“Going to be mayor and bring in Walmart, McDonald’s and Pizza Hut,” he said, interrupting her. “I got it. Now be a good kid and warm up my food while I’m in the shower.” He entered his room and closed the door.
Of course that didn’t stop her from continuing the conversation. The sound of her voice carried through the wooden door. “I really feel bad for the lady who wanted to sell that land. I heard she could have made ten million dollars off it.”
Sawyer reopened the door. “Who told you that?”
“Mitzi Perry’s mother.”
Sawyer had heard that as well and didn’t have to wonder how Ms. Perry got wind of it. The gossip train was at work. “Things don’t always work out the way we want them to, hon,” he said.
“I heard she was pretty.”
He lifted a brow. “Who?”
“The lady who can’t sell her land. I heard she also drives a real sporty car. A red convertible.”
He wondered where she’d heard that from and decided not to ask. But however she came about her information it was the truth. As far as he was concerned Vashti Alcindor was more than just pretty. She was gorgeous. If he wasn’t sure of it before he was definitely certain of it now. “I’m going to take a shower, Jade.”
“I was hoping to work at the resort one day, Dad. It was going to be my summer job. And I was going to take advantage of those free lessons and the spa and all the cute tennis players that would have come to town to stay there.”
She’d had him feeling a little sorry for her until she mentioned the cute tennis players. This was the first time she’d hinted at being interested in boys. Big boys. Tennis-playing boys. Older and conceited athletes who wouldn’t waste any time seducing an innocent sixteen-year-old. “Don’t forget to warm up my food,” he said, then closed the door again.
“That Mr. Lacroix thinks he owns this town. People always go along with what he wants. That’s going to change when I become mayor.” Her voice was coming in loud and clear through the door.
“I hear you,” he said, yelling loud enough to make sure she knew he had responded but not giving the impression he was agreeing with what she said, although she was partly right about some of the townspeople going along with whatever Reid Lacroix said.
Like tonight for instance. He didn’t know the man’s motive, but for Lacroix to officially welcome Ms. Alcindor to town in front of everyone assured that the people in town would welcome her as well. If anyone still had an issue about her before, they wouldn’t now.
All was quiet, which meant Jade had moved away from the door. Finally. Good. She’d been on a roll. Not that he thought it was over but for now she’d run out of steam. Tomorrow when she got home from school she would be refueled again after discussing it with her friends. And now she was thinking about returning to the cove after college in Nevada. Imagine that.
He knew not to count on it because his daughter was just in the moment. After college she would go wherever opportunities knocked. That would be the smart thing to do and he wasn’t raising a dummy. She wanted to be a doctor so he couldn’t see her coming back here working at the cove’s small hospital while alternating at the mayor gig. He smiled at the thought of that.
As he stepped into the shower beneath the spray of water he thought about Vashti Alcindor and what his daughter had said about her. Tonight he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her and more than once she’d caught him staring and stared back. If eyes could talk he wondered what theirs would have said.
Lathering his hair, he knew it was crazy. He was still attracted to the woman. How could he think of her in a sexual way when day after tomorrow he would be spending the afternoon in bed with Leesa. He’d never left her arms disappointed and doubted he would. But...
He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower stall and as he dried himself off, it wasn’t Leesa’s features he was seeing in his mind but those of Vashti Alcindor. Tonight while sitting there he had studied them, every single detail. He’d been in Catalina Cove long enough to know all about the Creoles in the area, specifically in the cove. They made up over ninety percent of the town’s population. He had to admit that the cove was the most diverse group of people he’d ever known.
Before taking the job he had read everything he could about the Louisiana Creoles. He knew how both white refugees and free people of color found sanctuary in the bayous. Some lived peacefully among the Native Americans. A mixture of French, Spanish and African heritages. They had come together, united to create their own culture: the Louisiana Creole. They still considered themselves as one cultural unit, although their legacies were different. It was obvious Reid Lacroix had French ancestry while Trudy liked to boast of her Spanish birthright. He would bet Vashti Alcindor was a mixture of all three—French, Spanish and African. He would even throw part Native American into the mix.
She had soft brown eyes, long eyelashes, high cheekbones, shoulder-length dark brown hair and skin the color of rich mocha. Her full lips were a total turn-on and he thought her nose was the perfect shape and size for her face.
He’d noticed all that the day he’d given her a ticket, so why had he concentrated on them at the meeting and why was he thinking about her features now? He could be having an attack of lust, but surely he was too old for such ailments. He’d gone three years without a woman after Johanna, and probably would have gone longer had he not hooked up with Leesa. Sex was never something that had driven him even during his bachelor days when he’d dated his fair share of women. He’d been more into a career in the military than anything else. After marrying Johanna they had enjoyed a good sex life because more than anything they were always making up for lost time. He was convinced returning-home-from-deployment sex was the best kind.
During the first six years of their marriage he was active-duty military. The hardest thing was being shipped off for a year and leaving Johanna in her fourth month of pregnancy. When complications arose and Johanna was ordered bed rest until after the baby was born, he appreciated her best friend, Erin, staying with her during that time. He had returned home to a very healthy six-month-old daughter.
Sawyer had fallen in love with Jade the moment he’d seen her, and he’d known what total happiness was. He, who never had a family to call his own, had finally gotten one. On that day while holding his daughter for the first time, he had promised Johanna that he would be the best father any child could ever have.
That’s why I love you so much, Dad. You’re the best.
As he got dressed he took comfort in the words Jade had spoken tonight, knowing he was keeping his promise to Johanna. He was taking care of their little girl and trying to be the best father she could ever have.
* * *
REID LACROIX DIDN’T know the words to the song playing on the stereo system. The only thing he knew was that it had been one of Roberta’s favorites and she played it often. He recalled the song had been playing somewhere in the house the night she’d died. He was sure of it. After Julius’s death she had tried stopping her chemo treatment but he wouldn’t let her. He’d convinced her to finish all her sessions by saying that’s what Julius would have wanted. But he hadn’t been able to coax his wife into fighting for her life. The chemo really hadn’t done her any good because she’d given up the fight.
It was times like these when he sat alone in the living room parlor with the
