Rue Toulouse (36 page)

“All right, but tell her to call us when she and Caterine are safely in the apartment. I won’t relax until we hear from them.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

“Here we are safe and sound.” Elaine ushered the boys into Remi’s apartment behind Caterine.

“Yes, believe it or not, we managed to get ourselves all the way from Royal to Toulouse without mishap.” Caterine sat down and kicked off her shoes. “Elaine, you’d better call Paul before Remi has the NOPD over here checking on us.”

“Aunt Caterine, do you have juice boxes?” five-year-old Spencer asked.

“And animal crackers?” three-year-old Mark added.

“Why no, boys, I’m sorry. I don’t,” Caterine said. “I have some orange juice. Would that be okay?”

“I have juice boxes and crackers here in my bag,” Elaine said. “Would you boys like to go sit on the balcony and drink your juice and have a snack?”

“Yes,” was their unanimous reply.

As Caterine watched Elaine get the boys settled, a powerful yearning to have her own children overwhelmed her, surprising her with its intensity. Shaking her head clear of the mental picture of herself holding Remi’s baby, Caterine went into the kitchen to see what there was to eat.

“Okay, they’re enjoying watching some guy painted copper doing baseball poses,” Elaine said, coming into the kitchen.

“Have you called Paul yet?”

“No, why?”

“Find out if they’re going to be late. If so, why don’t you and the boys stay and we’ll order pizza.”

Elaine smiled. “That sounds great. The boys would love that.”

“Too bad the Pizza Kitchen doesn’t deliver. Their pizza is the best.”

“I could go pick it up.”

Caterine frowned. “I’d love to say the heck with it and we all go over there and eat, but Remi would have a fit. I don’t want him mad at me when we’re going to his family’s tomorrow.”

“Before we make any decisions, let me call them.”

“Mom, come see. Now he’s juggling baseballs.” Excited voices came from the balcony.

“I’ll go,” Caterine said. “You call Paul.”

“What’s so funny?” Elaine asked as she came out onto the balcony.

“Aunt Caterine gave us quarters, and the copper man is catching them,” Mark shouted as Spencer tossed another coin.

Elaine peered over the railing. “You two thank the copper man for putting on such a nice show for you. Then he can be on his way, and we can order pizza. How does that sound?”

“I take it Paul said they’d be late?” Caterine asked.

“Yes, they want to keep working as long as they can. So I told him we’d have pizza then I’d take the boys home.”

“Great, you call in the order while I go change. After we eat, you can help me narrow down my choices of what to wear tomorrow.”

With the boys happily watching Nickelodeon, Caterine took Elaine into the bedroom where clothes were spread across the bed.

“Caterine, I don’t understand why you’re making such a project out of this. It’s just going to be like a picnic.”

“I know, but I’m going to be meeting all of his family. I’m not sure they know who I am, but if they do, I don’t want to come across looking like some snooty rich girl.”

Elaine laughed. “You are a rich girl, and you couldn’t look snooty if you tried. Just be yourself and you’ll do fine.”

Caterine moved clothes out of the way to sit on the edge of the bed and sighed. “I know I’m overreacting to this, but believe it or not this is the first time a guy has taken me home to meet his family.”

“What are you talking about? Over the years you’ve met lots of guys’ parents.”

“Not any I didn’t already know from school or social events. You and I have been brought up in a select circle where our families have known each other for decades. We’re raised to know what to expect at social events and how we’re expected to act. I’m afraid I’m going to do or say something foolish. What if I just don’t fit in?”

As a tear trickled down Caterine’s cheek, Elaine sat next to her and took her hand. “I’m sorry, Cat. I didn’t realize how much this meant to you. Listen to me. You couldn’t possibly do anything to embarrass Remi. As I said, be yourself. These people aren’t from another planet. They just may party differently than we’re used to. But I’ll bet Remi’s family will be a lot more fun than some of those parties our parents dragged us to.” She squeezed Caterine’s hand. “Now I know there’s more to this than you’re telling me. So what else is bothering you?”

Unable to reply, Caterine brushed at her tears.

“Oh God, Cat, you’ve really fallen in love with him, haven’t you? That’s why this means so much, isn’t it?”

Caterine bent her head and nodded.

Elaine let out a long breath. “Have you told him you love him?”

She nodded. “Once.”

“And?”
 

“And nothing. He held me and kissed me, but never told me that he loved me. Every time I try to tell him how I feel, he stops me.”

Elaine frowned. “Stops you how?”

Caterine cleared her throat. “Well, he . . .”

“Oh, don’t you see? That’s his way of telling you he loves you. Some men have a hard time saying the words, so they show you instead.”

Caterine brightened. “Do you really think so?”

Elaine nodded vigorously. “He went to you the minute he heard you were in trouble. He has you living here with him. He’s willing to take on your family to find a killer in order to make you safe. How can you even question whether he’s in love with you?”

“Well, when you put it that way, maybe you’re right.”

“I know I’m right. Give him some time. You have to admit your relationship right now isn’t exactly normal.”

Caterine laughed and gave Elaine a hug. “Oh, thank you. I knew you would make me feel better.”

“Now, stop worrying about tomorrow. Go and have a good time, and call me as soon as you can. I’ll be dying to hear all about it.”

“Mom, Spencer is changing the channel.”

Elaine sighed. “I’m sorry. They’re getting tired and cranky. I’ll have to take them home.”

“That’s fine.” Caterine stood and gave Elaine another hug. “Thanks again for bringing the clothes and listening to my paranoia. Now I’d better get these off the bed before Remi gets home. He also gets cranky when he needs to go to bed.”

“What do you think about this one?” Caterine asked the next morning, coming out on the balcony where Remi sat smoking impatiently.

“That looks as good as the other five or ten outfits you’ve had on. But if we don’t leave soon, it won’t matter what you wear because the party will be over.”

“I don’t want to look out of place.”

Stubbing out his cigarette, his eyes traveled from her white, scooped-neck peasant blouse to her black and white plaid, knee-length skirt, and down to her black sandals. He smiled. “Princess, you’ll be the prettiest girl there. Now, can we leave?”

“I can’t believe how nervous I am. What if they don’t like me?”

Remi gritted his teeth. “Caterine, trust me. They’ll like you.” Putting his arm around her shoulder, he guided her toward the door.

With the Doberge cake stowed safely in the trunk and Waylon Thibodeaux playing on the CD, Remi had the T-bird’s top down so they could enjoy the mild February morning air. As they drove along Highway 90 toward Bayou Petit Caillou, Caterine felt happier than she had in a long time. Glancing at Remi, she smiled.
Who would have ever thought a man in a black T-shirt and snug faded jeans could be so sexy.

“You keep staring at me like that,
cher
, and I’ll have to pull off the road.” He ran his hand up her leg under her skirt. “What do you have on under there, Princess?”

“That’s none of your business.” She playfully batted his hand away. “Just pay attention to your driving.”

“I’d rather pay attention to you.”

“You should probably pay attention to your speed and that police car behind you before you get a ticket.”

Remi looked into the rearview mirror and grinned, increasing his speed.

“What are you doing?” Caterine shouted as the wind whipped her hair. “Remi, slow this car down!” She gasped as the police car sped past, the driver flipping Remi off as he flew by.

“I take it you know that officer?”

Remi slowed to a safer speed. “My Uncle Sosa. He must be on his way to the boil.”

“Exactly how many of your relatives will be there today?”

He shrugged. “It’s hard to say. If they’re not working, they’ll be there.”

“Are the majority of them police officers?”

“No. We have everything from cops to fishermen to mechanics to bar owners to general store owners to swamp boat guides.”

Caterine’s eyes grew wide. “What, no firemen?”

“Oh yeah, there’s a couple of those as well, including my brother, John.”

“What about the women?”

“Homemakers, a nurse, an accountant, waitresses, a librarian, a singer, and one dental hygienist.”

She grinned. “That’s quite a combination.”

“That it is.” He glided onto exit 182 toward Houmas.

“I wish I had an interesting family, instead of the dysfunctional group I’m stuck with.”

He reached over and squeezed her hand. “As long as you’re with me, you can call the Michauds, Thibodeauxs, and Robicheauxs your family.”

Caterine laughed. “I’d love to. Do you have many relatives on your grandmother Annabelle’s side?”

He shook his head. “Those that are left moved up north. We sometimes see them at Christmas.”

A motorcycle going in the opposite direction reminded Caterine she hadn’t told Remi about the description of them Paulette had given Hyacinth. Chuckling to herself, she turned toward him. “Remi, there’s something I forgot to tell you.”

She repeated the conversation she had overheard from the hallway.

“She said what?”

“She said I looked like a bum and you were a rough, nasty biker type.” She couldn’t see the expression in his eyes behind his Ray-Bans, but his lips were twitching.

“Is that right? Well,
cher
, after this is all over, we’ll have to borrow my brother’s Harley and fulfill Paulette’s fantasy.” He slowed, pulling into the gravel lot of Thibodeaux’s General Store.

“Why are we stopping here?”

“Getting beer. What do you want to drink?”

“I don’t know. Wine, I guess.”

Remi grinned. “Cecil isn’t going to have anything that doesn’t have a screw top.”

“Then get me some soda or something.”

“I’ll be back.”

As she waited in the car, she took in her surroundings. A stenciled wooden sign above the store reading
Gas-Ice-Bait-Beer
was flanked by two round, red Coca-Cola signs. The store itself, with its corrugated metal roof, weathered wood, and front porch with railings, fit in perfectly with the rural surroundings. The bayou channel bordered the lots along the east side of the highway. Flat marshland spread off to the other horizon. A hand-painted sign advertised Thibodeaux’s swamp boat tours.

They’re probably all members of Remi’s family
, Caterine thought, batting a mosquito away. She watched as Remi and a middle-aged woman came out on the store’s front porch and headed toward the car.