Chapter 16
16
MY LIFE NOW REVOLVED around bird and dog poop. Friday morning had arrived, and I’d just finished hosing off Cést Fou’s latest contribution to the courtyard. Next on my list? Disposing of the deposits Precious had left in the side yard. Somehow Hayley had missed them. Part of me wanted to place that doggie doo-doo bag where it would leave a permanent mark on Hayley’s brain. Like her pillow. Or phone (if she ever set it down long enough).
Mayté exited the café, descending the steps. The early sun glinted off her black hair. “Hayley and your boyfriend did that while you were under the weather.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.” Though the thought of Micah and Hayley tackling this disgusting deed softened my heart. Maybe I’d let Precious’s overlooked manure go this time.
“He should be.” She moved into the shade of the live oak, pausing near the fountain. Her gaze lifted to the branches. “My husband wouldn’t clean bird caca for me.”
I snorted and made my way to the hose reel cart next to the mansion, tucked behind an azalea bush. The shrub’s coral blooms dwindled from their latest round of showing off. Bending over, I turned the handle, winding the hose back up.
“I spotted two parrots this morning when I came in.”
My motions paused. “Two?” Irritation spiked. Wasn’t there a verse in the Bible about the fear and dread of humans falling on all animals, including birds? I thrust the wheel with more gusto. Well, it was time for Cést Fou to feel that fear and dread. I finished my task and walked toward Mayté, wiping my hands on the thighs of my yoga pants. I’d planned to slip upstairs, change into business-appropriate attire, and spend the rest of the day in my office, catching up on work. I’d now add in research time on getting rid of nuisance birds.
Mayté cast a glance to the back doors, her lips pressed into a hard line. “I have more bad news. Your ex offered me a job.”
My mind blanked and yet hazy thoughts swirled along the borders, just out of reach.
Mayté removed a business card from her pocket, handing it to me.
With numb fingers I held the card, unable to read the ink on the gray background, everything on the little rectangle a blur.
“He wanted to ‘compliment the chef’ the other day. I didn’t want to say anything when you were sick. You know, kicking a dog while it’s down and all that.”
I slowly shook my head, trying to regain my bearings. Ryan had tried to steal Mayté? Anger flared through my body. He hadn’t changed. In fact, he’d gotten worse. This wasn’t my college paper on real-world marketing he’d gone after. It was my executive chef.
“He described his place as focusing purely on upscale dinner service. I calmly told him I knew exactly who he was, and he could take his offer and stick it.”
The prick of the business card’s corner against my index finger registered, and I lifted my attention to Mayté, her last sentence replaying. Mayté’s version of calm—eerie calm—combined with her penetrating dark gaze had caused grown men to sweat profusely in her kitchen. It was the reason why she negotiated and ordered all of the café’s supplies. Our suppliers never got an order wrong or were dishonest on costs. Hopefully Ryan had felt the heat and got a taste of true loyalty.
“Thank you.” I pulled in a steadying breath, the gathering tension releasing, gratefulness to Mayté replacing it. “We’ve talked about this before, but anything you want—”
“I know.” She held up her hand. “I know.” Her expression softened. “You’ll have to pry my key to this place out of my cold, dead fingers. Plus, I wouldn’t want you and Hayley starving to death.”
I offered a weak smile and scanned Ryan’s business card, the last of the blindsided haze lifting. His name, title, and email address became clear, along with a local phone number and address. My stomach sank. It appeared Ryan was here to stay.
That evening found me back in the courtyard accompanied by my best friend. Our Friday night of beignets and decaf café au lait had been upgraded to include a side order of entertainment in the form of parrot shooting. My weapon of choice? The hose with the nozzle set to jet . Julia had arrived toting two locked and loaded Nerf guns. So far the score tallied at humans: 2, parrots: 0. Though our antics hadn’t actually touched Cést Fou and his friend, we’d been successful in annoying the feathered fiends into leaving.
I’d finished bringing Julia up to speed on everything. From Hayley’s sickness to Ryan’s attempt to steal Mayté.
The floodlights from the house illuminated her exasperation. “I can’t believe he made Mayté a job offer. Right in your café!”
“I know. A huge part of me wanted to go to his office, find his car, and lace the interior with crawfish.” I sighed. “Instead, I started on an application for a federal SBA loan.”
Julia leaned forward, resting her elbow on the table. “Much better and legal use of your time.”
Meh. I wasn’t so sure. I’d scoured the online form for some sort of checkbox to mark my submission as urgent, but it looked like I’d have to wait the full ten to twenty-one days for the review to process. I drained the last of my coffee, returning the mug to the saucer with a clank. Perhaps if I called and asked to speak to someone who’d been terribly wronged by their ex, they’d expedite my request with a favorable outcome.
Julia leaned back in her seat. “I was only gone one week. How could so much happen?”
Movement above caught our attention. Julia slowly reached for her Nerf guns. I edged down, picking up the hose at my feet. Lukewarm water dripped from the nozzle, rolling across my fingers. We trained our sights on the tree, scanning the branches.
Darn you, Cést Fou . And darn Ryan. It was one thing to go after the Vieux Carré Café. He didn’t know Claire’s connection to the place. But my executive chef? That was intentional. What was he up to? Did he have another restaurant already, or was he boldly planning ahead for his future establishment at the Vieux Carré Café? A mosquito buzzed near my ear, and I swatted at it. How could I have been with that man for so long and not realized this deplorable side of him? Had I been blinded by love? Was that a real thing? And if so, there was no way I’d let it happen again.
Micah came to mind. Was he another wolf in Magnum P.I.’s clothing? I needed to consider him with my brain, not my heart, and most definitely not my hormones. A Micah Guidry pro-con spreadsheet began forming. My fingers itched to drop the hose and fetch my laptop.
“There.” Julia pointed. “It’s just a cardinal.”
Sure enough, I spotted the red bird, hopping along a branch. “Maybe it’s a spy for Cést Fou.” I returned the hose to the ground and dried my hand on my napkin.
“Maybe you’re taking this a little too far.” Humor twinkled in her eyes as she set her guns on the table. “Let’s talk about how I can’t believe you got a puppy. Precious is a cutie.”
Hayley had already shown her creature off as soon as Julia had arrived. Micah thought Precious was adorable too. That added another item to his con side. Poor judgment.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” Julia’s gaze lasered in on my fingers, rubbing the Crease.
Sighing, I dropped my hand to my lap. “I’m trying to figure out Micah’s faults. Now that the truth’s out behind his marriage ending, that big red flag is gone.”
“Why are you looking for his faults?” One of her brows slowly rose.
Crud. “Because ... we’re friends again ... and Hayley spends a lot of time at the library ... where he is.”
“Uh-huh.” Skepticism shaded her expression, her lips pursing in thought. “Do you have a pro-con spreadsheet on him, and you’re hoping to fill the negative side?”
I placed my napkin on the table. “No.” Not technically. Not yet.
Her smirk confirmed her correct assumption. “He no longer has a girlfriend. That’s a pro.”
I brushed at a speck of powdered sugar on my skirt. “But he just got dumped, which means his next relationship is a rebound. That’s a con.”
“Rebound? I think you’re looking for excuses.”
“It’s a valid concern.” Besides, with my wary heart, Micah didn’t stand a chance. “Plus, I’m on the verge of possibly expanding locations. I barely have enough time to shave my legs, much less date.”
“So you’re sticking to only being friends?”
“Yes. He’s a friend, who’s a guy. My only guy friend. Which has me wondering, do friends like Micah and me give each other...” Oh, how to ask this without stoking her meddling fires.
She straightened, a spark lighting in her eyes. “Kisses? Neck massages?”
“No!” Sheesh . Instead of stoking, I’d tossed on gasoline. “Gifts. Small gifts. That are more like ... kind gestures.”
“Like?”
“He filled up my gas tank.”
“Ohhh.” Julia practically melted. “I love it when Samuel does that. And a full tank of gas isn’t a small gift.”
“I know. And I’m pretty sure he won’t let me pay him back.”
“What if you took him to a swanky restaurant?”
“Nice try, but that’s too much like a date.”
“Sister, it sounds to me like the past week was too much like a marriage.”
My mouth fell open.
Her teasing continued. “That must have been some kiss back in seventh grade. Why didn’t y’all start dating?”
I lifted a shoulder, my thoughts shifting back in time. “We kissed on the last day of school. I saw him at church over the summer, but we acted like nothing happened.” My attention drifted to the fountain, my pulse slowing. “Then in eighth grade his mom received a cancer diagnosis, and Micah sort of dropped out of sight that year. That summer she passed away.”
“Poor Micah.”
I nodded. “Then freshmen year I started dating Ryan.”
Julia’s face scrunched.
“Exactly.” I released a humorless laugh. “Love blinded me once. I won’t make that mistake again. My heart couldn’t take it. And it’s not just me a new relationship impacts. I have to think about Hayley and how it would alter her life. Especially with how things between us have gotten so much better.” I shook my head. “The safest plan is to stay single.”