“Do I look like I have time for that, Chas?” Bastien made a sweeping gesture, pointing to the stacks of paperwork on this desk.
Again, Chas laughed at him, pricking Bastien’s pride.
“I don’t see what’s so damn funny.”
Chas then rubbed his hands over his eyes and his mouth, pretending to wipe the grin away.
“Let me ask you something, Bastien. And don’t get offended. I’m not trying to get in your business.”
“What is it? What do you want to know?”
“When’s the last time you went out?”
“What do you mean out? You mean like on a date? With a woman?”
“No, with a wombat. Of course I mean with a woman. And I don’t mean hanging out at Fast Lanz bowling alley with Solly and your crew. I mean when’s the last time you got all cleaned up, dressed to impress and took a woman out to a romantic movie? A late night dinner? A concert?”
“What’s that got to do with anything?”
“Just humor me, Bastien. You’ve been puttin’ in a lot of hours up here. When’s the last time you got yourself a little, you know, sumthin’-sumthin’.”
“Is there a point to this conversation?”
“The point is that I’ve been in your shoes. One hundred percent company man, through and through. Any spare moment not spent up here at the company was spent thinking about the company. Before I met Jacie, that is. Let me tell you. I didn’t realize just how alone I was until that woman came crashing into my life.”
“And did you get a little sumthin’-sumthin’ from her, too?” Bastien asked snidely.
“I had to,” Chas said, his expression somber. “G-Paw practically threw me on top of her. Said I needed to handle my business. Made me figure out which one I wanted more, her or the company, so I could get my head back in the game.”
“That’s not what I’m looking for from Phaedra Burke-Carter, Chas. This is business, pure and simple. I’m fighting for my right to run this company, right along with you and Remy.”
“I wasn’t looking either. You can’t ignore that basic instinct. More than instinct, it’s that inescapable sense that nothing’s gonna be right until you and she get together. When it hits you, it’s gonna hit you hard. I’m here to tell you. I did everything I could to keep from wanting Jacie. Tried to keep it all professional. Even convinced myself for a time that I was doing the honorable thing. Call it what you want—fate, destiny, a taste of good old-fashioned lust. The point is, she showed up in my life when I was at my weakest. One thing led to another…and well, you know the rest. I’m only telling you this because I want you to be ready. Face it, Bastien. You’ve been off your game for a while.”
“So, what do you expect me to do, Chas? Go and grab the first female I see and have a quickie behind the building before meeting with her?”
“Behind the building. In the backseat of that crazy van…yeah, I know about that.”
Bastien groaned.
“You do whatever you have to do to keep your head on straight while you’re meeting with that woman. I’m looking at that photo of this Burke-Carter woman and I’m telling you, she’s got it. If she’s anything like the way she looks, you don’t stand a chance.”
“Well, I didn’t ask her to come out here for her looks,” Bastien grumbled, swiveling the monitor back around. “I need her for her brains.”
“Why not get yours? You’d better believe that Remy’s gettin’ his,” Chas confided. “Nobody needs to spend that much time in Beaumont. I think that man’s got women waiting for him across three states.”
“I’m not like Remy, Chas,” Bastien said seriously. “I can’t do those hit-and-runs. The next time I fall for a woman, it’s going to be for keeps. I’m almost thirty-five years old. I don’t have time to play house.”
“That’s why I respect you, Bastien. That’s why I put you here, in this office. I know you’ll always do the right thing for this company and the right thing for yourself.”
Bastien didn’t voice his doubt, but Chas read it in his body language.
“Look, Bastien, I wouldn’t have approved you and your employee transfers if I didn’t think you all were up to the job.”
“I’m going to fix this,” Bastien promised. “I won’t let you down.”
“To hell with me,” Chas said, rising from the chair and starting for the door. “You won’t let yourself down. Speaking of letting down, you know Jacie’s got a surprise birthday party planned for you, don’t you? For Sunday afternoon right after church. Make sure you’re sufficiently surprised when she springs it on you.”
“Don’t worry about that, Chas. Solly’s planning to ambush me, too. I’ll have plenty of time to practice my surprised face.” Bastien raised his hands to either side of his face, raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to imitate the look he planned to give.
“Hmm,” Chas grunted. “Needs more work.”
“Not the first time I’ll hear that today,” Bastien retorted, lowering his head back to his reports.
Chapter 5
T he railroad crossing arm lowered and warning lights flashed as the cargo train rumbled on, seemingly without end. Phaedra wasn’t going anywhere any time soon, so she sat in her SUV, fingertips drumming impatiently against the steering wheel. Several eighteen-wheelers were in front of her. Another half dozen idled behind her. The blackish-gray smoke from their chrome exhaust pipes created clouds of noxious fumes that drifted into the air and seemed to melt into the storm clouds forming on the horizon. Two days ago, when she’d agreed to meet with Bastien, the weather promised to be clear. How quickly things changed.
“Not a good day to be claustrophobic.”
She didn’t believe in signs and omens. Yet, it couldn’t be a coincidence that the mood of the man she was going to meet was as thick and oppressive as the clouds threatening to pour down rain.
Phaedra was sandwiched in between the trucks, not able to inch forward or scoot back. She wasn’t late for the meeting with Bastien Thibeadaux. Not yet. But that didn’t stop the anxious knot in her stomach from churning. Premeeting jitters. She hated being late. In her opinion, it was the ultimate in rudeness. It was certainly no way to impress a new client, especially one as cranky and impatient as Bastien was. She couldn’t miss the meeting after all of the research she’d done. Though she’d promised him that the first consult was free, she’d already put enough time into the meeting to pay for a week of her office leasing fees. She’d better come out of this meeting with a signed contract—or at least the promise of one.
As Phaedra waited for the train to pass, she used the time to flip through her notes, committing to memory more details about the company. She didn’t want to fumble through papers during the meeting. Nothing turned away potential clients faster than a consultant who didn’t perform the most basic research.
Fifteen minutes before she was scheduled to arrive and she was stuck behind the train. This was cutting it too close. She wouldn’t have time to collect herself or even stop by the bathroom. She flipped down the visor and checked her appearance in the mirror. Not a hair out of place. Face perfectly made up. Phaedra wasn’t conceited, but she knew that she was the model of professionalism and competence. It was an image that she worked hard to cultivate, especially for today. She didn’t