by Leigh Landry
Contents
Copyright
Cajun Two-Step Novellas
-1-
-2-
-3-
-4-
-5-
-6-
-7-
-8-
-9-
-10-
-11-
-12-
Epilogue
Free Story
More by Leigh Landry
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Keep in Touch
SQUEEZE BOX BELLE by Leigh Landry
Published by Leigh Landry
Lafayette, LA, USA
© 2019 Leigh Landry
All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Edited by Mackenzie Walton
Cover photography from Depositphotos.com
Cajun Two-Step Series
Second Fiddle Flirt
Six String Sass
Rim Shot Rebound
Squeeze Box Belle
-1-
Robin averted her gaze from the rain-streaked front door and closed her eyes, focusing instead on the sultry, bluesy voice of Rosie Ledet and her accordion echoing through the building. The sly lyrics of her zydeco classic, “I’m Gonna Take Care of Your Dog,” put a little extra pep in Robin’s step every time she heard them. Surely it could soothe her rainy blues. At least for a little while.
Tourists and locals alike had been bustling in and out of the store all month, buying T-shirts and souvenirs, since April was prime festival season. Unfortunately, April was also prime rainy season in South Louisiana, and the sky had been spitting and pouring on them on and off for a week straight. Not at all ideal conditions leading up to the biggest gig Robin’s band had ever booked.
She placed a stack of navy T-shirts—the ones with her favorite design, a sketch of a live oak—on the front counter and waited while Lauren rang up a customer.
“Everything going okay up here, Sugar Bee?” she asked when Lauren’s customer left.
Not that she had any doubt Lauren could handle whatever came her way. Robin had a solid staff, all of whom she had the utmost confidence in. And with only a week until the biggest festival of the year, Robin had enough on her plate without micromanaging her employees. She had a crap-ton of emails to send out, including a confirmation email and checklist to the festival folks, making sure they’d have the right sound equipment set up for their performance.
Thankfully, their sometimes-sound-guy, Shane, would be there. He was already familiar with their setup, so at least Robin didn’t need to worry about sound…assuming he and Natalie were still on good terms by then. With that woman, you never knew which way things would end up on any given day. But Shane seemed to be a good, steady presence in her life so far, and they’d been rock solid for the past two months, a record for Nat lately.
Lauren closed the register, then straightened a stack of stickers with the red and white Vermilion Printing & Gifts logo. “All good up here so far.”
“Sweet.” Good employees meant not worrying about the store. And if she didn’t have to worry about the store or the sound for the festival, she could focus her energy on the emails and last-minute to-dos and all the social media scheduling. Promo was her absolute least favorite thing, but a necessary evil. And as band manager, handling all the marketing and promo was her responsibility. She didn’t have to like it, though.
“Soooo.” Lauren toyed nervously with a coppery strand of hair that had escaped her loose bun. “I guess you’ve seen the updated forecast.”
The forecast. The one thing that could ruin their whole show. The one thing that was completely out of her control.
“Not today,” Robin said. “Sugar Bee, I need you to lie to me right now. Lie to me good.”
Lauren looked nervously at Robin. “Okay.” She bit her lip and considered her words. “Extended forecast says it should be a gorgeous day next Saturday. Bright and sunny, not a cloud in the sky for show time.”
Robin’s shoulders sank. “Thank you, but you’re an awful liar.”
It had been raining for almost a week straight, but the forecasts had that rain moving out tomorrow. Clear all next week. Well, until next weekend, apparently.
“Yeah.” Lauren sounded absolutely heartbroken. This would be her biggest gig with the band yet, since she’d replaced their previous fiddler, Camille, only three months ago. In that time, Lauren had gone from terrified newbie to rockin’ fiddle chick. Robin always knew she’d figure out how to handle the stage and the crowds, and she hated the disappointment on Lauren’s face, knowing she might miss out on this opportunity if they got rained out. They’d all miss out on it. And so much for debuting Kelsey and Eric’s new song, too.
“Well, we’ll just have to cross our fingers tight, won’t we?”
Lauren nodded. “Fingers and toes.”
“That’s the spirit.” Robin reached down beneath the counter and pulled out the package that came in a few hours earlier. “If you get a minute between customer waves, can you put these out on display? New releases.”
“Sure thing.” Lauren peeked inside and pulled out one of the CDs. Her eyes went wide at the cover, and she fanned herself with the case. “Ooh, I do not say this lightly, but that man looks good in a pair of jeans.”
Robin let out a rumble of a laugh. “Oh, believe me, he knows it.”
“Wait, you know Dustin Blanchard?”
“Not really,” she said. “We were only married two years.”
Lauren blinked hard and shook her head. “Wait…that’s your ex?”
“Yeah.” Robin shrugged. This was exactly why she never told anyone who she’d been married to. It wasn’t worth the fuss for sure. “We were kids.”
“I knew you were married before, but—”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“Uh, kind of.” Lauren flipped the CD to give the cover another admiring look-over. She jammed a finger at the plastic. “You. Hit. That.”
“I did more than that.” Robin laughed as Lauren’s jaw dropped. She had to admit, it was a little fun to get that reaction sometimes.
Lauren narrowed her eyes and got serious. “So what happened? I mean, you don’t have to tell me. I’m just being nosy, I’m sorry.”
“No, no, it’s fine,” Robin said. “We weren’t right together. Liked each other enough, just different goals and paths and all that. He wanted the whole wife and kids and family following him on the road, and I…didn’t. Wanted my own life here. This store. My own music.”
Back then, Robin was just building this business, and it took every bit of her attention and energy to make it what it was today. She’d crafted every product, design, and staffing decision with extreme care until she’d built exactly the business she’d always wanted. This place was as much home to her as her actual home.
Since Dustin wanted a family life on the road, there wasn’t exactly much they could compromise on, even if either of them had wanted to compromise on their dreams.
The front door dinged, and Lauren glanced and gave a welcoming smile at their newest customer. “So are y’all still friends?”
“Yeah. I mean, we’re friendly enough. He’s got everything he wants now, and I’m happy for him. He�
�s happy for me, too.” She waved a dismissive hand in the air. “That was a long time ago. We’ve all moved on. Heck, I see his brother now more than I see Dustin.”
“Wait, you mean the guy from that gig last month? The company crawfish boil? I remember you saying the host was related to your ex or something.”
Robin nodded. “Yup. That’s Dustin’s younger brother.”
Lauren’s eyebrow shot up. “The Steve Rogers-looking dude? Has the sexy-scruffy Captain America beard now?”
Robin usually tried really hard not to think of her ex-brother-in-law that way, but there was no denying the squeaky-clean hero resemblance. Even had the matching moral compass to boot.
“Wait, he grew a beard? How’d you know that?” Robin looked curiously at Lauren while she thought back to the last time she'd seen Matt. He’d definitely been clean-shaven.
Lauren nodded toward the racks behind Robin. “Looks like it.”
When Robin turned to look over her shoulder, she saw her ex-brother-in-law browsing through the new T-shirts rack. Lauren was right. He’d grown a full beard over the last month. It was short and neatly groomed, just like the rest of him. His dark blond hair was brushed back in a damp wave, and he wore a navy rain jacket, dripping wet, over a black T-shirt with dark wash jeans.
Her eyes went back up to that beard. That scruffy facial hair that took him from do-goody hero to give-no-fucks-about-rules, melt-a-woman’s-panties hero.
Except she most certainly was not thinking about her brother-in-law that way. Even if he was technically her ex-brother-in-law, the man was still not a menu option. And with his lawful good nature, she was pretty dang sure she wasn’t on the menu for him either. Not in this universe.
He caught her staring and gave a sheepish grin and a wave before returning his attention to the small T-shirts in front of him.
“Um, if you won’t help him, I will,” Lauren whispered.
Robin gave a slow head turn with a raised eyebrow at Lauren. “How’s Tyler doing?”
“Tyler’s great.” Lauren and Tyler had been living together for almost two months now, and judging from everything Robin had heard, they were the real deal. “But Tyler isn’t here, and Dustin Blanchard’s even hotter, Captain America-looking little brother is here, and he seems to need some assistance.”
Robin grinned and shook her head. “Down, girl. I’ve got this. Go drool over those CD covers, will ya?”
She patted the counter and walked off toward the man she’d spent two Thanksgivings with, long ago in another life. “Hey, Matt. You know we have those in adult sizes, right?”
“What, you don’t think this will fit?” He held up the tiny, bright yellow “You Are My Sunshine” tee in front of his chest. “It’s my color, too.”
“Sure is.” She laughed and tucked a wavy strand of chin-length hair behind her ear. “I like the beard.”
His hand went to the side of his face. “Thanks. Got spring fever or something. Figured I’d try something different.”
“I like it.” She nodded at the shirt he held. “That for Dustin’s new one?”
“Heidi’s,” he said. “The baby. Who I guess isn’t so much a baby anymore.”
“Her third one?”
“Fourth.”
Robin let out a low whistle. “She’s been busy since I last saw her.”
“Yup. Busy and happy. And bossy as ever.”
“Hey now. Watch your mouth, or I’ll tell her you said that.” Robin and Heidi had been almost like real sisters, but of course, as friendly as the proceedings were, Dustin got to keep his sister in the divorce and Robin was down a friend.
They walked together to the register, and Matt tapped the top of the stack of festival brochures. “I saw y’all were on the lineup. Excited?”
Robin felt her whole body deflate. She wished more than anything she could be truly excited about the upcoming performance, but there was just too much to take care of. Too much responsibility weighing on her shoulders.
“I guess, by that look on your face, you saw the forecast?”
“Gosh dang it, why does everyone keep asking me that?”
“Uh, because we know you, and we know you hate a nasty wrench in any of your plans.”
“Yeah, well, seventy percent chance of rain and storms is one hefty wrench.”
“Eighty.”
“What?”
Matt cleared his throat nervously. “Eighty percent chance of rain.”
“Dang it.” Robin chewed the inside of her mouth. “You should be proud of me. I didn’t even know that.”
“That just means you’re too busy worrying about something else,” he said. “What gives?”
“Oh nothing. Band’s solid. Sound’ll be taken care of. We’ve even got a new song ready for the show.”
“But…”
He always did see straight through her. Definitely knew her too well for an ex-in-law. While she and Dustin had been sort of infatuated with each other, like curious insects drawn to each other’s light, it was Matt who always knew what she was thinking. He always knew what to say to her and how to say it. How to ease her mind and later distract her when Dustin had been in an accident on tour. How to sit with her, not saying a word, just being there while she signed the divorce papers.
“But I haven’t done crap to promote the performance. Most of our fans probably don’t even know we’re playing at the festival.”
He shook his head and gave her a playful frown, which looked adorably ridiculous beneath that dark, broody beard. “Still a social media grump, I see.”
“I’m not a grump,” she insisted. “I just don’t see the point.” She sighed. “Except I need to let our fans know when we’re playing if we want them to show up. Yeah, yeah, I get it.”
He chuckled, soft and deep, then his expression turned serious. “Why don’t you let me help you with some of that?”
“Uh-uh. No way.”
“Okay, then why don’t you let me handle all of that for you this week.”
She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “That is not how negotiations work.”
“Good, so we’re negotiating.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“Listen, I can help you with this. It’s what I do and you know damn well I’m good at it.” He gave a playful grin. “Please. Let me worry about some of your promo so you can worry about the weather, since you’re clearly dropping the ball on that.”
Lauren returned from displaying CDs and rang up Matt’s T-shirt while he and Robin locked challenging stares. “Give him my discount,” Robin said without looking away.
“Just think about it,” Matt said, handing his credit card to Lauren. “I’ll check with you tomorrow, okay?”
“Can I stop you?”
A big smile grew on his face as he took his bag and receipt from Lauren. He winked at Robin. “Not a chance.”
A few moments later, once he disappeared out the front door, Lauren said, “I like him.”
“Easy.”
“I meant I like him for you.”
Robin’s stomach did a little dance at the mere thought of Matt being for her. “Nope. Not up for discussion. Absolutely not.”
Lauren pouted, then smiled as another customer laid a stack of items on the counter. “Why not?”
“Among the many, many other reasons, I am not Mrs. Captain America material.”
Lauren finished the sale, thanked the woman for her purchase, then turned back to Robin with disbelief etched into her brow. “I call complete B.S. on that.”
“Call it whatever you want.” Robin patted the counter cheerfully. “I’m off to answer emails and hopefully schedule some posts. Or make them. Or…something.”
“Well, if you get stuck, you can always put out the Cap Signal. He said so.”
Robin chuckled, imagining what his Cap Signal would look like. A loyal puppy, most likely. A golden retriever.
She left Lauren to handle the front, while she headed back to her computer in the of
fice to not think about Matt. Matt and his new beard. Matt and that smile of his. Matt and how he made her feel like everything was going to be just as it should whenever she was with him.
Nope. She wouldn’t think about any of that.
Robin had enough to keep her busy being the band’s superhero. She didn’t need Matt to swoop in and save her. She could handle this herself.
-2-
Matt turned off his wipers and engine, but remained inside his car, waiting for a break in the deluge. There hadn’t been many breaks this week, so after a minute he decided to make a run for it. He hopped through what was more like a lake than a path, so his socks were soaked through before he even made it to the front door. At this rate, people would need pirogues and canoes just to get to the festival stages next week. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the sun, and most of the residents in this area were getting twitchy—especially those who flooded a couple years ago, his sister included.
Heidi opened the door and immediately pointed at his feet. “Off.”
He handed her the wet gift bag and removed his shoes as ordered, leaving them on a towel with a pile of other shoes in various sizes.
“You could have brought this to the party on Saturday,” she said.
“I had to see my niece on her actual birthday.” A tornado of squealing children tumbled through the room, and he grabbed the smallest, scooping her into his arms and twirling into the kitchen. “Happy birthday, darlin’.”
“Uncle Matt!” the girl squealed and giggled as he came to a spinning stop. She peered over the edge of the rain-soaked bag in her mother’s hands. “Is dat my present?”
“Sure is,” Matt said. “Well, one of them. I’ve got something else for you at the party. It’s just a little lagniappe.”
“Lagniappe?” Heidi narrowed her eyes inquisitively, then lowered them as she dug around the edges of the tissue paper. “Let me guess where you bought this…”
Nothing got by his sister.
