Page 48 of Crazy Rich Cajuns

Those were all thanks to her brother’s girlfriend, Tori, really.Well, not the gators.Good lord, Kennedy had more gator and snake and bat and spider and fire ant stories than she ever wanted to recount.But kids did seem to love hearing about dangerous animals and creepy crawlies.She saw kids regularly on the swamp boat tours and interacted with them.But that was for short periods.She really didn’t know that much about kids.She’d been the youngest in the family and none of her brothers or cousins had kids yet.But ghost stories and voodoo and pirates were maybe a bit much.Real pirates anyway.They were a lot less funny and charming and interesting than the films and kids’ books made them out to be.

The other adults started getting up and drifting away from the tables as well.

It was well past dusk.The area was lit by twinkle lights strung overhead across the top of the tents, and the bugs were being kept at bay by tall torches lit at the edges of the party area.And probably some expensive bug spraying techniques.The air was a little cooler now, though there was still a touch of humidity—it was summer in Georgia, after all—but somehow it was pleasant out.Almost as if even the weather didn’t dare mess with Maria Baxter’s event.

“Hope I didn’t screw up there,” Kennedy said to Teddy.“Didn’t mean to bring up voodoo if that’s a bad subject.Was just kind of teasing.”

“Oh, don’t worry.Sarah is just a little touchy with the kids.She’s from Florida, doesn’t really know the Louisiana ways, either.”

“Well, please tell her I’m sorry if I brought something up I shouldn’t have.I can tell the kids some other crazy stories and get their minds off of gris-gris bags easily enough.Or I can make something up.Tell them gris-gris bags are something else.They probably won’t remember what I said by the time they’re old enough to fact check me, right?”

He chuckled and pushed his chair back, stretching to his feet.“Oh, don’t worry about it.She’ll come back out after putting them to bed and want you to tellherall about it.”

Kennedy stood, too, as she laughed.“Really?”

“For sure.But I want you to promise me something.”

“Okay.”

“You make the stories you tell herreallycrazy.”

Kennedy nodded.“I can do that.”

“You’veprobably been listening to stories like that all your life, yeah?”

“Absolutely.Most of them are even true.Ish,” she said with a grin.“My grandma owns a bar in Autre.She and my grandpa and all their friends love nothing more than a good story.”

“Hey.”Bennett came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

She hadn’t even noticed where he was or what he’d been doing.It seemed that most of the party, except for Maria’s side of the family, had moved indoors.

“Hey.”She turned in his arms.“You got any chocolate sauce on you?”

His eyes darkened briefly as he looked down at her.Then a look of regret crossed his face.“I don’t.And I’ve…” He glanced toward the house.

“You have more talking to do?”she guessed.

He sighed.“I know I told you I didn’t want to do any of this, but he actually wants my ideas on some environmental policies and wants to talk about how my foundation can get involved.I have to hear him out.”

“Your foundation?”Kennedy repeated.

He nodded.“I run a nonprofit foundation that funds scientific research into the impacts of industry and climate change on the environment.”He gave her a half grin that was sheepish and adorable at the same time.“Very nerdy stuff.”

“I thought you were a lawyer.”

“I am.I mean, I have a law degree and I do some consulting work.Some pro bono cases, too, from time to time.”

“But it’s all environment based?”she asked.

“Mostly.Every once in a while, a hot girl calls me about harboring endangered wildlife in her grandpa’s trailer.”He grinned down at her.

She couldn’t help but laugh.“Nice of you to help out like that.”

“Well,that’snot for free, remember,” he said.“I’m getting paid back.”

“I’m here at a dinner party, in a pink lacey dress and getting in trouble with your cousin’s wife for talking about voodoo,” she said.“I’m definitely paying my dues.”

“Yeah, but you sucked down stuffed mushrooms like they were candy and have been charming every single man, and several women, here tonight.Don’t think that you’re not getting something out of this deal.”

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