Tangled Up In You (Fleur de Lis Book 1)

by A. L. Vincent

  “No,” Emily said with a smile. “The whole thing.”

  “I can work you up an estimate tonight. Give you a call tomorrow. Just materials.”

  “That’s too generous. I can’t let you do that.”

  “Don’t. Just feed me, and we’ll call it good. Fair trade.”

  “But,” she started to protest.

  “Darlin’, I loved Grams and Pops too. I wouldn’t dream of taking money to fix this place up.”

  Emily smiled. “All right, then.”

  “Good. Now, what do you have planned for tomorrow night?” he asked.

  “I don’t really have anything planned. Why?”

  “Carly called me earlier. She’s coming in this weekend to work on Snapper’s. We have a lot of work to do before the grand opening next month. The rest are coming too. We’re meeting at the inn tomorrow night.”

  “That sounds fun. I haven’t seen everyone in forever.”

  “Great. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

  “Yeah, tomorrow.”

  Emily started to walk to her car and then remembered the rusting cast iron pot on the stove. She turned and jogged back up the porch steps. Noah looked at her quizzically.

  “Grams’ pot,” she said.

  “Oh, yeah. Now you can really do some cooking,” he said when she returned with it under one arm.

  “Definitely. Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Definitely,” Noah replied.

  Emily’s heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her eyes. Feeling awkward, she glanced back up. Unsure of what to say, she just smiled and turned and walked to the car.

  ***

  Noah

  Noah watched as Emily drove off. She had left the door unlocked, so Noah did a slow walk-through of the house. He had grown up in this house as well. If he closed his eyes, he could hear Pops’ booming and easy laugh. How many football games had he watched in this living room? Depending on the time, Grams would have finger foods, a huge meal, or both, depending on the game. The Super Bowl always garnered a feast to feed a small army, or a few hungry men. How they had yelled at the coaches, the players, the referees, each other.

  He walked to the kitchen. The other place he had spent many hours. He had no idea how many meals Grams had fed him.

  “If you keep hangin’ out here, I’m gonna claim you on my taxes, cher,” she joked, hitting him with a kitchen towel.

  “I just can’t keep away from you.”

  “Oh, you!” She blushed and hit him with the towel again.

  He walked over to the bar where he had sat when he told them he had enlisted. Grams had smiled even though he could see the tears in her eyes.

  “Oh, you’re going to have such an adventure!” she had said.

  “If you only knew, Grams,” he said aloud toward the ceiling. “If you only knew.”

  He closed his eyes against the pain and walked out the back door. It was time to get to work.

  Chapter Seven

  Emily

  Glinda waved to Emily from the front porch of the inn. “Emily!” she called. “Come on up. Have a cup of tea with me.”

  Emily smiled and waved back. “Coming!” She walked up the steps and glanced at the rocking chairs. After the walk-through of the house, Emily had returned to walk Oscar on the beach. She was on the way back to the cabin when Glinda spotted them.

  After a quick hug, Glinda said, “Have a seat, girl, and I’ll grab you some tea. Are you hungry? You look hungry.”

  “You don’t have to go out of your way for me, Glinda. I can get some tea myself if you tell me where everything is.”

  “Nonsense. You sit.”

  Obediently, Emily took a seat. Surprisingly enough, Oscar did too. Emily rocked slowly back and forth in the rocking chair, staring out at the blue water. The rhythm of the rocking and the familiarity of home were comforting.

  Within moments, Glinda was back with a tray. She set the tray down on the white wicker stand between the rocking chairs. Emily saw that Glinda had included a few croissants and beignets on the tray with the tea. Emily’s stomach growled.

  Glinda smiled and said, “I told you that you looked hungry.”

  Croissants or beignets? What a choice. She loved both. She decided to go with a croissant first. The beignets could be dessert.

  “So, tell me all about what you’ve been up to,” Glinda said.

  “Long story,” she said.

  “I got nothing but time,” Glinda said, smiling. “No tourists here today, nothing pressing to do.”

  “It’s not good, Glinda,” Emily said.

  Glinda reached over and patted Emily’s hand. “I’m here for you if you need.”

  Emily’s eyes watered. She raised the glass of tea, and the familiar smell took her right back to Grams’ kitchen.

  “This is Grams’!” she exclaimed.

  Glinda smiled back. “Yes, it is. She gave me the recipe as a gift when I opened this place. I figured you could use a cup of it.”

  Emily felt her lip quiver. She closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of the tea. With every inhale of the cloves, the orange, and the cinnamon, she could feel her grandmother’s love.

  She exhaled a shaky breath and looked at Glinda. “Thank you.”

  Glinda smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  “I’m leaving Eddie,” Emily said, saying the words aloud for the first time.

  “It’s not something that can be fixed?” Glinda asked.

  “He’s bleeding me dry. He drinks all day. Takes my money if I don’t hide it. Has cleaned out our joint account more than once, despite my calls to the bank. If he knew about Grams’ money, he would have found a way to take that too!”

  “Then, yes, girl. You have to do something. I figured there were problems when he didn’t come with you to Ben’s funeral last year.”

  “There was no way I was bringing him here. I couldn’t bear it if he embarrassed me. Not here. And he expressed no interest in coming anyway.”

  “You know, if you are going to divorce, you should do it soon. If he does find out about Ruby’s money, he will try to get it. And if he does, there may be nothing you can do about it legally. We can ask Daniel if he knows a good attorney.”

  “That would be great. Thanks, Glinda. I’m just so ready to get this over and done with.”

  “I know you are, dear. Now, you didn’t run into Noah this morning, did you? I saw him out for his morning run. He’s quite a good-looking man. And employed. My, if I were a few years younger, I’d be on that like white on rice.”

  Emily laughed. “I did see Noah this morning.”

  “And?” Glinda asked.

  “He met me at the house.”

  “And?” Glinda asked again.

  “He’s going to help me with it.”

  “Well, whatever you need, we’re here for you. Whatever it is you need.”

  “What I need right now is one of those beignets,” Emily said, grabbing one off the tray.

  “Take it. And if you’re still hungry after that, I’ll cook you a real breakfast. An omelet with all the fixin’s, hash browns, biscuits, gravy, whatever you want.”

  “I don’t think I’ll need all that. But thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome, girl, you’re very welcome. It’s so good to have you home.”

  Emily eyed the gulf and longed for the feel of the sand beneath her feet and the sun on her face. “Glinda?” she asked. “Do you have any good books?”

  “I sure do. I do a lot of reading in the off-season. C’mon with me, we’ll get you a few.”

  Soon, Emily was off across the beach, a beach bag full of books and sunscreen slung over one arm. She had a foldable beach chair under the other arm. Emily set the beach chair firmly into the sand. Shoes off and eyes closed, she enjoyed the feel of the sand between her toes. The ocean breeze was cool, she would need to keep a jacket on, but the sun was warm.

  She nestled into the beach chair and opened the book. The book was a popular o
ne. It was about a woman’s quest for finding herself, finding balance, and finding love. Emily could identify with the first two. Love? Not so much. Emily had no interest in that. But she did need to find herself. Somewhere along the way, she had lost the essence of herself. And it was time to figure out what she wanted. What would make her happy? What would make Emily Thibodeaux Breaux happy?

  First of all, losing Breaux would probably make her happy. She would definitely go back to her old name when the divorce went through. When she could file for a divorce, that is. She wanted to be darn sure Eddie couldn’t touch any of the money she had left.

  Emily laid the opened book on her belly and stared out at the waves. What did she want? The question was as broad as the expanse of the water she stared at. Did she want to look for a different job? What kind? Cooking? Open a business like she had always wanted? How?

  The questions ebbed and flowed, wearing her down. So many questions, not enough answers. She exhaled a deep breath and picked up the book again. She didn’t know if she’d find any answers, but at least she might find some peace.

  Her phone beeped, signaling a text message. She picked up the phone and looked at the number. It was Eddie. She turned the phone off. She’d deal with him later. She sighed, closed her eyes, and drifted off.

  Chapter Eight

  Leaving for the inn, Emily patted Oscar on the head. “Stay here, boy, I’ll be back in a little bit. I’ll bring you back something, I promise.”

  Oscar cocked his head sideways and barked. Emily took that to mean “You better.”

  When Emily stepped out of the cabin, she instantly wished for a hoodie. The wind had picked up and there was a definite chill in the air that carried the scent of burning wood. Glinda must have started a fire.

  Emily walked faster. Soon, she was knocking on the door.

  Daniel opened the door, and Emily’s stomach growled again at the smell of food.

  “Come on in out of the cold, cher. Where’s your coat?”

  “I forgot it.”

  “Come stand by the fire a minute, warm up. Glinda’s got a spread laid out for dinner in the main room. She’s been cooking all day.”

  “Daniel?” Glinda said, stepping out of the kitchen. “Is that Emily?”

  “Yes,” Daniel said. “We’re getting her warmed up.”

  “Well, get her a plate!”

  Emily smiled. Like Grams, Glinda thought that everyone was always starving.

  Emily followed Daniel into the main room where a fire blazed in the fireplace. The room hadn’t changed much in the years Emily had been gone. The furniture had been updated. The front wall was still lined with small tables by French doors that had views of the water. Customers of the inn frequently ate dinner there, or had drinks from the well-stocked bar that lined the opposite wall. Bookcases flanked the fireplace, filled with books that customers could read in the big, comfortable sofas and chairs. Emily’s attention was drawn to the long table by the bar that held a bounty in covered silver serving trays heated by small burners. A stack of plates and silverware was on one end.

  “Fix you a plate,” Daniel said. “Do you want to something to drink? I’ll fix it.”

  “I’d love a Crown and Coke,” Emily said.

  “Okay. I’ll get it. You get you something to eat.”

  Emily took her time, taking the lids off each of the dishes, relishing the smells. Each different spicy smell took her back years. There was seafood gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, potato salad, French bread, and corn macque choux. Everything Emily had loved as a child. Emily decided she’d savor each one. She started with just a bowl of seafood gumbo and grabbed a thick slice of French bread to go with it.

  Daniel was waiting at one of the tables with her drink.

  “That’s all you got?” he asked.

  Emily smiled. “For now.” She stirred the gumbo, breathing in the heavenly smell of seafood and dark roux.

  “This is incredible,” she said after a sip. “I’ve missed Glinda’s cooking.”

  “Actually,” Daniel said, “Joey made that one.”

  “Joey?”

  “Yes, he’s turned into quite the cook. We keep telling him that he should go to New Orleans or something, but he doesn’t.”

  “What about everyone else? How is everyone doing? Catch me up before they get here tonight.” She didn’t know when exactly they’d all lost touch. Last time she’d seen them all was last year when Ben died. They didn’t have much time to visit then, and the promises they’d made to all get together soon were never kept.

  “They’re all coming. Except Noah. He got called on an emergency out at Ms. Jameson’s house,” Daniel said. “Gabe should be here soon. He left from Austin a few hours ago. He’s been playing music there.” Emily had known about Noah, he had sent her a text, but said he might be along later if he got finished.

  Emily smiled, remembering Gabriel, Grace, and Benjamin’s garage band. They had spent many hours in Noah’s parents’ garage practicing and had gotten pretty good. Good enough to get gigs at some of the local bars. Grace had a singing voice reminiscent of a young Bonnie Raitt. Gabe just had a natural, smooth way with the guitar. Benjamin had rounded out the group on the drums.

  “Ryder and Grace are semi-roommates, so they’re coming together.”

  Emily looked up from her gumbo. “Semi-roommates?”

  “Ryder works in New Orleans and stays there during the week. He comes back here on the weekend. Hates the big town. If he’s not off somewhere riding bulls, he usually comes home and chases women over in St. Andrew Parish.”

  Some things never change. Ryder had always been the charmer of the group. The risk taker. He liked to drive fast, live fast, and chase fast women.

  “Carly’s been living in Biloxi, working at a casino and living with her fiancé. They’re set to tie the knot soon. A big blow-out in Biloxi from what I hear from Glinda. His family comes from money. Joey went to pick her up so that they could get some stuff for the renovation of the bar. They’ll be back soon as well. If they don’t get into an argument.”

  “Grandma?” Gabriel called as he came through the front door.

  “Gabriel?” Glinda came out of the kitchen to greet him with a hug.

  Gabe kissed Glinda on the cheek. “Good evening, Grandma.”

  “Hi, baby. How are you?”

  “I’m okay, Grandma. I just talked to Ryder, he’s just out of town. He and Grace will be here soon. Carly and Joey coming back soon?”

  “Yeah, and Emily’s here.”

  “Emily?” Gabriel said, and turned to greet her with a hug.

  “Hi, Gabriel.”

  “How are you?”

  “I’m good.”

  “That’s great. It’s good to see you! We’re going to catch up, but we’ll wait until everyone gets here. They’ll want to see you as well. Hi, Daniel,” he said as he sat down at the table. He nodded at the newspaper in front of Daniel. “Anything good in the news? I’ve been out of touch in Austin.”

  Daniel took a sip of his coffee. “You should find this funny. An officer in Point Shade accidentally shot himself last night while on patrol.”

  “Seriously?” Gabe asked. “How do you shoot yourself?”

  Daniel said, “I don’t know. But he did, and according to this article, the officer isn’t going to be quite the same in his…” he cleared his throat “…manly parts. At least that’s the story.”

  Emily had to keep herself from spewing her drink.

  “Manly parts?” Gabriel asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Yes.”

  “Where does St. Andrew find these people?” he asked. “Do they just let anyone carry around a Cracker Jack badge and a gun? Do they even train them? Ask for a diploma?”

  St. Andrew was the parish next door to Raphael Parish, in which Bon Chance was located. It was a parish known for ineptitude and corruption, run by the Moutons. It was like Orleans Parish’s slightly less sophisticated, more redneck, younger brother. Good ol�
� boy system gone bad.

  Daniel shook his head. “Who knows? Someone’s little brother probably needed a job, so they put him to work. It’s gotten worse since the oil spill. The Moutons are putting relatives in jobs they’re not qualified for. I’m just glad they’re over there.”

  “True.”

  Emily eyed Gabriel over the bowl of gumbo. His curly light brown hair was swept back to the side. He had the face of a movie star, all angles and strong cheekbones. His deep green eyes were wide and expressive. The goatee was a new addition. He wore a t-shirt from an Austin night club and blue jeans. Still tall and skinny, he looked like a starving artist. A very handsome starving artist.

  Emily sipped the drink and considered getting another bowl of gumbo, or jambalaya, or red beans and rice. She was eyeing the table when the door opened again.

  A younger blonde walked in, followed by a dark haired man of the same age. Carly and Joey. Grace and Ryder followed. Now everyone was here. Everyone except Noah. And Benjamin, Emily thought, wincing as her heart contracted. A year later, Ben’s loss still hurt.

  “If he thinks I’m going to sit here and be sad, he’s got another thing coming. He can be replaced,” Carly said, flopping down on one of the couches.

  “What are you talking about, cher?” Daniel asked, getting up from the table.

  “Don’t get her started,” Joey said. He went to the bar, poured himself a big shot, then fixed a drink.

  “Drink this,” he said, handing the drink to Carly.

  Uncomfortable, Emily grabbed her own drink and went to stand beside the fireplace. In the commotion of the others’ arrival and whatever had happened with Carly, no one noticed her presence.

  “Well, isn’t she a ray of sunshine,” Ryder said to Gabriel as he shook Gabriel’s hand.

  “Who is?” Carly said, blue eyes flashing. “You didn’t just walk in on your fiancé all fragrance de lecto.”

  “Do you mean in flagrante delicto?” Daniel asked.

  “Yeah, whatever,” Carly said. “I caught him naked.”