The longest he’d been able to be out of the office had been the month it had taken him to recover from being nearly killed by Janice Herbert’s SUV.
“Of course not. You’re far too important.” Charles tipped his well-coiffed head Cricket’s way. “Aunt Cricket. It’s good to see you up and about.”
His mother wagged a finger Charles’s way. “Don’t you pretend to be nice. You came up here to ruin Rene’s wedding. He’s already done that by having it here in a dreary courthouse, but you’re not going to make it worse.”
A single brow rose over Charles’s green eyes. It had been said that Charles looked a lot like Rene, though a duller version, like Rene had gotten all the light and Charles had been left in the shadows.
Rene had never once said that, but he knew damn well Charles held it against him.
“Wedding? Now that is interesting,” Charles said. “I wasn’t aware you were even dating, cos.”
“Well, you don’t know everything about me, do you?”
“Oh, I make it my goal to do exactly that. You know what they say about friends and . . . family. Keep your friends close and your family closer.” Charles squared off his shoulders.
Enemies. Was that what he’d become to his family? The enemy who held them all down? “Then you know how private I am about my personal life. I don’t advertise who I’m dating.”
“But you don’t hide it, either. You never have,” Charles replied. “Let’s stop beating around the bush and be honest. Who’d you hire? You can’t think that Aunt Roberta is going to believe for a second that you up and got married and mean to stay that way. Did you hire that model you used to date? Roberta hated her. How much of the family money are you spending on this ridiculous scheme to keep me out?”
“My son did not have to hire a woman to marry him.” His mother sounded outraged. “Rene, I’m going outside to get a switch. Charles’s momma didn’t whoop him enough.”
Louis chuckled. “I think we should probably stay close.”
Charles ignored the outburst, putting all his focus on Rene. “This isn’t going to work. This makes you look pathetic and ridiculous. No one with half a brain is going to believe this marriage is real.”
“Then it’s a good thing we’re dealing with our cousins,” Rene shot back. It wasn’t fair of him, but he was angry. He’d been nervous before, but anger started to thrum through his system. “And don’t you dare accuse me of using company money for personal business. You know I don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, the great Rene Darois is independently wealthy because his father was smart enough to marry a Talbot.” He turned to Cricket. “No offense, Aunt Cricket. I think it’s admirable that you managed to be born into such a wealthy family. One would think since Rene’s got his own cash that he would be kinder to the rest of us who are dependent on the company.”
The situation was more complex, but Rene couldn’t make Charles understand. It was futile to try. “It’s not about kindness. It’s about keeping the company solvent for future generations, including your children.”
Charles’s shoulders squared, and he had that look in his eyes he’d always gotten right before he shoved the knife in. “Thank you for making my point so eloquently. This really is about future generations, of which you have no part of. I’m the best person to think of my children. You don’t have any. You live a selfish life.”
“I was joking about the switch before,” his mother said, her tone going serious. “I’m rethinking my position now.”
Maybe Louis would have to protect Charles.
“I’m sorry to have upset you, Aunt Cricket. I know your health is a delicate thing right now,” Charles said in smooth tones. “But Rene needs to understand that Aunt Roberta won’t accept some store-bought wife, no matter how attractive she is.”
“Cricket, honey, you don’t need a switch. I’ll take care of him. I know a couple of spells.”
Rene winced because he knew that no-nonsense voice. He turned and Marcelle Martine was standing in front of the registration desk. She was five-foot-ten in flats, and wore her silk headwrap like a crown. His mother might be the kindly queen mother of the town, but Marcelle ran the only salon, and no one who wanted a decent haircut crossed her.
“Miss Marcelle, I’m sorry you witnessed that family fight.” Charles’s expression had smoothed out. He was smart enough to know the power Marcelle wielded. “My cousin and I have a disagreement, but we shouldn’t argue in public. Please excuse us.”
Charles stared at her like she was going to go away and they would be able to continue the argument.
Was she here to tell him Sylvie wasn’t coming?
His mother moved forward, opening her arms for Marcelle. “Marcelle, isn’t it wonderful? I can’t tell you how happy I am that Sylvie will be part of our family. I swear it’s the best news I’ve had in years. I cried when Rene told me.”
Marcelle wrapped his mother up in a loving hug, reminding him that while Marcelle might be a titan of the town, she’d earned that title through the way she took care of people. “It’s time. We’ve been family for years. It might not have been legal, but it was real. You don’t worry about a thing, Cricket. My Sylvie is going to make everything right. But we need to talk to these youngsters about a proper wedding when we have more time.”
“I think you’ll find Cricket is already planning a second wedding.” Louis had settled back against one of the big desks, obviously satisfied that Charles wouldn’t try anything around Marcelle.
Rene felt something ease deep inside when Sylvie rounded the corner wearing a lovely white sheath and killer heels, the bouquet of irises in her hands.
“You’re marrying Sylvie Martine?” The question came out of Charles’s mouth with a touch of true horror to it.
He was sure Charles thought he’d found some random woman to play the part of his wife. Charles always had played checkers and not chess. Of course, the other thing Charles didn’t understand was that he wasn’t playing with Sylvie. He was dead serious. “I am. We’ve kept things quiet since she came home.”
Charles shook his head and kept his voice low as Sylvie was greeting Cricket. “You bastard. This isn’t going to work.”
He felt a quiet pride as he watched Sylvie being so gentle with his mother. “I think it’s going to work quite well. Sylvie was always the woman for me. We’ve been close since we were children. You know how it goes. Sometimes you have to spend time away from someone to truly appreciate their value. That’s how it went with me and Sylvie. We were always going to end up here. Your shenanigans simply moved the timetable up.”