Sweet Mystery (14 page)

“Yeah, now stop that.” Andrew rubbed his
eyes. “Women always got to turn on the faucet.” He got up and
turned his back to them. After a few moments he sat down again.

Rae wiped her eyes. “I love you both like
crazy. Guess I’ll break the news to Simon today. We’re going out
for a ride.”

“Humph, let’s see how friendly he is after
that,” Andrew retorted.

Rae pinched his arm hard. “He might just find
me attractive, you know!”

“Cut it out, girl.” Andrew jumped back from
her. “Don’t know what’s got into you.”

“We keep talking about starting new. Keeping
up an old feud isn’t the way to do that, Andy.” Rae shook a finger
at him.

“Bet you wouldn’t say that if we were talkin’
‘bout me and Toya.” Andrew squinted at her.

“That’s different and you know it. She took
every chance to make my life hell in this town when we were kids.”
Rae still felt the sting of scorn heaped on by Toya up until the
day of their high-school graduation. “She hasn’t changed one
bit.”

“Besides, you’re broke. Toya Jove wouldn’t
give you the time of day,” Neville added with a trace of humor.

“Well I’ll stand on the bayou with a wooden
board saying, ‘Welcome,’ and pick up litter myself rather than
throw in with them.” Andrew crossed his arms in a stubborn
expression, exactly like the one Lucien used to wear.

Neville gave a snort of cynicism. “We know
how long that would last.”

Rae beamed at him. “Andy, that’s a brilliant
idea.”

“Let’s dress him up in a big crawfish costume
while we’re at it.” Neville gave a short laugh.

“Hey, I ain’t wearin’ no costume.” Andrew
looked alarmed at the gleam in Rae’s eyes.

“What I mean is we could still make the bayou
a recreational site, just like Simon proposed, but we would keep
the land,” said Rae. She watched her brothers’ faces carefully.
They were silent for a few moments.

Neville shook his head. “We don’t have the
money.”

“No, not the way he planned. But we could
keep it simple.” The more Rae thought about it, the more she liked
the idea. “We could repair that old dock and let somebody pay us
rent to use it – like Kenny Laronde over on False River. He rents
out boats and sells fishing bait.”

“We could use the money to keep the land
clean,” Neville added.

“Right. Of course that would have to wait. My
first priority is getting the dance hall going,” Rae put in
quickly. “There’s only so much we should try to do at once.”

Neville gazed at Rae with respect. “I have to
admit, you surprised me. This isn’t some wild scheme for you to
have a good time on the bayou. You’ve got a sound business approach
towards making it happen.”

“I surprised myself, Neville.” Rae glowed
with pleasure at her older brother’s praise. “Guess living by the
seat of my pants doesn’t appeal to me anymore.”

“Wish I could see Darcy’s face when Simon
tells him the deal is off. Oo-wee, he’s not gonna be pleased.”
Andrew cackled with delight.

Rae wondered if Andrew was right. Would Simon
drift away? Was his interest only to obtain the property? Rae felt
an unpleasant pang at the thought and tried to tell herself it was
nothing.

“Cher, it’s for the best.” Neville touched
her arm. He seemed to read her thoughts. “If he doesn’t stay with
you then you’re better off.”

“That’s up to him.” Rae tried to make her
voice light. “We’re just having fun anyway. I do enjoy dating
Toya’s ex-husband. She has a fit when she sees us together.” She
gave him a wicked wink.

Neville gave her a wise look. “If you say
so.” His tone said he was not fooled by her act.

“I do say so,” Rae shot back. “Now, I made
some tea cakes from Monmon’s old recipe.”

Rae steered them on to other subjects. Even
while she chattered with her brothers about family and town
happenings, Simon was on her mind. During the hours before he
arrived, Rae worked hard to convince herself that she would not
care if he did pull away.

When he stepped onto her porch later that
afternoon all those efforts were for nothing. Simon exuded
sensuality with every graceful move. Dressed in a slate-blue,
crew-neck T-shirt and blue jeans, he looked fabulous. The brown
skin of his muscular arms begged to be touched. He was tall, dark
and handsome. Just the way she liked them. Even more, he was
thoughtful, had a sense of humor and was smart.

When he smiled at her, Rae’s pulse increased.
But all this just made her feel irritated with him for having this
effect on her.

“Hello. Ready to see the sights?” asked
Simon, taking off his sunglasses.

“Sure.” Rae was short with him. She wanted
this feeling to go away.

“I’ve been looking forward to this all
morning. Thinking about you made it hard to focus, but I finally
finished.” Simon moved closer to her.

“Oh?” Rae gazed up at him. Her mind told her
to move away, but her body stayed put. The nearness of him felt so
good. He had not touched her, yet she could feel him.

“Yes, doing business with you will be very
different.” Simon grinned at her. “I’ll have to work on my
concentration from now on.”

His reference to buying the property stirred
her to action. “Let’s sit down a minute, Simon. You may not want to
go riding after all.” Rae figured she might as well get it over
with.

“I doubt that.” Simon’s smile faded at the
sober expression she wore. “What’s happened?”

“I talked to my brothers this morning. We
don’t want to sell.” Rae spoke in almost a defiant manner.

“I see.”

“We’ve never had much, but at least we had
our land, Daddy’s pride and joy – that and the dance hall.” Rae did
not look at him. “So that’s it.”

Simon was silent for a moment. “Well, I knew
giving up ownership of any of the land would be difficult. But I
understand.” He stood up. “Let’s get going. There’s a spot on
Grande River waiting for us.” He held out his hand.

“I didn’t spoil your mood for an outing?” Rae
eyed him warily.

“The ideas I had for your property weren’t a
make or break proposition. I could still do a modified version of
it on my grandfather’s property, off Bayou Pigeon,” Simon said with
a shrug.

“Really?”

“Yes. In fact, I was going to tell you I
really only needed about five acres from you. Of course, Papa Joe’s
land isn’t as pretty and doesn’t have easy access to Grande River,
like yours, but it’s still a good idea.”

“You put a lot of work into that plan. I
spoiled it. Just like a Dalcour,” Rae needled him for a
reaction.

Simon raised an eyebrow. “So you figured I
was only trying to soften you up to get my hands on Dalcour
land?”

“Well, I...” Rae examined her
fingernails.

“That I was pretending to be attracted to
you?” Simon took her hand. “Come here.” He pulled her up from the
chair and over to the cypress swing at the other end of the porch,
where they could sit close together.

“Our families have been fighting for a long
time. Admit it, Mr. Joe thinks Pawpaw stole from him.” Rae could
feel the heat from his body.

“There was tension between both generations.
But that was years ago. My father doesn’t care about all that now.”
Simon placed one arm along the back of the swing.

“His brothers and sisters still hate us.” Rae
knew from Lucien that the St. Cyrs still living in the parish were
belligerent.

“And I’ve told them how silly it is, too.
It’s time we put this whole family feud thing to rest, don’t you
think?” Simon put his face within inches of hers. “It’s so
ridiculous to hold his family responsible for what your grandfather
did. They suffered just as much as anyone, more from what I
understand.”

“Monmon Marie never got over it, and
struggled to feed six kids.” Rae remembered the grim set to her
grandmother’s face. She did not smile often. “Daddy used to joke
they were too poor to pay attention.”

“So it’s only natural that Mr. Lucien would
want to hold on to the only thing his father left them. With what
he went through, no wonder parting with even an acre was
unthinkable.” Simon gazed out at the scenery before them.

Rae looked at him. The sincerity in his voice
was strong. Something deep within told her this was no act. She
followed the line of his jaw up to the tight curls, like soft wool
cut short. Before she knew it, her lips were pressed against his
face.

“What’s that for? Not that I’m complaining,”
Simon murmured. He wrapped one arm around her.

“For being you.” Rae rested her head against
his shoulder.

“Now that’s good news. All I have to do to
get a sweet kiss from a beautiful lady is to be myself,” Simon
quipped. He brushed his lips against her forehead.

They sat quietly as the gentle swaying of the
cypress swing lulled them into a shared contentment. For the first
time in her life, Rae felt completely at ease in a man’s arms. She
wanted to forget the past. What mattered most was that she held on
to this wonderful sensation of floating on air. Rae felt ashamed
that she’d considered using Simon to get back at Toya, or
anyone.

“It’s almost four o’clock. Shouldn’t we get
moving?” Rae asked.

“If we don’t, you may have to slap my face,”
Simon replied with a soft chuckle.

“We’re taking it slow.” Rae said this more to
tame her hunger for him than for his benefit.

He stood up. “I agree. Besides, I have a
surprise for you. Come on.”

For the entire ride they played a game of
tease. Rae tried to trick him into revealing his secret. Simon only
laughed at her attempts. Both enjoyed the lovely ride that took
them through the countryside to a portion of Grande River at
Ventre’s Landing. Next to the wooden dock, a large building housed
a grocery store, café and bait shop.

“Here we are.” Simon got out of the Explorer.
“We’re going for a boat ride, courtesy of my pal, Ike.” Simon waved
to a tall man, the color of milk chocolate, who waved back with a
wide smile. “And forty bucks to rent it.”

Rae broke into a delighted giggle. “It’s been
years since I’ve been for a boat ride. Oh, Simon, it’s a real
beauty.” She walked toward the bass boat.

“I’ve got some refreshing drinks in my trusty
cooler, life jackets and a pretty woman. I’m ready.” Simon helped
Rae into the boat tied up to the wooden dock.

He steered the boat to the center of the
river and gradually increased their speed. Rae reveled in the smell
of the river. The sun sparkled on its surface like liquid diamonds.
For the next two hours they rode at a moderate cruising speed, with
Simon testing Rae’s memory of her favorite landmarks along the
river.

Luxuriant growths of swamp oaks, red maples,
sweet gum trees, grass and shrubs of a hundred varieties spread out
around them. Egrets opened white fluffy wings as they lazily took
flight. Time slipped by in the most delightful fashion for the
couple. After drifting lazily for a while longer, they returned to
the landing.

Simon wiped his hands after removing large
rubber boots worn to wade into the water. “I’m starving. What say
we head for Pat’s?”

“Perfect,” Rae said, happy at his choice of
the nearby restaurant.

Sitting on the patio of the restaurant, the
couple watched boats go by on the bayou. Rae had to admit that she
enjoyed watching the way Simon’s full mouth curved up when she told
a funny story. This was not at all what she’d planned. Her feelings
for him were the real deal.

“Whoa, I’m stuffed. Two soft shell crabs
might have been overdoing it.” Simon leaned back in his chair.

“Hum, maybe it was all those hush puppies you
wolfed down before they brought our order,” Rae said.

“Me? You helped, if I recall.”

“Guilty as charged.” Rae wiped her mouth with
a paper napkin. “My crawfish bisque was delicious. I’m feeling a
bit full myself.”

“Then I take it no dancing tonight?” Simon
leaned forward to gaze at her.

“No way, a quiet evening in with a cup of
good old-fashioned, Louisiana dark-roast coffee is all I can
stand.” Rae propped her chin on one hand.

“Done. I make a mean cup, if I do say so
myself.” Simon handed his credit card to the waiter.

“What?” Rae had an uneasy feeling.

“My townhouse is in that new complex on Picou
Lane. You know the one. It’s not far from downtown. We can be there
in twenty minutes, if I obey the speed limit.” He winked at
her.

“Your place? Coffee at your townhouse?” Rae
blinked at him.

“You don’t trust me on my home turf?” Simon
smothered a smile. He tried to look serious at the cutting look she
gave him.

Rae hoped her embarrassment did not show. Her
doubts were not about his behavior, but her own. “Of course not.
Let’s go.” I can do this, no problem.

* * *

Her fragile confidence wilted the moment the
door closed behind them and they were seated in his living room.
The room opened onto a dining area to the right. A breakfast bar
separated it from the small kitchen. The carpet was the color of
dark clay; the furniture a striped pattern of clay, brown and
forest green. A combination of African and Creole art made a nice
blend. Five small figures were scattered around, the smallest three
across the top of the mantle above a brick fireplace. Soft jazz
flowed from a compact disc player.

All the time, Simon kept up an easy chatter
from the kitchen. Rae divided her attention between answering him
and bolstering her resolve to be cautious with her heart.

“Here we go.” Simon handed her a mug and sat
next to her. “The Simon St. Cyr Special.”

“Thank you, sir. So far the service is
excellent.” Rae took a sip. “Not bad.”

“I know my way around the kitchen, thank you
very much. I cook a mean jambalaya, too.”

Rae waved a hand around the room. “Nice
place. You decorated it?”