“I didn’t even think about the fact that they had Rene as my emergency contact.” Cricket’s fingers crumpled the tissue in her hand. “I hate being treated like a child.”
“Rene didn’t mean what he said,” Sylvie replied. She had to smooth things over or they would be right back to yelling at each other. It was obvious this tension had been building for a long time, but she had to get them all through the board vote or their lives would look very different on the other side.
Cricket paused, looking up at Louis before she turned back to Sylvie. It made Sylvie wonder how much they’d talked while she’d been gone. “He did mean it. Perhaps he should have said it in kinder words, but he was right about some things. I have been acting like a kid trying to keep something from my parent. In some ways, that was part of the excitement of it, having something secret for a while. I should have announced that Louis and I were seeing each other and gotten it all out in the open. Then he would have known that I was the one who gave Louis that stock tip. I wanted him to show Rene he didn’t need any money. I knew how Rene would react.”
Yet Rene had married a civil servant who had little cash. “Yes, I definitely believe that talking to Rene would have been better. We need to do that going forward. My question is, what could Charles have told him that would make him want to break off a relationship that up until that moment he’d wanted quite badly?”
“Charles can be ruthless.” Louis moved into the parlor, Cricket following him. “I suspect it has something to do with you.”
She thought so, too, but couldn’t come up with what he could have found out about her that he could hold over her head. “Whatever he says he has, let him bring it on. If he thinks he can run someone against me in the next election, I’d like to see that candidate. Whoever it is will try to sit through our first town hall–style debate and then run.”
Town halls tended to devolve into craziness. And sometimes fight club.
“Rene would be worried he could cost you your career.” Cricket sank down on the antique sofa, offering Louis the place beside her. “Didn’t he say something about losing everything? Do you think he’s going to let Charles have the job?”
“I think he would do almost anything to save this house,” Louis mused.
“Unless it would hurt his wife, and then he would give it all up in a heartbeat.” Cricket’s healthy hand slid across the arm of the sofa, as though she was remembering all the good times she’d had in this room. “As he should. If there was one thing I could say to him right now, I would let him know how proud I am of him for trying to take care of his wife.”
It was good that Cricket was going to raise her son’s spirits since Sylvie was going to give him a long lecture about not talking to his wife. They could probably solve the entire situation with a nice conversation, but he would have to be around physically or answer his phone in order to do it. “I’m glad you’re willing to talk to him. I’m sure he feels terrible about the situation. He’s in a bad place, and I’m worried he’s been there for a while.”
“Because of everything that’s happened in the last few years,” Louis agreed. “I’m worried Rene’s felt pressure for so long that he doesn’t acknowledge it anymore. He’s got a lot of balls in the air, and the people he loves will be hurt if he drops a single one of them. That kind of pressure can get to a man. It can make him suspicious.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Cricket insisted.
“I should have told him. He trusted me and I broke that trust. Look, it is our relationship, Cricket. But I know Rene. I knew how he would feel, and I wanted to avoid that conflict for as long as possible. He deserved to know that his right-hand man was dating his mother. I have a relationship with him, too. I want to keep my relationship with him, so I’ve got work to do.” Louis looked Sylvie’s way. “Do you know about what’s happening with the bids?”
She wasn’t sure how much Rene would want her to talk about this. He’d left Louis out for a reason. Sylvie might not agree with it, but she had to honor her husband’s wishes. “I know something of it.”
“He didn’t trust me with the last one. They did it with Lowestone, too. I saw our winning bid and it was lower than the one I put in the computer. He found out about it and changed the bid. That must have hurt Charles quite badly with the company he was working for,” Louis said. “It’s probably why he decided to throw a Hail Mary. He knows his time is running out. The next time a board vote comes up, Rene will know what to look for. Does Rene think I’m working with Charles?”