“This is why I love it here so much. It’s not just the people who fill my life, it’s the peace and beauty of the bayou,” she said softly.
When Maurice cocked an eyebrow in her direction, Amelie laughed. “Okay, having my bakery vandalized isn’t so peaceful, but the bayou does not disappoint with the show it’s putting on this morning.”
Maurice tossed the water across the back parking lot and turned to face her.
Amelie smiled. “Thank you for helping me get the shop back in order. And thank you for being here for me.”
He turned the bucket upside down, straightened and gave her a dip of his head. “My pleasure.”
Amelie wanted to say more, but her cell phone rang at that moment. She glanced down and frowned.
“Who is it?” Maurice asked.
“Luis,” she said. “He never calls me. And why is he calling so early?” She answered the call. “Luis? Is everything all right?”
“Amelie,” Luis’s voice sounded in her ear. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Not at all,” she said, her gaze on Maurice, a frown pulling at her brow. “What’s wrong?”
He laughed. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s just that I’m in New Orleans and hoped I could come see you.”
Chapter 4
Before they headed for New Orleans, Maurice opted for a quick shower and change of clothing at the boarding house he’d been living in since arriving in Bayou Mambaloa. So many of his team had already transitioned out of the boarding house after finding love and commitment with some of the town’s residents.
Maurice had been looking at local real estate but had yet to commit. None of the homes LaShawnda Jones, his realtor, had shown him had felt like home. Not that he knew what that felt like anymore. Growing up a military brat, every place they’d moved had always felt like home. He’d never thought any differently or questioned it.
Looking at houses in Bayou Mambaloa, Maurice couldn’t find that natural, let your guard down and get comfortable feeling he’d had as a child. Watching his buddies fall in love and establish homes with their women was beginning to make something very clear.
Home wasn’t a place or building. It was who you were with.
Maurice thought he’d found that someone he could make a home with when he’d fallen for Sandy. Her death had hit him hard. Since then, he hadn’t been interested in finding a home or even a house.
The boarding house the Brotherhood Protectors had purchased was a transitional place where new recruits could live until they found permanent lodging.
Not having found permanent lodging, Maurice had stayed longer than temporarily. He’d only just started looking for a place of his own after living in the boarding house for nearly two years.
Amelie took the van to the gas station to fuel up while Maurice showered and changed.
He was waiting for her when she drove up outside the boarding house. Leaving his truck, he joined her in the bakery van.
As they drove into the city, Amelie’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, her lips pressing into a tight line.
“Does driving in traffic make you tense?” he asked.
She nodded.
‘I’d think that after living in Paris you’d get used to a big city.”
She snorted. “In Paris, we walked everywhere. When I lived in New Orleans, I stayed in an apartment not too far from where I worked. I didn’t have to drive in the traffic very often. It’s just another reason I like being home in Bayou Mambaloa.”
“Are you nervous about seeing Luis?” Maurice asked.
“No, not really,” Amelie said. “It’s just the first time he’s come to see me since I moved back to the US.” She frowned. “Why now?”
“Is it a little weird that it’s right after your bakery was broken into?”
She shrugged and drove the van into a parking lot near Bourbon Street. “I’m probably chasing shadows. It just seems to be a bit of a coincidence.”
