Kennedy opened her mouth to respond but…she had no idea what to say. Bennett was building an island that would help protect the Louisiana coast. With the shrinking barrier islands, the wetlands, the bayou, was at risk. The changes that they were already seeing would just continue and get worse. Kennedy’s own grandchildren might not be able to live in Autre if there was no protection. The open waters of the Gulf would pummel Autre and the towns around it. Unless someone stepped in. Unless someone did something.
“That’s amazing.” She wasn’t sure if she was more shocked that Bennett cared that much or that he had that much money.
The money thing, she realized only a second later. His affection for the bayou, the coast, and the people that lived and worked there was real. She’d seen it from the beginning. She’d teased him about it—what was an ivy league lawyer in shiny shoes doing down on the bayou anyway?—but she’d seen it.
“He’s impatient,” Charles said. “That’s a blessing and a curse working with Bennett. He gets stuff done. But he pushes everyone else to do the same and, in spite of being around politics all his life, he gets frustrated with how long bureaucracy takes sometimes.”
“What happens when he gets frustrated with it all?” she asked. He wouldn’t give up. She knew that. She wasn’t sure how she knew that, but she did. Bennett Baxter wasn’t a quitter. That was something else he had in common with the Landrys. None of them had ever walked away from something just because it was hard.
Charles and Teddy both chuckled. “He goes ahead with it anyway. Figures getting forgiven is easier than getting permission.”
“Really?” She’d seen the determined side of Bennett, but she’d never seen the rebellious side.
“He spent some time yelling at some people the other day and then moved some ships into place to start dumping sediment. They were stopped, of course, but he’s got most of the Louisiana state government going ’round in circles trying to figure out what exactly he did wrong and how to stop him. Which is complicated by the fact that they don’t really want to stop him. What he’s doing is great. He’s just not getting the right approvals first.”
“Why can’t whoever is supposed to approve it just approve it?” Kennedy asked. “That doesn’t seem that hard. Surely there’s someone in charge.”
“Actually, there are lots of someones in charge,” Teddy said, casting Charles a look. “Government isn’t—can’t be—run by just one person. It has to be done democratically.”
“There are people who don’t want Bennett to build this island that’s going to protect fish and wildlife and jobs and homes?” Kennedy asked.
“There are people who want…” Charles trailed off and sighed. “There are people who want to build the island—islands—themselves.”
“But they want to make money off of it somehow,” Teddy said with a scowl. “So they’re mucking things up to keep Bennett from being the first out there.”
“And the first to do it for free,” Kennedy guessed. “Because if he does it, then they won’t be able to justify charging money for it.”
“You’ve got it,” Teddy said.
“Well, good for Bennett,” Kennedy said, feeling something that felt a lot like affection for the shiny-shoed guy who’d denied her an orgasm just a little bit ago. Arrogantly. Without a hint of remorse. Yeah, they weren’t done talking about that. But the idea of Bennett building a freaking island and just doing it, whether all the government red tape was taken care of or not, made her tingly in a new way. “When something you love is being threatened, of course you want to just get in there and fix it. If protecting my home and the people I love required an island and I had the money and resources to build it, I’d just build a freaking island, too, and deal with the consequences later.”
“The consequences could be steep,” Charles said.
“But are they going to unbuild the island that’s protecting everything?” Kennedy volleyed back. “No. So he’ll have accomplished his goal.”
“He could face hefty fines. A ban on future building. Jail time,” Charles said. “He needs to learn some patience. It will get done, but he needs to play by the rules.”
Kennedy snorted at that. Then looked at the men. “Sorry. I just…I don’t spend a lot of time with people who let rules get in the way of doing the right thing.” She grimaced. Maybe she shouldn’t be admitting that.
“Is that right?” Charles asked.
“I just mean, my family would be the first to…I don’t know…take care of a hurt animal, for instance, and worry about it being an endangered animal that probably shouldn’t be sleeping on a dog bed in the living room later.” She looked back and forth between the men. “Just as an example.”
Charles cleared his throat and Teddy said, “Theoretically, of course. Right?”
“Of course.”
“You know,” Charles said. “Some people think that some of the tourism on the coast needs to be curbed.” Clearly, he was trying to change the subject a little.
Kennedy frowned. “But those people don’t really know what they’re talking about. Obviously.”
“No?”
“No. Tourism on the coast is incredibly important.”
“Some people think that having boatloads of people in and out of the bayou all day long just stirs things up a little, antagonizes some of the animals, tames some of the others—like the gators. They think it’s unbalancing the system out there.”
She thought she saw a little mischief around the edges of Charles’ supposed nonchalant look. Maybe he was baiting her, but she couldn’t help but reply.
“Yeah, well, I’m guessing you’re talking about the politicians who are paid to look the other way when the gas and oil industries go in there and ‘stir things up a little,’” she said, lifting her fingers in air quotes. “I’d say oil spills kind of antagonize the animals, wouldn’t you? And, of course, there’s all the people—engineers and scientists for the government, right?—who have been messing with the Mississippi up north. If anything, tourism, especially companies like ours, can help the coast.”
“How so?” Charles asked.
She didn’t really care at that point if he was being a smart-ass. She swung her feet to the ground and leaned in, bracing her hands on the edge of the lounge chair. “When we take people out hunting and fishing and camping, we teach them to respect the land and the ecosystem. We teach them about the animals and birds. We help them see the Cajun culture up close and personal. They meet the hardworking fishermen. They get to spend some time in our town and see how we live with the bayou. I promise you that they leave with a better understanding and a love for the place they didn’t have before.”
Charles was looking at her with a thoughtful look now. “And how does that help the environmental problems?”
“Well, for one thing, it keeps people coming back and telling their family and friends to come. That helps contribute to the nearly nineteen billion dollars that tourists and visitors spend in Louisiana each year,” she said.
He looked surprised.
“Oh, you didn’t know that? Yeah, besides coming to appreciate the state and things we’ve got that they can’t get anywhere else, those fifty-two million visitors to our great state every year help generate almost two billion dollars in tax revenue. And they help employ two hundred and thirty-seven thousand people.”
“I, um…” Charles cleared his throat. “Yes, I did know all of that, actually.”
Teddy coughed. It almost sounded like he was covering a laugh. But Kennedy didn’t look away from Charles.
“And, I can promise you that our visitors in Autre leave feeling connected to the place in a way that I think would make them agree that the coast needs to be saved and the bayou preserved.”
Kennedy took a deep breath, frowning. She’d never gone on about that before. But it was all true. People had to care about a place before they would defend it. Maybe not every person from Wyoming or Kansas or Pennsylvania that had visited Boys of the Ba
you would write a letter to the state government or the White House for them, but…some might.
Bennett didn’t, apparently, need money to actually build the island, but it sure wouldn’t hurt him to have more people supporting the idea and telling lawmakers to get behind it.
“You think that you could actually make a grassroots advocacy effort out of the Boys of the Bayou mailing list?” Charles asked. He didn’t sound like he was being sarcastic.
Kennedy nodded. “I do. I mean, it can’t hurt, right? If we make enough noise, we can get local people caring. Louisianans are proud people. If some guy in North Dakota can care about the bayou, then people in Baton Rouge sure can. And hell, at least we could flood the governor’s office with letters that say ‘Free Bennett’ if he ends up in jail, right?”
Teddy cough-laughed again.
Kennedy nodded. “One thing I do have a lot of experience in is making noise.”
Teddy grinned. “You’re a Cajun. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“So you really think you can make people care about the bayou?” Charles asked.
“Hell yes, I’ve been doing that all my life,” she said.
“It will take people with a lot of passion.”
She nodded. “The Landrys are perfect for that.”
Charles laughed. “Glad to hear it.”
“So, what do you do, Charles?” Kennedy finally asked, realizing she didn’t know much about the man.
“Oh, I’m—” He glanced at Teddy. “I’m in politics,” he finally said.
Kennedy rolled her eyes. “Of course you are.”
He laughed. “That obvious?”
“Just because you’re at this party,” she said. “I should have known. You a senator from Georgia or something?” Maybe he could introduce her to some influencers in Louisiana.
Kennedy frowned at that stray thought. Why did she want to meet politicians from Louisiana? That was Bennett’s thing. Her thing could be baking him a cake with a file in it if he ended up in the slammer. And conjugal visits. Because as creepy as that whole idea was, the guy who was building a freaking island to protect her home deserved some hot, rowdy, jailhouse sex.
“I’m…not,” Charles said.
“Just tell her,” Teddy said, with a chuckle.
“Tell me what?” Kennedy asked.
“I didn’t want to get into it. I wanted to hear your honest opinions without you knowing,” Charles told her.
“Without me knowing what?” Kennedy insisted.
“What I do for a living.”
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Kennedy said with an eye-roll. “What the fuck, Charles? Just tell me.”
“I’m the Governor of Louisiana.”
Kennedy stared at him, letting those words roll around in her head. He was the what? Of what?
“You’re the governor,” she repeated.
“Yes.”
“My governor.”
“Yep.”
Kennedy regarded the man who was seriously a really good Flip Cup player. “No shit,” she finally said.
“Seriously.”
“You’re kind of far from home, aren’t you?”
He nodded. “I’ve known Preston since I was in law school and attended a guest lecture he did. I’m here as a personal friend tonight. In part because Bennett is pissed at me and isn’t speaking to me right now.”
She frowned at him. “So you’re the one who isn’t approving Bennett building that island? You’re the one that might put him in jail?”
Charles’ eyes widened. “Well, um…” He cleared his throat. “I’m not going to put Bennett in jail. But I was hoping to talk him into slowing things down a little.” He looked at her with a small smile. “I don’t think that’s going to happen, though, now that I’ve met you.”
“You came out here to play a drinking game with me, hoping to bond with me and butter me up and get me to intervene with Bennett?” she asked. “That’s not cool.”
“I will admit the thought crossed my mind,” Charles said. “But it became quickly clear that you were not going to be an ally for me.”
“You’ve got that right,” she told him. “I don’t think I’m the right girl to talk to about slowing things down and making sure all the Ts are crossed.”
“No,” Charles agreed. “Definitely not an ally for me.” He grinned at her. “Because you’re very clearly the perfect ally for Bennett.”
Kennedy felt a little squeeze in her chest. An ally for Bennett. She liked that.
Bennett Baxter was a really good guy. And now she knew that he was more than a nerdy, scientist-wannabe who couldn’t even keep his footing in the bayou he was trying to save. She’d seen him fall in that beloved, dirty water more times than she could count. No, that wasn’t true. Nine. She’d seen him fall in the bayou nine times. But she’d thought he was pretty cute even then. Hell, when he’d stripped his shirt off to help put the new dock in, she’d almost tripped over her own tongue.
And now she knew he wasn’t just playing around on the airboats for fun. He was literally putting his knowledge and money and influence to work. He was willing to take personal and professional risks to save that bayou. Yeah, that was all really hot. She wasn’t sure she’d ever truly been turned on by a man’s mind and power before.
Bennett Baxter was definitely on a whole other level, and she was finally able to admit that she was a little intimidated by him and the things he knew and did that she had no clue about.
But it was also kind of exciting.
Bennett could get shit done. That was sexy as hell.
She and Bennett didn’t know each other very well, but she was also realizing that this trip to Savannah was helping her get to know herself a little better. Maybe she did have a thing. Maybe that thing was what she’d been doing all her life—loving the bayou and helping other people discover they loved it, too. And that it was worth preserving.
Maybe she and Bennett also really did have more in common than she’d thought.
And maybe having him around more wasn’t a completely terrible idea.
She sat back in the chaise and tucked her feet up under her skirt. She lay her cheek on the cushion and listened to Charles and Teddy talk. She wasn’t even sure about what. They just fell into conversation like two old friends do.
This had to be one of the most interesting evenings she’d had in a long time.
And as long as Charles didn’t ask her who she’d voted for in the last gubernatorial election, she’d be okay.
9
Bennett stepped back out onto the patio nearly three hours later than he’d expected to.
Fuck, the entire night had gotten away from him. That happened when he started talking to people who were into hearing what he had to say about his passions. And if Governor Ray had been faking his interest to butter Bennett up for future talks about campaigns and elected office…well, he’d done a great job. Bennett had really believed that the other man wanted to hear his ideas.
The issues in Georgia weren’t quite the same as what he was working on and pushing in Louisiana, but he had a passion for environmental protection in his home state as well. He knew there were good people there who could make a difference. But the government had to let them.
Bennett shoved a hand through his hair and took a deep breath of the summer night air. He let it go, letting the mix of frustration and optimism leave his shoulders. Business was over for the night. He owed a certain sassy brunette an orgasm. Or three.
He started toward the fireplace at the far end of the patio. He could see that some of the chairs in the area were still occupied. He hadn’t seen Kennedy or Teddy head inside. The back of his mother’s house was nearly all windows, and he’d been able to observe the game of Flip Cup as he stood talking to Governor Ray and assorted other stakeholders. He’d also heard the country party music every time someone opened the French doors going out or coming in from the backyard. He’d cast a few glances in his mother’s direction. She hadn�
��t looked pleased, but neither had she been shocked that her side of the family was getting a little loud.
He’d never been so grateful for his uncle Teddy and family. Kennedy had clearly fit right in with them, and it gave her a group to hang out with while he was with the governor. He really did intend to spend this weekend with her. This was about having time to really show her that they should give this thing between them a try. He knew that she didn’t believe they had any business talking long-term, but he was going to change her mind.
Of course, he needed to be with her to do that.
She’d seemed fine with him spending dinner at the other end of the table. But that was Kennedy. She was easygoing. Almost to a fault. She was a challenge and a handful in many ways, but she was also hard to truly rile up. She put a good face on it sometimes. She ranted at her brothers and bitched about them not checking schedules and so on. She also loved to give her grandfather and his cronies shit. But none of it was very sincere. She loved her life and loved the people in it and handled everything with barely a hair out of place.
She would have made a great CEO, if that had been her calling. If she’d maybe been born somewhere else, into a different family. She could have run a company with one hand tied behind her back. Her sharp tongue, quick wit, sense of humor, and that look she could give that said, My God, you’re a dumbass would have kept people in line and working hard.
But she was a bayou girl. Instead of running a company, she kept her family running. He knew that she didn’t see it that way. She saw them as a bunch of people she had to put up with and the things she did as just stuff she had to do. From scheduling at the company, to ordering supplies, to protecting them from bad news when she could, to convincing the wildlife authorities that the gray wolf was hers, not Tori’s, to helping in the big kitchen when everyone descended on Ellie’s on the weekends to relax and kick back and enjoy some great food, drink, and company, she did it all for them. With them. Without a second thought.
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