DutyBoundARe (17 page)

“Boy, you aren’t sorry. You’re sorry you got caught.”

“You’re right, Mamma.” His grin spread and he chuckled. “How are you and dad?”

“Alive.”

“Good to hear. I like you that way.”

“I just called to tell you we are having dinner this weekend, and I expect you to be there.”

Mathieu hesitated. “I don’t know, Mamma. I have a guest…”

“That girl Lola said you’re helping?”

He paused, not sure how to respond. What exactly had his sister told them? How much did they know?

“Mathieu? Are you there?”

“Yes, I’m here. I didn’t know Lola had told you.”

“Of course she told me. She tells me everything. My baby girl knows how to call her mamma.”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry.”

“You going to bring this girl to dinner?”

“I—don’t know.” Who was he concerned about surviving the evening? Lisette? Or him? The moment his family saw her again, they’d remember meeting her. Then it would be a whole other world of complications.

Possibly one of the biggest betrayals about Amanda was that in the beginning she’d charmed his family into loving her as much as he did. They’d seen through it after the newness wore off. It had taken him longer to accept it. He didn’t want his family hurt again by his indiscretions.

“Does she have something against good food?” Mamma asked.

“No, but…”

“Don’t ‘but’ me. Bring her to dinner if you aren’t done with this problem. Girl could probably use a home-cooked meal. I’ve seen what you keep in your pantry and it ain’t much.”

When was the last time he’d gone to the store? Come to think of it, where was the food Lisette had been cooking coming from? He hadn’t bought sausage in ages.

“I’ll talk to her about it, how about that?”

“You do that and I’ll make sure we have another place at the table, honey.”

He wasn’t going to get to tell his mother no. There were still several days between now and the weekend; maybe something else would happen and it wouldn’t be an issue.

They spoke for a few more minutes before hanging up the phone. He pushed the glass door to the precinct open and stepped out into the weak sunshine.

“There you are. I thought I’d have to send out a search party.” Odalia rose from a bench. “Food?”

“Yes.” One problem at a time.

Lisette closed the document window
and stretched her arms. A glance at the clock told her the noon rush would begin any moment and with that came butterflies.

Lafayette was meeting her for lunch.

In a way, their chance meeting made today’s get-together worse.

If he even shows up.

It was amazing what a difference one day made. Before now, she’d have been totally fine without any contact with her biological family. Now, the muscles in her hands wavered, her stomach was a riot of nerves and she couldn’t keep her foot from bouncing to save her life.

He’s going to show up.

She’d chosen to sit in the same seat as the day before, in part because the location worked for her and also because it was about as private as they could get in the café.

The door chimed and the first wave of business people out for a hurried bite to eat rushed in. She leaned on the table and watched the door.

The minutes ticked by, and still no Lafayette.

She picked up her phone and opened the texts.

Nothing new.

A few lunch goers sat at the end of her row of four-tops. The door swung back and forth as people came and went.

“Hey. Looking for me?” a voice said behind her.

Lisette twisted in her seat and gaped up at the blonde man leaning on the low wall to her back.

“When did you get here?” she asked. How’d she missed that?

He pointed toward the back of the café. “I came in the side entrance. Have you eaten yet?”

“No, I was waiting on you.” She couldn’t help it. She grinned at him.

He tapped her nose in a quick move of his hand. She’d hated when he did that as a kid, but now she didn’t care so much. They were together.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“Surprise me.” She could probably eat napkins and be happy right now.

“Okay, you asked for it.” He flashed a smile and turned to get into line.

Lisette pulled her gaze away from him, still marveling that her brother, of all people, was actually someone she could get along with. She packed up her laptop, the unfinished blog post still to tackle, but later. For now, she was going to have a little quality time with her brother.

Lafayette rounded the wall with a tray loaded down with two meals and cups. Her stomach rumbled, voicing its protest now that her head wasn’t buried in the heavy, emotional business of her life.

“I went safe—ham, swiss and pesto with a side of whatever else you might want on it.” He set the tray down, and true to his words, two sandwiches were wrapped up on one side and in the middle were the makings of a salad.

“Thanks.”

“What do you want to drink?” he asked.

“Water would be great.” She was not used to the humidity, and as a result she’d been sucking down water like crazy. There was a huge difference between Miami and New Orleans humidity. In Miami, you had the sea salt. Here in New Orleans, the air was heavier, perfumed by the bayou. If she hadn’t grown up here, she might not have been able to tell the difference.

He returned with both cups full and set one in front of her. They began unfolding and dressing their sandwiches to taste. Her knee began to bob again. What did she say to him? How did they go about this normal stuff?

“How’s your day going? Putting up with the clients some more?” she asked.

“No, thank god. They left this morning, but texted me most of the evening about different places along Bourbon. I imagine they were pretty hung over this morning.” His nose wrinkled.

“Yeah?” Lisette didn’t even know if he was the partying type anymore. She’d have imagined he would have enjoyed it, not turned his nose up at it.

He glanced at her as he chewed, a message she couldn’t read telegraphed by the way he didn’t quite meet her gaze and kept looking away. What had he found out about her now? Had he asked Mom and Dad? Would he regret coming to see her?

“Okay, so you’re in an awkward place where we all know you do shit that sounds weird, so how about I even the score a little?” Lafayette took a sip of his cup.

“Uh, okay?” Heat crawled up her neck and blossomed in her cheeks. Shit, what did he know?

“This goes into our brother-sister pact of things-we-never-tell-Mom-and-Dad, got it?” He set his sandwich down and leaned forward.

“Sure.” At the moment he could probably get her to agree to anything.

Lafayette dug in his pocket for a moment before producing his keys. He selected a medallion hanging from the ring and handed it to her. She took it and studied it.

A one-year sobriety chip from Alcoholics Anonymous.

“Mom and Dad don’t know. Well, not all of it. They knew about my DUI, the first time, but I never told them after Dad started giving me tips for how to hide liquor on my breath so it wouldn’t get me caught at work. About a year and a half ago I crashed my car swerving to miss a bunch of kids on a sidewalk. I was drunk off my ass and could have hit and killed them, but I just totaled the car. I got off easy. Community service and promise to go to AA. I live with two other guys who are between a year and two years sober and it makes it easier, but some days it’s hard.”

“And Mom and Dad don’t know?” It was easy for her to keep her life quiet. She’d avoided living in the same state for years. But this?

“They see what they want to see. I had the suits, the job and the appearance that mattered. They don’t want to see trouble if they can avoid it.” He shook his head. “I don’t get them sometimes.”

“Me neither.”

He glanced at her. “There. Now we both have secrets.”

She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. Why had it taken this mess to bring them together? A year and a half ago she could have been there for him. He squeezed her hand in return before they both tucked into their sandwiches.

“Have you thought about dropping in and seeing Mom and Dad at all while you’re here?” he asked.

“No.” She felt a little pang of guilt. They were her parents, but for all she knew they were also still fans of Seth.

“Can I change your mind at all?”

She set her sandwich down and leaned back in her seat. “I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s a good idea, or if it would be a disaster.”

“I understand, and they aren’t the warm, fuzzy kind of parents, but they’re still family. I think that should count for something.” He shrugged. “We only get one.”

“I’m worried they’re still in contact with my ex,” she said at last, wincing.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” She shrugged. “They stopped talking to me after we broke up, unless they wanted to try to convince me to go back to him.”

“I didn’t know that.” His face scrunched up. “I mean, I know what they said about the break-up, but I don’t agree.”

“What did they say?”

“Stupid shit.”

“Like what?”

“Just that they were concerned that you wouldn’t make it on your own and you’d need someone to help support you. They never really got you, I don’t think. You aren’t like Julie, who is super book smart. And you weren’t an attention whore like I am.” He flashed his smile.

“Yeah, I was always lost between you two.”

“That’s not true. You were the good kid, just maybe too good.”

“That’s not really helping.”

“Yeah, okay, I get it. But think about seeing them, okay?”

She nodded, but doubted he could sway her from the decision. It wasn’t just about what she wanted, but their safety. Leo didn’t get that, but she wouldn’t put him at risk just to satisfy his curiosity. She hadn’t realized how much she wanted him in her life until now, and she wasn’t willing to make him a target.

Mathieu rolled to a stop
at the curb of the intersection and glanced around. Rain pelted the car from all sides, obscuring the area and pedestrians. A blonde woman in a red coat rushed out from under an awning. He reached across and pushed the passenger side door open.

Lisette dove in and slammed the door shut behind her.

“Whew, that is a lot of rain.” She laughed and wiped water droplets off her face.

“You don’t check the news much, do you?” He chuckled and shifted into gear as she strapped the belt on.

“Nope. Guilty. Thanks for coming to get me.”

He’d gotten back to the apartment to find her gone and Gator whining to be let out of his crate. For a moment he’d panicked, but a quick call had placed her at a bookstore. That was the Lisette he remembered from college. Her nose stuck in a book, the world moving on around her.

“Is Gator okay?” She situated her backpack in the floorboard and turned toward him, her lower lip caught between her teeth.

“Yeah, he’s fine. I took him out before it really started raining. I left him out of the crate so he’ll probably chew the couch to pieces.” He sighed, but it was what he got for not finding a way to get a bigger, more suitable place for Gator.

“Oh good. I totally lost track of time and I feel horrible for leaving him crated for so long.”

“He’s usually crated now when I’m not in the apartment. The building manager freaked out one day when she came in to do something, so it’s the rule now.” He eased into traffic, but didn’t head straight home. “How about dinner? Hungry?”

“Sure.”

“Want anything in particular?”

“I’m down for anything.”

He shifted in his seat and headed toward a little restaurant he hadn’t been to in a while. He parked the car in a tiny lot next to a freestanding brick building at the end of a street. The red and white awning appeared red and gray with the water streaming off it.

“I’ve got an umbrella here.” He twisted to search for it behind his seat.

“Don’t worry about it. What’s a little more water going to do?” She flashed him a smile and flipped the collar of her coat up.

Lisette laughed as they dashed through the rain to the shelter of the awning. He held the door for her and they stepped into the dim interior of an Old World-style establishment, complete with brass fixtures and worn wood everywhere. It was one of the few establishments that hadn’t seen too much damage because of Katrina.

The silver-haired host seated them right away in a table for two against the windows. A single candle in wicker-wrapped glass lit the table.

“This is nice,” Lisette muttered when they were alone. She pushed her coat off her shoulders.

“I guess so,” he replied and took her coat from her, hanging both their jackets on a brass hook on the wall. He settled in across from her and flipped open the menu, searching for the day’s special.

“Saw my brother again today,” she said.

“Yeah, you mentioned having lunch with him. How’d it go?”

“Good, actually. He wants me to see my parents, but I’m just not sure about it yet.”

“I understand completely.” If he had his way, she wouldn’t see them at all. Lisette deserved people who would care for her as she deserved to be treated. No matter where her proclivities ran.

He was fairly certain his family was aware that his tastes in women ran in an exotic direction. Perhaps it was one reason they’d wanted to like Amanda. They understood her, at least at first.

“I’m going to tell you something and you can never admit I told you, okay?” Lisette leaned forward on the table. She hadn’t even touched her menu.

“Okay.” He glanced up. Tendrils of blonde hair curled from the humidity to create a halo around her face. With the candlelight casting a warm glow on her skin, she could be an angel.

“Lafayette’s been in AA for over a year.”

“Really? What do your mom and dad think about that?”

“They don’t know. He told me to put us on the same ground, I think. I didn’t anticipate liking my brother, you know?”

“I’m as surprised as you are.”

“Yeah.” Her gaze dropped to the table.

chapter Twelve

Too Far

Lisette twirled her pasta, with no intention of eating it. Her nerves were strung too tight. Mathieu had only been back in her life for a handful of days, and he’d shaken her up and tied her into knots. This dinner—at a seemingly casual, intimate location—didn’t help at all. It was too date-like, when what she needed was some emotional distance from the object of her affections.