She had taken the day off after working long hours, and he wished he’d been able to be there to watch her try on the clothes the shopper had picked for her. He’d found a woman with exquisite taste.
He was still smiling down when the phone buzzed. That was when his smile fled, but he slid his finger across the screen to answer. “Hello, Aunt Roberta. Did you get in all right?”
“Are you asking if the drive to this hellhole of a town went without a hitch? Of course it didn’t. First of all, your cousin can’t drive. Whoever signed off on her license should be fired. I will be making my complaints to the DMV as soon as I get home, and I assure you it will not be with that nincompoop of a girl.”
He winced. He’d let himself be talked into paying Ashley to fly to Houston and drive Roberta back since she would not fly in what she called a “pressurized metal tube filled with bacteria.”
He should have known better, but her brother Gabriel had basically begged him. Her job hunt wasn’t going well and he was worried about her.
“I’m sorry it wasn’t pleasant. I’ll find you another driver on the way home.” He hesitated to ask the next question. “How is the room?”
Roberta harrumphed. “It’s passable, and the Guidry girl seems to have located her brain. She’s already got a roast in the oven, and she’s promised I can have dinner by myself since I have to suffer through tomorrow. You should allow her to cater in the board meeting. She’s an excellent cook.”
It was good to know at least that part was going well. He wasn’t sure he liked being told she considered the meticulously planned party something she had to suffer through, but he wasn’t going to argue. Especially since he would likely be the one suffering. “I’m glad that’s to your liking. I hope you enjoy the party. I know Sera and Sylvie have been working hard to make it special.”
“Yes. I heard your wife has taken an interest in the party. Is her mother coming?” The question had an air of expectation.
“As a matter of fact, my mother-in-law has expressed an interest in coming by to offer you her congratulations.” Marcelle was more than willing to play her part. “You know she spends a lot of her time with Delphine these days. They were wondering if you would like a reading.”
“Marcelle Martine is the only good thing about this town,” Roberta said under her breath. “Yes, that would be wonderful. I swear the psychics in Houston are all con artists. Not a single one with a bit of sight, I tell you. And since we’ve got such a big vote coming up, I would like some guidance, if you know what I mean. I’ve heard some rather upsetting rumors about what’s going on at the company. You seem to be losing clients.”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.” He wasn’t about to tell his aunt that he suspected one of his cousins of corporate spying. He certainly wasn’t going to mention that Louis was a suspect. He’d heard on more than one occasion Roberta talking about how Louis had ridden coattails all his life.
“You’ve lost two clients, and there’s rumors you could lose a third.”
That got his instincts tingling. “Who told you that?”
They were supposed to hear from Lowestone later today. If there was a rumor that they’d lost that, he would like to know who was talking.
“I have my sources, Rene. Don’t think because I’m old I don’t keep an eye on things. I have a responsibility to my family to ensure that you don’t screw things up. Your father was a good head of this family, but I can’t say the same thing of you yet. You have to prove it to me.”
He wanted to shoot back that he didn’t have to prove a damn thing to anyone but his wife, but he knew better. He’d had to prove himself to his family over and over again, and now he had to do it to save his mother’s home.
He had even more at stake since he had a wife now.
“Of course.” He bit back his anger.
“You remind me of your father. He always managed to sound calm, and yet there was always a bite of hate when he talked to me. I respect that,” Roberta said. “We’ll talk at the party. I expect to spend some time with your bride. Good night.”
He sighed and sat back. It was barely four, but it looked like Roberta was an early-to-sleep lady. He would have to make sure he left Sera and Harry the biggest tip, because they would be dealing with a lot.
There was a brief knock on his door and then Ashley was pushing through, a frown on her face. Her brother Gabriel was right behind her.
“Rene, I’m sorry. I told her you were busy.” Gabriel was flushed, as though he’d run to keep up with her.
“I deserve more money for putting up with that nasty old lady,” Ashley announced. “She complained the whole time. The entire time. She complained about my driving. She complained about my clothes. She complained about the music, even though I put it on the old folks’ station like she wanted me to.”
“Well, the good news is you don’t have to drive her back. She was just on the phone telling me to find someone else.” His irritation was starting to rankle. “So I have to do that.”
Ashley stopped, her face going white. He prepared himself to take the full-on blast of her rage. It was what he did. He got yelled at. He got blamed for anything that happened to go wrong.
“But I did everything she asked me to do.” Ashley’s tone was quiet. “I didn’t say anything.”
“She said you complained the whole time.”
Ashley’s jaw was tight, her words coming from clenched teeth. “I only talked to her when she asked me questions. I tried to be friendly, but she’s incredibly rude.”
“She’s also our great-aunt,” Gabriel pointed out. “And you were being paid to drive her, not to piss her off.”
“I did.” Ashley turned to her brother. “I did drive her. I didn’t even tell her that her stinky perfume made me nauseous. I don’t know what I did wrong.”
“You have to put up with it. You know that,” Gabriel said. “That’s how this family works.”
“I tried. I really tried.” She seemed for a moment like she would break down, but then she took a deep breath. “Screw this. I’ll find something else. Keep your money, Rene. I don’t want to owe you a thing.”
She turned and strode out the door.
Gabriel shook his head. “I’m sorry. She doesn’t understand, or she does and she doesn’t care.”
Or she was sick of being treated like crap. “Roberta can be a lot to deal with. Tell her I’ll pay her the full amount we agreed on.”
“Thanks. I’ll go and let her know. She’s got a lot on her mind. We all do.” Gabriel stopped at the door. “You’re not a bad guy, Rene. They make you out to be this high-and-mighty overlord, but you’re a pretty good boss.”