Sweet Mystery (12 page)

“I see. You’d like to build something,” Simon
said.

“Yeah, I guess so. I hadn’t thought of it
like that. But not just for me.”

“For your father?”

“Daddy wanted me to make some kind of good
legacy for his grandchildren – better than he’d done, he said.”
Rae’s throat tightened. She wondered how long before the lump of
grief would dissolve.

Simon put a hand on her arm. “He was a good
person in his heart. That’s where it counts, Rae.”

“It took me a long time to appreciate it
though; too long. I mean, he had a lot of faults, but he tried his
best.”

“That’s all that anybody can do. I wish my
father understood that. He’s always arguing with Papa Joe.” Simon
pressed his lips together in an expression of disapproval.

“Really? I didn’t think you rich folks had
any troubles,” Rae quipped. “To hear some talk, the Joves and St.
Cyrs have it made.”

“Not by a long shot. Money doesn’t protect
you from everything,” Simon said quickly.

“It sure helps a helluva lot.” Rae raised an
eyebrow at him.

“Listen, I’m not going to say having money
isn’t important. It’s just not the answer to all life’s
problems.”

“Better not let Henry Jove hear you talking
like that.” Rae decided to take a chance. “Or Toya.”

“Too late, we’ve all ready had our battles
about what’s real,” Simon said with a grimace, “which brings us to
a touchy subject. I’m sure you know by now that Toya and I were
married.”

“I’d heard.” Rae did not say more, preferring
to let him talk.

“Let’s just say we had different ideas about
how we wanted to live.” Simon stared down into his glass. “And that
was that.”

“It happens.” Rae doubted very much that Toya
would agree that Simon was in her past. She wondered just how much
feeling he still had for Toya.

They sat in silence for a while. The band was
back, playing a quiet instrumental selection.

“Rae, I’ve really enjoyed being with you
tonight. It was more than just another date.” Simon took a deep
breath. “I know there’s some bad history between our families,
but...”

“That’s an understatement. My father didn’t
have one good word to say about the Joves or St. Cyrs all the time
I was growing up. And I can guess what you’ve heard about the
Dalcours.”

“The thing is I want to see more of you. I’m
prepared for the flak.” Simon gazed at her. “I don’t care what
anybody says.”

Rae felt a flutter in her chest. “Including
your grandfather and Mr. Henry?”

“Yes. This isn’t some passing fancy either. I
don’t just want to date. I want to be with you,” Simon said in a
soft voice. He held her hands in his. “You understand what I’m
saying?”

Rae could only nod. She understood only too
well. Simon was pulling her head-long into a place that scared her.
He was promising her heaven with those liquid brown eyes, making
her want to lose herself in them. Then a tiny voice reminded her of
the way she’d fallen for the sweet lies of another man with
inviting eyes – Darcy. Not only that, but she’d met other men who
were expert at deception. Discovering the ugly truth beneath the
attractive surface of a lover was a pain she did not need
again.

Still, Simon was not like any other man.
There were no suave lines or moves to impress her. He seemed
straightforward and down to earth; a refreshing change. Maybe her
older brother was right. Perhaps she should forget the past.

Rae leaned closer to him. “Simon, I–”

“Well!” Toya stood over them, her lips
twisted into a sour grimace. A handsome man stood behind her,
looking dismayed.

“Hello to you, too, Toya,” Rae said. “Yes, it
is a lovely evening.” She flashed a toothy smile.

Toya shot her a look full of poison.
“Discussing business, no doubt?” She stared hard at Simon, who
squirmed.

“Hello, Toya”. Simon pretended not to notice
his ex’s displeasure. He decided to introduce the man to Rae since
Toya obviously would not. “Adrian Wilson, this is Rae Dalcour.
How’s it going, Adrian?”

“It’s going,” Adrian replied in a tone full
of meaning. he was from a prominent family that lived in Petite
Couteau, a small community twenty-five miles southeast of Belle
Rose..

Toya either ignored or did not recognize the
criticism of her manners. “With all these meetings, your
negotiations must be going well.” Toya turned to Rae. “You’ll be
back on the road soon, I’m sure.”

“Oh, I really like what I’ve heard so far.”
Rae gazed at Simon for a moment, before looking back at Toya. “Even
more reason to stay.”

“You didn’t fit in even when you lived here,”
Toya said. “Belle Rose was always too boring for you. I can’t
imagine that you’d be satisfied in this country town.”

“Oh, I can.” Rae inched toward Simon. “I can
imagine being very satisfied,” she purred.

“Rae agrees to our plans for Bayou Latte. We
went over the whole layout this morning.” Simon spoke in an even
tone. “Remember how much you liked it?”

“You came up with a great idea, Simon. If
only you can carry it out. Most of that property has not been
available.” Toya’s tone implied that the Dalcours had blocked any
progress for years.

“I think we can retain a good portion for
private owners and even preserve it. Toya came up with a few of the
ideas, Rae.” Simon wore a placating smile for his ex-wife. “Didn’t
you?”

Toya loosened up a bit at the recognition of
her contribution. “The visitors’ center is one.”

Rae felt her stomach tighten. She wanted to
throw her now watered-down drink in Simon’s face. What a sickening
sight. Simon went on to deflect Toya’s wrath with more chitchat
that played to her ego. Look at them – the bourgeoisie mutual
admiration society!

Watching Simon, Toya and Adrian brought back
the wide gulf between them and the Dalcours. Rae realized that
Simon would forever be part of their world of fancy cars, private
schools and all the little luxuries money could buy. She’d been a
fool to think he was different. Rae made a rude noise when they
started talking about the latest news of their social set.

“Well, I guess we should be moving on.” Simon
wore a weak smile for Rae. It faded at the scowl she gave him.

Toya appeared satisfied at being the source
of Rae’s bad temper. “No, no. Don’t let us spoil your night. Bye,
Simon.” She brushed her fingertips against his face in a gesture of
intimacy before flouncing off. Adrian followed in her wake.

“Why hasn’t anyone declawed that woman before
now?” Rae asked. She hated how Toya wore her expensive cotton
dress, a simple red shift, with such style. Rae looked down at her
floral, wrap skirt with discontent.

“Toya can be hard to take, but she’s had a
lot of rough times,” Simon said.

“Yeah, getting your way all the time can be
really taxing on the spirit.”

“Mr. Henry does indulge her a lot. But Toya
has an insecurity that makes her so demanding.”

“Poor misunderstood Toya. My heart bleeds.”
Rae sipped her drink and grimaced.

“Let me get you another one.” Simon waved for
a waiter.

“Don’t bother. Look, it’s late. I’ve got
things to do tomorrow, so let’s go.” Rae did not wait for him to
reply. She stood up and headed for the nearest exit. Within minutes
they were sitting in his Explorer outside her house.

Simon cut the engine. “Did I do or say
something wrong?”

Rae stared straight ahead. “Everything’s
cool.”

“Down right freezing is more accurate.” Simon
waited for a few moments. “Just because Toya and I are divorced
doesn’t mean I hate her. Actually, I understand her better than I
did ten years ago.”

“Isn’t that so twenty-first century cool?
Congratulations, I now pronounce you man and witch.” Rae sat stiff,
not looking at him.

Simon reached out to touch her, but pulled
back when Rae moved away. “I wasn’t putting on some act before Toya
showed, if that’s what you’re thinking. I don’t operate like
that.”

“Oh, yeah? Just how do you operate?” Rae
wisecracked.

She did not want to feel so much anger. It
meant that she cared too much. Simon had almost succeeded in making
her forget the old rules. Those rules said she was not part of the
‘right’ family. Damn him for touching a secret place she thought
was well protected.

“Don’t do this. Please.” Simon rested a hand
on her upper arm, his skin pressed against hers. “I never took you
for the jealous type.”

“Jealous?” Rae sputtered. Now she was truly
outraged. “I barely know you and you think I’m jealous. What an
ego.”

“Stop it!” Simon’s usually mild voice rang
with annoyance. “What you think matters to me.” He ran a hand
through his dark, short hair. “It matters to me very much.”

Rae fought an internal war. Half of her
wanted to relent, but the other half did not trust him at all. Rae
came to a quick compromise. “Sorry for acting so silly,” she
mumbled in a muted apology. “Guess I let Toya get to me. She’s been
able to grate on my nerves in a special way since we were six years
old.”

“It’s time to let go of all that history.”
Simon leaned toward her. “Can we call a truce?”

After a few seconds, Rae smiled at him.
“Sure. As a gesture of peace, I’ll offer you the hospitality of my
humble home. It’s not like the big fine houses you’re used to–”

“The family estate is much smaller than you
think.” Simon chuckled. He followed her to the door of her
home.

“Voila.” Rae swept a hand around the living
room.

“This I like,” Simon said, gazing around.

“Thanks.” Rae could hear the openness in his
voice. She’d never thought of the house as capable of impressing
anyone. It was a simple, modified Acadian-style building. But there
was a touch of ‘African hut’ to the way their grandfather had made
the sloping roof.

The house was constructed of cypress wood
with four large bedrooms in addition to a kitchen, dining room and
living room. One bathroom had been added when Lucien was a boy.
Inside, decorations consisted mostly of simple carvings and mud
paintings done by local craftsmen; mostly Lucien’s friends who had
created them as a hobby.

Simon picked up a small figurine of a brown
pelican. “This one is my favorite.”

“You should have seen it in here before I
cleaned up. Daddy was no housekeeper,” Rae said. “Luckily, cypress
lasts forever. He didn’t spend much time on repairs either. The
plumbing is a mess.”

“He was kind of sick toward the end.” Simon
gazed at the scattering of family pictures on a table.

“That didn’t help. But, trust me, Lucien was
never into cleaning up, even when he was in good health.” Rae
chuckled with affection for her father.

“You were a cute kid.” Simon held up a
picture of Rae standing between her brothers. “What were you then –
about ten?”

Rae peered at the photo. “Yeah. Man, look at
those knobby knees. Wait, don’t look at that one.” She reached for
a gold-framed picture too late. Simon snatched it out of reach.

Simon grinned at her. “Oh, this is lovely.”
He gazed at the picture of Rae, aged four, in a bathing suit.

“That is so embarrassing.”

“You look quite fetching. Is that a little
yellow rubber duckie you’re holding? The infamous Rae Dalcour had a
yellow duckie?” Simon threw back his head and laughed.

“Give me that.” Rae took the picture, giving
him a light swat on the shoulder. “Go on. Have fun.”

“Goodness, there is so much about you I have
to learn. Now tell me, where are your bunny slippers.” He followed
her into the kitchen.

“Keep talking and you’ll be wearing one up
your nose.” Rae pulled out a can of dark roast coffee. “I don’t
have instant, so it’s going to take a few minutes. Sure you want to
wait?”

“Sure you want me to?” Simon walked up to
her, his face inches from hers.

“Simon, about us...” Rae tried to shout down
the half of her that was saying give in.

“You feel it, too. There is something about
you that makes me...” Simon curled a tendril of her hair around his
forefinger. “Your smile, the way your hair moves in a breeze; even
the sparks you throw off when you get angry,” he said in a soft
voice. His lips brushed hers in a tentative, almost cautious
way.

“We should both have our heads examined.” In
contradiction to her words, Rae placed both hands on his face and
kissed him. Her tongue touched the tip of his.

For a long time they stood wrapped tight,
exploring the sensations of touch and taste. Rae wanted to devour
his sweetness. His lips were warm and full. A hunger, a deep sexual
hunger, shot through her, and the force of desire shook Rae down to
her toes. She pulled back, on the verge of guiding his hands to her
pelvis. She had, indeed, lost her mind!

“Good gracious,” Rae gasped, leaning against
the kitchen counter.

Simon was breathing hard. “Wow,” was all he
could manage.

They stood apart for a few minutes, reeling
from the power of their attraction. Neither spoke for a time. Rae
needed to gather her strength. She steeled herself not to let go of
her heart.

Simon faced her. “Things are moving
fast.”

“At the speed of light.” Rae blinked at
him.

“Too fast?” Simon stood very still.

“Maybe we should take this a few steps at a
time.” Rae avoided mentioning how close they’d come to surrendering
to the hot flash of passion.

“Sure. That would be a good idea.” Simon
cleared his throat. “Think I better call it a night or...”

“Right.” Rae understood without him having to
complete the sentence. They both knew that the resolve to take more
time was on shaky ground tonight. “We’ll take it slow.”

“Right… Slow.” Simon turned to walk out, but
turned back. “Pick you up tomorrow?”

“Yes.” Rae was back in his arms, kissing him
deeply within seconds. His hands gripped her shoulders.