Glancing once againat the directions Phylicia had given her before leaving Belle Maison, Tamryn made a left onto Cottonwood Drive. She knew she was heading in the right direction the moment she saw the numerous cars parked along the tree-lined street. Phylicia had told her to anticipate half the town showing up for the picnic being thrown by Dr. Landry, who owned the Gauthier Pharmacy and Feed Store on Main Street.
Tamryn had been taken aback when she’d walked into the store and, after only a few minutes of chatting with the pharmacist and cashier, been invited to the gathering. Although she shouldn’t have been all that surprised. In the week since she’d arrived in Gauthier, she had already received an invitation to Sunday dinner from the beauty parlor owner, Claudette Robinson, and to a baby shower from a woman whose name she couldn’t recall.
She pulled in behind a blue pickup truck and locked up the compact sedan the rental car company had finally delivered to Belle Maison. It was smaller than the car she’d originally rented, but Tamryn feared she’d be without a car for another several days if she demanded they replace it.
She locked the car, chuckling at the fact that, in this town, that was more than likely unnecessary, and followed the sounds of music and children’s laughter coming from a huge white colonial several houses down the street. She walked past the cars lining the driveway and headed for the gate that led to the backyard. She smoothed her hands down the sides of her flowing yellow-and-blue-striped maxi dress before pushing open the gate and slipping inside.
The party was in full swing. There were at least a dozen tables set up around the massive fenced-in yard, all occupied by people feasting on the barbecue that she’d smelled halfway down the street. Smoke billowed from a large, barrel-style grill over on the left side of the yard. Next to it was another table, this one covered with chafing dishes, platters, and huge bowls. Next to that was a— Was that arowboat?
“Well, look who’s here. It’s the professor!” Tamryn was approached by one of the women she’d met at Claudette’s the other day, Mabel something or other. “Well, don’t just stand there,” the woman said. “Come on in and get yourself something to eat. You look like you can use it. It’s been forty years since I was able to get into a dress that small.”
Tamryn was immediately surrounded by a host of people eager to greet the newest guest. Despite not having met the majority of them during her brief visits to downtown Gauthier, everyone who introduced themselves seem to already know her name, that she was a professor “at a fancy school up north,” and that she was visiting Gauthier because of the discovery at the law firm.
As they approached the food tables, two men carrying a large pot stepped up to the rowboat and emptied a heap of steaming mudbugs into it. Tamryn had only encountered the shellfish when she visited her father’s family in Mississippi. She’d never been able to bring herself to eat one.
As they made their way along the buffet, Mabel kept up her chatter. “Isn’t that something about the room they found at the Gauthier Law Firm?” she said as she heaped a dollop of potato salad onto Tamryn’s already-crowded plate. “You know, my grandmother used to say that Ansel—that was Micah and Nicolette’s son—married a slave girl. I think he must have been helping her escape and they fell in love. Doesn’t that sound romantic?”
“Yes, it does,” Tamryn said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s exactly how it happened. I’ve run across stories like that many times during my research. If you don’t mind, I’d love to interview you about some of the other things your grandmother might have mentioned.”
Mabel’s eyes widened with delight at the thought of being interviewed. Tamryn figured she’d have to dedicate an entire day for it. The woman was a talker.
After they made their way out of the buffet line, Tamryn was invited to one of the tables and introduced to yet another group of residents. They regaled her with stories of Gauthier’s economic boom since the Underground Railroad discovery, and how the flood of new tourists had revived the town.
A group of teens came to the table with plates in their hands, looking for a place to sit. Tamryn gave up her spot and walked over to the other side of the yard, settling on a wooden tree swing built for two that provided the perfect view of a serious game of kickball in progress. She laughed at the chubby toddlers who missed the ball more than they struck it.
Not for the first time since she’d arrived, a sense of peace stole over her. There was just something about this town’s easy nature that called to her.
She pushed off the ground using the tips of her toes and set the swing on a gentle sway. She’d been relaxing for a few minutes when she felt a prickle of awareness cascade down her spine.
Tamryn looked to her left and spotted Matthew Gauthier striding toward her with a confident, easy smile gracing his lips. He wore jeans and a T-shirt, looking more like the biker she’d encountered her first day in Gauthier than the lawyer. He carried a flat brown cardboard tray, like the ones used to store canned soft drinks in the grocery store.
“Hello there,” Tamryn said as he approached.
“Hello,” he said, settling next to her on the swing without even asking if he could join her.
She pointed to the cardboard tray, which was piled high with mudbugs. “Think you got enough mudbugs there?”
“Around here we call them crawfish, not mudbugs. And this is just my first round. When Errol Landry is doing the boiling, you want to eat as many as you can. He makes a special trip back to Gauthier every year for his dad’s picnic, just so he can boil the crawfish.”
“So is that the reason for the party? A homecoming celebration for Dr. Landry’s son?”
Matt shook his head as he ripped the tail off the crustacean and wrapped his lips around the body, sucking it. Tamryn wasn’t sure whether to laugh or gag.
“Doc Landry throws this picnic every year just as a thank-you to the community. It’s not as if folks wouldn’t support his business—Gauthier is lucky to have him. Still.” Matt shrugged. “It’s his way of showing his appreciation.”
Warmth settled in Tamryn’s chest. “I absolutely adore this town,” she said.
He looked at her, his brow lifted in a skeptical hitch. “Because the local pharmacist invited you to his yearly picnic that’s open to everyone in town?”
“That’s not the only reason. Everyone is just so warm and inviting here. I’ve only been in Gauthier a week, but you wouldn’t know it by the way I’ve been treated. The people here have gone out of their way to make me feel at home.”
He grinned. “I hate to burst your bubble, but they’re only doing that because they’re nosy and you’re the shiny, new attraction in town.”
Tamryn’s head flew back. “Thanks for putting my ego in check.”
Her crack of laughter drew particularly interested stares from the group of ladies whom she’d spoken to earlier. They all looked toward her and Matt with approving smiles on their faces.
“We seem to be the object of quite a few stares,” Tamryn observed.
