by Lexi Blake
“Luc is three.”
Somehow he’d thought the kid was younger. “So Sera was pregnant when Wes went into the Army?”
“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking,” Zep began. “Sera got pregnant, Wes asked her to marry him because honestly, he would have taken her any way he could. Sera said no and that’s what set him off. It was a crazy thing to do. But then Wes, for all his money and the power of his family name, had a chip on his shoulder.”
“Why?”
Zep huffed like he knew what he was about to say wouldn’t explain a thing. “He wasn’t good at sports. That’s a big thing around here. Even when a kid is small, he usually plays baseball or soccer. Cal was big enough no one messed with him. Wes was a scrawny thing. He was more brainy than anything else. It’s the kind of thing that turns on a man, if you know what I mean. Karma. In high school it’s all about jocks, but then high school is over and the jock ends up working on an oil rig and Wes takes over a multimillion-dollar company. He hadn’t quite gotten over high school.”
And now he never would.
Zep continued as the song changed and Cal kept dancing. “Like I said, I know his death was hard on Sera. They’d been friends for years, and your aunt wouldn’t even allow her to go to the funeral. I know that’s haunted her.”
It was the one thing he couldn’t understand about his aunt. The snobbery had been taught to her, the leftovers of a mother-in-law who hadn’t thought she was good enough. “My aunt hates her. I don’t get it. I don’t understand how she can blame Sera for something Wes did. Even if Sera did say something to him, it was Wes’s choice to leave school.”
“I agree with you, but your aunt has a lot of sway in this town,” Zep explained. “It’s not like she can turn Sera into an outcast, but she can make her damn uncomfortable. How did she take finding out Sera inherited that house?”
“Not well.” His aunt had been angry at dinner this evening, though in a restrained way that made Harry far more nervous than if she’d let it out. “But there’s not a lot she can do about it.”
Zep took a sip of his beer. “She can do more than you think. Celeste can be creative. I know she’s convinced a lot of her friends to abandon Miss Marcelle’s salon since Sera started working there.”
“She wouldn’t.” Celeste might call her lawyer and yell, but surely she wouldn’t actively try to hurt Sera and take her job. That would be overkill.
“Sera’s had five jobs in the last three years,” Zep pointed out. “She thinks she gets fired or laid off because she’s bad at them. I think Celeste had a hand in her losing them all. I was hoping with Angie getting married that Celeste would forget about her vendetta against my sister.”
“I’ll look into it.” He wasn’t sure what he could do about it, but he couldn’t simply let it lie. He’d never been the type of guy who could see a wrong being done and shrug and walk away.
“Good,” Zep said with a nod. “Now, are you going to ask my sister out or what?”
“Whoa. I think that would put her in a worse position than ever. My aunt’s already upset about the house.”
Zep leaned in, his voice going low. “Yeah, but Sera was smiling this evening when she talked about you. I haven’t seen my sister smile like that in years. She likes you.”
He’d felt it. He’d felt her watching him, felt her curiosity, but he’d also known it was tempered with wariness. “She’s been clear that she doesn’t want to have anything to do with me.”
“And yet tonight at dinner she went into detail about how graceful you are.” Zep smirked and rolled his eyes. “It was over the top and nearly made me lose my appetite. Harry’s so graceful. Yes, she used that word. Graceful. She said you ran like you never lost a leg. How would she know that except she watched you for a while. She also said you offered to help but she had to turn you down since she was sure you already had enough work because you’re doing a bunch of stuff for the wedding.”
“I’m only working on the gazebo, and I can’t even start for a few days,” he explained. “I’m waiting for some wood I ordered to come in. I’ve got to drive to New Orleans to pick it up along with a bunch of other materials. I have some time to help her out.”
“Good. She’s taking a couple of weeks off so she can get things started on the house. Though if you ask me, Marcelle sounded a little relieved. Another job bites the dust,” Zep said under his breath. “Maybe you should run through those woods again and, oops, you happen to be carrying your tool kit. You could do that for strength training. And somewhere in all that helping, you convince her to go out with you.”
Harry held his hands up because Zep was moving pretty fast. “I don’t know that my dating Sera would be good for her. I’m not staying. I’m only here until after Angie’s wedding.”
“And then you’ll go home?”
He didn’t really have a home. “I’ll hit the road again.”
“That’s going to get old after a while,” Zep pointed out with a shake of his head. “You know, Papillon is a nice place to settle down. Lots of room. Good food. Who knows? Maybe you’ll like it here. You won’t know unless you try. And hey, we’re growing. Lots of work for a person who knows how to build things. It’s something to think about. We even have a clinic with a nurse practitioner who knows what’s she doing now.”
It was his turn to get suspicious. “You really want me to ask Sera out. Won’t that cause more problems for her?”
It could definitely cause problems for him.
Zep set his beer down. “Sure, but sometimes problems have a way of solving themselves. Sometimes when you put two problems together, they get tied up so tight they make something. But hey, what do I know? I’m only saying Sera can be stubborn but she deserves some happiness. Patience is the key with her. I hope she doesn’t kill herself fixing up that house. I went by this afternoon to pick her up and one of the porch steps gave way. Now you have to hop over it. And she told me I broke it so I have to fix it. That’s not fair. She got all the money and the house. I got a bunch of condoms and my aunt is mean. She bought regular size. I can’t even use them. Because I need the extra-large kind.”
Those stairs needed help. They should be the first thing on her list. Or his. “I’ll fix the steps. I’ll go out there early tomorrow. I’ve got some wood that will fit for now. She should rebuild the whole thing at the end of the project, but the first thing we need to do is fortify them or no one is getting in that house.”
Zep sighed in obvious relief. “Thank god. I was worried I would have to work on my day off.” He hoisted the mug and drank. “Whew, I was taking it easy because I didn’t want to have to pound nails when I had a hangover. Now I can drink. I think I’ll go dance, too. Cal, don’t take all those ladies. Leave a couple for me.”
Zep pushed his chair back and winked Harry’s way.
It looked like the party had started. Harry sat back. He wasn’t taking everything Zep said to heart. Sera really didn’t seem like she was into him, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t help her out. He would simply do it quietly, and that included making sure his aunt didn’t do something she shouldn’t. And if Zep was right and all Sera needed was time to get to know him and figure out he wasn’t a jerk like her last boyfriend, then he would be in place when she was ready.
After all, it wasn’t like he had to leave Papillon right after Angie’s wedding. He could hang around, do some jobs, save some money. Zep was right about it being nice here.
He sat back and mentally made a list. Maybe patience and some manual labor would pay off.
chapter five
Sera took a deep breath and tried to understand the words Sylvie was saying over the sounds of Luc giggling at something his uncle was doing. She glanced back in to where Zep was drinking his coffee and Luc was having lunch because it was eleven in the a.m. and he’d been up since dawn. Zep had dragged himself in at some insane hour and was only now t
hinking about getting ready for the day.
It must be nice to be able to sleep in. She honestly didn’t miss going out to bars and partying, but she did miss sleeping until ten in the morning.
“Sera? Are you listening to me?”
She forced herself back to the conversation at hand. “I am. What’s going on? You said something about codes.”
“Yes.” A long sigh came over the line, a sure sign that Sylvie was getting frustrated. Or anxious. “I was down on the second floor and they were talking about sending out code enforcement.”
“Sending them out to where?” She was running late as it was. She didn’t need city hall gossip. She needed to get out to Guidry Place and start working. She’d gotten online the night before and she was fairly sure she could change a couple of boards on the porch stairs. It wouldn’t be pretty, but hopefully it would be enough so workers could safely get in and out of the house.
Not that she had workers yet.
“Sending them to your place.”
She groaned at the thought. Sometimes her mom had some kooky schemes that led to her using their front yard in ways the neighbors didn’t approve of. Like the time she’d decided to drag out all the Christmas lights for a Christmas in July extravaganza, as she called it. She’d tried to charge for it, though Sera rather believed all those lights coming on at ten p.m., because that was when it was dark enough to see them, was really what had set the neighbors off. And using dried mashed potatoes to simulate snow had brought out a not-surprising amount of critters. “I’ll find Momma. I have no idea what she’s planning, but I’ll shut it down.”
Like she didn’t have enough to do, but this was her life now. Adulting sucked.
Would she see Harry today? Would he run by the porch and give her a wave? What would she do if he stopped and offered to help again?
Turn him down. That’s what she would do. It was the only thing she could do. No matter how much she could use the help to get those steps ready.
“Why would you find your mother? This is about you.”
Sylvie’s words effectively stopped the whole Harrison thread going through her brain. “What? Why? What did I do?”
She quickly went down the line of possible violations. The yard was mowed because she’d nagged Zep enough until he’d done it. Oh, she’d had to start doing it herself, but Zep had just enough shame that he’d taken over. They hadn’t violated the burn ban since her momma held that women’s healing seminar where she’d had everyone burn away the pain of their past by setting gifts from their ex-lovers on fire.
“It’s nothing you’ve done,” Sylvie said. “I think it’s all Celeste’s doing. You had to know she would come after you once she realized you’re the new owner of Guidry Place. I kind of thought she’d offer to buy it, but it looks like she’s going to get nasty.”
Celeste? This wasn’t about her mom? It was about her. “I can’t sell until I fix it up. And how could I have code violations? I only inherited the place yesterday.”
Sylvie’s voice went soothing. “Honey, you didn’t violate the codes, but the house isn’t up to standards, and we all know it. I’m afraid you’re going to get a visit, and that will put you on a timetable. I have to do some research because I’m not sure how long you’ll have.”
“Before what?”
There was a long pause that ratcheted up her anxiety before Sylvie continued. “Before they try to condemn the property.”
Nausea rose, but it battled with complete confusion. “Can they do that?”
“I don’t know. I mean, yes, they can if there’s cause. If they decide the structure itself is dangerous to live in, they could absolutely condemn the property. That’s why I wanted to give you a heads-up,” Sylvie was saying. “I think it might be best if you’re out there when the code inspector shows up. They’ve got a backlog they’re working, but they fast-tracked your house. I’m going to look into it, but I happen to know that the head of Code Compliance is in Celeste Beaumont’s women’s Bible group.”
Nausea was definitely winning. She should have known Wes’s mom would never allow her to have a house so close to her own. Celeste would never want her to have anything good at all. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Sera, there are rules to this that not even the Beaumont name can change. I let Margret know that I would be looking into corruption in her office if I got even a whiff that she was doing this to make Celeste Beaumont happy. Unfortunately, she’s got cover on this one because Guidry Place has been in disrepair for years. But I did manage to convince her to send Darnell Ward out. He’s completely honest and fair.”
But she might need someone bribable because her house probably should be condemned right now. In a couple of weeks, maybe it could pass, but not today. “What should I do?”
“I think you should get out there and be working when he shows up. If you prove to Darnell you’re working on getting the place up to code, he’ll give you a lot of leeway.”
Would he once he figured out she was completely in over her head? Would he take one look at her and know that most of her experience came from watching HGTV? She only knew it wouldn’t help at all if the man thought she was lounging around while her house was crumbling. She so hoped it wasn’t actually crumbling. “I’ll get over there now.”
“Let me know what happens.”
She hung up and shoved her cell in the front pocket of her jeans. At least she was dressed. She’d been planning to wait until her mom had returned from her morning meeting, but her plans had changed. “Zep, I need you to watch Luc until Mom gets back.”
Zep sighed as though relieved that he would get out of doing any manual labor. “Now, that I can do. Hey, buddy. Maybe we should go to the park. I hear there are tons of pretty ladies out there.”
“Don’t use my son as a pickup tool. And you better come and help me this afternoon. You owe me porch steps,” she said, tossing her purse strap over her shoulder and leaning down to kiss her baby.
Luc grinned up at her with the gaze of a boy who was constantly amused by the world around him. “Momma, park. Park.”
Zep sent her a knowing look. “It’s not just me. He checks out the toddler set. That boy is going to be a player. And I don’t think you’ll have to worry about those porch steps.”
He was so obnoxious sometimes. But then he winked at Luc and made her remember that when she’d needed him, he’d been there. Zep had been a single male in his twenties having the time of his life and he’d stayed home those first few months and learned how to change diapers and burp his nephew. He could be annoying, but when she really needed him, Zep was there. “Take him to the park, but you better pay attention to him. I’ll call you later, and seriously, I need your help on those porch steps. They’re probably not up to code and that’s a real problem now.”
“I bet it’s not.”
She raced out the door because her brother wasn’t right about this.
* * *
***
Ten minutes later her heart was racing because she could see a car in the drive. It was a new-model SUV and probably belonged to the man who could shut down all her plans. She wasn’t sure how much time she would have if Darnell Ward decided she wasn’t serious about fixing the place up. Anxiety arced through her because it wasn’t like many people took her seriously in the first place. They tended to see blond hair and decent-sized boobs and treat her like she didn’t have a brain in her head. No one thought she could do anything but wear a T-shirt well.
What the hell was she going to say to him? She only vaguely knew Darnell. He was smart and a deacon at the Presbyterian church. He liked fried shrimp and ordered his gumbo local-hot. He had the occasional Sazerac. Could she use the Guidry brand to help her out? Yes, Celeste could offer him a bribe in the form of cash, but she had an in when it came to the best gumbo in town.
Why hadn’t she made it here before
he did? She might have been able to figure out a way to distract him from inspecting a couple of the rooms that were more problematic. Did he really need to check out the back study, where she was pretty sure a couple of raccoons were nesting? If he was standing on the front porch waiting for her, he would likely want to see everything.
She had to get it together. She had to look like she knew what she was doing. Like she was competent.
She was competent. She could do this. All she needed was a little time.
If he’d tried the porch steps, though, she was probably already done. Darnell Ward was a solid guy, and he’d likely put one foot on the step and gone straight through it. He could have even been hurt.
Her mind was awash in pure anxiety when she heard the front door open.
He’d gotten into her house?
She watched as Darnell stepped out wearing khaki slacks and a collared shirt, a clipboard in his hand.
“You’ve got quite a job ahead of you,” Darnell was saying. He was an attractive man in his mid-forties, and if she remembered correctly, he had three kids and a wife who worked at the elementary/middle school.
She was about to answer when she realized he wasn’t talking to her. His head was turned and another big body moved from inside the house to the porch. Harry. He was a reassuring presence, and the deep rumble of his voice could be heard even with the distance between them.
“Yes, but once she’s gotten it all done, it’s going to be a jewel of a house,” Harry proclaimed.
Darnell looked up at the ceiling. “Yeah, there aren’t many of these old Creole places left. You said she’s not living here, right?”
“I’m not,” she said, moving gingerly on the first step.
Shep banged out of the house, pushing his way through the rickety screen door. He bounded down the stairs and right to her.
“Hey, Seraphina,” Harry said, sending her a pointed look. “Darnell here is from the city. I was going over all the ways we’re working to bring this old place up to code, starting with getting those porch steps fixed this morning. Everything all right at home? I explained that you went back to your place to have some lunch with your son.”
