He held his palms up in a you-win gesture.
“I don’t know much about the Gauthier family’s history, but I know the basics,” he said. “Uncle Micah, who was part white, by the way, apparently won a bunch of land in a card game. I guess he was pretty self-important, because he decided there should be a town named after him. Thus, the town of Gauthier was born.”
“From what I’ve read, Micah Gauthier was very generous. Calling him self-important doesn’t seem fair.”
Matt shrugged. “Never met him, so I can’t be sure.”
“You are absolutely no help at all.”
“I told you I wouldn’t be.” He chuckled as he squeezed lemon juice into the iced tea the waiter had just refilled. He set the long teaspoon on the linen tablecloth and returned his attention to Tamryn. “Look, the history of this town is pretty much like the other towns in this area. I’ll bet if folks look hard enough, they’ll find other rooms like the one that was found in the law practice.”
“Oh, I have no doubt,” Tamryn said. “There are likely hundreds of secret hideaways that were used as part of the Underground Railroad that haven’t been discovered throughout the South. It’s always exciting when one is, which is why being here in Gauthier—”
The waiter returned to their table. “I’m sorry to interrupt again, but will you be enjoying dessert this afternoon? We have white chocolate bread pudding and buttermilk pie.”
“That sounds so good,” Tamryn said. “But I can’t.”
“Oh, come on,” Matt urged. “Dessert isn’t just for special occasions around here. It’s a part of every meal.”
“Even breakfast?” she asked with a teasing smile.
“Damn right. Just wait until you have some beignets and café au lait.”
She groaned. “If I’m not careful I will have to buy an entirely new wardrobe before the start of fall semester.”
“You have nothing to worry about,” Matt said. He looked up at the waiter. “Paul, can you box up a serving of bread pudding for me to take back to Carmen?”
“No problem, Matt. Oh, and I’m going to email you some artwork for the 5K T-shirts later tonight.”
“Good. I need to get that to Mike’s Printing over in Maplesville. He said the sooner we have the artwork, the sooner he can start making the T-shirts and yard signs.”
When Paul left the table, Matt turned his attention back to Tamryn. “Sorry about that.”
“A 5K?” she asked.
Matt nodded, taking another sip of tea. “I—well, the Gauthier Law Firm—sponsors a yearly 5K to benefit the Gauthier Boys and Girls Summer Camp. It’s turned into a pretty big event, much bigger than we ever expected it to become.”
“Who’s ‘we’?”
“Carmen and I. She’s the one who puts it together.”
“But you foot the bill?”
He shrugged. “It’s not much.”
Tamryn folded her arms on the table and, with her head cocked to the side, studied him. He wasn’t a fan of scrutiny, even when it involved a beautiful woman.
“What?” Matt asked.
“It wasn’t just the talk of obviously smitten women at the beauty parlor. You reallyarea saint.”
“Smitten? Do people really use that word?”
“There is no other way to describe them. All I had to do was bring up your name and off they went, talking about the food drive you sponsor for the elderly at Thanksgiving, and the Easter egg hunt for the children at the elementary school. And did I hear something about a new tutor and mentorship program you’ve proposed for Gauthier High?”
He nodded.
“I can only assume that underneath that suit you’re hiding a giantSon your chest.”
