He moved around the car to open her door and help her onto the gravel lot in front of the Butterfly Bayou B and B. It was surprising how calm he was about this. For months and months he’d let worry gnaw at him, but now that he’d talked it out with his mother and wife, he was practically sanguine. What he’d learned was that sometimes the best way to win a fight was to not fight at all.
“Technically, no, but they can decide what they’re going to do at the actual meeting. The only reason we’re here is because Seraphina is worried. We’ll walk in, make sure everything stays civil, and then go about our day. I thought it would be fun to take Lady to the park this afternoon. And then we can buy some groceries and take inventory of what we need for the new place. I’ll have the movers in tomorrow.”
Her lips quirked up. “The same movers who moved me out a couple of weeks ago?”
He shrugged as they moved toward the front of the house. “They’ll be thrilled to move us however many times it takes.”
The door came open as though someone had been watching for them. Seraphina stood there, her blond hair around her shoulders, and she waved for them to come in. “I’m sorry to interrupt your morning, but I didn’t know what else to do. Don’t be mad at me, Rene. Your aunt is incredibly intimidating.”
“She is that. I promise this is the last time she’ll darken your door. I can assure you that once Charles becomes the head of this family, he won’t have reunions here in Papillon.” His cousin had already told other family members that he considered it tacky and would have had the whole thing in New Orleans or Houston.
“Normally I would do anything I could to get a guest to come back, but I think I’ll let this one go.” Sera let them in. “I made breakfast sandwiches this morning. I made my own croissants and had a selection of top-of-the-line bacon or ham with all kinds of cheeses, and your aunt said if she’d wanted fast food, she would go to McDonald’s. Those freaking croissants took three days.”
Rene sighed. “I’m sorry.” But it did solve one of his problems. “You still have some?”
Sylvie sent her best friend a huge smile. “Please tell me you have some.”
Sera finally grinned. “You two are the ones who actually paid, so I will make you a big old basket. And I’ll pop in a bottle of champagne. You’re going to need it. Also, Charles is in there. You should know he’s been talking crap about you both all morning.”
That didn’t surprise Rene, but he didn’t want his wife subjected to it. He turned her way. “This won’t take long. Why don’t you help Sera and then we’ll go and pick up Lady and go to the park?”
His wife simply stared at him.
“Or you could come with me.” He knew when his protective nature was not welcome. His wife wasn’t a delicate soul who would cry if Charles made some nasty comment. She was tough, maybe tougher than him. “I might need to hide behind your skirts.”
She went on her toes and gave him a kiss. “See, I told you he was a fast learner, Sera.”
“He’s a good tipper, too,” Sera said. “I’ll make you a big thermos of coffee. Apparently your aunt doesn’t appreciate that, either.”
Her loss, because Sera’s coffee was heavenly. “I think you’ll find I’m in an excellent mood today, and that makes my tipping even better. And you write down the name of that car seat Hallie wants. Are they in the parlor?”
Sera nodded and promised to slip the car seat info into their breakfast bag.
Rene was looking forward to breakfast, looking forward to sitting in the park on a lovely day watching Sylvie and Lady.
“You do not have to buy Hallie a car seat. She knows you’re sorry,” Sylvie insisted.
But he knew how hard Johnny worked and how Hallie clipped coupons to break even. “It would make me feel good.”
Up ahead he could hear the sounds of people arguing. Ah, the dulcet tones of his biological relatives.
“But if Charles can sell the company, we get the money, right?” a feminine voice asked.
“I never said I would sell the company.” Charles’s voice was a low growl.
“But that’s what you’re planning. You’ve been trying to take it apart. I should know because I helped you do it. I stole those bids for you.”
Sylvie stopped, her eyes going wide. “Is that Gabriel? I thought you let him off the hook. Why would he be in there confessing?”
They’d talked about how he’d handled his younger cousin the night before. Sylvie had been angry that Gabriel had betrayed him, but eventually she’d come around to his way of thinking. It was a good thing Sylvie wasn’t in charge of revenge, because she had some very specific things she’d wanted to do to Gabriel.
Rene, unfortunately, understood what it meant to be stuck with seemingly no way out and people depending on him. He’d just had better partners than Gabriel had, though he oddly had some hope for Ashley. Ashley had sent him a text the night before apologizing and thanking him for any help he could give her to get into college. “I think it is. I think my cousin decided to fight the good fight.”
“You want to shout lies, Gabe? I’ll sue you for that. You think you have money trouble now, wait until I’m done with you,” Charles shot back.
Oh, he was the one who was about to be done with Charles. The good news about getting his fortune back was that he had some ammo. Rene glanced down at his wife. “I’m about to put us in a fight. Are you all right with that?”
He might not be able to save his company, but he wasn’t going to allow Charles to run over Gabriel.
He could honor his father by still being the head of the family to those who wanted him there. He could protect the people who needed him.
He strode into the room, Sylvie by his side.
It looked like all of the families were represented by at least one member. They sat grimly around the pretty parlor, with Charles and Gabriel standing in the middle, prize fighters in the ring. His aunt sat in the biggest chair, her hair up in a regal bun. All she lacked was the crown, but she was about to find out that there was only one queen he bowed to, and she was holding his hand.
“Charles, you should know that if you even try to go after Gabriel, I’ll be the one funding his legal team. You think you’re suing Gabriel, but you’ll be suing me. I’ll make it my life’s goal to bury you in legal fees and make sure everyone knows exactly who you are and what you did.”
Charles wore slacks and a button-down, his hair mussed enough that Rene wondered if he’d bothered with a shower. “You can try.”
Roberta held a hand up. “Rene, it’s so good of you to join us. I’ve been trying to contact you all morning. This is not the way I expect you to run things.”