you are.”
Jewel glanced up and over her shoulder and smiled. “Good morning.”
“I see you’ve been busy.” Minerva stepped fully onto the veranda.
“A little.” She laughed, but then her expression turned somber. “How’s Dad?”
“Resting. I’m going to get him his breakfast shortly. I know he’ll be happy to get one of your famous muffins to go with it.”
“Hmm.” She lowered her gaze.
Minerva sat down next to Jewel and placed a comforting hand on her knee. “There are going to be bad days,” she said softly. “You can’t let it overwhelm you. And...as hard as it is for us to accept, there will be more bad days than good.”
Jewel dragged in a breath. “I know,” she whispered. She turned to Minerva. “I’m scared, Minny.”
“Of course you are. But it’s going to be all right. It will. What you have to do is remember that and be the strong woman that he raised you to be. That’s what he needs now.”
Jewel slowly shook her head. “I don’t know if I can. We’re going broke, and fast. How will I take care of him, this house—you?”
Minerva frowned. “I thought you were going to let them do the film. They were willing to pay a pretty big sum, from what I remember you telling me.”
“I turned them down.”
“Why on earth would you do that?”
“After yesterday’s episode with Dad, I realized that it would be too much for him, too much disturbance. I couldn’t risk that.”
Minerva was pensive for a moment. “It that the real reason?”
“What do you mean? Of course it is. What other reason could I have?”
“Maybe it’s because you aren’t ready to reconnect with the world or forgot how. Your father has withdrawn—and not by choice. You, on the other hand, decided to live this life.”
“He’s my father! What choice did I have?”
“Taking care of your father is one thing—not living your own life is quite another.” She pushed up from her spot and looked down at Jewel. “It’s your decision. Make sure you come to it for the right reason. Your father is going to go through what he will go through whether you let them film here or not.” She patted Jewel’s stiff shoulder and walked back inside the house.
Jewel glanced at the confident face of Craig Lawson staring up at her from the newspaper, almost as if he was challenging her. Was Minerva right? Was it her father that she was trying to protect—or herself from the soul-stirring attraction she felt for Craig Lawson?
* * *
While his team scrambled to get the project back on track and into his good graces, Craig headed out. He was unaccustomed to not getting what he wanted when he wanted it. He never allowed anything or anyone to stop him cold—Jewel Fontaine would not become the exception. Everyone had a price, something that could be bargained for. All he needed to do was find out what Jewel’s something was. He fastened his seat belt, put the Suburban in gear and pulled out of the hotel garage.
As he cruised along the streets of New Orleans, the landscape of his youth unfolded in front of him. A great deal had changed since he was last here. Signs of gentrification were evident everywhere that he looked, from the small neighborhood shops that had transformed into internet cafés and outdoor eateries to the once debilitated homes that were in the throes of restoration. He was sure it was great for business—but whose business, and where did the people that once owned and lived here go? That was the story that he wanted to tell, the real history of his home and the people who made it.
His dashboard lit with an incoming call. He pressed the phone icon, and Anthony’s voice came through the speakers.
“Yeah, Tony, what’s up?”
“Where did you go off to?”
“I’ll tell you about it when I get back.”
“Paul and Diane are out scouting the alternate locations. I should have some news this afternoon.”
“All right. Stay on it. I’ll be back to the hotel in a couple of hours.”
“You’re going to see Ms. Fontaine, aren’t you?”
Craig bit back a smile. He never could hide much from Anthony. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Why are you so dead set on this place? I know it fits the specs, but there are plenty of places to choose from without having to twist the owner’s arm to do it. So I know there has to be another reason.”
“I don’t like being told no. Reason enough?”
“If you say so. Just know that I know you, and I know better. Good luck.”
He snorted a laugh. “’Preciate it.” He disconnected the call.
Anthony was right. It wasn’t as cut-and-dried as being told no, even though that was a big part of it. If he would allow himself a moment of honesty, he would admit that the real reason was that he wanted to see her again. See if on the morning after, she still managed to seep into his pores and flow through his veins. Best way to do that was face-to-face. He took a quick glance at the folder on the passenger seat. The documents inside, once signed, would give him access to the mansion and Jewel Fontaine for the next two months. He had no plans to return to the hotel empty-handed again.
The ride over to the Garden District, where Jewel lived, was about a twenty-minute ride from the center of town. Her home was on the edge of the district, set back and away from the street in a cul-de-sac that separated it from view of other homes in the area, which was ideal for the project.
He made his approach to the Garden District. This historic location was home to the some of the most iconic mansions in the state, all of which had been plantations during slavery. Anne Rice, of vampire fame, had a house there, along with the likes of football giant Peyton Manning, who grew up in the district.
Craig turned onto Prytania Street, which was lined with homes in the Gothic style. He reached the end of the lane and turned down the winding path that led to the Fontaine home. An unexpected knot of anxiety suddenly twisted in his gut when the mansion came into view. Or was it anticipation?
He took the path slowly and came to a stop at the top of the line of trees that umbrellaed the grounds. He turned off the ignition. For a few moments, he sat in the car, staring at the old-world majesty of the home and imagining the rich history that slept behind the walls and wafted among the rafters. What did the beautiful and difficult Jewel Fontaine add to that picture?
Craig snatched the folder from the passenger seat, got out and strode purposefully toward the sweeping entrance. Just as he put his booted foot on the first step of the landing, the double front door opened.
Jewel stood framed in the doorway, a mixture of past grandeur and present-day class.
Craig didn’t realize that he’d actually frozen midstep until she spoke his name.
“Mr.
