, I can actually say it.”
“What do you mean? Eva's your own flesh and blood—yours and Adele’s.”
“Adele's, yes...but no child of mine. Stop behaving like the prissy old maid. You know what I'm saying. I couldn't talk about Eva's paternity as long as my father was alive, because he held my inheritance over my head. He couldn't bear the idea of an illegitimate granddaughter, so he chose to ignore that fact. He paid me to keep my mouth shut.”
“You know, Alex, from my viewpoint, there are no illegitimate children―only illegitimate parents. Can you even be sure of what you’re saying? Was a paternity test ever done back then?”
“I don't need a test to know the truth. Adele 'jumped the fence'. She stopped being a wife to me long before the pregnancy. I couldn’t get her to tell me who Eva's father was, but he's someone right here in Vermilion Bay. I can tell you that.”
“Let it go, Alex. What good can come of it now?”
“After what you just told me about the will, it's not over by a long shot. Eva has no right to anything, and while we're on the subject, what did my sister get out of it?”
“She took one million in insurance, and each of her four sons received a trust fund. As for Eva? She got the headaches—Winderlee and all its problems. The farm has been on the brink of bankruptcy, but she and a Texas crop duster by the name of Gabriel Martin are trying to turn it around.”
“So now we have an outsider involved in the family business. Why did the old man choose Eva any way? Did he tell you?”
“He saw something in her that he didn't see in anyone else. I believe he groomed her from childhood to take over. He had always expressed disappointment in both you and Nadine.”
“What could he see in a half-baked little tart like Eva?”
“Spunk...that's what. Don't underestimate her. She's grown into a strong willed young woman in your absence. Lucien forged her into steel. He didn't want her to turn out like you and your sister. The children of rich men are often as weak as branch water. He made everything too easy for you, and he lived to regret it. Then he overcompensated with his inflexibility toward Eva.”
“Is this all you have to say? As the only male heir, I expected Winderlee would be mine, but what I always really wanted was the family shrimp boat Destiny. By the way, there is one more issue. I was once included in that life insurance policy. Did my darling sister coerce him into excluding me?”
“Doesn’t matter. Here's the way it is, Alex―the beneficiary of the policy is iron clad, and as far as the sugarcane business goes, your father decimated it. I'm not sure what he did with all the profit, but he had very little cash left when he died. Eva had to take out a loan to finish the season out. The shrimp business is all that’s keeping them afloat. They’re running the boat hot and heavy.”
“Who inherited Destiny ?”
“It wasn’t listed in the will. I suspect there’s a separate document that will show up somewhere. He wouldn’t leave it to chance. It’s possible he may have decided just before his passing, and it had not yet been filed. I really don’t know.”
“I'll bet that yellow half breed is boat captain, isn't he?”
“That sounds racist, Alex. I don’t like your tone.”
“Excuse me if I offend your sensibilities.”
Bertrand straightened the collar of his baby blue dress shirt in one of the nervous habits that defined him. “I will advise you on one point. Even if you prove Eva Marie has no Lejeune blood, I'm not sure it will matter. You'll have to hire an estate lawyer to figure that out. Nadine had you declared dead, so you'll need to get the decree overturned. If I offer anymore advice, I'll have to charge you for it.”
Alex white-knuckled the arms of the chair. “Nadine didn't need to go to such lengths. The old man cut me out.”
“I suppose she wanted to be sure to cover any loophole, so no one could say anything about it. You know how gossip is in this town. The talk will go from 'poor dead Alex' to the shock of your resurrection―like an Elvis sighting of sorts.” The lawyer tittered in amusement.
“Joke all you want to, Bertrand. Don't blame me if some things get shaken up around this hellhole.”
“You can’t exact revenge on your father now.”
“There’s also Adele and the man who stole her from me. Had it not been for that, I’d never have left and would still be a member of my family, with all the benefits that come with it.”
Bertrand was ready to give his final argument and close the case before it started. “Stay far away from Winderlee, Alex Lejeune. Eva is not the scared little girl you abandoned. She’s not to be trifled with—especially with her right hand man Gabriel Martin around. From the looks of him, he’s been a through a few rounds and can handle anyone.”
Alex stood with hands clenched and shaking. “I will do as I please. Got it? Otherwise, remember karma. It always comes back around. If I can’t have what my papa promised, then no one will.”
***
Across the street, from his place in the barber's chair, Father Renaud looked out at Main Street, as a man who resembled Alex Lejeune, as he remembered him, walked out of Malcolm Bertrand's office. He watched the man cross the street and walk to the Bayside Inn next door to the barber shop.
“It cannot be...after all these years!”
“What did you say?” the barber asked, scissors clicking.
“Trouble just hit town.”
Ten minutes later, the priest saw a diminutive woman exit a minivan with the words “Mai’s Old Saigon Flower Shop” on the sides. He remembered Mai Quan as the subject of Lucien's confession. He knew who she was, but Lucien would have moved heaven and earth to prevent others from knowing.
The barber brushed Renaud down. “Time for a shave, Father?”
“No, not today. I think I need to talk my old friend Malcolm Bertrand.”
8
The day after Alex Lejeune slithered into town, th
ere was a fire in the fields of Winderlee. As Fate would have it that day, Colette Landry felt the overwhelming urge for a Marlboro Red. Just one more, she thought. and then I’ll quit for good. With that rationale, she grabbed a quilt, a fresh pack of smokes and walked deep into the secret world of the sugar cane. There she began her ritual of lighting up and drawing the smoke deeply into her lungs. The calming effect of nicotine dulled her senses, leaving only the sights and sounds of the field―the rustling of the plant foliage in the wind and the scampering of the mice. By the time she ground out her second cigarette, she had slipped into a sound sleep there on the quilt.
She was a child in Big Mamou again, on the pallet on the porch of the river shack on a hot Sunday morning, awakening to the sound of “Jolie Blon” on the old radio in her parents’ room. Then came her mother’s thick Acadian accent floating above the accordion and the fiddles. “Colette...Cheri’. Ecouter, dangereux!”
She was jolted back by the smell of burning sugar cane. It assaulted her nostrils with that sickeningly sweet smell akin to the burning off of the residue before the cutting. But it was not yet harvestime! She bolted to her feet. The ravenous flames consumed the tender plants and took her by surprise as she awakened from the deep sleep. Spread quickly by the rising wind, the fire threatened to engulf her. “Holy Mother of Jesus,” she shouted She ran in a headlong stumble, twisted her ankle against a rock and fell. The fire grew unabated, spreading toward her as she struggled to stand.
***
At that moment, Gabriel Martin, was on his way back from Texas. He flew directly above Winderlee, after loading up with water at the irrigation tank. His mind was still back in Austin and the custody hearing that was on the Family Court docket. With luck, he would soon bring Sam home to Vermilion Bay. He had to believe it, because otherwise, his life would be incomplete. Someday, if Gabe played his cards right, there would be a good woman to share their life. His mind was caught in a daydream that filled his senses.
Sweet Surrender Page 4