“That sounds like my sister,” Celeste said, nodding to the maid, who slipped out of the room. Celeste straightened up. “Angie and I are going to church and then to a meeting with the florist. It won’t be too long now before she’s walking down the aisle.”
Angie smiled, a soft pink flushing her skin. “Sometimes it seems like it’s coming so fast. I want to remember it all.”
His cousin seemed sweet, and he’d liked her fiancé. Austin was a lawyer in New Orleans. They’d met through a mutual friend and dated for a few years before he’d popped the question. “The church secretary is looking forward to it. I believe she called it the social event of the year.”
“Precisely why we need our Harry to make the gazebo beautiful again,” Celeste said. She frowned briefly Angie’s way. “Darling, don’t forget you have a fitting on Tuesday. You don’t want too many carbs.”
Angie’s face fell so briefly if Harry hadn’t been looking at her, he would have missed that expression of shame that took over before she was right back to placid. As her mother continued to talk about how Harry would save the day, Angie’s napkin made an appearance and she pushed her barely touched plate out of the way.
“So what are you doing today, Harry?” his aunt asked. “I understand you can’t get the raw materials for the project until next week. You should get out and see a bit of the town. Angie, don’t you have a friend who can show him around? Not that little fat one. And not the boring one. Maybe we could ask one of your sorority sisters to come down for the afternoon.”
It seemed like everyone was going to try to set him up. Shep had given up on the human conversation and had settled himself at Harry’s feet. “I think I can take a look around on my own.”
“I’ll take him out this evening, Mother.” Calvin yawned as he walked in and made a heaping plate for himself.
“Maybe you should think about staying in once in a while, son.” Celeste’s tone had gone frosty.
His cousin was wearing the same clothes he’d worn the night before, but Cal didn’t seem to care that he was doing the walk of shame. Cal merely gestured for the maid to fill his coffee cup as he took a place at the other end of the table from his mother. “Why would I do that? You’re the one who told me a young man should have a social life. Thank you, Annemarie.”
The maid nodded and disappeared again.
Harry wondered if she hovered right outside the door, waiting to be called on. It was weird and made him feel awkward since he was perfectly capable of getting his own coffee. It was good to connect with his family, but he was never going to fit in here.
“We have different definitions of that term, son.” A thick layer of frost had come over his aunt’s voice. “When I discussed you having a social life, I meant attending parties and meeting the right people. I did not mean barhopping with lowlifes. You know how I feel about those Guidrys and yet you hang out at that bar all the time.”
“It’s a restaurant.” If Cal was bothered by the ice his momma was sending his way, he didn’t show it. “And Zep is a friend of mine. I know you don’t understand the concept of friends and raised us to view people as chess pieces to use or discard based on their social status, but we can’t all be as perfect as you.”
Celeste leaned forward as though she was about to give her son a full-on lecture, but she seemed to remember they weren’t alone. She gave Harry a tight smile before sitting back in her chair. “Well, you know how best to spend your time. You seem to know everything at the tender age of twenty-seven. Of course, at your age I was already married and had you, but certainly the younger generation knows better.”
A smirk hit his cousin’s face. “Yes, I certainly do since I managed to not get tied down with a whining, stinky kid so far. I can say that because I’m talking about me. Angie was a sweet baby, and we all know Wes was perfect.”
The very name seemed to make the whole room freeze in place. Even Shep seemed to understand something had gone wrong. He lifted his head and Harry reached down to put a hand on the dog.
Cal set his mug on the table. “I’m sorry, Mom. I promise I’ll take Harry out tonight and we won’t go near Guidry’s. And I’ll have him back at a decent hour. I don’t think Harry wants to be set up yet. Let’s give him a chance to settle in before you start parading proper young women in front of him.”