Bayou Stix Series: Bayou Stix Limited Edition Box Set (137 page)

My eyes fly to him and Tif softly smiles. “He’s right.” She reaches for my hand across the console and squeezes. “Seriously, don’t even worry about them. They won’t like you. They don’t like me. They like puppets with money. If you’re not like them, they don’t like you. It’s really that simple and ridiculous. I don’t care. So, you don’t care either. Screw them.” Bringing my hand to her mouth, she kisses my fingers and laughs. “Seriously, fuck them. They’re all snobby idiots.”

Ty claps my shoulder. “Honestly, man. Unless you are exactly like them, they’ll look down at you. Just don’t let them get to you. Or be like me and do everything you can to piss them off. I love that shit. They hate me anyway, so why not?!”

I look at him as Tif drives down a road between trees through ornate gardens that seem to stretch a mile in either direction. “You’ve been to a lot of these with her?”

He grins. “Quite a few. I never send her to these by herself. They throw rich tools at her left and right. I’ve always been the buffer. Well, for the past few years anyway.” He laughs. “Now that’s your job. I’m just going to hang out with Ms. Clarabelle and soak it in as she pisses people off.” My look of surprise makes him laugh even more. “Seriously, she’s awesome. Tif takes after her, which is awesome! She doesn’t filter at all and she’s old and rich so no one dares say anything to her. It’s greatness. You never know what’s going to come out of her mouth.”

He whistles and I turn. He mutters, “Check that shit out.”

My mouth hangs open. I blink, but nope it’s still there. Holy shit. That’s a house?!

I’ve never seen a house like that in my life. I’ve been to plantations before, but holy shit. Tifanie
lived
here?! Her family lives here? The grounds are insane, but the house takes the cake. It’s huge and breathtaking. It screams money. I’m immediately ready to tell her to turn the car around.

The house is a crisp white with lots of white columns set under towering oak trees. I don’t even know how many sets of French doors and balconies I’m looking at. The porch area in front of the house is the size of my entire house and my house is not small.

Jeez…

Tifanie stops to the side of the driveway and pulls under some trees. She grimaces as she turns the car off and says, “Ok, y’all ready?” She squeezes my hand one more time. I turn away from the house and look at her with apprehension. She can read the distress in my face. “It’s just a house, Cruz. It’s gorgeous though, huh?!”

She thinks this is “just a house?!”

I nod. What else can I do?! I’m here now, too late to leave. The porch is packed with people standing around drinking out of what looks like crystal glasses and flutes. The front door opens and even more people come out of the house. Everyone appears to be staring at the car. The men are all in dress coats and slacks and the ladies are in dresses. Are they wearing hats?!

What the hell did I get myself into?

Tifanie smiles reassuringly at me and opens the door. As she stands up, she leans back in and says, “Welcome to hell. Otherwise known as a Saturday with the Bellafortes.”

Ty laughs heartily and calls out, “Where’s the alcohol?”

Taking a deep breath and wondering what in the ever loving hell I’m even doing here, I get out. Under the unblinking stares of everyone on the porch, the three of us head to the house.

Tifanie stops. I stop with her and she places her hand on my face. She leans up and brushes her mouth against my lips gently. Then, linking her fingers with mine, she pulls my reluctant body toward the house and says with a forced smile, “Ready to be judged?”

Tifanie

A
s we get out of the car, the family and guests pile onto the porch and I can clearly see them staring, gesturing, and whispering. I can’t imagine what they’re saying about Cruz. It automatically pisses me off and I kick myself for subjecting him to the hell he’s about to encounter.

What was I thinking asking him to accompany me here? These people are hateful and shallow and stuck up.

Ugh, I can’t believe I’m doing this to him. This is my family. I HAVE to be around them occasionally, but he doesn’t, and I brought him straight into the lion’s den… like fresh meat on a platter… Son of a bitch.

Ty just strolls up the steps and heads straight to Grandma Clarabelle in her chair. He kisses her cheek and she reaches up to hug him as he says something that makes heads turn sharply toward them. Then, they both laugh and glance at Cruz and me. Ty winks and snags a glass of what looks like bourbon from a passing tray. He downs the entire thing and signals for the waiter to hand him another one.

Good thinking, Ty. I want one, too. Or ten.

Cruz mutters under his breath, “Everyone is staring at me. And your sister is glaring.”

I look to the right of the porch. Yup, AnnaBeth is indeed glaring and the scowl on her face is almost comical. The perfectly pressed idiot next to her is glaring too and I don’t miss the clenching of his hands at his sides.

Fucking seriously.

Scouring the porch, I see my parents encircled by their friends and they are all staring with looks of blatant disapproval at my hand grasped in Cruz’s.

Get over it!

Gently pulling Cruz along with me, we make our way to the porch. Grandma Clarabelle calls out to us, “My favorite grand-daughter is here.” Everyone gasps. She continues as if she didn’t hear them. “Come here, Tifanie. Ty tells me this is your gentleman. Let me have a look at him. He looks mighty nice from this distance.”

I chuckle. Cruz pulls back against my hand… And the whispering escalates.

Winking at him, I say out of the corner of my mouth, “Grandma Clarabelle is a mess.”

He nods but looks completely uncomfortable.

We head across the painted wooden beams and people purposely step out of the way to make certain they don’t touch us. The whispering follows closely behind. My back is ramrod straight and I can feel the unmistakable burn of rage pulsing down my spine. I try to ignore it and push it down. I don’t want Cruz to see my fury unleashed.

Grandma Clarabelle focuses her dark brown gaze on us as we approach. Her face gives nothing away.

Leaning down, I kiss her leathery cheek. Her hand reaches out and traces my cheekbone. “Bonjour, ma belle-fille.” As she smiles at me, her face is instantly transformed and you can clearly see what a beauty she once was.

Leaning back, I smile back. “Bonjour, grand-mere. C’est Cruz… Mon petit ami.” I glance at him and see him staring at me. I smile.

He looks at Grandma. Holding out his hand, he takes Grandma Clarabelle’s in his. “Hello, Ma’am. Thank you for having me today. Happy birthday.”

She yanks on his hand. He looks at me sharply. I smile and nod. Grandma Clarabelle says, “Come on down here. I can’t see as well as I once could. I want to get a good look at you. Tifanie doesn’t bring gentlemen around these snobs very often.” She inclines her head around her and everyone sputters. She cackles. I can see Cruz hiding a smirk. “Not that I blame her. Ty here doesn’t count. He’s not romantically interested in her.

“My grand-daughter is very special.
Ma belle fleur forte.
My beautiful strong flower. She’s a feisty one. Like me. But these sticks-in-the-mud want to try to tame her. I can’t tell them enough you can’t tame a wild stallion and why would you want to?!

“There are enough stuffed shirts around this
maison
. And these women like to walk around like they’re wearing corsets and sipping tea. It bores me to tears.”

I am grinning like a fool at her words. I love that she doesn’t mince them. I get my bluntness from her. I love that quality.

My father steps up and coughs to get our attention. He stiffly kisses the air at my cheek while my mother trails behind him, clutching her pearls and looking at Cruz like she thinks he’s going to rape and pillage the women at the party.

I roll my eyes.

Father flatly says, “Hello, Tifanie. We weren’t certain you would make it today. I’ve called several times but haven’t received a return call. Are you going to introduce us to your…
friend
?”

Taking a step back toward Cruz and wrapping my arm around his waist, I look at both of my parents and the crowd watching us with rapt fascination. With just as much formality, I answer him, “Hello, Father. This is my boyfriend, Cruz Edwards. Cruz, my father, Senator Richmond Bellaforte. That’s my mother, Rosalind Bellaforte, next to him.”

Father stiffly holds his hand out to shake Cruz’s and my mother’s lips are white they’re pursed so tightly.

Ty calls out, “Y’all know me. No introductions needed.”

A few people chuckle, but most are just staring and not so silently judging.

Cruz firmly shakes my father’s hand and nods at my mother. “It’s nice to meet you both. You have a beautiful home.”

A rude curse and a mocking chuckle interrupt the tenseness on the porch. The idiot next to my sister speaks, “Yes, it is a gallant home. I’m certain it’s overwhelming for you. I doubt you’re used to this level of class. People unlike us are usually in awe.”

My gaze snaps to him and I mutter a curse of my own as I glare at him and my sister. Before I can unleash my wrath on them both, Ty speaks up dryly. “Stanton, I’d say I’m surprised at your audacity, but shit, let’s face it… I’m not. You’re a pompous ass. I mean what kind of man proposes to one sister and when she flatly refuses, immediately starts courting the
other
sister?! Yet, you speak of class?!” He insultingly tips his glass at Stanton and AnnaBeth. “By the way, that man you’re trying to insult is not an idiot and is, believe it or not, a celebrity. In fact… I bet if you combined all of you stuffed shirts and your supporters from this magnificent gala, more people would know who
he
is over all of you.”

Cruz quickly looks at me with a question before looking at Ty in appreciation while I also smile at him with unsurpassed glee. He pops a cherry into his mouth as he says, “Oh, was that rude?! Oops, my bad. I think I need another drink.” He winks at AnnaBeth and Stanton who are both standing there with rage on their faces. “How about I grab you one, AnnaBeth? You’re looking a little peaked. Might take the edge off and remove that stick from your ass.”

Grandma Clarabelle guffaws with laughter and calls out to Ty to grab her a glass of champagne. She looks at AnnaBeth and says, “That man is what you need, child… not that weasel beside you.”

AnnaBeth glares at me and stomps into the house muttering about the classlessness of some people with Stanton shooting daggers in our direction as he trails behind her. I roll my eyes as everyone glares at me and Cruz.

My parents turn swiftly on their heels and silently follow my sister and her fiancé into the house.

Turning to Cruz, I ask with false cheerfulness, “Having fun yet?”

He looks like he’s having a hard time with it all, so I take his hand and pull. Grandma Clarabelle says, “Take him into the maze. Get some air and get away from all this ridiculousness, ma belle. I may have Ty escort me to meet up with you in a bit if I feel up to the walk.”

Smiling and nodding, I pull a silent Cruz with me and head in the direction of the maze. A waiter passes us on the steps and I snag a drink and tell Cruz to grab one too. He does.

We leave the crowd behind and stroll through the meticulous rose gardens as I head in the direction of the maze and sip my drink. The entrance to the maze is a jasmine-covered pergola with benches underneath it. I stop and sit down. Cruz doesn’t sit, he just stares off into the distance. The property is over five hundred acres and stretches as far as the eye can see and well beyond.

I feel awful. I would like to say I’m surprised that Cruz was treated like that by the people attending this soiree, but I would be lying. I don’t know what to say though. For the first time in my life I can remember, I’m speechless. I do need to explain about Stanton though.

He doesn’t speak, but I see him take deep breaths. Standing, I walk behind him and place my hand on his back. He freezes at the contact. Leaning my front against his back, I whisper, “I’m sorry. I need to explain about the Stanton thing.”

Turning his head, he looks down at me. “He proposed to you?”

I laugh harshly. “He did. But we
never
dated. Like ever.” Cruz looks at me like he’s not certain he believes me. “No, I swear. We never did anything. We grew up together. His father is in politics as well. We were thrown together our whole lives, yet I was never interested in him. Last Christmas, at the holiday party, he proposed. Out of the blue. I was shocked. I said no. Why would I marry him? I can’t even stand him. He was pissed and tried a couple of more times. I refused and the next thing I know, he’s dating AnnaBeth. Now they’re engaged. Neither is even interested in the other, yet they’re going to get married… Yeah, that’s going to work out brilliantly.

“Yet, it’s what my father wanted… a union between our families, so of course AnnaBeth will do it. She’s the perfect daughter. Always doing whatever is needed. Whatever she’s told.”

He’s staring at me. “Wow. I didn’t realize that shit still happened. Is it always like that? Are they always like that?”