The Match (The Leblanc Brothers #4)

Chapter One

Zachary

“Uncle Zachary,” my niece, Bella, said in a conspiratorial tone, “we need to talk.”

I sat back in my chair, glancing at the rest of the family out of the corner of my eye. Everyone was chatting. I knew Bella had chosen this moment specifically, which meant she wanted to talk to me alone.

“Sure.”

She glanced at the family too. Even though she was only ten years old, she already seemed so much more mature. These days, every time she said, “We need to talk,” I braced myself, as I never knew what I’d be in for.

“Cricket, do you need anything?” my brother Chad asked.

“No, Daddy, I’m good.” Bella sighed, giving me an exasperated look. “Thank you.” Then she added in a whisper, “Maybe we should talk another time.”

“Sure.” I gave her a wink. “I promise I’ll call.”

Bella nodded and went back to her seat.

There were six of us LeBlanc brothers, and Bella went to each uncle for specific advice. She typically came to me when she needed advice on “fixing” a problem—usually something related to her friends. She went straight to Julian when she wanted something her dad wouldn’t approve of—like more sweets. Chad had been a single dad for a long time, so we’d all been very involved in her upbringing.

“All right, everyone, food’s here,” Chad exclaimed as the waiters arrived with the huge pots of gumbo and put them on the table.

The perks of owning LeBlanc & Broussard, one of the most famous restaurants on Royal Street in New Orleans, was that we often came here to eat. Today, the entire family had gathered. It wasn’t a special occasion—we simply liked getting together.

“You know, I still think the gumbo was better in our time,” Isabeau said.

Celine sighed. “Oh, give it a rest, Isabeau. Scarlett is an excellent chef.”

“Oh, I know. I was just saying.” But she didn’t press the point.

My grandmothers, Isabeau and Celine, had long been the chefs at LeBlanc & Broussard. They still took pride in their work even though they’d been retired for years. Currently, Chad’s fiancée, Scarlett, was the chef. In my opinion, she was amazing. But Isabeau always felt the need to compete with other chefs. After so many years, it was ingrained in her. Or maybe it was just a chef thing.

My grandfathers were sitting next to their wives. Both of them snickered but didn’t comment on Isabeau’s remark.

As the waiter served everyone, I decided it was the right time to bring up a topic that had been at the back of my mind for a while. Since all of us brothers were currently running the Orleans Conglomerate, we often asked one another for advice about business. Our father had run it before us, and our grandparents before that. I wanted to hear everyone’s opinion on this even though it wasn’t, strictly speaking, a business decision.

“By the way,” I said, “an opportunity came up.”

“For business?” Xander asked, perking up.

I nodded. “It’s what I already told you, Anthony, and Beckett at the confectionery. But I want to hear everyone else’s opinion.” That got the family’s attention, and I continued. “So, there’s a ranch by the bayou that specializes in therapy horses. They’re looking for someone to partner with, as they need capital to renovate and so on. It appears to be a really good cause that helps a lot of people, and I’m interested in investing.”

“What a wonderful idea,” Isabeau said, clapping her hands in praise.

Xander frowned. “Wait, you actually want to spend time managing that? I figured you’d simply donate money. Why not just give them some bank and stay out of it?”

Out of all of us, Xander was the one who was most efficient. I admired that about him, but I also thought he was missing out on things. Although, he’d changed a lot since he’d met his fiancée, Bailey.

“So... a ranch with horses used for therapy purposes. That’s so interesting,” Mom said.

“I found out back when I volunteered as an EMT that using animals in therapy is a pretty common thing.”

“You know, we always thought you might end up being a doctor,” Isabeau said.

That didn’t surprise me. As a teenager, I’d taken an EMT course and worked with the fire department’s squad voluntarily all through college and even after I started interning in the family business. I’d enjoyed helping people and was very good at it. But running the shipping side of the business was no small feat, and I ultimately had to make a decision. Being a CEO didn’t leave much time for extracurriculars. This ranch, though—the project simply beckoned to me.

“Is Grace Deveraux still interested in the ranch?” Anthony asked.

I nodded. “Yes.”

The name Deveraux grated on my nerves.

Her brothers, Kyle and Beau, had swindled half the businesses they worked with. They weren’t well thought of around town. Last year, Xander exposed them and their antics, and the two hadn’t been heard from since.

“Do you know anything about Grace?” I asked, looking pointedly at my grandmothers. I’d asked around in my business circles but didn’t get anything reliable. Everyone assumed she was like her brothers: arrogant, lacking integrity, and dismissive. I didn’t like to assume, though. I wanted facts.

Isabeau narrowed her eyes. “She was Grace Cointreau until her divorce. She used to work in her family’s company, but now I don’t know what she does.”

“I think she took a break from that,” Celine added.

“You know her personally?” I asked. They were both social butterflies. If there was an event in New Orleans, chances were they either attended or knew someone who had.

Isabeau shook her head. “No, not at all. But the Deveraux name is well known.”

“Grace didn’t go to school with us, did she?” Anthony asked Beckett.

I remembered Kyle and Beau from school, but not Grace. Then again, if she was a few years younger, that was no surprise.

“She went to an all-girls school.” That came from Celine. “It came up at a party years ago.”

“You know a lot about her for someone who hasn’t actually met her.”

Celine smiled. “What can I say? My mind retains gossip.”

But I didn’t want to know gossip. I wanted to know what her business was—if she was the same as her brothers and why she was interested in the ranch. Apparently, I wasn’t going to get that information from my family.

“Well, let’s just all focus on food,” Chad said as if reading my thoughts, just as the waiters came to serve everyone.

Having our offices above LeBlanc & Broussard was hands down the best idea we’d ever had. Chad, Anthony, Beckett, and I all worked here. Julian mostly stayed in the office he had behind his bar on Dumaine. Xander was in the business district. I, for one, had chosen this location simply because it was convenient. I often had food sent up for lunch—sometimes even dinner if we stayed late. I liked being in the French Quarter. In my opinion, it was the heartbeat of New Orleans.

After my family and I finished dinner, we all dispersed. I decided to pay Julian a visit at his bar rather than go straight home. On the way, I called my go-to person when I wanted a potential business partner vetted.

“Hi, Marcel,” I said when he answered.

“Zachary LeBlanc. What an honor. What can I do for you?”

“I’m interested in a business opportunity, but someone else is too. Grace Deveraux.”

“Of that Deveraux family?” Marcel asked.

“Yes. I want to invest in a ranch, and so does she.”

“Right. You want a scoop on the competition.”

His tone was already judgmental, which I didn’t appreciate. I knew Kyle and Beau were swindlers, but as far as we knew, the rest of the family hadn’t been involved.

“Text me the details of the ranch, and I’ll get back to you soon,” he said. “What exactly do you want to know?”

“What type of business she’s doing and if she’s legit.”

He scoffed. “That’ll be hard to find out if she’s as good at hiding things as her brothers.”

“Assume she has a clean slate and go from there.”

“You always assume the best of people.”

It was the way I did things, and it had never really failed me. I didn’t understand why anyone would go through life assuming the worst of people. It had to be exhausting.

No matter what, I was looking forward to finding out more about this Grace Deveraux.