Jana DeLeon - The Reunion

“Alaina and Danae are fine, right?” Tyler asked. “I mean...considering everything that’s happened.”

“They are both incredibly strong women,” Carter said, and Tyler could hear the admiration in his voice. “Most people would have crumbled under the stress of the discoveries alone, much less the attempts on their lives. But those two just got mad and more determined.”

Tyler smiled. “You have to admire that.”

“Definitely. It helps that they have each other. They’re thick as thieves. You’d never know they spent most of their lives apart.”

“Hopefully Joelle will fit as well with them.”

“I don’t think they’re going to give her a choice. Your dad tells me he’s got you on security detail.”

Tyler sighed. “I tried to get out of it, but you know Dad.”

Carter laughed. “Oh, yeah, I know your dad. Between him and my mom, I could be talked into most anything. This whole mess started for me when your dad asked me to play hall monitor. I ended up with a kidnapping, three deaths and a fiancée.”

Tyler winced at the fiancée part of Carter’s statement. “I’m not looking to acquire any of those on my Calais service record, especially the last one.”

Carter grinned. “And you think I was? Have you met Joelle yet?”

“Yeah, she arrived this afternoon. I brought her to town for a meeting with my dad at the café.”

“So how does she look?”

Tyler shrugged, not about to go into details of the delicious Joelle with Carter. “She looks like a woman.”

Carter’s grin widened. “That good, huh?”

“I didn’t say anything like that.”

“You didn’t have to. I know both her sisters, and I know that look. I used to wear it. Joelle is a knockout and that pisses you off even more.”

Tyler sighed. “Remind me again why we’re friends?”

Carter laughed and clapped Tyler’s back. “Because I keep you honest.”

“Is that even possible?” A man’s voice boomed from behind them.

Tyler turned around as Mayor James Dupree stepped up to him, his hand extended.

“It’s good to have you home,” Mayor Dupree said. “I know your daddy must be relieved.”

“Yes, sir, I imagine he is.” Tyler shook the man’s hand and hoped that he had an appointment that didn’t allow him to hang around for long. Mayor Dupree was a marathon talker and had never once said anything even remotely interesting.

“Good to see you, Carter.” Mayor Dupree nodded. “How’s that pretty fiancée of yours doing?”

“She’s fine, sir,” Carter replied and rolled his eyes at Tyler as soon as Mayor Dupree looked away.

“Good, good,” Mayor Dupree said and studied Tyler again. “So what will you be doing now that you’re home?”

“I’m opening a security firm. Maybe city hall can use my services.”

The mayor laughed. “Well, we’re still holding council meetings at the café, so you’d have to wait until we build a city hall. I hope you have some other clients in mind, as that might be a while in coming.”

“Actually, I’m doing some work for my dad.”

“The LeBeau estate?”

“Yes.”

The mayor shook his head. “That has been such an unfortunate set of circumstances. I never would have imagined such things could happen in Calais.”

Carter cleared his throat. “I thought you and Roger Martin were friends from way back. I would have figured you’d know if he was plotting things with Trenton Purcell.”

Mayor Dupree sighed. “I wish I had known. Maybe I could have talked him out of it. Maybe all this would have turned out differently.”

“Maybe,” Carter said. “You know, I’m pretty sure Purcell had more than just Roger on his payroll. Since you were around then, maybe you’d have an idea who I should take a closer look at.”

“I wish I did, and I’ll be sure to let you know if I think of something. Well, I’ve got to run. You two stay out of trouble.” He gave them a nod and hustled out of the store quicker than Tyler thought his flabby frame would allow.

Tyler stared after him and frowned. “Should I be happy he didn’t stick around and talk us to death, or suspicious and wonder why?”

“Number two.”

“Any particular reason other than him being friends with Roger?”

“Yeah. If Joelle doesn’t make her two weeks, the city of Calais inherits millions’ worth of LeBeau assets.”

“You think he knows that?”

“Do you?”

“The way he left... Wow, all that money and under the control of the good mayor,” Tyler said, a whole new train of thought opened up with that bit of information. “My dad really needs to learn to talk more about things that matter.”

Carter smiled. “Come on, I’ll buy you a root beer float and we can talk about your ideas for security now that you’ve seen the house, and I can try to fill in any blanks that William might have left.”

Tyler checked his watch but figured his dad and Joelle would probably be a while longer. Besides, the general store had an old-fashioned soda fountain with the best root beer floats in the South, and he did have some things he wanted to run by Carter after seeing the house. His friend had suggested a casual planning meeting over a drink, but Tyler could tell Carter was worried, and Carter Trahan was the last person to go off on a tangent.

Maybe his dad was right. Maybe it wasn’t over.

Chapter Five

Joelle pushed her feet against the floorboard of Tyler’s truck, wishing he could navigate the bumpy road at a faster pace. She’d been finishing up with William when her cell phone rang with Alaina’s call. Her sisters had forgotten to call when they left New Orleans and had lost cell service not far outside of the city. By the time she’d gotten a signal again, Alaina was only ten minutes from Calais.

Instant panic set in with Joelle. She hadn’t had time to assess supplies at the house, much less get to the general store to fill in the gaps. And what about the sleeping arrangements? Were the linens clean or was that one other job she’d already fallen down on? She assumed at least one bedroom was suitable for habitation but they needed more than one.

William had immediately clued in to her distress and calmed her down by assuring her that her sisters were well aware of the living conditions and their only requirement was seeing her. Joelle appreciated William’s kind approach to her crisis, but that didn’t solve the problem of upbringing, and Joelle’s adoptive mother had been a real stickler for manners. No way could she allow people in her home—or what would be her home for the next two weeks—without attempting to be a good host.

They’d left the café and headed to the general store to see if Tyler was ready to leave. Even though William had already assured her she didn’t need to provide anything for Alaina and Danae, Joelle picked up the best bottle of wine they had before hurrying out to jump in Tyler’s truck.

Now she wished she would have bought crackers and dip—something to pick at while drinking the wine. Something to keep her hands busy while she had her first conversation with her sisters since they were all children.

Tyler looked over at her and frowned. “Are you nervous?”

Surprised that he’d even spoken, much less at the question, Joelle had to think a couple of seconds before responding.

“Yes,” she finally admitted. “It’s all a bit overwhelming and surreal. Not just that I will finally be reunited with my sisters—which I thought would never happen—but with everything that’s happened surrounding our stepfather’s death.”

“I guess Dad filled you in on everything at lunch?”

“Probably not every detail, but I got the overview. As a social worker, I always think I’ve heard everything. Then occasionally, I’m still blown away at the things human beings will do to one another.”