Page 55 of Crazy Rich Cajuns

“Sauveuse?”Kenney repeated.“That’s French for ‘savior.’”

Teddy nodded.

Wow.

Kennedy frowned.“So Bennett decided to just build an island himself.”

“Pretty much,” Teddy said with a shrug.“It’s a huge project because he wants to use natural materials and he has to work with the state and federal government, but he’s getting it done.”

Kennedy opened her mouth to respond but…she had no idea what to say.Bennett wasbuilding an islandthat would help protect the Louisiana coast.With the shrinking barrier islands, the wetlands, thebayou, was at risk.The changes that they were already seeing would just continue and get worse.Kennedy’s own grandchildren might not be able to live in Autre if there was no protection.The open waters of the Gulf would pummel Autre and the towns around it.Unless someone stepped in.Unless someonedidsomething.

“That’s amazing.”She wasn’t sure if she was more shocked that Bennett cared that much or that he had that much money.

The money thing, she realized only a second later.His affection for the bayou, the coast, and the people that lived and worked there was real.She’d seen it from the beginning.She’d teased him about it—what was an ivy league lawyer in shiny shoes doing down on the bayou anyway?—but she’d seen it.

“He’s impatient,” Charles said.“That’s a blessing and a curse working with Bennett.He gets stuff done.But he pushes everyone else to do the same and, in spite of being around politics all his life, he gets frustrated with how long bureaucracy takes sometimes.”

“What happens when he gets frustrated with it all?”she asked.He wouldn’t give up.She knew that.She wasn’t surehowshe knew that, but she did.Bennett Baxter wasn’t a quitter.That was something else he had in common with the Landrys.None of them had ever walked away from something just because it was hard.

Charles and Teddy both chuckled.“He goes ahead with it anyway.Figures getting forgiven is easier than getting permission.”

“Really?”She’d seen the determined side of Bennett, but she’d never seen the rebellious side.

“He spent some time yelling at some people the other day and then moved some ships into place to start dumping sediment.They were stopped, of course, but he’s got most of the Louisiana state government going ’round in circles trying to figure out what exactly he did wrong and how to stop him.Which is complicated by the fact that they don’t really want to stop him.What he’s doing is great.He’s just not getting the right approvals first.”

“Why can’t whoever is supposed to approve it just approve it?”Kennedy asked.“That doesn’t seem that hard.Surely there’ssomeonein charge.”

“Actually, there are lots of someones in charge,” Teddy said, casting Charles a look.“Government isn’t—can’t be—run by just one person.It has to be done democratically.”

“There are people who don’t want Bennett to build this island that’s going to protect fish and wildlife and jobs and homes?”Kennedy asked.

“There are people who want…” Charles trailed off and sighed.“There are people who want to build the island—islands—themselves.”

“But they want to make money off of it somehow,” Teddy said with a scowl.“So they’re mucking things up to keep Bennett from being the first out there.”

“And the first to do it for free,” Kennedy guessed.“Because if he does it, then they won’t be able to justify charging money for it.”

“You’ve got it,” Teddy said.

“Well, good for Bennett,” Kennedy said, feeling something that felt a lot like affection for the shiny-shoed guy who’d denied her an orgasm just a little bit ago.Arrogantly.Without a hint of remorse.Yeah, they weren’t done talking aboutthat.But the idea of Bennett building a freakingislandand just doing it, whether all the government red tape was taken care of or not, made her tingly in a new way.“When something you love is being threatened, of course you want to just get in there and fix it.If protecting my home and the people I love required an island and I had the money and resources to build it, I’d just build a freaking island, too, and deal with the consequences later.”

“The consequences could be steep,” Charles said.

“But are they going tounbuildthe island that’s protecting everything?”Kennedy volleyed back.“No.So he’ll have accomplished his goal.”

“He could face hefty fines.A ban on future building.Jail time,” Charles said.“He needs to learn some patience.It will get done, but he needs to play by the rules.”

Kennedy snorted at that.Then looked at the men.“Sorry.I just…I don’t spend a lot of time with people who let rules get in the way of doing the right thing.”She grimaced.Maybe she shouldn’t be admitting that.

“Is that right?”Charles asked.

“I just mean, my family would be the first to…I don’t know…take care of a hurt animal, for instance, and worry about it being an endangered animal that probably shouldn’t be sleeping on a dog bed in the living room later.”She looked back and forth between the men.“Just as an example.”

Charles cleared his throat and Teddy said, “Theoretically, of course.Right?”

“Of course.”

“You know,” Charles said.“Some people think that some of the tourism on the coast needs to be curbed.”Clearly, he was trying to change the subject a little.

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