a text from him thirty minutes before that he had some sort of woodworking emergency, and now she had to go and meet his aunt all by herself. She needed the yoga to help center her today.
She was certain yoga would be one of those off-limits things at the Beaumont house. She’d already received several e-mails from Celeste about the brunch next Saturday that included helpful dos and don’ts of attendance.
“To the brunch at Beaumont House?” Sylvie slid in on Sera’s other side. She’d been running late. “Why would you do that? I know you’re dating Harry, but that doesn’t mean you’re a member of the family. Chrishelle Mills dated Cal for two years and never got invited to Beaumont House even once.”
“I wouldn’t call it dating,” Hallie argued in a whisper. “It was more like he would pick her up after her shift at the strip club and they would screw for hours. It’s not the same. Sera’s a real girlfriend. Harry takes her out to the grocery store. A man is not truly committed to a woman until he’s pushed a grocery cart full of actual food, and not beer and chips.”
Harry had been the perfect boyfriend for the whole week they’d been dating. Not only did he come by to pick her up every morning to take her to Guidry Place, but he often sat down and had breakfast with the family. Her mom fawned over him and had taken to making pancakes or French toast every morning, much to Zep’s chagrin since breakfast was his favorite meal of the day and his momma would toss a box of cereal his way. Not for Harry, though. Harry, she’d been told, did a man’s work and needed a man’s breakfast.
“That still doesn’t explain why Celeste is having her sworn enemy over for a family event,” Sylvie whispered. “You know how she is about family occasions.”
“Unless she wants to lull her sworn enemy into a false sense of security before she thrusts the knife in,” a new voice said.
Seraphina glanced back, and Lila Daley LaVigne was moving from downward dog into cobra pose with flawless grace. “You think Celeste is going to stab me?”
“I don’t think Celeste would get her hands dirty,” Hallie whispered. “She’s always telling me my nails make me look like I’m the oil rigger instead of my husband. I don’t have time to spend all day in a salon. I’m a young mother. We’re lucky I took a shower three days ago.”
Sylvie sent her a shake of her head. “I’m going to have to hose you down, girl.”
“I will welcome it,” Hallie admitted. “And if you put some wine in that hose, that would be even better. I definitely think Celeste is probably planning on poisoning you at the brunch. But it will be one of those poisons that kills you outright with no vomiting because I’ve heard those rugs of hers are worth more than Johnny makes in a year.”
“She doesn’t have to worry about the rugs,” Sylvie argued as they all moved into a lunge. “She would definitely put down tarp.”
“Yeah,” Hallie agreed. “If you see tarp, do not step on it. Do not let Celeste trick you into stepping on it.”
She brought her feet together, completing the sun salutation. If Celeste was going to do anything, it would likely be this afternoon. She still wasn’t sure this meeting of hers wouldn’t include the offer to write a fat check if she would stop dating Harry. “I don’t think she’s going to kill me, but she might be trying to make me run.”
“I don’t know. The tarp thing is solid advice,” a masculine voice said.
“You’re supposed to stay quiet,” Lila whispered back at her husband.
Armie LaVigne sat on a bench a few feet away from his wife. The sheriff of Papillon was wearing sweats and a T-shirt, a book in his hand and a dog lounging at his feet. The big golden retriever mix was named Peanut and he was snoozing, his head resting on Armie’s sneaker. “I’m supposed to be working undercover, but I also have a duty to the public. I absolutely believe Celeste Beaumont could kill a man. Now, I’m pretty sure she could do it with that stare of hers, but I wouldn’t step on tarp around the woman, either.”
“Armie’s undercover?” Sylvie asked as they started another sun salutation.
Sera knew exactly what was going on. “Kenny White’s in town again. He moved back in with his momma because he