“Oh, you can change right over there.”
Kennedy looked back. Maria was pointing to the corner of the room. There was a three-paneled screen near the wardrobe. Of course. Changing clothes in the same room with her…what was Bennett? Her boyfriend? Not really. Her boss. Yes. Her friend? Okay, maybe. Her weekend fling. She definitely hoped so… Anyway, changing in the same room with his mom was awkward. But whatever.
Kennedy slipped behind the screen and started unlacing her boots. There was a little part of her that wanted to try the dress on. What could she say? She liked girlie stuff. She loved her makeup and jewelry and clothes. Now she used them to make a statement about how she didn’t really care what people thought and approved of. But that was part of what she loved about it all—the ability to express things that were easier seen than heard sometimes, to make an impression, to make people take a second look.
“I hope you understand about the seating arrangement at dinner tonight.”
“The seating arrangement?” Kennedy asked, pulling her second boot off.
“I have you seated with my family. They live in Florida now but they’re from Louisiana originally. I thought you might be more comfortable.”
Kennedy frowned, but said, “Yeah, Bennett told me about the whole lottery thing and all. Cool that y’all have Cajun roots.”
“He did?” Maria didn’t sound particularly thrilled that Kennedy knew about her family’s money. “Well, yes, it’s been a while since they lived there, but I…”
She trailed off and Kennedy frowned as she slipped out of her skirt and pulled her shirt over her head.
“I need Bennett focused tonight. I hope you’re not upset about sitting apart. But it’s important that Governor Ray has a chance to speak with Bennett tonight.”
“We’re not sitting together,” Kennedy clarified.
“For dinner,” Maria said. “If Bennett would return the governor’s phone calls, then maybe that wouldn’t be necessary. But I don’t want him to be distracted.”
Kennedy slipped the dress over her head. It fit perfectly. Like it had been custom-made for her. The front plunged low. Very low. Not everyone would be able to pull that off, but it looked fantastic on her. She turned and looked over her shoulder at the back. It left her back bare almost to her waist. She was going to need some tape to keep everything where it should be, but yeah, she liked this dress. The skirt actually had three filmy layers and fell to the perfect length to brush her ankle bones, the higher hem in the front giving just teasing hints at her legs. She twirled once, loving the way the skirt lifted, then floated back down. This would look amazing with some strappy sandals.
She hadn’t worn sandals in forever. She went barefoot or wore Converse or her boots. She’d need a pedicure if she was going to do sandals. But there was no way her boots were appropriate for this dress. Dammit. And now she actually cared about what she was wearing. What was Bennett doing to her?
She stepped out from behind the screen.
Maria gave her an approving look. “That’s perfect.” She held out a pair of shoes.
Strappy sandals. The perfect strappy sandals for this dress.
“I might need—”
“I have a woman coming to do a manicure and pedicure for you in about thirty minutes.”
Okay. Maria Baxter was good.
“Why won’t Bennett return the mayor’s phone calls?”
“The governor,” Maria corrected.
“Right. Sorry.” Shit, she needed to pay more attention. She didn’t want Maria to think she was a flake. “Why doesn’t Bennett want to talk to him?”
“Because Governor Ray wants to talk to Bennett about running for state legislature.”
Kennedy frowned. “Oh.”
“Of course, he’s not the only one. Or the first one. But he’s gotten closer than anyone else in getting Bennett’s attention with the environmental legislation William—Governor Ray—has been working on. Bennett wants to ignore it all, but he can’t. He’s far too passionate and knowledgeable about it all. And he has all the right contacts. I think he fights with himself nearly every day about picking up the phone and putting his two cents in.”
“Why does he fight it?” Kennedy asked.
“Because he doesn’t think that he wants to be a politician.”
Kennedy studied Maria’s face. “You don’t believe that?”
“Bennett is perfect for that role in every way.”
“Unless he doesn’t want that role.” Kennedy knew a little about doing things other people wanted her to do or expected rather than because she wanted to do them. Not on the same level as this, maybe, but she did know that it was damned hard to do well at something you didn’t like or feel proud of.
“He wants to make things better. He wants to influence decisions. He wants to make important decisions. He wants to educate people about issues that matter to him,” Maria said.
“Okay.”
“All of that means he does want this role. He’s just resisting it.”
“Why would he do that?” Kennedy asked.
“He hasn’t talked to you about this?” Maria asked.
That was a fair question. If Kennedy and Bennett were actually a couple. “We haven’t. We actually don’t…talk much…about that kind of stuff.”
That sounded fishy. And Maria’s expression in response said she thought so, too. “You don’t talk much,” she said.
“We talk about Boys of the Bayou,” Kennedy amended. Otherwise it sounded like they spent their time together doing things other than talking. And they didn’t. Not yet, anyway. “We talk about the business. And just kind of give each other a hard time. He knows a lot about my family and stuff.”
“Oh, I know all about your family,” Maria said. “It’s just…interesting…that you don’t know much about ours.”
Interesting? Was it? “He talks about us?”
“Of course. The Boys of the Bayou and the Landrys are the main reasons he gives for not being interested in Georgia politics.”
Kennedy lifted her chin. “And you don’t believe those things are important to him?”
Maria gave her a smile, but it lacked warmth. “Oh, honey.”
God, Kennedy really hated when people she didn’t know well called her honey. Especially in that condescending way Maria Baxter was doing it.
“He thinks you all are important. But you’re…summer camp.”
Kennedy felt a twist in her gut. She also had been telling herself that the bayou and everything down there was just playtime for Bennett. A break from his real world. And that his interest in her was just the connection she had to all the rest of it. But hearing Maria say this was making her stomach hurt. She swallowed hard. “Summer camp?”
“When he was ten, he went to summer camp for two weeks. He came home completely energized about everything that he’d seen and learned there. Boys of the Bayou is his new summer camp. Your grandparents are the camp counselors, keeping everything in check and teaching him how things work. Your brothers and cousin are his buddies that he shares all the activities with. And you’re the cute girl that he develops a crush on because you’re new and different.”
Kennedy crossed her arms as emotions swirled through her, then realizing it was a very obvious defensive posture, dropped them. “You think we’re just a diversion then?”
“Yes. An excuse for him to not do what he should do here. A way for him to punish his father.”
Kennedy frowned. “Why does he want to punish his father?”
“That’s not important,” Maria said. “But it’s tiresome. Bennett has made his point. Now he needs to grow up and do the right thing. This juvenile need to rebel is getting in the way of Bennett being successful, and their personal quarrel shouldn’t keep the people of Georgia having Bennett’s leadership.”
Kennedy strongly disagreed that the story about what was going on with Bennett and his dad wasn’t important. But she wanted to get that story from Bennett.
; “And I’m sure you would feel terrible thinking that you somehow played a part in continuing the divide in our family, not to mention holding Bennett back from great things.”
Yeah, Kennedy was already tired of being in the middle of whatever this was. “The only thing I intend to hold Bennett back from is role-playing any camp counselor thing in the bedroom that he might have in mind. Because that’s weird.” She looked down at her dress. “Of course, rich bitch debutante and the serving boy passing out champagne at the hoity-toity party downstairs is totally on the table.”
Maria’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she simply said, “The other dress is for tomorrow. It looks like we got the size and style right. You can try that on later.”
Kennedy had to admit she was impressed with Maria not taking the bait Kennedy had thrown out there. Her family never would have let a comment about role-playing sex go by. Then again, the Landrys would have never tried to warn someone off the way Maria was. The Landrys didn’t always make the best decisions and they flat-out screwed up sometimes, but they all believed that making mistakes was one of the best ways to learn and grow. No one got in the way of relationships, even the crazy ones that seemed like a bad idea. Hell, some of the best ones in the family tree were the crazy ones.
“The woman from my spa should be here soon. I hope you don’t mind, but I also asked her to do your makeup.” She crossed to the door and then looked back at Kennedy. “I think you’ll enjoy the conversation with my family tonight. And I trust that you understand how important it is for Bennett to have time with Governor Ray and some of our other guests.”
Kennedy nodded. “I’ll make the blow job in the gazebo a quickie.”
Maria lifted both brows, clearly refusing to be cowed. “I appreciate that. And you won’t end up pregnant that way.”
Kennedy’s mouth dropped open as Maria swept through the door and shut it behind her. Had she just insinuated that Kennedy might get pregnant on purpose? To trap Bennett? Wow. What a bitch.
Strangely, it made her want to sleep with Bennett even more. She wasn’t going to let Maria scare her off. When she and Bennett broke up—if they could even call ending whatever this was an actual breakup—it was not going to be because his mom had showed her claws.
Kennedy decided who she dated and for how long and how that relationship went. Kennedy got her birth control shot right on time, thank you very much, and she’d make damned sure he used a condom. Maybe two now.
If Kennedy wanted Bennett wrapped around her finger, she’d get him there without needing a baby to do it.
Not that she wanted him there.
Not only did they clearly have nothing in common in all the areas she’d known about, but now she knew that their families were nothing alike. Thank God.
She did not want to live in Savannah. She did not want to be a politician’s wife.
And she did not want Maria Baxter as a mother-in-law.
Duke had just taken a drink of his Scotch when he looked over Bennett’s shoulder and started coughing as if he’d swallowed it wrong.
Concerned, Bennett stepped forward and whacked him on the back. “You okay?”
Duke coughed again, then cleared his throat. “Holy shit, Bennett.”
“What?”
“That.” He pointed at something behind Bennett.
Bennett turned. And was grateful he hadn’t just taken a drink of anything.
Kennedy had just appeared on the back patio and was looking around. She spotted him and her face relaxed into a big smile as she started for the steps that would lead her down onto the grass.
“From the way you described her, that is not what I was expecting,” Duke said.
Yeah, this wasn’t the Kennedy Bennett had been expecting, either. At all.
For one, she was wearing a dress. That was pink. And had lace on it.
He’d seen her in sundresses and skirts, but this was a dress. Like a dress she could wear to any of his mother’s gatherings. Or any cocktail party he’d ever want to take her to with the upper crust of Georgia society and politics. He narrowed his eyes. Of course it was. His mother had picked it out.
He would have never thought Kennedy would go along with it though.
It was pink.
The only time he’d seen her in lace was the time she’d worn thigh-high stockings with one of her skirts. The stockings had had lace at the top. The entire ensemble had been completely inappropriate for a crawfish boil in front of her grandma’s bar. But she’d worn it like she was a fucking princess and that was her coronation outfit.
He’d wanted to pull those stockings down. With his teeth.
This was not that kind of lace.
But the dress was only part of it. As she approached him across the expanse of perfectly manicured lawn, he noticed that her tattoo played peek-a-boo, at least, with the sleeve and skirt of the dress. Her hair was also down and softly curled.
Freaking curled. He’d only seen it straight, in ponytails, in a braid a couple of times, and once in pigtails. Curls were way too…soft…for Kennedy.
Then she got close enough for him to notice that she was also lacking her usual dramatic eye makeup and lipstick. Her makeup was subtle and tasteful.
She had also taken out all of her earrings, including the ones in her nose and eyebrows, except for a pair of subdued pearls.
“Hi.”
He grasped her upper arm and turned her away from Duke without making an introduction. “We need to talk.”
She looked over her shoulder at his friend. “Nice to meet you.”
Bennett heard Duke’s chuckle. “Oh, you, too, Kennedy.”
She let Bennett hustle her across the grass toward the back door that would lead them into the kitchen. At the last minute, he realized that the kitchen would be full of caterers and he changed direction, heading instead for the fountain that was surrounded by a stone path with a couple of benches and a ton of flowers and bushes. It was a great place for people to hang out and mingle during his mother’s parties, but at the moment, the guests were all staying in the tent, closer to the tables of hors d’ oeuvres and the bar. After dinner, some might drift out here, but for now they had it to themselves. He stopped and turned to face her.
“What the hell?” he asked.
“Shouldn’t I be asking that question? You’re the one who dragged me away from the party after ten seconds of being there.”
“What’s this?” He looked her up and down.
She looked amazing. Beautiful. Soft. Sweet.
Not at all like Kennedy.
She always looked gorgeous. Kickass. Feisty.
“This is how the girlfriend of a future state senator from Georgia should dress,” she said, spreading her arms wide. “Apparently.”
He should have fucking known. “My mother told you that I’m running for office and that tonight the governor is here to talk to me about starting a campaign.”
“More or less,” Kennedy said, dropping her arms.
Frustration gnawed at the back of his neck, but it was frustration toward his parents. His mother was well-known for getting her way. She pushed things. Always. But she was really forcing this. And not listening to him at all. He knew it was about more than just getting him into politics. Maria did believe in him and that he could do good and be fulfilled in public office. But she also wanted him and his father to mend their rift and the only way to prove that had happened, to his father, was for him to declare a candidacy. At this point, it could be a candidacy for nearly anything. But it would be a signal that he was getting started, and it would be the first step toward…everything. The governor’s mansion. An office in D.C. alongside the other senators. Maybe something even more. This was supposed to be his legacy. And it would have been. If his father wasn’t a corrupt enabler of criminals.
“And you’re going along with it?” Bennett asked.
She stepped close, narrowing her eyes. “What I’m doing is not allowing you to use me,” she said.
Bennett scowled. “What’s that mean?”
“It means, I won’t be your excuse, Bennett. I won’t be a distraction that you can blame for not doing whatever this is that your family and everyone thinks you should do. I won’t be the reason that you’re not doing it. As far as everyone here is going to know, I’m on board. I’m behind you. I think you’ll make the best president this country’s ever seen.”
His scowl deepened and he moved closer. “You’re on board?”
“I don’t even know what it all is,” she said. “But if you have issues with your family, you need to deal with that straight on. I’m not going to help you run away from your problems. You brought me here to shock your mother and make a point. I’m your big rebellion. Well, I’m not doing that. As far as everyone here knows, including your father, I’m a sweet southern girl who just wants whatever is best for you.”
Bennett couldn’t describe the emotions going through him. He wanted to laugh and he wanted to yell. It occurred to him that if he wanted to be with this woman long-term, that mix of emotions might become the norm rather than the exception.
This was Kennedy. He should have known this wouldn’t be easy. Had he envisioned her coming here and being…her…flashing her tattoos and her black nail polish and making it obvious that he wanted something different and was going a new direction? Yeah.
He blew out a breath. That wasn’t the entire reason he’d wanted to bring her along. She just made him smile. She turned him on. He wanted her undivided attention, just as he’d told her. He’d wanted to get her naked. He’d wanted to get to know her better.
But was she supposed to be the flesh-and-blood proof of his new direction and that he clearly wasn’t going to be following in his father’s footsteps?
Yeah. That, too.
Which wasn’t fair.
“I didn’t realize that would all upset you,” he said, reaching for her hair. He took a strand between his thumb and finger, running down the length of the hair that curled at the end. “You do look beautiful. You always do. Guess you can pull anything off.”
“I was a pageant queen,” she said. “Changing clothes and makeup to affect people’s impression of me is a piece of cake.”
Crazy Rich Cajuns Page 10
