“Definitely,” he replied. “The only difference between these cases and my mother’s and brother’s murder is that they became cold cases, and I refuse to allow your mother’s murder or the attack on you to go cold.”
“I appreciate it,” she replied.
Glenda came over and placed their meals in front of them. The shrimp was fried golden brown and it came with a side of seasoned rice, a fresh green salad and a big slab of corn bread.
“We definitely need to lighten the conversation now,” Daniel said once Glenda was gone. “Tell me more about growing up with your sisters and with Mystique as your mother.”
“My mother wasn’t really a hands-on type of parent, although she did homeschool us. She spent our early years teaching us all about the dangers of the swamp. She taught us about every wild animal and what snakes were poisonous and which ones weren’t.”
She paused to take a sip of her tea and then continued. “By the time I was twelve, Dominique was ten and Monique was nine, we were pretty much running wild in the swamp with a bunch of other swamp kids.” She smiled as thoughts of her childhood flittered through her mind. “It was a very carefree and wonderful childhood.”
“That’s nice,” he replied.
She held his gaze for a long moment, her heart hurting for him and what he’d been through. “I wish you would have had that kind of a childhood.”
“Thanks. That which doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? I survived my childhood and it’s long in the past. If you don’t mind me asking, where was your father in all this?”
“Not around. I don’t even know who my father is. Same with Dominique and Monique. Mama refused to tell us. She didn’t ever want to discuss the issue. I don’t even know if we all had the same father or not.”
“Is it possible Pierre could be your father?”
“No. Mama and Pierre didn’t start hooking up until I was in my teens. All she told me was that my father didn’t want to be a part of my life so at that time I decided it wasn’t important for me to know him. Besides, Mama was such a big presence in our life we didn’t miss having a father.”
“That’s good.” He picked up his fork and began to eat his salad and she followed suit.
“When you have children, will you want the father to be involved?” he asked between bites.
“If I decide to have children, the answer is a resounding no. I don’t intend to ever have any romantic relationships in my life, so I wouldn’t want to be bound to a man through a child. I’d raise the child by myself.”
He put his fork down and gazed at her in open curiosity. “Why is that?”
“Why is what?” she asked in confusion.
“Why don’t you intend to ever have any romantic relationships in your life? Angelique, you’re young and quite stunning. You’re obviously intelligent and have a great sense of humor. I’m sure there are plenty of men both in the swamp and in town who would be thrilled to be in a relationship with you.”
“Men lie and cheat,” she replied. “I have no interest in falling in love with another man. I intend to take lovers when I want to, but I will never trust my heart to anyone ever again.” She stopped talking as she realized she was giving him too much information about herself.
“Not all men lie and cheat,” he protested. “Angelique, tell me what man broke your heart?” he asked softly.
She raised her chin and held his gaze intently. “Nobody,” she replied, even though it was a lie. “Don’t be mistaken about me, Daniel. I don’t have a heart to break. Now let’s eat before it all gets cold.”
Chapter Eight
The next morning Daniel sat at his desk and thought about the dinner he’d had with Angelique the night before. After their discussion about relationships, their conversation had remained light and casual for the rest of the meal.
Still, she had exposed more of herself than she probably realized. He’d learned that the first man to betray her was the father who didn’t want to be a part of her life. She’d said it hadn’t mattered, but it had to have hurt a little girl’s heart to know her daddy didn’t want anything to do with her.
He highly suspected Jason Webber was the man who had broken her heart with lies and cheating. Daniel had gone to school with Jason, and he’d never particularly liked the man to begin with. The fact that he’d broken her heart to the point that it had turned her cynical about all men made Daniel like the man even less.
It was a damned shame. She deserved the love of a good man who would treat her like a queen, a man who would never lie or cheat on her. Unfortunately, she wasn’t even giving herself a chance to find that special man. She was closed off to the very idea.
He’d surprised himself by sharing with her the tragedy in his own childhood. It was something he rarely talked about to anyone, and as he’d gained more distance from it, he rarely thought about it. He had very few memories of his mother.
He could still remember the way she smelled like roses and how her hand felt as it stroked across his forehead. Heremembered her lips pressed against his cheek as she whispered good-night to him. However, that was pretty much all he had of her.
His memories of his brother were equally as nebulous. He remembered boyish giggles and wrestling together, and that was all he had of a brother named Alan.
With his mother and brother gone, Daniel had to grow up fast, especially when his father had started drinking. His father never got over the murders of his wife and son.
