by Kara Lennox
“My friend Kiki’s mother’s boyfriend took her fishing on Lake Pontchartrain. Just her and him.”
“Does that sound like something you want to do?”
She nodded.
“Then we’ll do it. I’ll make it happen.”
“When?”
“How about the weekend after the music festival.”
She sighed. “That’s forever away.”
“I know, but things are a little crazy until it’s over. Your mom needs my help. And I’m not sure how my grandmother will feel about me taking an afternoon off to go fishing.”
“I like Tante Celeste. Maybe she could go with us.”
Oh, now, that he would like to see—Celeste baiting a fishhook with a worm. The mental image made him laugh. “I’ll ask her.”
A few minutes later, Luc and Loretta dropped off Zara at her grandparents’ house. Then they drove the five or so miles to St. Martinville. Luc wished he had one of those old cars with bench seats, so Loretta could snuggle up next to him. He settled for reaching over to hold her hand.
“How do you think we did with Zara?”
“Mmm, hard to tell. She keeps her cards close to her chest. But we did the best we could.”
“I promised to take her fishing. I hope that’s okay.”
“Fishing! That’s strange.”
“Kiki’s mother’s boyfriend took Kiki fishing.”
“Ah. I get it. Well, at least now we don’t have to hide anything. I don’t like keeping secrets from Zara—or from anyone, really. I’m not a good liar.”
“Speaking of keeping secrets, did you know there was something going on between Celeste and Doc?”
“I thought there might be. How lovely. Do you think it’s serious?”
“I don’t know. It’s just so…weird.”
“Because they’re senior citizens?”
“No, because she’s my grandmother. And because she’s Celeste. You don’t know her like I do. She’s usually all proper and snooty and looking down her nose at everyone. Now here she is, giggling like a schoolgirl and…and flirting.”
“Maybe she’s in love. Or moving that way. Love can be very transformative, you know.”
“So I hear.” Watching all his cousins fall in love when he’d been working at the hotel was one of the reasons he’d come to like them so much. He’d seen every side of them—seen them angry, vulnerable, hurting and ultimately very happy.
“Yes, love can make a huge difference in a person’s life. But it can also be destructive.” Like his father’s careless love for his mother. He’d given her just enough love to make her long for more—just enough to keep her from divorcing him, at least during those first few years.
“But how could it ever work out for them?” Loretta asked. “Doc has lived in Indigo his whole life. He would never move to New Orleans.”
Luc was silent for a few moments as he thought about that. Then, he got it. Of course Celeste had a master plan. She hadn’t given him the task of renovating the cabin simply out of kindness or compassion for him, or guilt that perhaps she owed her dead son something. She’d had her own selfish reasons.
“Oh, my God. She’s going to move to Indigo.”
“You think?”
“It all fits! She had me renovate the cabin so she’d have a place to live. Now she’s going to watch how I run the bed-and-breakfast so she can do it herself—or hire someone else. The whole opera house/museum thing—she’s trying to ingratiate herself into the fabric of Indigo society so that when she moves here, she’ll already be an insider.”
“So you think she’s here to stay?”
What a scary thought. “I can’t live in that house with my grandmother for six months.”
“Six months? Luc, is there a timetable I’m not aware of?”
Yeah, the remainder of his probation. “I’d always planned on staying here two years,” he said carefully, not wanting to lie outright. “Next April will be two years.”
“You could always move in with me and Zara.”
The invitation hung in the air and an awkward silence filled the car.
“Sorry, scratch that,” Loretta said with a nervous laugh. “That was probably a bit premature. Considering this is our first date.”
But he couldn’t forget she’d said it. The fact she would even consider it, after he’d given her fair warning that he wasn’t the sticking-around kind, was amazing. But the really scary part was how attractive the prospect was to him.
If he moved in with Loretta and Zara, he might never want to leave.
Of course, it was all conjecture, anyway. He had to stay at the B and B and run it for the term of his probation—no way out of that, Celeste or no Celeste.
THEIR ROMANTIC DINNER was everything Luc had hoped it would be. They put aside all discussion of anything more serious than the merits of the wine and food. They lingered over dessert, and afterward took a walk around the historic downtown area, holding hands and whispering to each other like besotted lovers.
When he took her home, they made love, and for the first time it was slow, leisurely—and in the dark. Luc found that darkness added a whole new dimension to the experience, allowing his other senses to become heightened. He could focus for minutes at a time on the exquisite texture of Loretta’s skin, the smell of her hair, the way her soft sighs reverberated along his nerve endings.
It was less sex than it was worship. And when she finally pleaded for him to leave so she could at least get a couple of hours’ sleep before she had to get up and bake, he did so with a smile on his face. Even with all of the future’s uncertainties, he felt happier than he could ever remember feeling, like there was a balloon inside his chest. But he couldn’t escape the niggling sensation that someone, somewhere, was standing by with a sharp pin.
LORETTA AWOKE with her alarm at four. Though she’d had less than three hours’ sleep, she had no trouble bouncing out of bed and into the shower. Her “first date” with Luc had gone pretty well, all things considered.
She’d made a couple of serious gaffes. The first had been to talk about love. Guys sometimes ran for the hills at the mere mention of the L-word, even in casual conversation. At least, that’s what she’d heard. She had no practical experience, because Jim had declared himself in love with her less than a week after meeting her. Still, she’d known better than to tread on that dangerous ground when her relationship with Luc was so tenuous.
His response—that love could be destructive—could have sent the evening on a downhill spiral. But somehow they’d salvaged it.
Then she’d made an even worse mistake by inviting him to move in with her. She had no idea where that had come from. The words had bypassed her brain completely. But the thought that his grandmother’s machinations might drive him away from Indigo earlier than anticipated had panicked her. She’d resigned herself to the fact that happily-ever-after was not even a remote possibility for herself and Luc, but she’d been counting on having him around at least a few months.
The thought of losing any of that time…well, she’d just spoken without thinking. At least she’d had the sense to withdraw the offer and laugh at herself, no matter how much she’d been shriveling inside.
Amazingly, she hadn’t ruined the evening. And her sense of optimism about the future hadn’t dimmed, no matter what reality dictated. She felt fantastic.
Everything she baked that morning turned out better than perfect—a little puffier, a little sweeter, as if her good mood had infused the dough with a pinch of magic. She included three extra cranberry muffins in Luc’s order.
He greeted her at the back door with a sleepy smile. And when she handed him his basket full of goodies, exchanging it for an empty one, he grabbed her and kissed her and threatened not to let her make the rest of her deliveries.
“I have to go,” she said for the third time.
“Come back when you’re done,” he said.
“Luc, I have a business to run. If I keep closing the bakery ev
ery time I want to see you—well, it might just stay closed.”
“Stop for ten minutes. Long enough for a cup of coffee. I need my Loretta fix.”
“Last night wasn’t enough?”
“Not near enough. A hundred last nights wouldn’t be enough.”
She stopped herself before she asked him just how many would be enough. That was her insecurity talking, and she had to banish those thoughts if she wanted this one-day-at-a-time plan to be a success.
“Ten minutes—for coffee,” she said, making sure he understood and would not tempt her.
After her rounds, she dropped off free samples to three more prospective customers. She had learned that samples worked better than any other advertising she could do. Then she headed for the B and B, her heart fluttering ridiculously at the prospect of seeing Luc, even if it were for only ten minutes.
She was crazy. Or maybe she was in love. The symptoms seemed right. She wouldn’t have chosen to fall for Luc Carter, knowing the eventual outcome would be painful. But there wasn’t much she could do about it except go with the flow. Enjoy it while she could. Following Luc’s advice to Zara last night, she refused to be sad until she had a reason to be sad.
He was watching for her as she approached the pretty cottage.
“I missed you,” he said the moment he opened the door.
“You saw me a couple of hours ago.”
“I know. Just tell me to shut up. I’m getting a little crazy.”
“If you’re crazy, I’m crazy, too.”
He kissed her, then poured her the coffee he’d promised. They’d just settled at the kitchen table when the front bell rang.
“You expecting anyone?” Loretta asked.
“No, but maybe it’s a walk-in. The billboard I put up on the main highway has brought quite a few people in.”
Loretta followed him to the door. She enjoyed watching him deal with the public, and her time with him this morning was limited, so she didn’t want to waste any of it sitting alone in the kitchen.
Luc opened the door to admit a lone man, mid-twenties, in a brown suit and well-worn shoes. He did not look like your typical B and B customer.
“Hello, are you Luc Carter?”
“Yes,” Luc answered warily. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Isaac Belton.”
Luc looked at him blankly.
“I think you must have gotten a letter from the state, advising you that I’d be taking over the duties of your former probation officer, since he’s been transferred to New Orleans.”
Loretta’s coffee mug slipped through her fingers and landed with a crash on the cypress floor. Both men looked over at her, startled.
“Loretta—” Luc said, but he stopped there. What could he say, she wondered, to soften the shock of what she’d just learned? Nothing. There was absolutely nothing he could say.
And there was nothing she wanted to say. Bad manners though it was, she turned and fled without a word, without cleaning up the mess or apologizing for breaking Luc’s mug. She could think of nothing but escape.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“LORETTA! Wait a minute!” Luc ran after her, but she was already behind the wheel of her car by the time he reached the driveway. He knocked on her window, but she wouldn’t even look at him. She cranked the engine and backed out, spraying gravel, completely oblivious to him. She’d have backed over his foot if he hadn’t jumped out of the way.
He watched her go, feeling a sense of loss and desolation so great he couldn’t find words to describe it.
His visitor followed him out into the driveway. “Did I say something wrong?”
“You didn’t have to say anything. Just showing up was enough.”
“Girlfriend?” the probation officer asked.
“Ex-girlfriend now, would be my guess.”
“She didn’t know of your…situation?”
Luc shook his head. “I was going to tell her. But I hadn’t gotten around to it. I never imagined you would show up here. Mr. Conley never did.”
“Which was one reason he was transferred. He was a little, shall we say, lax? Making unannounced visits to a client’s home or place of business is standard operating procedure.”
“I don’t have a problem with that. Your timing sucks, that’s all.”
“I’m sorry,” the man said, sounding sincere. “It’s not my aim to cause problems for you. I want you to adjust, and part of that adjustment is to form bonds within a support network that will—”
“Yeah, I know,” Luc said woodenly. “That was exactly what I was doing. I was finally starting to feel like a part of the town, a member of the community. But once it gets all over that I’m a convicted felon—”
“I understand. I guess I didn’t realize the repercussions an unannounced visit could have. I’m, uh, new at this.”
Luc could have made the guy feel worse, but what was the point? The damage was done. “Come on inside, have some coffee. I’ll show you what I’ve been doing with myself for the past umpteen months.”
Thankfully none of the guests were around. But Celeste made an appearance just as Isaac Belton was finishing up with his questions. She’d slept in that morning, for the first time since she’d arrived in Indigo.
Luc groaned inwardly, not too keen for his grandmother to meet his new probation officer.
“Good morning, Luc,” she said as she headed for the coffee pot. “I apologize for missing breakfast, but I feel like I might be coming down with a cold, so I thought getting some extra rest would be helpful. Good morning,” she said to Mr. Belton, probably thinking he was a new B and B guest.
Luc privately thought his grandmother’s sleeping late had nothing to do with any cold. He’d heard someone tiptoeing down the squeaky wood stairs last night at an ungodly hour and leaving by the kitchen door. The most likely candidate was Doc, though Luc hadn’t cared to confirm his suspicions. He’d put his pillow over his head and hoped to forget the incident by morning.
“I’ll fix you something for breakfast, Grand-mère, in just a few minutes.”
“Oh, so this is your grandmother,” Isaac Belton said. “The one who owns La Petite Maison?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Celeste said. “Celeste Robichaux.” And she extended her hand like a duchess expecting an underling to kiss her ring.
The probation officer took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m Isaac Belton, your grandson’s new—” He stopped and looked at Luc, as if to seek permission.
Luc just shrugged and nodded. It couldn’t get much worse, unless Celeste told this guy she’d seen Luc doing drugs or stealing jewelry from his guests.
“I’m a probation officer from New Iberia,” Mr. Belton said. “I’ve recently taken over Luc’s file, and I came here to introduce myself. I was also frankly curious about this place. I own a similar type of house, only it hasn’t been renovated. Your B and B is an inspiration to me.”
“It’s all Luc’s doing,” Celeste said. “I had the idea to turn it into a B and B, but Luc did every bit of the renovations, the décor, the advertising and marketing, everything. He even cooks! I couldn’t have put this place into better hands.” She gave Luc a wink behind the probation officer’s back, acknowledging that she was laying it on a little thick.
“I can see that,” Mr. Belton said. He made a notation in his notebook. “I’ve seen everything I need to see, Luc, so I’ll leave you to your work. See you next Tuesday at my office?”
As if Luc had a choice. “Yes, sir.”
“And I am sorry about my lack of tact earlier. I’d be happy to talk to your friend if you think it would help.”
“No, thanks.” Luc couldn’t imagine anything that would help. Loretta’s worst nightmare had come to pass—she’d become involved with another criminal. Worse, she’d let her impressionable daughter associate with a felon. If he’d been able to tell her about his past in his own way, in his own time, maybe he’d have stood a chance of not driving her off. But now…
Ah, hell. By not telling Loretta the truth, he’d only delayed the inevitable.
“Well, good day, then.” Mr. Belton tipped an imaginary hat, one of those impossibly gallant Southern-gentleman gestures. “Mrs. Robichaux, enjoy your visit.”
Luc walked him to the front door. After he’d closed it, he turned to find Celeste standing right behind him. “Thank you, Grand-mère, for saying those nice things.” He meant it. The woman wielded a lot of power over him, and she knew how to use it. A few well-placed words in the wrong ear, and he could end up wearing prison stripes.
“You’re family, Luc,” she said, her voice warmer than he’d ever heard it. “We have to stick up for each other. Perhaps if I’d been a little more understanding and forgiving with your father, things would have turned out differently.”
Luc was so shocked, he couldn’t respond. First, that his grandmother actually considered him family. And second, that she was admitting she might have been wrong, at least partly. That wasn’t her usual M.O.
“What did Mr. Belton mean when he said he was sorry about his lack of tact?”
Luc grimaced. “He spilled the beans to Loretta.”
“She didn’t take the news well?”
“To put it mildly.”
Celeste shook her head. “I’m sorry to hear that. I like Loretta. But maybe it’s good the truth is out.”
Celeste wouldn’t say that if she’d seen the way Loretta had torn out of there a few minutes earlier.
“Do you want me to talk to her?” Celeste asked.
“Thank you, Grand-mère, but no. I’ll talk to her once she settles down.” In about a million years.
LORETTA HAD NO IDEA how she made it home without driving into a ditch or hitting a stop sign, her eyes blurry with tears. Still, she managed to blank her mind until she was safely parked at the side of the bakery. Then she ran for the front door, fumbled with the keys and finally unlocked the door.
Fortunately there were no walk-in customers waiting for her to open. She made her way through the darkened bakery and into her house. She didn’t stop until she reached the safety of her bedroom, where she flopped on her bed like a melodramatic teenager and gave full vent to her emotions.