Chapter Seven
Bailey
Open houses were some of my favorite events. I took pralines to six of them, all in the Garden District. But the celebration at the LeBlanc-Broussard mansion was truly the best. I arrived at five o’clock on the dot. Adele and her husband, Remy, were always doing the tours. Usually, both sets of grandparents—David and Isabeau, Felix and Celine—stayed in the enormous living room, chatting up guests.
I was carrying the praline boxes in two huge baskets. They were heavy, but I was used to it. I considered it my arm workout.
David opened the door and led me to the living room. I was smiling for no reason as I took in the decorations. They were always magnificent. In the past, they had four Christmas trees throughout the house, which some might think was over the top, but for a Christmas lover like me, it was heaven on earth. Red ribbons and garlands with gold and red clips were spread around everywhere. They’d reached a perfect balance while still making it very cozy.
“Bailey, darling. Excellent, you’re here. Is it just you this year?” Isabeau inquired.
“Yes. We ran into some issues with production yesterday, so my sister had to stay and manage a few other things.”
“Xander told me.”
“He didn’t give you grief, I hope?” Celine asked, coming to Isabeau’s side. The guests she’d been chatting with turned to the buffet.
I shook my head. “Not at all. If he hadn’t helped me wrap and pack, I would’ve probably worked until early in the morning.”
Celine’s mouth hung open.
Isabeau tilted forward. “Did we hear you right, my dear? Xander, our grandson? He helped you pack boxes?”
“Yes. And wrap and tie each individual praline.”
“Honey, that doesn’t sound like Xander at all. Are you sure?”
I started to laugh. These two were unbelievable.
“You’re a good influence on him... if you can put up with him.” Celine sounded perplexed.
“The way I see it, I’ve got nothing to lose. So, where should I put the pralines? The usual spot?”
They both nodded, so I put them down at the very edge of the table near the dessert section.
“Would you like to tour the house?” Isabeau offered. “The next one starts in about fifteen minutes.”
“I think I’ll just stay around here, thank you. Anyone else from the family coming?” I asked in a careful tone.
“Most of the boys. And of course Bella with Scarlett, baby Simone and Chad. And Xander said he’ll be here this year.” The look on Celine’s face made me think she didn’t believe he’d show.
I tried not to look too surprised. “Oh, that’s good. This shouldn’t be missed. I feel like the house tour is the official start of the Christmas season.”
“Oh, so many of our guests say the same. That’s why we choose to do it so early before everyone else starts their celebrations,” Celine mentioned.
Isabeau grinned, throwing a suspicious glance at Celine. These two always looked like they were up to no good, but even more so today. “Besides, Xander requested that I make my special jambalaya for you.”
And now my cheeks were red. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry.”
“What in God’s name are you sorry about, girl?”
“That he put you to work.”
Isabeau scoffed. “First, no one can make me do anything. I do what I please. And second of all, I’ve always wanted you to taste my jambalaya.”
He called his grandmother? Aww, here I was, melting again. God, why couldn’t I just be immune to the man?
Xander was a phenomenon. He could be so stoic and inflexible in his thinking when it came to business and profits, but then he’d ask his family to do something for me. He was a challenge that I was beginning to like.
“I made a huge portion of jambalaya,” she continued.
“All on your own?”
“I wouldn’t dare interfere with her recipe,” Celine said. “We each have our specialty.”
“I’m so excited to taste it, but I’ll wait for everyone else to arrive.”
“I think most of them are here,” Celine said just as there was a chorus of voices from the corridor. I recognized Xander’s among them.
Every cell in my body was on fire. Goodness, I hadn’t even seen the man and was already in this state. Last night had been confusing, but that was probably because I was overwhelmed, and it was just the two of us in my tiny, tiny space. His sex appeal seemed to take up all the air. I was certain it wasn’t going to be the same here, though. This house was huge, and by the sound of it, there were a lot of LeBlancs out there in the foyer.
They filtered in one by one, and I noticed Xander immediately. He zeroed in on me, and my mouth instantly went dry. I pressed my thighs together on instinct. The tips of my nipples felt white-hot too.
Nope, I was wrong. This was absolutely going to be just like last night.
He was holding the hand of a girl who seemed to be no older than ten. That had to be the famous Bella. I tried to rack my brain, but I didn’t remember her from past years. Then again, there were always kids milling around at this event, so maybe I’d simply missed her.
Scarlett came straight to me. She was holding an adorable baby in one arm. “Bailey, it’s so good to see you. The pralines are a hit! I stole one for myself, too, of course. It made my evening.”
“Thanks, that means a lot to me.” Coming from a chef, it was high praise indeed.
“Hey, Bailey,” one of the LeBlancs said. I thought it might be Beckett, but I couldn’t remember. “I’m Beckett,” he added, clearly reading the confusion on my face.
I smile sheepishly. “Sorry, I get the names mixed up.”
“No wonder,” Xander said, “with so many of us.”
My body reacted to his voice quite differently than it had to Beckett’s. My heart went pitter-patter, my underwear felt strangely warm, and my tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. I was a goner.
“Hey,” I replied.
“So, you know everyone?” he asked.
“I don’t think we’ve met,” one of the men said. “I’m Zachary.”
I shook hands with him. What was it with the genes in this family? Did they all have to be so hot?
“I think I know everyone else... at least visually.”
“Well, then, let us introduce ourselves again. I’m Anthony,” the guy next to Zachary said.
He went on to tell me everyone’s name, though I was pretty certain I’d forget them soon enough. I had half a mind to just call them “sexy guy one,” “sexy guy two,” and so on. They certainly deserved the nickname.
Isabeau cleared her throat. “Feel free to jump to the buffet. The guests will be coming and going, looking at the house. I don’t think you’ll see your parents much this evening.”
“I can help with the tour,” Zachary said.
“That’s lovely of you,” Isabeau said. “They’ll probably be here in about five minutes, and you can ask them. Anyway, I’ve made my special jambalaya,” she added, looking directly at Xander. To his credit, he kept a straight face.
There was a chorus of “Yes!” from around the room. I wasn’t the only one excited about this.
“Uncle Xander, can we go put the star on the fourth tree?” Bella asked him.
He was still looking at Isabeau but said, “Sure, let’s go. The star is by the tree?”
“Yes, I laid everything out,” Celine said.
I watched Xander and Bella go to the nearest tree.
“It’s their tradition. They do this together every year,” Celine whispered to me. “But they usually do it on Christmas Day.”
He had traditions with his niece? And I’d thought I couldn’t melt any further. Boy, was I wrong.
Xander lifted Bella after she grabbed the star. He held her up high, enough so that she could put the ornament right in the middle of the tree—it wasn’t a tree topper after all.
Cold and calculated people didn’t hang out with their family and have traditions with their niece, right? Maybe there was hope for him to let the confectionery stay up and running after all.
After he put Bella down, he turned around and zeroed in on me once more. I suddenly felt as if we were alone in my small house again. The power this man had over me was scary.
He walked toward me with determined strides. When he was within earshot, he whispered, “Try the jambalaya.”
“Did you really tell Isabeau to make it for me?”
Xander glanced down for a split second. Holy shit. He was looking at my mouth. I was suddenly super jittery, as if a current of electricity had gone through me.
“I did.” He made eye contact again.
“Why?” I whispered.
“Because I knew you’d enjoy it. Go on, try it.”
Give him a sassy reply. Don’t lose your wits . “Still trying to get into my good graces?”
He leaned in closer. “Maybe I have another ulterior motive in mind.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask if he wanted to get into my pants, but even I knew that was far too much. It bordered on unprofessional. And Xander was the ultimate professional... until now.
“Can you give me a hint about what the motive is?” I straightened up again so we could make eye contact.
“No. I can’t even believe it myself, let alone admit it out loud.”
I sucked in a breath. Wait, what did that mean?
“Come on. I’m curious to hear what you’ve got to say about the jambalaya.”
Was he serious? Why would he change the subject? He couldn’t drop that on me and not tell me what it meant. Was he attracted to me, or was I somehow misreading this entire situation? Last night, I’d thought that I’d made things up in my mind because... well, he was a sexy guy, and we’d been far too close.
Xander led me to the buffet, putting a hand on my arm. At the contact, I swear I heard him suck in a deep breath. I looked at him as surreptitiously as possible. He was breathing deeply, as if he was concentrating on something.
I couldn’t believe this guy was single. He was so good-looking.
Wait a second. I didn’t actually know if he was single. I instantly felt chilled to the bone. Oh shit, I hope I’m not fantasizing about someone else’s man. Even though I hadn’t made a move, it still felt wrong. It was on the tip of my tongue to ask, but it truly was none of my business.
At the buffet, I went straight for the jambalaya. I didn’t even really care about the rest.
Scarlett was right next to me. “I love Isabeau’s jambalaya. I can’t make one that even comes close to it.”
“Now I’m even more curious to try it. So, how come you moved to New Orleans?” I asked her.
“I wasn’t happy with things in Seattle anymore, and I needed the change. Plus, I was obsessed with New Orleans as a kid. And as an adult, it didn’t go away,” Scarlett said. She was a beautiful woman, and very kind too. I’d liked her from the first time I saw her when I made the delivery at the restaurant.
“It actually continued when I started watching The Originals .”
I instantly grinned. “You’re a vampire girl?”
She nodded with a wide smile. “Through and through.”
“So am I. Though I only watched The Vampire Diaries . The Originals being filmed here sort of felt spooky and too close to home.”
I’d heard great things about the spinoff, though, and maybe at some point I would watch it.
“I’m a Damon Salvatore fan,” I told her.
She wiggled her eyebrows. “Klaus Mikaelson girl here.”
“What’s going on?” Xander asked. “Who are Damon and Klaus?”
“These superhot guys,” I explained.
Xander looked at us with a frown, especially at Scarlett.
“Yeah, they’re superhot,” she agreed.
“What?” he barked.
“Pity they’re fictional, though.” I managed to keep a straight face, but Scarlett burst out laughing.
I gave Xander a short explanation about the TV show. “Ha ha, very funny,” he deadpanned once I’d finished.
“Oh, it was. You should’ve seen your expression.” He’d seemed... almost jealous. I initially assumed he was upset because Scarlett was his brother’s fiancée, but what if there was more to it?
Come on, find out if the guy is taken and put your mind at ease .
An idea popped into my head. “So, out of everyone, just you and Chad are a couple, right?” I asked Scarlett.
She gave me a knowing smile. “Julian also has a fiancée, Georgie. She’s adorable, but they couldn’t make it tonight. The other guys aren’t taken.”
I gave her a noncommittal shrug and then proceeded to fill my plate with jambalaya. I could tell just by looking at it that it was superior to anything I’d had before. Filling a spoon, I brought it to my nose to smell. The texture was richer, but the flavors were familiar.
I shoved the spoonful into my mouth before stepping aside to make space for others, and oh my God, I was in heaven. I closed my eyes, focusing on the taste. This wasn’t just the best jambalaya, it was the best food I’d ever had. It was creamy but not heavy. The mix of shrimp and meat was simply amazing.
I opened my eyes, which was when I noticed Xander watching me with a smile. I’d thought he was still at the buffet. When had he come up to me? I seemed to be aware of him no matter where he was in the room, but apparently the jambalaya had required all my attention.
“I take it, it’s to your liking.”
“Yes! I have to figure out the recipe.”
He scoffed. “Good luck with that. She won’t even show it to family.”
“This is the highlight of the evening.”
“No, the eggnog is.”
“There’s eggnog?” I asked.
“There will be soon. That’s actually my specialty, so I have to make it fast,” he replied.
I was so surprised that I nearly dropped my plate. “What? You, Mr. Grinch, know how to make eggnog?”
Xander tilted closer. “What do I have to do to get you to stop calling me that?” he whispered in a low, seductive voice.
Whoa!
“I wouldn’t even know where to begin. It’s, like, a whole list.”
“Well, while you’re working on that list, why don’t you come to the kitchen and watch me make it? Maybe that’s going to change your mind about me. Unless I’m keeping you from doing a tour of the house or something.”
“I’ve already had a few of those in the past. But... I didn’t intend to linger too long tonight.”
“Trust me, my eggnog is worth the wait.”
“Hmm, I feel like you’re trying to oversell it.”
He tilted even closer. My goodness, if he kept doing so, I was going to simply jump his bones and kiss him.
My own thoughts scared me. I might be full of sass, but I was the worst when it came to making a move. I’d never had thoughts like this before, but now they were running amok.
“All the more reason to stay. Please.” His voice was teasing, but somehow his pleading seemed sincere.
“Of course. I don’t actually have anything else planned. This was the last delivery for today. I guess I can just enjoy the rest of the evening.”
“Perfect!”
I looked at my plate. “I want to take some more jambalaya before going to the kitchen. I’m afraid it might be gone otherwise.”
He winked at me. Wait, was that a butterfly in my stomach?
I dashed to the table again. More than half of the jambalaya was already gone. Clearly it was a favorite in the LeBlanc household. I smiled as I filled my plate for the second time. I felt just a little bit guilty that I wasn’t leaving much for the guests, but what the hell. This was my chance to eat it, and I wasn’t going to forsake it.
Xander was still waiting for me in the same spot when I returned. His eyes seemed a bit darker than when I left him. At first, I thought it was maybe a trick of the light, but then I realized he was looking me up and down. I was wearing a simple sweaterdress, but the man was staring at me as if I were wearing some sort of super-sexy mini. This one wasn’t even that fitted to my body.
“I actually forgot where the kitchen is.”
He snapped his gaze up, blinking slowly as if he was clearing away confusion. “I’ll show you.”