“What are you doing here?” Rene’s question wasn’t directed at Sylvie. He hadn’t even looked at her. His eyes were on Louis. “Don’t you have a meeting you’re supposed to lead?”
“I called in and had it postponed.” Louis moved away from Cricket, his hands going into his pockets as though he didn’t trust himself not to reach out for her. “I wanted to make sure Cricket was all right. And it was not Hallie’s fault, so I suggest you get that look off your face, son, because you’re scaring a young woman with a baby.”
“I am not your son,” Rene said between clenched teeth. “And I would like to know what’s going on and why my wife seems to think I don’t need to know.”
Sylvie’s gut knotted because she knew that volcano was about to explode, but there was one thing she wouldn’t allow him to do. “You need to apologize to my friend.”
Hallie had tears running down her face, her baby’s arms around her neck comforting her. “He said he would sue me if I tried anything. My mom didn’t mean to hurt you. She had a heart attack.”
“Hallie, I’m sorry. I’m obviously not over the accident and not over nearly losing my mother—something I know you understand. Please accept my apologies and know that I will apologize again later and far more sincerely when I’m not worried that my wife has betrayed me,” Rene said.
Hallie’s eyes widened. “She wouldn’t do that. Never.” She looked over to Sylvie. “Maybe you should come home with me. He’s scaring me. I’m worried about you.”
Rene’s dragon was on full display, but Sylvie wasn’t afraid of him. Not one bit. She faced her husband even as she spoke to her friend. “I’ll be fine. You go on and get home. I’ll call you later. We’ll handle any damages to your car.”
“Are you sure?” Hallie would stand with her. She would take on the richest man in town the same way she’d faced down the mean girls in high school.
She loved her friends. She softened her expression. “I am. Go on. He really will call you later, and if you need anything for Gracie, you can probably guilt it out of him. Gifts are his love language.”
Rene simply stared at her until Hallie had walked out. “How long have you known that Louis was romancing my mother behind my back?”
“About two minutes, and I wouldn’t put it like that,” Sylvie replied, trying not to amp up the emotion in the room.
“Your mother and I have cared about each other for a very long time.” Louis stepped up beside Cricket.
“So much that you thought it was a good idea to get her in a car accident?” Rene turned his attention to the other man. “I would think you would be more careful with your cash machine.”
Cricket gasped.
He was going to make this hard. “Rene, you need to think before you speak,” Sylvie said. “Why don’t we go and talk about this? You can sit down and collect your thoughts and feelings before you say things you shouldn’t.”
It was something she always did before responding in public. If she didn’t, she would tell many, many constituents that they had lost their damn minds.
“Louis wasn’t driving. I was,” Cricket said.
Rene’s eyes went wide. “You haven’t driven in over a year and a half. I pay for a driver for that reason. It’s dangerous.”
Cricket’s shoulders went back in a regal pose. “You pay for that driver with my money, son. I’m afraid it’s not yours until I die, so maybe you should be happier that I’m out and about driving myself. Louis is right. You’re treating me like a child.”
Maybe Rene wasn’t the only one waiting to explode. “I think Rene is merely trying to watch out for you,” Sylvie tried.
“You think I’m the one who wants your money, Momma?” Rene’s expression had gone frighteningly blank. “You’ve had stock market losses lately, haven’t you, Louis? Right around the time you decided to date my mother.”
“I wanted to go to her after your father died,” Louis said. “But I had to let her mourn. The truth is I’ve loved your mother most of my life. I love you, too, Rene. Please don’t turn this into something it’s not.”
“Rene, I don’t think his intentions are bad,” Sylvie began. “Your mother cares for him and he’s been a good friend to you all your life. I know it’s hard to process, but that’s why you need some time.”
“That’s what you meant. You were advising them not to tell me,” Rene accused. “You wanted to give me time.”
“I wanted to get you through this week before you got smacked with another family issue,” she admitted. “It’s been a lot for you to deal with.”
“You’re my wife. You’re supposed to be on my side.” The words didn’t sound angry, exactly. There was more of a plaintive tone to his voice.
She moved in, hoping he would reach out for her. “I am. Always.”
“Maybe it’s for the best. It makes everything easier.” Before she could ask him what he meant by that, he was turning back to Louis. “Did you or did you not lose the majority of your retirement fund a few months back?”
Oh, god, what had he done? Remy had shown up last night looking grim, and Rene had taken him into his office. When she’d asked about what Remy had needed, all Rene would say was it was business and she shouldn’t worry about it.
“How would you know that?” Cricket strode up to her son. “Did you have someone investigating him? His finances are private. You had no right.”
“I had every right when his finances involve yours, when he decides he can retire off our family money,” Rene shot back.
“Again, Rene, my money. I know I allow you to do the budgeting and pay the bills and spend what you like, but your father left the money to me, not you. I am not a child,” Cricket proclaimed.
“You are acting like one right now. You are acting like a teenager who knows better but can’t quite help yourself.” Rene’s arms crossed over his chest.
She’d had enough, and they had an audience. It had not escaped Sylvie that Lila and Mabel were caught at the reception desk. They were politely trying to be invisible, but they had nowhere else to go since Louis was standing in the hall that led to the exam rooms and Lila’s office.
She got in her husband’s space. “Rene, stop. I mean it. You need to walk away and cool off. We should all go back to the house and have this conversation there. You are airing our dirty laundry in public.”
“Ours? Honey, you just proved to me there is no us, and my mother doesn’t mind galivanting around with her lover, so I think there’s no real need to go home,” he said implacably. “After all, it’s not truly mine, is it?”