Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
Wow. Just wow.
As Valentin drove away. His body still hummed, and his blood burned with desire.
When he’d stepped into the hallway to find Ouida Mae standing there in nothing but a bra and thong panties, the air had been sucked right out of his lungs, leaving him speechless.
Her mouth and the twinkle in her eyes had punched him square in the chest when she’d scraped paint from his hair. But that perfectly rounded ass in those thong panties...
As a man who could never commit, he was at risk of falling for this cute little science teacher.
Hard.
Not just because of a scrap of material disappearing between her butt cheeks or her plump lips begging to be kissed. She was smart and funny, and she cared about her students and community.
He could actually picture himself forty years older, sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch of her cute little cottage. He’d be holding her hand and reminiscing about that time he caught her in her hallway in nothing but a bra and panties. They’d laugh about the looks on their friends’ faces.
He’d continue to hold her hand, rocking slowly in the sultry bayou air. Eventually, they’d get up and go to their bedroom, make old-people sex, slow and perfect, and fall asleep in each other’s arms.
He'd never imagined anything like that before now. A week ago, that kind of image would’ve grossed him out. But not now. Knowing Ouida Mae with her heart, her spunk and her ability to make the most out of situations had changed his perspective entirely.
Had settling down in a small town brought him to this moment? Was he getting soft?
The tightness in his groin begged to differ.
Yes, she turned him on, but he liked her company even when it was non-sexual. He’d enjoyed grocery shopping with her. Eating ice cream had been a treat—because of her.
Valentin headed back to the boarding house where he was still living, not having found his own place yet. He showered and changed into clean jeans and a button-down blue chambray shirt. As he stepped out into the hallway, he ran into Landry.
“Hey, Val, you clean up well.” Landry looked him over. “You even got all the paint out of your hair. Do you want to ride together to the Crawdad Hole? The others left half an hour ago.”
“Why didn’t you ride with them?” Valentin asked as they fell in step together, heading for the exit.
“I went for a run and didn’t get back in time to shower before they left.” He looked at Valentin with narrowed eyes. “Where have you been? We were done at the school hours ago.”
“Since we spent so much of the day getting her classroom back in order,” Valentin said, “I helped Miss Maudet get her house ready for her girls’ poker night.”
Landry snorted. “I’m surprised she let you in her house. They seem to fiercely guard the girls-only aspect of poker night.”
“Yes, they do.” Valentin’s lips curved in a sardonic grin. “I left there as some of the ladies were arriving.”
“I take it you’re treating this assignment as more than just filling in as a PE teacher,” Landry said. “Do you think whoever trashed her classroom will come after her next?”
“The thought has crossed my mind,” Valentin said. “If you want to ride with me, I’d gladly take you to the bar. But you’ll need to catch a ride with one of the others back to the boarding house. I might swing by Miss Maudet’s place later to check on her.”
Landon’s eyebrows rose. “And interrupt the poker game?”
Valentin chuckled. “No, I’ll wait until after the game is over and the ladies have dispersed.”
“Fair enough,” Landry said. “I’m sure I can catch a ride with someone else. But we better get there before they consume all the good food. Tonight’s crawfish boil night. I don’t want to miss out on that.”
The two men climbed into Valentin’s truck and drove to the Crawdad Hole just outside Bayou Mambaloa. The parking lot was full, and music thrummed through the walls of the building.
They found the rest of their crew inside, gathered around a long table, digging into a huge spread of food. The center of the table was covered with a plastic sheet and piled high with crawfish, corn and potatoes. Each man had a plastic bib tied around his neck and a large mug of beer at his elbow.
“About time you showed up.” Remy broke open the shell of a crawdad and sucked the meat out of it.
“Pull up a seat, and dive in,” Beau said.
Valentin and Landry dragged chairs up to the table. The other men scooted around to allow them in.
Danny French, the petite red-haired waitress, appeared, handed them plastic bibs and a wad of napkins and took their orders for drinks. For the next twenty minutes, Valentin filled up on the Cajun spiced mud bugs, corn, and potatoes, washing them down with beer.
When they’d gone through all of the food on the table, the team sat back in their seats, wiping their hands on napkins and towelettes.
“Damn, that was good,” Gerard said, patting his belly. “It’s a good thing they only do this once a month, or I’d be as big as a barn.”
“You are as big as a barn, Gerard,” Lucas said.
Gerard raised both eyebrows. “Jealous?”
“Not at all.” Lucas raised his empty mug.
The waitress appeared and swapped the empty mug with a full one.
“Did Shelby get a match on any of the fingerprints they lifted from Ouida Mae’s classroom?” Valentin asked Remy.
Remy shook his head. “No. And Mr. Jones is still in a coma. I don’t know that Jones would’ve recognized him anyway. From what Miss Maudet said, the intruder wore a ski mask.”
As they talked, Danny cleaned up the crawfish shells and empty corn cobs from the center of the table, pulling the plastic sheet all onto a large platter. “I’ll be right back with a damp rag.”
“What did you think about Kathryn Edouard’s line of protesters showing up on the tail end of the cleanup effort?” Remy asked.
“I think she’s one determined woman,” Valentin said, “and that she’s burying her head in the sand. Anyone who doesn’t believe teenagers are already thinking about sex, if not already doing it, needs a wake-up call.”
“If you ask me, they’re all thinking about it and most of them doing it.” Danny, the waitress, leaned between Remy and Lucas to swipe a clean rag across the table. “Especially the popular boys, like Katherine’s son, Chase.”
“Shelby says Katherine’s husband is Harvey Edouard, an attorney running for governor of Louisiana.”
“That’s right. He’s been campaigning for the better part of a year. He slowed down when he ran out of money, which must’ve made Katherine unhappy. She had to give up her twice-a-day coffee runs for a few weeks.”
The waitress moved to the end of the table in front of Landry and Valentin and continued cleaning the table.
Landry and Valentin held their beer mugs out of the way.
“Seems her husband is back on track,” Danny said. “Must have found some more funding for his campaign. Their son, Chase, is the quarterback on the junior high football team. Katherine’s thrown herself into being the pillar of righteousness for the community—whether we want her to be or not.”
“Do you think she might be behind the attack?” Valentin asked.
Danny straightened with the cloth in her hand. “Katherine?” Her brow furrowed. “I doubt it seriously. Her husband is a district attorney. He puts criminals away. Before Katherine married Harvey, she worked as a corporate attorney in New Orleans. She’s smart, if a little overzealous, in her attempt to shape this community into her version of perfect. Katherine’s super conscious of hers and her husband’s reputation, so she wouldn’t risk it by hiring someone to trash a public school.”
“Danny,” Remy called out from the other end of the table, “you know a lot of people. Is there anyone else who would be offended by Miss Maudet teaching sex ed and natural sciences in her classroom?”
Danny snorted. “It’s always easy to point to the most notorious family in Bayou Mambaloa,” she said.
Remy nodded. “The Fontenots?”
“I didn’t say it, but if the price is right, any one of them would shoot your mother if that’s what you paid them to do.” She ran her cloth over the length of the table and straightened. “Is there anything else I can get you, gentlemen?”
“I’ll take another beer,” Landry said.
Danny’s eyes narrowed. “You drivin’?”
“No,” Remy answered for Landry. “I am. Could you bring me some hot coffee? Black, no milk or sugar.”
“I’ll have the same,” Valentin added.
“You got it.” Danny took orders from the others and hurried away.
“Other than the Edouard woman, who would have motivation to trash Miz Mo’s classroom?” Valentin asked.
Remy tipped his head. “It might not hurt to check into the Fontenots. See if they’re up to no good.”
Loud voices at the entrance of the bar drew their attention to three men who had just arrived.
“Speak of the devils,” Lucas said. “Aren’t those three men members of the Fontenot family?”
Remy turned towards the door, and his lips pressed into a tight line. “I recognize the two older men as Dan and Ray Fontenot, and I’ve seen the younger one with them occasionally.”
Danny returned with two coffees and another round of beer for those who weren’t driving. “That’s Regis, Dan’s nephew. He’s been in and out of trouble all his life. Dan and Ray, the only two men besides Pierre Fontenot worth two hoots, are trying to bring him under their wings and make a decent human out of him.”
“Are they having any luck?” Valentin asked.
At that moment, Regis shoved another man who happened to get out of his chair as the three men passed by.
The man he’d shoved spun unsteadily and lifted his fists. “No need to be rude.”
“Then don’t get in my way,” Regis’s voice carried through the room.
Before either man could take a swing at the other, Dan and Ray each grabbed one of Regis’s arms and hustled him to a far corner of the room.
Danny chuckled. “I think Regis needs more work. He’s still too full of himself.”
“Would be nice to know where he was yesterday afternoon around the time Miss Maudet’s classroom was trashed,” Remy said.
“I’ll see what I can find out,” Danny said.
“Don’t do it if it will put you in danger,” Landry said.
She snorted. “Honey, I’m a waitress in a bar. I can handle just about anything.” She walked away with a tray balanced over her head.
“She’s feisty,” Landry said. “I like her.”
“You and every red-blooded male in here,” Simon Sevier muttered.
Lucas laughed. “And half the females. Danny’s a pistol.”
“Just don’t piss her off,” Gerard said. “I’ve seen her throw down a three-hundred-pound redneck for pinching her ass.”
Landry chuckled. “I’d have paid good money to see that.”
“Stick around,” Gerard said, “that Regis boy is about to have a come-to-Jesus-meeting with Danny.”
All gazes went to Danny French’s diminutive form as she pulled Regis Fontenot’s thumb back so far he almost tipped out of his chair.
“The woman has some skills,” Landry said.
Valentin wondered if she’d taken the same self-defense class as Ouida Mae.
He glanced down at his watch. The poker game was probably in full swing. Hanging around the Crawdad Hole for another hour seemed like forever.
Simon leaned toward Valentin. “Got a hot date?”
Before Valentin could answer, Beau spoke, “Moving in fast on Miz Mo?”
All his teammates’ attention shifted to Valentin.
“That’s right…” Lucas turned away from Danny and Regis. “You two only had eyes for each other while we were fixing up her classroom today. Something going on between you and the sexy science teacher?”
Nothing his teammates needed to know about.
“No,” Valentin said. “I’m just keeping an eye on her in case the attacker decides to go after her next.”
“Glad to see you taking the assignment more seriously than as just a PE teacher,” Remy said. “I hear you took her to Sweet Temptations for ice cream and were seen walking hand-in-hand down Main Street afterward.”
Valentin’s lips twisted into a smile. “It’s good to know the grapevine travels fast in Bayou Mambaloa.”
Remy grinned. “I also got word from Shelby that you were at Ouida Mae’s place when some of the ladies arrived for the poker game.” The man’s grin became a wide smile.
Don’t go there , Valentin thought. “Yeah, so?”
Remy went there. “Apparently, Ouida Mae was in an awkward position.”
“Damn, Valentin. Moving in fast, are you?” Beau clapped a hand on Valentin’s shoulder.
“What position was that?” Lucas asked.
“Enquiring minds want to know,” Simon said. “Missionary, doggy-style, up against the wall?—”
“Guys,” Valentin interrupted, “give the lady a little respect. Nothing happened.”
Although he wished something had.
The image of her in that thong played over and over in his mind like a reel on continuous replay.
“Man, you can’t leave us hanging like that,” Beau said. “Tell All.”
“Nothing happened,” Valentin insisted, tired of their teasing and ready to head toward Ouida Mae’s place, even if it was too early.
“Guys, Valentin is a gentleman.” Remy held up his hands. “And gentlemen don’t kiss and tell.” He spoiled his stern talk with a wicked grin.
“Not helping,” Valentin said. “And there was no kissing to talk about.” He pushed his feet and tossed some money on the table. “I’m calling it a night. Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
“Going to see if they’ll make an exception for you at the poker game?” Simon asked.
“No.” Valentin gave a half-wave, turned and left the building.
Once outside, he stood for a moment, drew in a deep breath of fresh air and let it out slowly.
The door opened and closed behind him. A moment later, Remy joined him.
“Shelby just texted me. She’s on her way home to get some rest. The pregnancy makes her tired sooner. I’m headed home myself.” He stood for a moment longer. “She also said the poker game broke up early, in case you’re thinking of swinging by to check on Miz Mo before calling it a night.”
There was no teasing in Remy’s tone. Valentin appreciated that. Ouida Mae was his assignment, and Remy knew Valentin would take it seriously.
“Good to know,” Valentin said. “Have a good evening.” He headed for his truck, climbed in and drove out of the parking lot and back toward the little cottage on the edge of the bayou, possibly with a little more anticipation than he should have felt for “just” an assignment.
Ouida Mae didn’t know that his job as a PE teacher was more than just wrangling teens. He was there to make sure Ouida Mae and the students in her class were safe from the attacker in case he returned.
If he showed up on her doorstep, he could make the excuse that he thought she might need a little help cleaning up after the poker party. Or he could say that he wanted to make sure she was okay after the disturbing attack on her classroom.
Or he could say that he was attracted to her and wanted to see if she felt the same.
No. It was too soon. She was a woman in a vulnerable position. He didn’t want to come on too strong, too fast, and scare her away or have her cling to him because she was scared more so than she cared.
Valentin decided to do a drive-by rather than stop and knock on her door. He wasn’t entirely sure he could keep his hands to himself this late at night and with that woman.
But he couldn’t feel right about going back to his place without at least checking one more time on the science teacher.