Bayou Dreaming (Butterfly Bayou 3)

“I will certainly not let Miss Daisy overwhelm you.” He seemed to relax. “Maybe we can go see a movie next weekend. Or go into New Orleans and have dinner.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “I think that would be nice.” There were an awful lot of cars in the parking lot. And out of it. There were cars lined up down the road. She caught sight of Lila’s crossover. “Why is Lila here?”

“I need you to understand that your mom made me promise.”

She groaned. “God, is this a birthday party?”

“She wanted to make it pretty big,” he admitted. “I didn’t actually know about it until this morning. It’s something she worked out with Sera and Harry when she scheduled the trip. I know she’s obnoxious, but she loves you.”

Or she was trying to make a point. Her nerves were right back on full alert. “Did she invite everyone?”

“According to Sera, it’s just forty or so people. Everyone you work with and some of the people from city hall. My family got a late invite, but Remy and Lisa promised to be here to make sure Momma doesn’t do anything too crazy.”

“They’re throwing me a birthday party.” She’d planned to do next to nothing for her birthday. She hadn’t had a party since she’d left New York. Family birthdays were a big deal to her mother. Of course she also celebrated because, as she put it, she’d done all the work. Her father gave her mother a present every year on her and Brian’s birthdays. “You should know my mom is going to act like it’s her day.”

“She told me.” He pulled the car into a space that had been left open. “That’s kind of weird, but it seems harmless.”

She would see about that. “Let’s get this over with.”

He reached for her hand before she could open the door. “Hey, what can I do to get you to go into this with a positive attitude?”

“You can turn the truck back on and take me to New Orleans and we’ll hide until they’re gone,” she replied, and then sighed because he was really trying. “Okay. I’ll put a smile on my face and get through the evening. If nothing else, this hopefully has been good for Sera and Harry.”

She liked the B and B. It had been nice to spend time out here.

“Has it been a total waste of your time?” Zep asked.

“No.” If she was really honest with herself, there was only one answer. “It was actually sort of nice to see them again. For the most part, it was good to catch up.”

“Then why the bad mood? I can promise you Sera’s cake is going to be delicious, and the rum punch is going to be extra rummy.”

That made her smile. She wanted a night with him where they stayed in and listened to music and drank all they liked until they fumbled into bed together after telling each other all their secrets.

Being with Zep was the best thing that had happened to her in a long time. She had her parents to thank for it. So why did she still have that terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach like something was going to go wrong? Like the bottom was still waiting to drop out.

But she was going to try to enjoy the evening, she vowed as Zep kissed her and moved to get out of the truck. He was around and to her door before she’d gotten her seat belt off. He opened her door and held out a hand.

“You’re in heels,” he said before she could protest. “I’m perfectly aware that you can get out of the car on your own, but the gravel can be hard to walk on.”

“And you’re a gentleman.” It had been weird at first. She wasn’t used to the gentleman routine, but she’d rapidly discovered that helping was his love language. Service. Sacrifice.

She’d learned they had so much more in common than she could have imagined.

She put her hand in his and let him help her down. She walked hand in hand with him across the lawn and toward the back, where she could hear music being played and people laughing.

How long had it been since she’d gone to a party where she wasn’t going to do anything but enjoy herself? Years.

She walked through the flower-laced arbor that led to the back of the B and B, where the patio overlooked the bayou. It was a spectacular space made more beautiful by Harry’s gorgeous work. He’d built the arbor with his own hands, and Sera had planted the flowering vines that gave it color.

It would be a gorgeous place to have a wedding.

She shoved that thought aside because she wasn’t even close to being able to process it. She wasn’t planning on ever getting married again. She hadn’t been good at it, hadn’t enjoyed it.