Bayou Justice (13 page)

“Good. I was scared you'd stand me up.”

The urge to retort “like you did me at the altar” felt strong, but she bit her tongue. Maybe she needed to let go of the past, once and for all. “Nope. I'll see you soon.”

Flipping the phone shut, CoCo waited for the traffic to clear so she could merge onto the street. She would forgive and forget. She would move on. She would be able to handle being around Luc again.

If only her heart would listen to her pep talk and not thud as if it had a mind of its own.

F
ocus, he had to focus. Luc stood leaning against the rail of the veranda as CoCo rushed toward him. Her curls looked springier than normal, falling around her shoulders like long, black spirals. The green in her eyes glimmered.

She smiled as she stepped onto the porch. “I talked with Dwayne.”

All business, that was his CoCo. His? Whoa! She wasn't his anything anymore. He'd better control his emotions before he totally scared her off. “Want to come inside?”

Her gaze darted to the swing and she gripped her bottom lip between her teeth. “Why don't we sit out here? I'd rather not be overheard when we discuss this.”

Uh-oh. He nodded and let her take a seat on the swing while he plopped into the adjacent chair. “What'd you find out?” He steeled himself for whatever she had to say.

“Well…” She hesitated, concern blinking in her eyes.

His stomach knotted. “Just tell me.”

“Let me start at the beginning.” She twisted her hands together in her lap and relayed all she'd learned that morning.

Luc had opened his mouth to voice his thoughts, when the disgusting implication slammed against his chest. Bayou life was complicated if nothing else.

“You think my grandfather was involved with this woman? He was old enough to be
her
grandfather.” Disgust, or something akin to it, wrestled against logic.

“I didn't say that.” CoCo shook her head slightly. “I'm just saying…isn't it possible that could have happened? Beau Trahan wouldn't have wanted such a thing to get out—it would have killed his reputation.”

“No.” He shoved to his feet and leaned over the railing, letting his mind wrap around the plausibility. “No, Grandfather wouldn't have done such a thing. He wouldn't have gotten involved with a woman so young.” However, Grandfather
did
like trophy-type women. “He was too savvy for such a thing.”

“You're sure?” Her voice was soft, but the accusation sat in her tone.

Could
Grandfather have been involved with a woman the family didn't know about? A woman so young? Luc had never kept up with his grandfather's comings and goings, never felt there was a reason to do so. If anyone would know about Grandfather's social life, it would be his brother. He'd have to ask Uncle Justin. In the meantime….

“Luc, is it possible?”

He raked a hand over his face and turned to stare at her. “Anything's possible, but it's highly unlikely.” He focused on her face, hoping she could read the honesty in his eyes. “Come on, CoCo, you knew Grandfather. If they were involved, and he asked her to quit, he'd have helped get a new job for her.”

“Unless he didn't want anyone to connect them.” She moved to stand beside him at the rail. “Didn't reputation mean everything to your grandfather, Luc? Everything?”

She was right—he knew it all too well, had it drilled into his head since he could walk.
The Trahan name is gold, boy, gold.
Don't smear our good name.
The lectures replayed in his mind, his grandfather's stern voice tormenting him from the grave.

“Luc?”

He jerked out of his reverie and sighed. “I suppose it could have happened. But Grandfather would have said something to
someone,
if only to brag about having such a young girlfriend. I'll ask Uncle Justin. Maybe I can get a glance at Grandfather's checkbook register that Bubba has. If he was seeing her and she was hurting for money, he would have helped her.”

“Do you think Justin will tell you?”

“Why wouldn't he?” Luc peered into the depths of CoCo's eyes. Compassion and concern stared back at him. His heart thumped. No, he couldn't allow himself to get caught up in her again. She might have changed, but not in the really important ways.

“I don't know.” She shrugged, her hair flipping over her shoulder. Just enough to remind him of how it felt to dig his fingers into the silky thickness.

He steadied himself against the onslaught of memories. He'd sure been down memory lane a lot lately—Dad, Grandfather and CoCo.
Lord, what am I missing here? What are You trying to tell me?

“I just think, maybe, Justin might not be as forthcoming as you'd hope.”

“Why not? He's been a rock throughout this whole ordeal.” Another memory rammed his mind—his uncle holding him in his arms and crying with him, Justin's sobs loud and unabashed. “Just like he was when Dad died.”

Her mouth tightened into a straight line.

Way to go, Luc, ol' boy.
Size thirteen in the big, fat mouth. He laid his hand over hers atop the railing. “I didn't mean to imply anything other than Uncle Justin is the glue that holds this family together. ”As he said the words, he knew they were true but he'd never realized it before. Why hadn't he seen it wasn't Grandfather who kept the bonds tight, but Uncle Justin?

CoCo smiled. “I know.” She slipped her hand out from under his and crossed her arms over her chest. “He just rubbed me wrong the day we found the gun.”

“He was only trying to defend me.”

“I know.” She pinched her lips closed tight, as if afraid she'd say more.

He wanted to hear her opinion—her full opinion—but Felicia chose that moment to bump her wheelchair against the threshold. “CoCo!”

All smiles, CoCo turned and yanked open the screen door. “Felicia.” She leaned over and hugged Luc's sister as soon as the wheelchair cleared the way. “I've missed you,
Boo.
”

He cleared his throat. “CoCo, would you like a glass of lemonade or iced tea?”

Felicia turned to him, her blue eyes shooting icicles through his chest. “Luc Trahan, where have your manners gone? She's been here in this heat, and you're just now offering her a cold drink?” She rolled her eyes at CoCo's bemused smile. “You go on and fetch us a drink.” Her mumbling continued under her breath.

Tossing CoCo a teasing wink, he headed into the kitchen.

“Sit down, sit down.” Felicia motioned with one hand while she pushed the control of her wheelchair with the other. “It's been too long.”

Easing onto the swing, CoCo felt the guilt push tears to her eyes. Once she'd called Felicia one of her nearest and dearest friends, but then Luc had dumped her…and she just couldn't face Felicia. The memories of the fun times shared together would have robbed every ounce of her hard-earned strength. The weeks—no, the months following the break-up had been unbearable. Only by turning to God and lying in His loving arms had she been able to pull herself up and keep going. One day at a time, that had been her mantra. Still was.

“I didn't mean that like I was condemning. I wasn't. I understood.” Felicia's bright blue eyes glistened. “I didn't exactly come a-calling, either.”

Gratitude filled CoCo's heart until she thought it would burst. “I know. It was just…hard.”

“You're here now, yes?” Hope shone on Felicia's face brighter than the noonday sun.

The reason why she was here returned to her. “I'm so sorry about your grandfather.”

“I should be upset. I should be grieving. I know this.” She lowered her voice. “I'm not. I'm still mad.”

“Mad? Whatever for?”

“Angry with Grandfather for what he did to Frank. Or, what he tried to do to our relationship. Mad at the way he blew up at Luc.”

“That's natural.”

“You think?” Felicia shook her head. “I'm not so sure.” She leaned forward and whispered. “I think I'm glad he's dead.”

How many times had she thought the exact same thing? CoCo grabbed Felicia's hand. “It's perfectly normal to feel that way,
Boo.
You're human. Allow yourself to feel—anger, sorrow, grief…whatever emotion hits you.”

“You know this how?”

CoCo hauled in a deep breath. “Been there, done that, T-shirt doesn't fit anymore.”

Felicia stared at her a long moment, then her infectious smile appeared. A single dimple dug itself into the corner of her mouth. “You're bad, CoCo LeBlanc.” She laid her other hand over CoCo's and squeezed. “And I've missed you something terrible.”

“I've missed you, too.” Her voice cracked, but CoCo didn't care. She loved Felicia, and it was true—she
had
missed her.

“So, what've you been up to? Fill me in.”

“Work's going well. Hopefully the Wetlands Preservation Center will approve my current grant and approve an increase. That'll give me the funds to expand my gator-tracking equipment.”

“That's wonderful.” Felicia grinned. “Are you dating anyone?”

Pain, as raw as that fateful night two years ago, swarmed across her chest. CoCo swallowed. “No.”

“I'm sorry.” Felicia's voice quivered and her eyes filled with tears. “Sometimes I can be thoughtless, yes?”

CoCo forced herself to smile. “It's okay. Tell me about this Frank character.”

Felicia talked about her boyfriend, her eyes lighting up brighter than the stars over the bayou on a clear night. Had she been that enthralled? So in love with Luc that she'd practically glowed when she talked about him? Surely not. Then again, the ache of how she'd felt about him just about ripped her heart out…again.

Luc's sister wound down her relay of Frank's wonderful attributes and peered at CoCo with prying eyes. “Now, tell me what's new with you. Come on, girl, surely there's something important you can tell me, yes?”

“There
is
something important that's happened to me.” CoCo smiled at her friend.

“What?” Felicia leaned forward, her sole focus on CoCo's face.

“About a year and a half ago, I accepted Christ.”

Felicia's eyes went as wide as a gator's jaw. “Well, praise God!” She laughed. “I must say, I prayed for your salvation daily.”

CoCo leaned over and hugged Felicia. “And I thank you for each and every prayer you ever sent to the throne on my behalf,” she whispered before pulling back.

“You've told Luc, yes?”

Shaking her head, CoCo lowered her gaze. “It doesn't matter.”

“You haven't let Luc know? Oh, CoCo. Being a Christian will make all the difference in the world to Luc. You know his biggest struggle was that you were a…”

CoCo laughed at the horrified expression on her friend's face. “You can say it, a voodoo priestess.”

Felicia covered her mouth with her hand. “I did it again. I'm such a
cooyon.
I'm sorry.”

“Don't be. I was.” She let out a sigh. “If I could do it all again, I'd never have turned to voodoo. I would have listened to Luc. I would have run to Jesus a lot earlier than I did.”

“What about your family? Your grandmother?”

CoCo laughed, but the vibration came out flat. “She's still the same old Grandmere. I just keep praying for her.” She stopped smiling. “And Tara, too.”

“Tara? What's wrong with her?”

“When I accepted Jesus, I told Grandmere I wouldn't follow in her footsteps of learning her ways anymore.” CoCo swallowed back the guilt. “Since Alyssa had already moved out, Grandmere began teaching Tara.”

“Oh, no. How horrible.”

“It's a mess.” The smile she forced nearly hurt. “I just don't understand why God won't help them see the light.”

“One thing you'll have to learn, my friend, is that salvation is all in God's timing, not ours, yes?”

How had this woman become wise beyond her years? “I know, but it's hard. I mean, it happened to me almost in a flash. I just…
knew,
ya know?”

“I do. Luc and I had been praying for your salvation for a long, long time. It may have happened fast to you, but it was slow for us. Still, it was perfect—it was God's timing.”

Why couldn't she just accept that? “I just don't have much patience. I want Grandmere and Tara to know this feeling.”

“That's natural. We want to share the happiness our loving God gives us, yes?” She cocked her head to one side. “Thus the term
witnessing,
spreading the Good News.”

CoCo laughed. “I guess I never thought about it that way.”

A breeze tiptoed over the veranda, carrying the scent of magnolias. CoCo inhaled deep. It'd been a long time since she'd sat with Luc's sister, chatting and enjoying her company.

“CoCo, you're wrong if you think telling Luc won't make a difference.” Felicia's tone was somber.

“I don't think so. Back then, the main thing that split us apart was his belief I defended something that killed his father.” CoCo tossed a weak smile to Felicia. “Killed your father.”