Page 9 of Landry

Camille cocked an eyebrow. “What’s the problem?”

“Our buddy needs a special gift for his lady love, and he can’t go home without one,” Lucas said.

The bell over the door rang again. All four men turned as one.

Camille’s gaze followed theirs to the two men entering. A man with sandy-blond hair and green eyes entered. She’d seen him on several occasions but had never had a conversation with him, nor had she been formally introduced. He hadn’t been at the Crawdad Hole last night, or she’d have asked to be introduced.

He turned and held the door for Remy Montagne, the leader of their band of brothers.

Remy carried a baby boy in the crook of one arm. As he passed over the threshold, the child dove forward.

With the glass display case between her and the baby, the most Camille could do was gasp. Her breath caught in her throat, sure she was about to find out if babies truly bounced.

With the grace of a now seasoned parent, Remy caught his son with his other arm before the baby could pitch headfirst onto the stained concrete floor.

“Hey, little man,” Remy raised the boy up and stared into his eyes, “you’re going to be the death of me, yet. No wonder Shelby looks forward to going to work. Being a sheriff’s deputy is a lot less stressful than keeping up with you.” He hugged his son to his chest, pressed a kiss to his forehead and stared across the room. “Hey, Camille, I need a dozen of Shelby’s favorites. I can’t go home without them.”

She smiled at Remy. “Are you in the doghouse and need a peace offering?”

Remy shook his head. “Nothing that dramatic. It’s just that she pulled an all-nighter with this little demon and is working all day today.”

“What Remy’s saying,” Valentin said, “is that he slept right through Jean-Luc’s cries.”

The leader of the protectors glared at Valentin. “I did not sleep right through. I got up, lifted him out of his crib and attempted to get him to go back to sleep.” Remy sighed. “He wanted nothing to do with me. He wanted his mother and wouldn’t stop crying until she showed up and took him in her arms.”

“Shelby needs a nap, not a box of chocolates,” Gerard said.

Remy nodded and shifted Jean-Luc to his other arm. “She’s not off work for another three hours. The least I can do is let her know I care by giving her some of your magical chocolate, caramel and pecan nuggets.”

“Sounds like what she really needs is something with coffee or caffeine in it,” Lucas offered.

Remy met Camille’s gaze with a hopeful rise of his brow. “Do you have anything like that?”

Camille shook her head. “Coffee-flavored chocolates won’t win her heart. Caffeine this late in the day will only destroy her chances of getting sleep tonight. Your original assumption is the right idea. Get what she likes. Then take care of the baby this evening while she soaks in the tub and goes to bed early to sleep before Jean-Luc decides he needs her in the middle of the night again.”

“That was my plan,” Remy said and tightened his grip on Jean-Luc again, as the baby boy wiggled and flung himself toward the glass display case.

“I’ve got a package of her favorites already prepared.” Camille reached beneath the counter and pulled out a white box with the store logo scrolled across the top, Sweet Temptations.

“How do you want to pay for these?” she asked. “Do you want me to hold Jean-Luc?” Camille held out her hands.

The baby boy shook his head and buried his face against Remy’s shoulder.

Remy snorted softly. “I’d let you hold him, but he’s tired and a little cranky, which makes him a bit unpredictable.”

Camille smiled at the little guy. “I swear he’s the spitting image of you, Remy.” It was true. The baby had his father’s blue eyes and black hair, not Shelby’s sandy-blond hair. He’d be a heartbreaker like his father when he grew up.

Remy dug his wallet out of his back pocket and tossed it on the counter. “Use the credit card inside.”

“While I take care of Remy’s mercy purchase, the rest of you can sample my special batch of Bayou Bark. It’s layers of chocolate, caramel, pecans, more chocolate and caramel sprinkled with chunks of salt and a dash of peppermint.” She pulled a tray out of the display cabinet filled with bits and pieces of the tasty chocolate treat and laid it on the countertop.

The men all took a small piece while Camille rang up Remy’s purchase and ran his credit card. She placed the card back in his wallet and passed it to Remy.

She handed over the box of chocolates and worked on filling the orders of the other men. It wasn’t until she’d finished the final request that she noticed that the one man who’d come in with Remy stood near the door, not at all interested in her candies.

As far as Camille was concerned... Challenge accepted.

She took a piece of the chocolate, caramel and peppermint bark and slipped around to the other side of the counter. “Don’t be shy. I haven’t met a person who doesn’t like my Bayou Bark. My customers say it’s so good, it’s like magic in their mouths.”

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