Bayou Beauty (Butterfly Bayou 4)

“Can I ask why?” There was always a why, and with Gabriel he didn’t think it would be pure greed.

“I told you my father left us in debt, but I didn’t tell you how much. My mom went a little crazy for a while. She drank a lot, and we had to put her in rehab. That was when Ashley had to come home,” Gabriel admitted. “She doesn’t know what to do with herself. She was told all she had to do was be pretty and find a husband. Turns out she doesn’t like men all that much and feels pretty worthless. She’s drinking too much, and I’m worried I’m going to lose them both.”

It was odd how far empathy could go. He’d thought he would find out who had betrayed him and rage would take over, but all he could manage to do was to feel for Gabriel. He wasn’t even twenty-five years old and had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He didn’t have the tools he needed to navigate these deep waters. Gabriel only knew if he didn’t do something, he would lose the people he loved.

Yeah, Rene knew what that felt like.

“What did Charles offer you?”

Gabriel’s eyes came back up, and his right hand wiped off a stray tear before he answered. “Money, obviously. Five thousand per bid, but only if the opposing bid was accepted. It got the creditors off us for a month. I’ve got the house on the market, and Ashley turned in her car.”

“And when he takes over, you’ll get a better position?”

Gabriel nodded. “He hasn’t told me which.”

“I hate to tell you this, but Charles is going to fire you. He won’t trust you now.” Rene thought about the situation. “How much do you need to get out of debt?”

Gabriel had gone a pasty white. “Seventy thousand.”

“The house will cover that, but you’ll need a place to stay and a job. And you need to put Ashley in college. She needs to start figuring out what she wants to do. Tell her to go to my mother and ask for a scholarship. There’s nothing my mother loves more than to send a young woman to school. I’ll let Mom know Ashley’s coming. Tell Ashley to stop the tough-girl routine and be nice.”

“Your mom would do that?”

“Yes. She’s done it many times. It’s one of the joys of her life.” He had no doubt his mother would continue to help people who asked her.

Gabriel stared at him, obviously confused. “But I hurt you.”

“And if it hadn’t been you, it would have been someone else. Charles would have found a way. At least you did it to help your family. I’ll put you in touch with some people I know who might be able to help you find a job.”

“Why would you do that?”

Because punishing Gabriel wouldn’t fix a thing. Because he had no idea what he would have done in the kid’s place, so he wasn’t going to judge him.

“It’s hard to be the head of the family, and when you are, you cannot allow your decisions to be made in anger. Are you angry at your mother?”

“So angry. How could she put all of this on me?”

“She was supposed to protect you. She was supposed to be the strong one, but she left it all in your lap right when you were barely out of college and should have been starting your life. Of course you’re angry. But you’re trying to find a way out because no matter how angry she makes you, she’s your family and you love her. That’s what it means to be the head of the family. That’s why Charles is going to fail. He works from a place of constant rage, and you cannot guide an organization like that, much less head a family.”

“I’m going to be the reason you lose your house,” Gabriel pointed out.

Rene knew the truth. “No. Charles is. Throw that guilt away. It’s not going to fix anything, and it will only bring you grief. I believe Charles is going to try to sell the company. Hold on to your stock. Don’t let him buy it. He’s going to offer to buy stock from anyone who needs cash, and that’s how he’s going to bring the entire company down. At least hold on through his sale so you get as much as you can.”

“He said he was going to make us more money.”

Rene put a hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “Charles lies. He’s desperate to take me down, and when he realizes he can’t handle the company, he’ll make a grab for as much cash as he can get. You have to be careful and not let him use you twice. Now I need to go and talk to Roberta. After I’m done here, I can talk to Louis and my mom. I’ll make sure he knows that you confessed so he wouldn’t be blamed.”