Bayou Baby - Lexi Blake Page 0,69
to lie to you, Mrs. Beau . . . Celeste.” She wasn’t a child, and Celeste hadn’t done anything that would require a polite title. In fact, when she thought about it, she and Celeste should really be on a first-name basis. “It’s none of your business.”
“Much better. I believed you that time.” Celeste managed a smile that didn’t come close to her eyes. “And it is my business because he’s my nephew and he can be a bit naive when it comes to women. I have to watch out for him.”
Ah, now they were getting to the part she understood. She was far more comfortable with this Celeste than the one she had to understand and relate to. “Is this where you tell me I’m not good enough for your nephew?”
Celeste shrugged, an elegant gesture. “I don’t particularly think anyone is good enough for him. Harry’s practically a saint.”
“No, I’m not.” Harry stood in the doorway, a tray of coffee in one hand, a bag in the other. “Hello, Aunt Celeste. I’m surprised to see you. If I’d known you were coming, I would have gotten an extra sandwich.”
“Oh, darling, you know I would never eat that,” she said with a hint of a smile. “And neither should Seraphina. Do you know how many calories are in those things?”
Like she’d never been called fat before. Celeste would have to try again. And now that she thought about it, why did she always act like a mouse around this woman? In the beginning she’d done it out of shock at Wes’s passing. There had been a part of herself that wondered if she truly hadn’t been guilty of sending Wes to his death. Then there had been the guilt that came from keeping the secret of Luc’s conception. Now it was simply a habit. It was one she was going to break because she wasn’t going to be a doormat one second longer. “Well, I expended an enormous amount of energy between last night and this morning, so I think I can handle it.”
Harry gasped but Celeste actually chuckled. “Yes, there you are. You’re going to need that if you’re going to survive.”
“What exactly are you doing here, Aunt Celeste?” Harry asked, wariness in his gaze as he put the coffee and sandwiches on the small table that served as a desk. “How exactly did you find me?”
“She was worried about you,” Sera said because now that she thought about it, she should have had him call his family. She’d been worried about her own, but Harry wasn’t used to having to call home. He’d been on his own for a long time and he needed a reminder. No matter how she felt about Celeste, she didn’t want the woman up all night worrying. “We should have called to let her know you were all right.”
Harry’s face flushed. “I didn’t even think about it. I’m sorry. I’m not in the habit of calling home. I haven’t had anyone who needed me to check in for a long time.”
Which was why Sera should start training him now. “Well, I happen to know a couple of things about overly protective family members. I will give you some advice. If your cell had been working, your aunt might have been able to get a call or a text through and then she wouldn’t have had to worry. You have to think about these things now.”
Because I want to rely on you.
Harry seemed to hear her unspoken words. “I will. I promise.” He looked back to his aunt. “I’m sorry I worried you. Sera and I went to New Orleans to pick up supplies. We had dinner in town and started back too late to get across the bridge. I didn’t understand how bad the storm would get.”
Celeste turned a pointed glare Sera’s way. “You should have. You know what the weather is like here.”
She shrugged. She’d decided to go for honesty. “I was way too busy staring at Harry to think about the weather. And he’d stolen my truck out from under me and wouldn’t take me back home unless I had dinner with him.”
“Which is precisely why you should give up on eating. I find life is far easier if men can’t hold me hostage to my own physical needs,” Celeste replied, her expression perfectly serious.
“Did you just tell me I would be better off if I starved myself?”
Celeste merely sighed. “We’re all better off when we practice self-denial, dear. Now, since