Chapter Six
Julian
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During the Carnival season, it was traditional for my family to brunch together at LeBlanc & Broussard. The restaurant was packed as usual, but we had a space reserved just for us. This was our flagship restaurant on Royal Street. It was on the ground floor of a three-story building. Upstairs were the main offices.
"Dad, this is the best pecan pie," Bella exclaimed. She was sitting at the head of the long table, munching on a slice. She’d had other food, too, but my niece loved her pies.
I was sitting a few seats away from Bella, Chad, and Scarlett. Since the two of them got together, my brother needed my help a lot less. Before that, he would often call me out of nowhere to ask if I could watch Bella for a bit while he had to run an errand. Nine times out of ten, I said yes because spending time with my niece was one of my favorite things. I missed our time together as I wasn’t seeing her too often now.
"How was Sazerac Day at the bar?" Isabeau asked. She was a few seats down the other end of the table.
I was flanked by Beckett, Anthony, Xander, and Zachary. I leaned forward over the table so I could make eye contact with my grandmother.
"It was a success, as usual. People enjoyed it."
"Not that he would actually know. He spent most of it on the balcony with a very attractive young lady," Anthony said.
I straightened up, staring at him. What the hell has gotten into him? Why would he put me on the spot like that? He knew I didn't like talking about my private life. None of us did, for that matter.
"Do you have something to share with us?" Celine asked.
"We're all ears too," Zachary said. "We tried to ask him what was going on, but he wouldn't say a word."
When they were kids, I could intimidate them into not giving me shit. But that had stopped working about a decade and a half ago.
I was stunned when I realized that the entire family was watching me. My parents were leaning with their elbows over the table, eyes trained on me.
"It was a favor to a friend."
"We’ll need more than that." That came from Zachary.
Fucking hell. I'd expected more from him.
"I don't see why it's any of our business," Xander cut in.
I could always count on my exacting brother to be impartial. Still, no one looked away, anticipating my answer.
"Are you going to have a girlfriend, Uncle Julian, like Dad? That’s awesome."
I turned to look directly at my niece. The hope in her eyes gutted me. I didn't like to disappoint her, but I had to nip this in the bud immediately.
"No, Bella. No girlfriend for me."
There was a collective grunt from the table.
"Then why were you there alone with her?" Zachary asked. "Unless these two are embellishing it. I didn’t actually see you up there on the balcony."
"They're not." I realized I could give them a version of the truth. "Georgie is the one who decorated our floats over the last few years. This year, there was a mishap, and I canceled our agreement."
"Darling boy, that’s not right,” Celine said. “We made that deal with her grandmother a long time ago. She was such a good soul."
"I've fixed my mistake. Frankly, I didn't really pay attention to what was going on, and my assistant had made some changes. Anyway, she'll be producing everything for the float again next year. I invited her to Sazerac Day as a show of goodwill." I chose my next words very carefully. "While she was at the bar, she ran into someone who was giving her a hard time."
"A bully?" Bella piped up. "Bullies are the worst."
"Something like that." What an accurate description, though I hated that Bella had encountered someone who’d given her a hard time. "She needed to get away, and I offered for her to watch the parade from the balcony."
Mom beamed from ear to ear. "I'm so proud of you, son. That was the gentlemanly thing to do. Now, can everyone move on from this conversation?"
"I have some questions," Isabeau said, ignoring Mom. "What do you mean, there was a mishap and you had to cancel it? Because of the flood?"
“Yes. My team decided to go with another supplier to avoid the risk of anything going wrong."
Isabeau put a hand on her heart. "Oh, no, no, no. I’d told Stella all those years ago that the clause she had was no good, that it gave people an easy way out. She was just too kindhearted. But at the time, the poor woman was desperate for clients, and no one would take on a new supplier without it. I promised her I’d never make use of it."
I could see my grandma was feeling bad about this. Shit.
"As I said, I've rectified my mistake, and Georgie is happy."
Isabeau was still staring at me. "But that means other clients must have dropped her, too, right?"
I nodded. "Correct."
"Were they able to get any of them back?" Celine asked. She seemed shaken too. I was starting to wonder if their connection to Georgie's grandmother was more than buyer and supplier. Maybe she’d been a friend as well.
"No, she hasn't," I admitted. Georgie hadn’t told me everything about her business, but I knew that was pretty much the case.
The two of them looked at each other but didn’t add anything else. Their silence was making me uncomfortable.
Even after the conversation moved on, my mind was still on Georgie and her business. I felt responsible and had this overwhelming urge to help her get back her clients. If they were old NOLA families like mine, I probably had connections to them. I often attended events where I socialized with them all.
Fucking hell, Julian. You're simply looking for an excuse to see her again.
As we all helped ourselves to another round of dessert, I found my grandmothers sitting next to me instead of my brothers when I returned.
"What’s going on?" I asked them.
"We're very worried about this news, dear. About Books & Beads,” Isabeau said. "Stella was such a good woman. She was a midwife, actually, and helped me when I gave birth to your father. It was a very difficult birth. We were lucky to both be alive, and it was all thanks to her. It all happened so fast, and there was no time to call for a doctor. She was on her own and knew just what to do. After that, I promised her that I’d help her no matter what. A few years later, she opened her business making beads and everything else people needed for costumes and floats, as well as selling some bags and things. I haven't been in Books & Beads for ages, but it was a very lovely, quaint shop."
“It still is.”
"She knew we had our own float even then. One year, she asked me if she could help. One thing led to another, and I became her very first client."
My eyes widened as the guilt piled on. "I didn't know that."
"Then I kept introducing her to friends of ours, and word caught on," Isabeau went on.
"I actually started working with her, too, long before our families merged," Celine said. "I would so hate for her work to be all for naught. She truly was a lovely woman, God rest her soul.” She did her usual sign of the cross. “I met her daughter once too. Is she still at the shop?”
“No, she retired. Stella’s granddaughter is running it.”
“Georgie, right?” Isabeau asked. Her memory was impeccable, as usual.
"Exactly."
She turned to Celine. "We should visit the girl one day. Ask her if there's anything we can do to help."
"I'm on it," I assured her. I did this, and I needed to fix it.
"Meaning?"
I narrowed my eyes. My grandmothers never questioned me, but considering my blunder, it was fair. Thankfully, my plan had already crystallized in my mind.
"I'll ask Georgie to come with me to several events throughout the Carnival season. I get invitations to dozens of them. I bet I run into her old clients there and don’t even know it."
"That is a lovely idea," Isabeau said.
Yes, it was. Now, I only had to convince Georgie of it.
"We should visit the girl anyway,” Celine added.
"Yes, we should," Isabeau replied.
Mom was looking at them with a wry smile, shaking her head. She was mostly silent during our family get-togethers. I asked her why once, and she said that my grandmothers had enough to say for everyone and that she preferred to stay quiet.
Mom was a calming presence in this very energetic family.
"Uncle Julian," Bella said, "will you go with me to the buffet again?"
Chad gave me a warning look. I knew what that meant.
I nodded at her. "Sure, but let's go over to the fruit section. I'm dying for some strawberries."
She scrunched her nose. "I'm not. Who needs strawberries when you've got pie and chocolate?"
That was the thing about buffets. When there were sweets available, why indeed go for fruit? But I knew how to persuade Bella. It was a talent of mine.
As we headed that direction, I explained, "I'm trying to eat healthier. Want to help me pick out some fruits?"
"Sure!"
I loaded some grapes on my plate, throwing two into my mouth. “They’re delicious.”
Bella's eyes lit up. "Can I have some too?"
"Sure.”
I felt fucking victorious. Ever since she started eating solid food as a baby, I'd been the one who convinced her to try new things, like broccoli.
As we loaded our plates with several types of fruit, I told her, "I miss coming over to watch movies with you."
She looked at me from the corner of her eye. "I miss you, too, Uncle Julian. Maybe we can tell Dad."
"I will." He and Scarlett could definitely have more date nights. I was more than willing to step in.
"Do you know what movies you want to watch?" I asked her.
"I’ve had Goblet of Fire on my list for some time."
I barely bit back laughter. I liked to spoil my niece, but I didn't like to go against my brother's rules. She was his daughter, after all.
"Bella, your dad said you're too young for it."
She looked crestfallen. “But you know Dad. He's always so cautious."
“What he says goes, baby girl.”
“I’m not a baby,” Bella mumbled.
God, she’s growing up so fast.
I’d seen Goblet of Fire , and it was definitely not for someone as young as Bella. That shit got really dark really fast for a kids' movie.
Chad had his eyes trained on Bella's plate when we returned to the table. He looked at me in surprise. The smile I gave him might have been a bit too smug, but I couldn’t help it.
As I sat down and overheard my grandmothers still talking about Books & Beads, my mind immediately returned to Georgie. I wanted to speak with her right away. I had a few events in mind where she could run into all the right people. I could pave the way for her.
The businessman in me knew there was a much easier way to accomplish this, however. I could write emails and call the right people. Her contracts would be reinstated very quickly because I was very convincing.
But I wanted to see Georgie again, and now I had the perfect excuse.