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And then there was Johnny’s presence. There was no question that he unsettled her. She wished she was as indifferent to him as she professed to be, but unfortunately, she wasn’t.

She stifled a yawn with the back of her hand and then stood. “I think I’ll head on to bed.”

“It’s about that time for me, too,” Gramps replied as he got out of his chair. They said their good nights and parted ways as they each went into their own bedroom.

She got into bed and listened to the nighttime lullaby the swamp sang to her each night. Bullfrogs croaked, and fish occasionally slapped the water. Gentle waves lapped against the stilts as insects clicked and whirred.

She went to sleep almost immediately, and she fell into dreams of being in Johnny’s strong, warm arms once again.

The next evening after dinner, Gus dropped by. As he visited with her and Gramps, he played blocks with Danny. He had only been there for a little while when another knock fell on the door.

Dread mixed with an emotion she didn’t want to discern shot off inside her. Was it Johnny? She opened the door and was happy to see Jean-Luc Benoit, one of her very best friends.

“Jean-Luc,” Danny cried and launched himself into the fisherman’s arms. There were times Jean-Luc disappeared for a week or so when he’d take a job working on a fishing boat just offshore.

Jean-Luc laughed and swung Danny around before placing him back on the floor. “Did you miss me, little man?”

“Yes, I did,” Danny replied.

“Hey, what about me?” Gus said from the floor.

“I didn’t miss you, Uncle Gus, ’cause you were here,” Danny replied, making them all laugh.

“Sit down, Jean-Luc, and tell us all about your latest adventures,” Mimi said with a smile.

As Jean-Luc began telling them about his time on the commercial fishing boat, a sense of peace fell over Mimi. Gus was on the floor still playing with Danny, and her best friend’s deep voice filled the air.

This was her family, she thought. The two men, along with River had been there almost from the moment her pregnancy began to show. She didn’t want or need anyone else in her life. She especially didn’t need the man who had broken her heart so completely by leaving her without a backward glance.

She had no intention to ever marry. In fact she didn’t even care about having a significant other in her life. All she needed was her son, Gramps and her friends.

The next week seemed to zoom by. The only issue she had was the fact that Johnny came to the shanty every night. He introduced himself to Danny and it irritated her that Danny took to him immediately. Watching Johnny play with her son…with his son, caused a piece of her heart to soften just a little bit.

As if they were all guardians of her heart, all three of her male friends were also there anytime Johnny was. The jostling of male egos would be comical if she wasn’t at the center of it all.

Tonight, it was another full house with Johnny, her three male friends and Renée in the living room. Johnny remained quiet as the other four visited with each other.

“River, I heard through the grapevine that you’re planning some renovations on your shanty,” Renée said.

“Yeah, I want to build a bigger porch, since I don’t have much of one now. That way I can invite my buddies over to sit on the porch and drink some beer.”

“I would definitely like to sit on your new porch and drink beer,” Gus said.

“Who said you were one of my buddies?” River replied with a teasing grin. They all laughed at this.

“Gramps, don’t you miss fishing?” Jean-Luc asked.

“Not really. Besides, I have a little minnow here that needs me,” he replied with a fond look at Danny.

There had been a time when Mimi was growing up and Granny was alive that Gramps fished every day. He made a good living by selling the fish to the grocery store and a restaurant in town. However, when Granny had passed, he put away his fishing pole. They lived on the money he’d made until he started receiving his social security.

Mimi knew the many sacrifices Gramps had made to make sure Mimi was well taken care of. Not fishing had been only one of them.

“Aunt Renée, look at my swamp book,” Danny said. He plopped the big book onto Renée’s lap and then crawled up on the sofa between Renée and Mimi.

The four men all sat on chairs they had brought into the living room from the kitchen. Johnny’s scent was rife in her head. He didn’t join in the conversation but rather sat silently.

His gaze on Mimi felt intimate and hot. Even though she tried not to look at him, her gaze returned to him again and again. Drat the man anyway for not leaving her alone.