Cajun Persuasion by Sandra Hill

Author:Sandra Hill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2018-06-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Company’s coming . . .

Fleur was pretty much alone at Bayou Rose with Brother Brian that afternoon. He was upstairs in the study, working out plans, via a conference call, with his fellow Apostle, Jake, Mother Jacinta, and some others. Fleur had declined to participate, feeling like one of the soldiers, not a leader, in the missions, as it should be, the only way she’d want it. Instead, she worked once again at the kitchen table on Tante Lulu’s herbal book.

Grace O’Brien, the ex-nun whom she’d yet to meet, had done some preliminary work organizing Tante Lulu’s folk medicine recipes a few years back, and she’d been better qualified than Fleur was, having studied alternative medicine while she was a practicing nun. Grace’s work formed a base from which Fleur worked now, making it easier to organize all the data into separate folders.

The ceiling fan whirred overhead. The pot of jambalaya on the stove simmered softly, and two loaves of homemade bread were rising on the counter, both exuding wonderful aromas of the dinner to come.

Aaron had gone to work before noon; three flights to the oil rigs, and one bayou air tour, he’d told them all. Afterward, he would meet with Luc to discuss some continuing issue he had with the FAA. Plus, he planned to stop by the hospital to see how Samantha was doing. Before leaving, he’d leaned in and given Fleur a good-bye kiss. A quick one, which he’d laughingly called a fly-by kiss.

She’d threatened to smack him for taking liberties. Where she’d come up with such an old-fashioned word, she had no idea. Well, yes, she did. Too much hanging around Tante Lulu.

“Oh, baby, if you only knew the liberties I’d like to take!” Aaron had declared.

Tante Lulu had shaken her folded Richard Simmons fan at the two of them. “No drinkin’ wine before the gospel.”

Fleur had been afraid to ask what that meant.

“We have a saying about wine back in the Old Country,” Brother Brian had begun.

Everyone groaned at his continual spouting of proverbs, triads, and whatnot, except Tante Lulu, who had developed a kindred spirit with the priest.

Undeterred by the groans, Brother Brian had told them, “Wine makes good women wenches.” But then he added, “Actually, I think many countries have claimed that proverb, in one form or another.”

Aaron had put up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I’ve been on the wagon since I met Fleur.”

“Huh? What wagon?” She wasn’t sure if he was referring to alcohol or women. “I never asked you to go on any wagon.”

On the way out, Aaron had confided to Brother Brian in an overloud whisper, “I think she’s starting to like me.”

Everyone was amused by the thrust and parry wordplay between the two of them. That was all she needed, to be the source of entertainment for a madcap group of people forced to hide out together in a bayou mansion! And she was feeling the most madcap of them all. Or maybe she was just going mad.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.