Butterfly Bayou (Butterfly Bayou 1)

“It’s almost the other way around.” Zep put a glass of white wine in front of Lila. “They figured you were interested in Remy, so you wouldn’t reject them.”

“Reject them?” She was actively trying to recruit these people as patients. She was the one facing rejection. Tons and tons of rejection. “I need them.”

Zep set down Lisa’s beer. “I don’t know if you are aware, but this is small-town Louisiana. We are not known for being the most cosmopolitan of people. Tourists come through to enjoy the food and the bayou, and they often gawk at us like we’re some sort of freak show. Not me, of course. The tourists mostly view me as a lovely souvenir experience. The women, that is. But it’s not the same for my fellow Papillon residents.”

“There are a few stereotypes associated with the bayou and small towns in general,” Lisa admitted. “Of course, they have their own stereotypes about people from the big city. Most of which you reinforce.”

“What?” She thought about it for a second. She’d been a trailer park kid. She’d had every stereotype possible thrown her way. Maybe in the last few years she had gotten a bit snobby. It wasn’t that she’d meant to. She’d been separating herself from that time when she’d felt small. Did she want to make someone else feel small? Not at all. “That might be fair. Is it the shoes? Because I might have overestimated my love for them.”

They hurt. She’d thought that since it was her first full day in her own clinic, she should look the part. She owned the place. She was in charge. Those Louboutins showed the world that she was the boss.

They showed the world that she wasn’t some trailer park reject with a mom in and out of prison, barely holding on by her fingernails.

But if she’d been back in Dallas in the ER, she wouldn’t have thought twice about what to wear. She would have shoved on scrubs and her comfiest sneakers, put her hair in a ponytail, and gone to work. She wouldn’t have spent an hour in front of the mirror getting her makeup as close to perfect as she could in case the sheriff showed up. It wasn’t that she wanted to look nice for him. She was trying to look nice because they’d started on the wrong foot and he needed to understand that she was a professional. That’s what she’d told herself. Then her inner voice had mocked the hell out of her.

“Oh, we have some designer wear around here,” Lisa corrected. “The mayor of the town has a serious addiction to Chanel. But she also wears boots when the time is right, and not over-the-knee boots with five-inch heels. I’m talking serious work boots.”

“Sylvie makes those look good, if you know what I mean.” Zep didn’t seem to mind that he had a bunch of tables to work. “You know, if you want someone on your side, you should go to her momma’s hair salon. It’s where everyone goes to get their hair did.”

“And to get love potions,” Lisa added with a grin.

“What?”

Her sister shrugged. “Marcelle is also the local hoodoo priestess. It’s not as bad as it sounds. Some of the blessings are beautiful. Oh, there’s an idea. Miss Marcelle could come bless your house.”

“Or you could pretend to date a highly respected member of the community,” Zep suggested. “If you were seen out with a man everyone loves, they might calm down and see that you’re not snobby. You’re one of them.”

“Actually, that’s not a terrible idea,” Lisa mused.

Zep dropped to one knee. “I have some of those every now and then. Where do you want to go first, sweetheart? I think we should let everyone see us at the bar and then we can go back to my place.”

Lisa rolled her eyes. “I didn’t mean you. All that would prove is that she has terrible taste in men.”

Zep put his hand over his heart. “I am wounded by that.”

Lisa pointed toward the kitchen. “Go and get my sister the jambalaya. Tourist version. And I’ll have the crawfish étouffée. And I swear if we run out of bread pudding, I will murder someone.”

Zep got to his feet but he was diligently writing down the order. “You know you get meaner every day, sister. It makes me happy Seraphina never plans on marrying since my siblings bring home partners who can’t appreciate my unique talents.” He winked Lila’s way. “But you still could.”

“I could also put you through a lot of invasive medical tests.” She knew how to take care of Zep.

Zep frowned and managed to look the tiniest bit prissy. “Meanness must run in the family.”

He turned on his heels and walked away.

Lisa’s new family was odd.

“I don’t know that I want to date a guy so people will like me.” Though Zep had a point. She’d been bullied before, known everyone looked down on her. “Maybe I could smile more. Isn’t that what they always tell women? Smile more.”