Page 39 of Lulu’s Recipe for Cajun Sass

“Hey, Hank,” he said. Hank Ishler, a teacher at the community college, was one of the ushers, a friend of Leon’s. “Thanks for taking care of my girl while I was busy.” Justin nudged him aside with his hip and took Louise in his arms. Hank gaped at him, as if to say, “What just happened?”

Justin didn’t care. He spun Louise around once, then tugged her closer into his arms, settling into a slow two-step. He had his arms looped around her waist; she had her hands laced behind his neck. He smiled at the sheer pleasure he felt just holding Louise. “Sorry it took so long.”

“That’s okay. I’ve been dancing.”

“I noticed,” he said, pretending to be annoyed.

She laughed. “I didn’t realize I would know so many people here.”

“It’s a small world, as the saying goes.”

“And the bayou is an even smaller world.”

“Yep!”

“Speaking of which…” She tilted her head in question, studying his face. “You never mentioned that Dr. Clovis offered you a partnership here on the bayou.”

Uh-oh! He’d deliberately not told Louise or anyone else, not even his parents, about Dr. Clovis’s offer because he knew they’d get their hopes up, and he was ninety-nine percent sure that he wouldn’t accept. After all his years of hard work, he would feel as if he was settling for less than his capabilities if he accepted a general practice in a backwoods office with an elderly alcoholic for a partner, without a major hospital nearby. On the other hand, there was talk of a new Terrebonne General Medical Center being built in Houma in the next few years. He would be in on the ground floor if he was already settled here.

“Nothing’s been decided,” he told her. “I still have to get through my medical exams.”

“Still, it’s a compliment to you, isn’t it?”

“It is,” he admitted. “But enough serious stuff for tonight.” He pulled her even closer into his arms. With high heels on…the first she’d worn around him…he still had a good four inches on her, but they were on a more level playing field, so to speak. And his batter was up and ready to hit a home run, so to speak. He grinned against her hair, deciding he wouldn’t share that crude thought with her.

Instead, he pulled back slightly to look at her. “I know you were reluctant to come to this affair tonight, chère. But looks to me like you’re havin’ a good time.”

“Mais oui! But I expect it to get better now.”

And it did.

He made sure of that.

And so did she.

Holy crawfish, so did she!

God bless Cajun Sass.

Chapter 8

With hope, anything is possible. Right, St. Jude?…

“I think I love you,” Justin said, leaning over her the next morning. His hair was bed-mussed, or was that sex-mussed? There was a bite mark on his one shoulder. And his mouth appeared a bit bruised from a whole lot of kissing. In other words, he looked wonderful. And why wouldn’t he? They’d made love on practically every surface in her cottage since they’d arrived home just before midnight, including her bed, finally, where they were now.

He’d already gone through one of those tins of prophylactics and was halfway through a second. At this rate, she’d laughingly told him last night, “You should buy stock in the company that makes them.”

He’d responded, “Right now, I’m so poor I can barely pay attention, let alone pay for stocks. Ha, ha, ha! But, yeah, once I’m earning some real money, and my checks no longer bounce, I’ll sure thing invest in rubbers. Bounce, rubbers, get it? Ha, ha, ha!”

Justin had a great sense of humor, or so he thought. Louise just shook her head at this particularly sorry attempt of his at levity.

She stretched and thought about getting up, but there really was no need for rush on either of their parts, it being a Sunday. Her car sat in the driveway, and his mother’s car was parked in the detached garage (just barely, considering its size). So, they were safe from nosy neighbors or passersby, for now. His parents presumably thought he went back to his apartment in New Orleans after dropping her off.

“Did you hear what I said, Louise? I think I love you. So much it kind of scares me.”

Oh, she’d heard him, all right. Loud and clear. “Think?” she asked with an exaggerated frown.

His face flushed with color as he realized his mistake. “I know I love you, but I think I’m in love with you, too.”