Bayou Dreaming (Butterfly Bayou 3)

“She definitely talked her son up,” her father said. “According to her, Zep is practically a national hero. How long have you worked with him? Is the office where you met him?”

She wasn’t about to tell her dad that she’d met him briefly at Guidry’s before she’d found him in a bar, taken him to a cheap motel room, and forgotten all about her troubles for a night. She wasn’t going to tell him that she’d run as fast as she could when she’d remembered who he was.

“No, he’s only started working for the parish recently.”

“And he handles stray dogs?” Brian asked. “Why doesn’t he work for animal services?”

“Because we don’t have an animal services department,” she explained. “We’ve got a lot of land, but our population is spread out, so central services are hard to handle out here. It’s why we’ve got a sheriff but no police. We have to serve the whole parish, not merely a city.”

“Well, if you would come home, all you would have to serve is a neighborhood,” her mother interjected. “Don’t you miss home? I can’t imagine living in this place. I mean the B and B is nice, but there’s no Broadway.”

Yes, she’d heard this before. She would reply the same way she always did. “When was the last time you saw a Broadway show?”

Her mother waved that off. “They’re too expensive and most of them are depressing, but I like to know I could go if I wanted to.”

“Well, we have Miss Alma’s drama and dance school, and they put on a killer production of Cats last year and the only admission was donations to the food bank.” The production had been done with actual cats onstage and a children’s chorus doing all the singing offstage. Miss Alma had called it avant-garde theater. Mostly the cats had rolled around and slept while the kiddos sang their hearts out. Except Dixie’s tabby, who’d been in heat at the time. Yeah, she was fixed now and there had been many a birds-and-bees discussion later.

Shawna stared at her. “What about shopping? I didn’t even see a Sephora in town.”

“We get all our makeup from either the Walmart in Houma or Graceline Touk sells Mary Kay. I would be careful around her, though. She’ll upsell you hard because she’s working on a new pink Caddy.” She sat back, kind of enjoying the horror in her mother and Shawna’s eyes. “We might not have lots of clothes shopping, but we have a store where you can buy bait for fishing and Bibles. But not any of the weird Bibles. Only the King James Version. That’s what the owner says at least. He will also bless your fishing gear, but I don’t think he’s a real priest.”

The lack of shopping didn’t bother her. She wasn’t a high-maintenance chick. She didn’t do regular spa visits, or even her makeup most days she was working. She got her hair cut twice a year and hadn’t started going gray yet. She wore a uniform to work, and every place else was pretty casual. Armie kept a workout room at the station house, and jogging in the park was free.

And peaceful.

“I have a hard time thinking you’re happy here. I don’t see it on your face,” her mother said.

How many times had she been told she would be prettier if she smiled? “Mom, I was born with resting bitch face. It’s served me well in both the military and as a cop. I don’t smile a lot. It doesn’t mean I’m not content.”

“I think if you smiled more, you might get further in life. Shawna always smiles.”

Shawna gave her the biggest grin. One that she never had on her face unless her future mother-in-law or men were around.

Her mother gestured Shawna’s way. “See. Smile and the world smiles with you.”

There was one problem with that. “I don’t care if the world smiles.”

Her mother frowned. “That’s another problem. You have to care about what people think more or you’re never getting out of here.”

“What if she doesn’t want to get out of here, Mom?” Brian sat up straighter. “What if she’s happy here? From what I’ve seen, she’s got a boyfriend she cares about, a nice place to live, and a steady job. I thought we were coming down here to make sure she’s okay. She seems to be okay. Can’t we enjoy some time together? I was thinking about going fishing. Zep and I talked about it earlier. He said there’s a lot of good fishing to be had out here.”

Did she want her brother and Zep to go fishing together?

“Of course she wants to get out of here.” Her mother had at least had the courtesy of lowering her voice. Seraphina had walked out onto the deck, Luc following close behind. She joined the men at the grill and had the glow of a woman who was well loved.