Bayou Beauty (Butterfly Bayou 4)

They were. It seemed as though the NOLA contingent had all made the two-hour drive, and not one of them had brought a gift. She didn’t believe their “we just came to celebrate” excuse. Especially since she’d heard the word lawyer mentioned more than once.

“No, I’m not going to leave. My mother did, though. She went with Cricket and Louis. She said it was so she didn’t have to wait for us, but I think she wanted to get away from this nonsense.”

“I suspect she wanted to make sure Cricket got home all right. I saw them earlier with my mom,” Sera said. “Cricket seemed happy with this marriage, though she wasn’t thrilled to see the cousins show up. Do you think that’s why Rene hustled her out of here?”

That was a question she’d love to know the answer to. “He suggested I could go home with her if I was tired. It’s never a good thing to tell your new wife she looks tired on her wedding night.”

Though it meant she would be getting plenty of rest tonight. She wasn’t going to be doing normal newlywed things. He’d assured her she would have her own room, though it connected to his. She’d also been told she could lock the door if she was worried.

As if. At this point she wasn’t worried Rene would pay her any attention at all tonight.

“I don’t think he meant it that way. I think he’s a little overwhelmed. That’s how he sounded to me,” Sera said. “How do you think the cousins found out? I thought you were keeping it quiet for now.”

“I think the word got out that he married today. Charles was at the courthouse this morning, and I can’t believe that was a coincidence.” She’d seen the way Charles’s expression had changed the minute he’d realized she was the one Rene was marrying.

“You think someone’s talking to him?” Sera asked.

Charles wasn’t well liked, but he still had friends and people he worked with who would side with him. “I can’t force people to not talk to him.”

“You’re the mayor. You should make a city ordinance. No talking to the mayor’s enemies,” Sera offered. “You could lean into the whole political warfare thing we’ve got going on.”

“Luckily it’s not happening here.” Mostly because no one wanted her job. Politics in Papillon were nothing like DC, though she still got her own amount of protests and criticism. Public office here was mostly about taking care of her citizens. Sometimes they didn’t make it easy on her, though. She wanted to take care of Rene, but she was starting to worry they had two different versions of how to do that.

“I don’t know.” Sera’s gaze went to the table where Rene was now sitting back and his uncle was talking, his face going red with obvious anger. “That looks pretty dangerous to me. You know, I can’t remember ever seeing Rene and Cricket with the rest of the family at dinner. Or at church. They don’t sit together. Rene usually sits somewhere close to my brother and Lisa. Or Quaid’s family. He never sits with his own. I know they’re mostly spread out now, but he doesn’t spend time with the ones who live close, either. I never thought about how isolated he is, even in his own family.”

Sylvie wondered if any of them had come to visit him in the hospital when he’d nearly died. She couldn’t remember seeing any of these people there. Did they only care about him when they needed money?

“They get together once a year, right? That’s why I’m trying to find vegan options,” Sera said with a frown. “It’s hard to find that stuff around here.”

“Get a menu together and I’ll drive with you to New Orleans. We should be able to get everything there. And yes, apparently they get together for Roberta’s birthday and board meetings,” Sylvie replied. “That’s about it from what I can tell. This year the board meeting is scheduled the week after the celebration. From what Rene’s said, it’s going to be one long weekend of trying to win votes. Do you honestly think being married is going to change his aunt’s mind? Can it be that simple?”

“Just being married wouldn’t do it,” a husky voice said.

She needed to be better at subterfuge than she was. Sylvie turned and realized she and Sera likely hadn’t been alone for the last few minutes. Ashley Layton was standing a few feet away, leaning against the railing, a martini glass in her hand. Ashley was one of Rene’s cousins who was a few years younger. She’d grown up in Papillon but left for Los Angeles as soon as she’d finished high school. Sylvie had heard Ashley had come home a few years back. She was living with her mother in New Orleans. Her brother was still in Papillon, working for Rene. Her mother had been one of Rene’s father’s siblings.