“He can sleep at my place,” Mitch said. “I can crash at Owen’s. His couch is great.”
“Well, why not just put Bennett on the couch?” Kennedy asked. “His rich ass can’t sleep on a couch?”
“Kennedy,” Sawyer said, sounding tired. “Enough.”
“I’m just sayin’.”
“You mad that we’re not putting him up at your place?” Mitch asked.
“Fuck off, Mitch,” Kennedy muttered.
“That’s not a no.”
“There are a ton of beds and couches available between us all,” Sawyer said. “Leo, you can come to my place.”
“I’m good,” Leo said, waving that off.
“Where are you staying?”
“Don’t you all worry about where Leo’s sleeping,” Ellie piped up. “He’ll be fine.”
Everyone turned to look at her—and Leo—as one.
“Oh, he will, will he?” Josh asked his grandmother.
“I see how it is,” Kennedy agreed, nodding.
“Oh, you all shut up,” Ellie told them. “Go on, Maddie.”
It was funny to see their grandmother blushing. And she most definitely was.
So Trevor was staying in New Orleans and they weren’t supposed to worry about where Leo was sleeping. This dinner was interesting.
And it was typical.
Damn, he was going to miss the hell out of all these people.
“Anyway,” Maddie said again. “Bennett is here for the next couple of days and we’re finalizing the deal.” She looked around the table. “He is going to be a part of Boys of the Bayou.”
No one said anything, but the smiles fell away and a few people shifted uncomfortably on their chairs.
Maddie sighed. Owen knew she’d been expecting their reactions but it was hard to disappoint people you cared about.
“I know that you’re worried about bringing in someone new. But I promise you that he has the business’s best interests at heart. He’s excited about this. We talked at length about plans.” She took a deep breath and looked around.
Owen wanted to reach out and take her hand but she was too far away. He wanted to face his family and tell them that change was sometimes inevitable and didn’t have to be bad. He wanted to believe that, too. Life in California was definitely going to be a big change.
“We need his money,” Maddie said, her voice softer. “We need help if we want the business to keep going. That’s just a fact.”
“We’ve always found a way to get through things,” Ellie said. “Together. We figure things out.”
Maddie blew out a breath. “I know. I get that. This is me helping to figure things out.”
“Without the rest of us,” Cora pointed out.
Owen bit his tongue. Literally. He loved Ellie and Cora. But they were each a force to be reckoned with and together they were…impossible. And they were almost always together on things. Owen couldn’t remember the last time they’d disagreed about something. It was either that, or they disagreed behind closed doors. A lot like parents not wanting to fight in front of the kids. In front of the kids, they presented a united front.
Apparently one or the other of them had decided that they were upset about Maddie selling and they decided to be upset together.
He got it. Cora’s granddaughter was home and clearly happy here. They didn’t know about her issues with her painting. And honestly, in Cora and Ellie’s minds, nothing was more important than family and Autre. Having Maddie back had only fueled their belief that this was where she belonged.
“There are other details I want to share with you,” Maddie said. “But it’s really important that you all accept Bennett and understand that this is a good choice.”
She said it firmly, but it was clear that Cora’s comment had hurt. Owen felt his hand tighten into a fist. Maddie didn’t need his help here, and he didn’t want to yell at Cora. But dammit.
“Everybody just fucking listen,” he said.
Okay, so he hadn’t yelled, but he was clearly talking through clenched teeth. Cora and Ellie both looked at him and he met their gazes with eyebrows up. He knew his look said knock it off.
“Really? You don’t want her to stay?” Ellie asked.
Owen looked at Maddie. “No. I don’t want her to stay.”
14
“What?” Cora demanded. “What are you talking about?”
“This isn’t where Maddie wants to be.” Owen looked at Sawyer and Josh. “We need to bring Bennett in. He’s the answer to…all of it.”
“All of it?” Sawyer cocked a brow. “What’s all of it?”
“What’s going to happen when Maddie and I go to California.”
Everyone was completely silent for several long seconds.
The first person to speak was Maddie.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
He nodded. “I’m coming with you this time. I’m not letting you get away again.”
She sprung to her feet, her chair scraping across the floor. “Are you crazy? You can’t leave Autre. The business.”
“I can,” he said firmly. “And I’m going to. You need to be in California. That means I need to be in California.”
“No,” she said. “No, Owen.”
Owen got to his feet, too, facing her across the table, feet braced, hand on his hips. He would convince her of this. Or not. He’d still show up in San Francisco. He’d show her, eventually, that he meant what he said.
“Bennett is buying me out, too,” he said.
Maddie’s mouth dropped open and she started shaking her head.
Not the reaction he’d been expecting.
“We talked about it.” Owen gave her a firm nod. “It’s official.”
Maddie’s eyes widened. “What do you mean ‘it’s official?’”
“We wrote up an agreement. We both signed it—”
He hadn’t even finished the sentence when Maddie stomped around the end of the table and headed for the door. What the hell?
“Mad!” he called after her.
She didn’t slow down or look back.
“Maddie!” he shouted. He started after her.
“I’m going to talk to Bennett!” she shouted back.
“Madison Evangeline! Stop!”
She swung around to face him. “I’m going to undo this! This isn’t final.”
He stopped nearly on her toes. “Why? Why are you going to undo it?”
“Because you can’t give this up, Owen!” She pushed a hand through her hair. “I’ve been watching you for almost a month. This is where you belong. Not California.”
“I can belong in California.”
“No.” She shook her head. “No, you can’t.”
“Hey.”
“I know you, Owen. I know California. And you would be miserable there. I’m not doing that to you.”
“You need to be somewhere else to paint,” he said. “If you’re somewhere else, I am, too.”
She looked confused. “You just found out that I paint but now you’re willing to move your life to California so I can do it?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that’s ridiculous.”
No, that was a grand gesture. It was fucking romantic, dammit. It was the kind of thing the Landrys specialized in and it was something Owen had never done before. Because it was clear to him now that Maddie was the only person he would do it for. And this was a pretty great gesture, if he did say so himself.
“I’m coming to California, Maddie,” he said firmly.
“That is not happening.”
“You don’t want me there?”
“No! Definitely not.”
Well, that was not what he’d been expecting. Where was the squealing? The throwing herself into his arms? The kissing and happy crying and I-love-you-so-much-Owen he’d been ready for?
“Maddie—”
“I have to talk to Bennett.” She looked very angry. “Just stay here.”
“Here at
Ellie’s right now or here in Autre forever?” he asked dryly, his growing anger seeping into his tone.
She frowned. “Both.”
“Great,” he said tightly. “Got it.”
He didn’t get it. Not at all. What the hell was happening?
Maddie looked like she wanted to say something more but she snapped her mouth shut, turned and left, presumably to find Bennett and rip up his agreement with Owen.
Fuck.
The door shut behind her and Owen took a deep breath.
Well, that had definitely not gone the way he’d planned.
“You’re not going after her?”
This came from Ellie.
Owen turned back to face his grandmother. “Of course I’m going after her.”
Ellie crossed her arms. “When?”
“As soon as I pack for California.”
“That’s not happening until we talk.” This came from Sawyer. He stood, his face stony. “What the fuck, Owen?”
“I’m in love with her, man. This can’t be a total shock.”
“You leaving and selling your percent to Bennett Baxter?” Sawyer said with a scowl. “Yeah, it’s a shock.”
“I’m sorry but—”
“We have a partnership agreement,” Sawyer broke in. “You have to give us thirty days.”
Owen braced his feet and put his hands on his hips. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Not even a little.”
“I have to wait thirty days to go to California with Maddie? What’s going to change in thirty days, Sawyer?”
“Well, a total stranger won’t own fifty percent of our fucking business!” Sawyer snapped. “That’s one thing.”
Owen sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “I think Baxter is a good guy.”
“I don’t fucking care what you think,” Sawyer told him. “You’re giving me thirty days to figure out what to do about your fifteen percent. You’re not selling it to him!”
“Maddie’s over there telling Baxter the same thing,” Josh said, his voice calm. Though the frown he sent Owen said he was almost as pissed as Sawyer was. “If anyone can get Owen out of this, it’s her.”
That was a little emasculating, but it wasn’t totally untrue. Owen still frowned back. “I don’t want out of it.”
“It’s bullshit,” Sawyer said. “It’s complete bullshit. We should have the chance to buy you out.”
“You can’t afford it!” Owen reminded him.
“Not Tommy’s thirty-five, but maybe fifteen.” Sawyer shoved a hand through his hair. “But we’ll still be a man down and I doubt very much that Baxter knows how to…do any damned thing that might be helpful at all.”
Owen hated seeing Sawyer and Josh wound up and worried. And pissed. “What am I supposed to do, Sawyer?” Owen finally asked. “She’s leaving. I can’t just let her go.”
“She doesn’t want you to go with her,” Sawyer pointed out.
“Yeah, well, that’s too bad.” But something nagged at the back of his mind. She said she couldn’t paint here. That was what bothered him the most. Her painting was important to her. But it wasn’t working here. She said it was because all of the emotions she normally put into her art were coming out other ways.
If he was in California with her, would that do the same thing? Would she not be able to paint if he was there? That seemed crazy. It seemed like a terrible reason to not be together. But, he had to admit, it seemed pretty damned selfish of him to assume that she’d choose being with him over her painting. Maybe that was why she didn’t want him to come?
Or maybe she just wasn’t feeling what he was feeling. And had he ever said, “Hey I’m in love with you. Again. Still”, or if he’d asked her what she wanted, maybe he wouldn’t be standing in the middle of his grandmother’s bar, facing his entire family, and feeling like the world’s biggest ass.
“Seems like maybe you need a drink,” Ellie said, moving toward the bar.
Well, it wasn’t milk and cookies and a big hug, but he had to admit, at his age and in this situation, his grandmother had exactly the right offering.
Maddie stalked down the path in front of Ellie’s.
What in the hell was Bennett doing? He’d made an arrangement with Owen? Who did he think he was? He was going to buy another fifteen percent of the company? Just like that? That was not the agreement.
And Owen couldn’t sell his portion. He needed it. The Boys of the Bayou needed him. There was no way Owen should be in California. He couldn’t leave Louisiana. What the hell was he thinking?
She was just past the Boys of the Bayou office when she saw a flash of light out of the corner of her eye. It made her pause. What was that? She walked back a few yards and peered into the darkness.
There it was again.
It looked like a flashlight.
Frowning she immediately started in that direction. Who the fuck was skulking around the office at this time of night? All of the partners were up at Ellie’s.
She rounded the corner of the building just as a tall shadow stepped into her path. Without thinking, she immediately swung, her fist connecting with his jaw and snapping his head back. She knew it was a him because of the deep “oomph” sound he made when she hit him.
He stumbled back and she took a step forward, thinking quickly. There was a broom just inside the door to her right. She wasn’t sure how much damage she could actually do with that, but she was willing to try.
“Jesus, Maddie!” the man said, rubbing his jaw.
She froze with her hand in her purse, feeling for her keys. She frowned. Did she know that voice? Again, all of the men she knew were up at Ellie’s. She latched onto her keys and pulled them out. She could do some damage with those if she couldn’t get into the office.
She jabbed out with the longest key clutched between her second and third fingers. “What the fuck are you doing down here?”
“I was on my way to Ellie’s and I heard one of the airboats take off. I came down to check on things.”
Maddie squinted into the darkness. “Bennett?”
“Yes!” he shouted. “Who the hell did you think it was?”
“I thought it was someone trying to break in!” she shouted back. She had a ton of adrenaline pumping, first from Owen’s big announcement and her anger at Bennett, and then from coming down here to confront a possible intruder.
Her anger at Bennett. Hey, yeah, she was mad at this guy. She dropped her keys into her other hand, pulled her fist back, and punched him again.
“What the fuck?” he roared, his hand going to his face. “Are you crazy?”
“Yes! Maybe I am! But I don’t care!” she told him, advancing on him and gratified to see him backing up. “What the hell were you doing buying Owen’s share of the business? I told you what was going on! We had a deal!”
Bennett stopped with his back against the railing of the dock. If he leaned back any farther, or she hit him again—which she was seriously considering—he’d go over backward into the bayou.
She’d actually really like to see that. She took a step forward and Bennett held his hands up in surrender.
“I’m not actually buying him out,” Bennett said.
“He said you signed an agreement.”
“We did,” Bennett agreed. “With no witnesses and on paper that’s very…rippable.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Rippable?”
“We can rip it up.”
“Why did you sign in the first place?” Maddie was nearly on top of his toes now.
“Because if he was serious, then I was definitely interested. But I knew it wouldn’t fly. Not once he heard that you were staying.”
“Wait, you didn’t tell him that?” she asked.
“I thought you should tell him that.”
Maddie took another deep breath and opened her mouth. But then shut it.
She hadn’t told Owen she was staying.
Shit.
In her anger and worry about Bennett si
gning an agreement with Owen for his portion, all she’d been able to think of was getting to Bennett and ripping that up. She hadn’t actually told Owen that she’d changed her deal with the millionaire.
“How do I know you’ll actually rip it up?” she asked, taking a step back.
“Seriously?” Bennett asked, straightening and smoothing a hand down the front of his shirt. “I’m not here to stage a takeover. I need these guys as much as they need me. I want this to be good for everyone. Owen was determined. And honestly, going over his demands in our agreement showed me even more what this place means to him and to all of them. Leaving this, selling to me, would have been one of the hardest things that guy ever did.”
Maddie crossed her arms.
“Why are you freaking out?” he asked. “You don’t trust me?”
She thought about that. “I guess…I do trust you,” she finally decided.
“Then what was this all about?” Bennett rubbed his jaw.
“Going to find you was about protecting Owen,” she admitted. “He doesn’t really want to leave. And then I saw someone down here and that was about protecting the business.”
“You didn’t think maybe you should get help protecting the business?” Bennett asked.
Maddie sighed and shook her head. “Thinking things through isn’t my strong suit. Not here, anyway.”
“And the protecting Owen? You just swing first and ask questions later?”
She narrowed her eyes and nodded. “Yeah. I do. And if you’re going to be one of our partners, you should remember that.”
“I am going to be one of your partners,” Bennett said. “With seventeen and a half percent.”
She gave him a nod, but she was still frowning.
“Does Owen need your protection?” Bennett asked, suddenly seeming amused.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said with a shrug. “It’s me, not him. Not them. I feel first and think later.”
“Good to know.”
“So let’s go,” she said turning on her heel.
“Where?”
“To rip up your agreement with Owen.”
“Okay, but…”
“Yes?” she asked, glancing back.
“Did you hear the part about the airboat being stolen?”
Sweet Home Louisiana Page 24