Bayou Baby - Lexi Blake Page 0,10
was younger, it had been Irene who’d taught Sera to fish, who’d let her and her brothers run wild on her property. When they’d gone out to Aunt Irene’s, the only rules had been checking in at supper time and not disturbing the numerous traps she had around the grounds. She’d even told them where the traps were, and her mom had claimed that was how a person knew Irene cared.
“Yeah, let’s hear what she had to say.” Remy bounced Luc and slid a smile Sera’s way as though he was remembering those times, too.
“All right.” Quaid sat up in his chair and took a long breath. “Dear beloved family, If Quaid Havery is reading this, then I am dead and I wasted money on an uppity lawyer because the world is a terrible place. I wanted to leave you with a few words of wisdom while dispensing with my worldly goods.”
“I thought we already dispensed with her worldly goods,” her mother said with a shake of her turban. “Seraphina had to rehome all those cats.”
She’d worked hard to find a place for her aunt’s kitties. She’d run those cats all over Southern Louisiana, but she couldn’t put them in shelters. Those cats had been her aunt’s babies. She wouldn’t have been able to even look at Aunt Irene’s coffin unless she’d done her absolute best.
“She left each of you something,” Quaid said, looking back to the letter. “Delphine, you’re a ridiculous woman who believes in everything from mystical crystals to swamp men.”
Her mother held up a hand. “Well, I have actually seen a swamp man. Or it might have been Buddy Evers after a bad day of trapping. Sometimes I can’t tell, but Irene would have done well to have had a few healing crystals around.”
“I’m going to continue,” Quaid said. “You might be some silly thing my brother married despite me telling him it was a bad idea, but oddly you managed to have a couple of decent children, so here’s my advice. My brother died a long time ago. Get out and live, Delphine. I didn’t because I didn’t care to. I liked how I lived. You are not me. You did a good job. You were dumb but faithful. Go have fun, and I don’t mean by pulling short cons on tourists. I leave you the ring my brother should have given you. I was selfish and kept it for myself because I was jealous, but now it’s yours and not because you married my brother. Because you honored this family by staying when it would have been easier to go. But you’re old, girl. You don’t have much time left. You should have fun as fast as you can because those wrinkles are catching up no matter how tight you tie that turban.”
Sera bit back a laugh. That was her aunt.
“She left me the ring?” Her mother sniffled and then touched her turban. “And this is much cheaper than Botox and far healthier. Not that I have many wrinkles. But I appreciate the ring. It was her mother’s ring. It was supposed to go to your father to propose with but Irene got upset. I didn’t argue, but I always loved that ring.”
“To my nephew Remy I leave twenty dollars so he can get a haircut. And don’t go to Seraphina because she can’t cut hair to save her life.” Quaid sighed. “Like I said, not my words, man.”
Remy chuckled. “That old woman was always on me to get my hair cut, but my wife thinks it’s sexy like it is so I’ll be donating that twenty bucks.”
“It’s specifically for a haircut. I’m supposed to verify that you do it,” Quaid replied.
“I think we’ll survive without the twenty,” Lisa said with a shake of her head.
“I could use twenty bucks.” Zep sat up. “I’ll cut my hair. I look good with or without hair. I have one of those jawlines that can handle any style.”
Quaid simply ignored him. Which proved Quaid had been around Zep a lot. “As to Zéphirin Guidry, I give you a box of condoms and the prayer that you will have the sense to use them. A young man should not spread his seed.”
Zep pointed Quaid’s way. “See, I told you. I’ll take those condoms, though. Every time I go to buy them at the Fast Mart, Evelyn Gillwater prays for me. Right there in the middle of the store. It’s embarrassing since she won’t actually give me the box until