Evan turned from the window where he’d been surveying the scene for a good ten minutes. “Hey, it’s not your fault. We were going to announce the marriage anyway, even if this wasn’t exactly how we planned to let the world know.”
Evan, always the optimist. Pete wished he could be that sanguine. “How’s Ella holding up?”
“She’s doing as well as can be expected. Right now she’s getting the rest of her things together.”
Pete pushed off the sofa, strode to the in-room bar and seriously considered taking advantage of the bottle of bourbon. Instead, he poured himself another cup of black coffee. “When does your flight leave?”
Evan dropped down into the chair opposite the sofa and ran a hand through his hair. “At one, so we need to get out of here soon. Which means I won’t be able to go with you this afternoon to check out the plantation. I feel badly about leaving you in the lurch because of this.”
Pete leaned back against the bar. “Hey, no problem. This wasn’t an official trip anyway. I can do the preliminary scouting then take my recommendations back to the producers.”
“Are you still planning to go to Atlanta?”
“Next week, after I take care of a few things in L.A.” And maybe he’d stop over in New Orleans for a day or two on the way back. “I’ve promised the Georgia film commission that I’d at least see what they have to offer, even though New Orleans could use the boost to their economy more. I also think this setting is more appropriate for the film.”
Evan grinned. “Are you sure that’s the only reason New Orleans has moved to the top of your list, or does a good-looking blonde also figure into that decision?”
Pete couldn’t stop his responding smile. “Okay, I admit it. Renee is definitely a perk.”
“Speaking of Renee, did you two take advantage of our room last night?”
Unfortunately not in the way Evan was suggesting. Not that Pete hadn’t tried. “Renee and I had drinks after the wedding before we picked Adam up from her grandmother’s house. That’s all.”
Evan frowned. “Are you losing your touch, Traynor?”
Pete was beginning to wonder the same thing. “Just taking it slowly, Evan.” With the current mess hanging over them, he might not have the opportunity to speed things up.
When the phone set on the end table rang, Evan reached over and snatched the receiver from the cradle. “Pryor here.” A few moments of silence passed before he replied, “Sure. Come on up.”
“Bellman?” Pete asked.
“Nope. Your perk.” Evan laced his hands together behind his neck. “She’s on her way up to have a chat with us, although she’s probably more interested in seeing you.”
Pete would bet his last buck that Renee had been made aware of the tabloid mess. He realized he would soon receive confirmation when, a few minutes later, a rap came at the door. He shot across the room to answer it before Evan had a chance to move, his enthusiasm providing more fodder for his friend’s teasing. He didn’t give a damn. He was enthusiastic about seeing Renee, regardless of the circumstances.
When Pete opened the door, he immediately noted the concern in her expression and her tone when she said, “I hope you don’t mind the intrusion.”
He questioned how long it would take for her to realize that her presence was never an intrusion. It never had been. “Not at all. Come in.”
She moved into the room, more hesitant than Pete had ever seen her. When she eyed the luggage set out near the door, she looked so worried that he wanted to hold her, tell her it was okay, but he refrained. For now.
Evan rose from the sofa and smiled. “Good seeing you again, Renee.”
She kept her hands at her side, her frame as stiff as her smile. “I’m surprised you’d say that, considering what I’ve recently learned about your privacy issues.”
“How did you find out?” Pete asked.
She sent him a quick glance. “Through Ella’s publicist. She called my sister this morning, and she wasn’t very pleased. But I promise you that I had nothing to do—”
“We know you didn’t have anything to do with it, Renee,” Evan interjected. “With Ella’s burgeoning career, we expected this to happen, just not quite so soon.”
She folded her arms over her middle. “In any case, we’re questioning the staff to make sure none of them were responsible, and our head of security is staying posted at the door to make certain no one who even remotely resembles a photographer is hanging around in the lobby or on the sidewalk. So far it seems to be working.”
But Pete knew nothing was a sure thing when it came to trying to stop the press from meddling.
Ella came into the living area from the bedroom, set an overnight bag in the middle of the pile of luggage, then walked to Renee and gave her a brief hug, exactly what Pete had wanted to do. “Please don’t think for a minute we hold you responsible, Renee. Anyone could have passed on the information. The man from the tuxedo shop. Someone from the inn. Even the saleswoman who assisted in my dress selection.”
“That would explain how the pregnancy news got out,” Evan added. “Ella got a little dizzy in the boutique, and when the clerk wanted to call paramedics, I told her Ella was pregnant.”
When Renee failed to look reassured, Pete decided to step in. “We weren’t that quiet at the café, either. Someone could have overheard the conversation and made the call to the rag.”
Renee had yet to relax. “I guess you’re right. But I still feel terrible you were staying here when it happened.” Her gaze came to rest on the luggage. “And now you’re being forced to leave.”
Evan came to Ella’s side and wrapped his arm around her waist. “We have to go back and meet with the studio heads to see if we can get this worked out.”
“Do you think it’s going to affect your negotiations?” Renee asked. “Because I still have a few connections in the business and I could try to smooth things over for you.” She sent a fast glance at Pete. “Of course, Pete probably has more pull than I do.”
“We appreciate the offer, but it won’t be necessary,” Evan said. “If it gets out of hand, we’ll let Ella’s people take care of it. That’s how they earn their money.”
“And if by chance I’m not able to do this movie, there will be others,” Ella said.
Renee looked less than reassured, and sounded upset when she added, “But this was so important to you, Ella. Again, I still feel somewhat responsible.”
Ella took Renee’s hands into hers. “Don’t worry, Renee. We’re not blaming you for something you couldn’t control. It’s an unfortunate by-product of being in the spotlight.”
When Evan and Ella went into Pete’s bedroom to tell Adam goodbye, another knock came at the door. After the luggage had been loaded and goodbyes, handshakes and hugs had been exchanged and the couple departed, Pete turned to Renee, who seemed to have mentally drifted off to some place that didn’t include him. “Did you sleep very much last night?”
“No.” A small smile crept in. “Does it show?”
“Not on your life. You look great.”
She lowered her eyes to the Oriental rug beneath her feet. “Are you and Adam planning to leave early?”
No way. Not until he’d spent every moment he could with her. “We’re still staying until the end of the week. I have an appointment to check out a plantation this afternoon as a possible location for our exterior shots. Now I need to figure out how I’m going to get us out of here without being noticed. That little scene last night scared Adam more than I realized. He keeps asking me if the men are still outside. And I’ve been lying to him and telling him no, when in fact I’m sure they’re hanging around somewhere in the city.”
“I’m really sorry about this mess, Pete.”
He took a chance and moved in closer. “Stop apologizing, Renee. Like Evan and Ella said, you couldn’t have prevented this.”
“So you say. Is there anything I can do for you?”
He definitely had a few questionable sugges
tions, but he’d hold on to them until a better opportunity presented itself. If it presented itself. “Yeah. Can you arrange to have a rental car delivered?”
She looked much more relaxed now. “I’ll take care of it myself. Any preference on the model?”
“Something nondescript.”
She smiled. “No sporty two-seater?”
“Only if you’re the blonde in the passenger seat.”
“If I’m in the passenger seat of a two-seater, where do you plan to put Adam?”
“That reminds me.” Pete rubbed both hands down his face. “Taking Adam anywhere in public is going to be a hassle if we have to skirt the paparazzi. And when I tell him we can’t go anywhere today aside from the plantation, that’s going to be a real big problem. “
“Not a problem. I can watch him for the afternoon.”
Not an option for Pete. “I want you to go with me. Since Evan’s not here, I could use your opinions.” He could also use her company. “As someone who knows the value of a good setting.”
When she hesitated, Pete thought she might reject the offer. She surprised him by saying, “Sure, as long as you actually listen to my opinions.”
“When have I not listened to you?”
“I can think of a few instances when you were a bit resistant. But if I go with you, that still leaves Adam without someone to watch him.” Renee remained quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful. “I might have the perfect solution. My mother asked me this morning what she could do to help, and now I can give her something to do. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind taking Adam and Daisy Rose on a sightseeing trip for the afternoon while you tend to business. She could find a way to sneak out, and once they’re away from the hotel, no one’s going to be the wiser.”
That definitely sounded like the answer to Pete’s problems, but… “I wouldn’t want to take advantage of Anne’s hospitality two days in a row.”
Renee pulled a cell phone from her jacket pocket, flipped it open and dialed. “If she’s not available, I’m sure one of my sisters would be glad to help out.”
Pete stood by while Renee made her request and ended the conversation with, “Great. I’ll bring him downstairs in a half hour.” She snapped the phone closed and announced, “Done.”
“Are you sure?”
“Mother and Charlotte are taking Daisy Rose to the children’s museum this afternoon and they’d love to have Adam come along.”
He didn’t know how to thank Renee, or what he could do to repay her. But he did know one thing—he couldn’t resist her any longer. “Now that you’ve taken care of all the details, I need one more thing from you.”
She slipped the phone back in her pocket. “What would that be?”
Without saying another word, he tugged her into his arms and gave her a kiss that could get him into a heap of hot water if he didn’t stop it soon. But hell, he didn’t want to stop it. He wanted it to go on for as long as she allowed, or until…
“Uncle Pete, I told you that’s yucky.”
Renee wrested herself from his arms and stepped back as if he’d suddenly become radioactive. Pete decided that ignoring his nephew’s comment would work better than trying to explain. So would distracting him by revealing the afternoon’s plans.
He crossed the room, grabbed Adam up and held him high above his head. “How would you like to go to the museum, kiddo?”
Adam clapped his hands together. “Can we go now?”
Pete set him back on his feet. “First, I think you probably need to change out of your pajamas. Second, I have some business stuff to take care of, so you’d be going with Daisy Rose and her grandmother and aunt.”
“G-mama.”
“Huh?”
“It’s what Daisy Rose calls my mother,” Renee said.
“That’s what I call her too because she said I could.” He began to fidget from excitement. “I like G-mama.”
Pete ruffled his hair. “Okay then. Let’s get you dressed so you can go have some fun.”
Adam settled down, looking overly concerned. “What about you and Renee, Uncle Pete? Are you gonna have some fun, too?”
If Pete had any say in the matter, they would. In ways he couldn’t—or wouldn’t—begin to explain to a four-year-old. Particularly since it involved a whole lot of “yucky” kissing. “You don’t worry about us, kiddo. You just have a good time, okay?”
“Okay.” Adam grabbed Pete’s hand and started tugging him toward the room. “Come help me get dressed.”
“I’ll call you when I have the car and we’re ready to go,” Renee said.
He sent her a smile. “I’m looking forward to it.”
And that was a serious understatement.
CHAPTER NINE
RENEE WAITED by the back entrance in the nondescript gold hatchback. She was wearing a bulky black cable knit sweater and beige corduroy jeans, something she usually only wore in the comfort of her own home. She’d also gathered her hair into a ponytail and pulled it through the keyhole opening in the back of her favorite purple New Orleans baseball cap as part of the disguise. After renting the car, she’d rushed home, changed and managed to complete everything on her to-do list in less than two hours before returning to the hotel. Anticipation had definitely been a motivating factor. Anticipation at seeing Pete again. Being with Pete again.
Her excitement only escalated the minute he walked out the door wearing a blue flannel shirt over a white T-shirt, faded jeans and those boots that she still found so darn sexy. She found everything about him sexy, even the black baseball cap and equally dark sunglasses. And particularly his grin, which he aimed on her when he slid into the passenger seat and shut the door.
He gave her a slow, visual once-over as he locked the seatbelt into place. “If you hadn’t described the car, I wouldn’t have recognized you.”
When Pete continued to stare, she gave him a pretend pout. “You don’t like my outfit?”
“It’s just a side of you I’ve never seen before.” He leaned over the narrow console and kissed her cheek. “But I like it. You look great.”
“Thank you, sir.” She positioned her own sunglasses over her eyes and started the car. “Where exactly are we going?”
“To a plantation called Bella Bayou. Do you know it?”
“Definitely. My mother took us to Bella Bayou several times when we were younger. But I haven’t been back in years.”
“From what I know about the place, it looks like it might be a perfect setting.”
“Guess we’ll find out. Are we ready to go?”
“I’ve been ready since you came into my room this morning.”
He looked ready, and not only to do a little scouting. If Renee didn’t stop looking at him, she wouldn’t be able to drive.
After navigating the narrow alley, she took a left onto the side road, hoping she wouldn’t encounter any media marauders. But when she turned onto the street that ran in front of the hotel, she caught sight of a suspicious-looking, large black sedan parked along the curb a block from the hotel’s entry.
“Scoot down in the seat,” she told Pete. “Now.”
He didn’t bother to ask why. He simply complied, pulling his hat low on his brow. “Paparazzi?”
“I think so, although I can’t be sure. But I can make out two men inside.” After Renee passed by the car and it didn’t move, she drove another two blocks before saying, “You can sit up now.”
He straightened in his seat and muttered, “Freakin’ vultures,” with enough acid in his tone to disintegrate a suspension bridge.
As they headed west out of town, Pete remained unusually quiet, seemingly content to stare out the window as they traveled down the interstate.
“What are you thinking?” she asked when she could no longer stand the silence.
He sighed, a rough one. “About how this city is coming back in record time, but there’s still a lot to be done.”
“Yes, there is,” she said. “Right after I returned, we all pitche
d in and helped some of the businesses in the Quarter that didn’t fair as well as we did. But I still felt like I could have done more.”
“You did a hell of a lot more than I did. I wrote a check. If I had the time, I wouldn’t mind helping build a few houses. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time. At least not at the moment, thanks to the job. But maybe I’ll make the time when we start filming.”
She loved the sincerity in his voice, his genuine concern for her beloved city, the place of her birth. She loved…
Don’t go there, Renee.
She cleared the nagging thought from her mind. “Look at it this way. If you make the movie here, you’ll be contributing to the economy, and that’s a major contribution. You’ll be hiring caterers and extras, right?”
“Right. Do you want to be an extra?”
“I believe I’ll pass.” She took her eyes from the road long enough to glance at him. “What’s the film about?”
“It’s twenty years post-Civil War and it involves two sisters who are trying to save the family home. It covers some of the past, including their love affair with the same man.”
“Boy, that is different from your usual plot. Who gets the guy?”
“Guess you’ll have to wait and see the movie.”
She smiled. “You’re cruel. But it does sound interesting, and I can definitely relate to the saving-the-family-home part. Or in my case, the family hotel.”
“Is the hotel in serious financial trouble?”
She had no business disclosing the hotel’s fiscal problems to him, but she believed she could trust he wouldn’t pass on the information. “Times are tough for everyone, Pete. But we’re getting by, and we’re determined to recover from the economic blow from the hurricane. We’ve had a few offers to sell, but I refuse to watch all my parents’ hard work end up in someone else’s hands.”
“You really aren’t considering returning to California, are you?” His tone was a mix of surprise and disappointment.
Renee had thought she might return someday, if only to prove that she hadn’t failed as predicted by her grandmother. But she’d begun to realize that her place was with her family. “No, I’m not going back.”
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