Page 85 of The House on Prytania
As much as I was dying to see the inside of the Sabatiers’ mansion on the famed street, I needed time to absorb everything I’d just heard and then find a way to convince Mimi to invite the Sabatiers to her party, if only to show Michael that I was acting in good faith.
I was just forming a plan in my head when I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“Nola!”
I turned to see Sunny wearing a yellow sweatshirt and pants in the same hue, her blond hair piled on top of her head in a high ponytail held in place with a yellow ribbon. It appeared she’d just come from beneath the arched gates of Audubon Place. “What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Good morning to you, too,” she said with her customary wide smile. “I actually stopped by the apartment looking for you, and Jolene told me you were here. I figured it was such a beautiful daythat I could take a walk in the park on the off chance I’d bump into you.” She looked over my shoulder to where Michael stood with his bike.
“Oh,” I said, realizing the awkwardness of the situation. “This is”—I turned to Michael, his face a shade paler than it had been—“Michael Hebert.”
Sunny’s smile faded. “I didn’t...” She stopped and chewed on her bottom lip. Then, as suddenly as it had disappeared, her smile reappeared and she shot out her hand. “I’m Sunny Ryan.”
Michael hesitated for a moment before taking her hand in his and shaking it. He didn’t speak at first, just held her hand while avoiding looking into her eyes. “It’s, um, nice to finally meet you.”
She let her hand slip from his. Still smiling, she said, “Likewise. I figured we’d have to meet at some point, so I’m glad that’s over.”
“Me, too,” he said, finally meeting her eyes. “I know there’s a lot of ill will between our families for reasons you doubtless already know and that Nola can explain, but I’m hoping this is the beginning of our two families reconciling. Your grandfather and my great-grandfather were once friends. Hopefully, we can rekindle that connection. Once all the misunderstandings are explained.”
I glanced over at Sunny to get her reaction to the word “misunderstandings,” and I saw her nodding in comprehension. “I agree,” she said. “Without any solid proof, I’m not going to point fingers at anyone. It would be a dream come true for all of us to put that unpleasantness behind us.”
Michael smiled. “It’s reassuring to hear you say that. Nola and I were just discussing the same thing. As a matter of fact, I was soliciting her help in asking Mimi to invite my aunt and uncle to her upcoming fund-raiser. They haven’t received their invitations, so now that I know we’re on the same page, maybe you can expedite their request.”
“Absolutely.” Sunny clasped her hands in front of her. “I can’t think of a better way to bring our families together. Don’t you agree, Nola?”
She turned to me, her face open and honest. “Sure,” I said, not convinced at all. “Mimi loves her grandchildren more than anything. I’m sure if you and Beau both asked, she’d agree.”
“Yay.” Sunny clapped lightly. “It’s about time we moved on, don’t you think? Without any real evidence and with only conjecture about wrongdoing, I don’t see why our families can’t be friends again.”
Michael nodded. “That’s exactly what Nola and I have been talking about. And I’m excited that she’ll be meeting my aunt and uncle this weekend to see how very kind and wonderful they are.”
Sunny laughed; it was high-pitched, like a young girl’s giggle. “Like a kind of ambassador, since Nola’s not related to either family. It’s perfect!”
“Right. Perfect,” I repeated. I stepped back to avoid a good-bye hug or kiss from Michael. “I’ve got to get back—lots of work to do so I can be gone all weekend.”
“And you gave Jolene the address?”
“Yes. And we know to use Google Maps instead of Waze so we don’t end up in the Gulf.”
Michael laughed. “Yep. Pass Christian is only a little more than an hour from here, so if you leave by ten you’ll be there by lunch. Aunt Angelina is a great cook and loves to entertain, so you don’t want to miss a meal.”
“We’re looking forward to it. I’ll text you with our ETA when we leave.”
We said our good-byes, and I watched as he got back on his bike and rode through the entrance to Audubon Place, waving to the guard.
“He’s so hot,” Sunny said as we walked away, with me pushing my bike. “It’s obvious that he’s really into you, but if that doesn’t work out, just let me know.”
I peered closely at her. “Is this your way to keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”
Sunny looked at me with genuine surprise. “I really don’t consider Michael and his family enemies.” She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, causing me to stop, too. “There are so many open questionsand so little proof that I’m seriously finding it hard to believe that this whole thing has gone on as long as it has. I mean, think about it, Nola. Why would a family with their kind of wealth and position steal a child for an illegal adoption?”
“You don’t watch a lot of true-crime shows, do you? Otherwise you’d know that there are motives other than money for kidnapping. Like revenge. It wasn’t a coincidence that you were taken from your family at the same time Charles threatened Antoine with exposing the truth about his daughter’s death. Sounds very much like an eye for an eye, which—interesting fact—was one of Antoine’s mottoes.”
“Have you considered that the Ryans might have it wrong? That it really is a coincidence?”
“There are no such things as—”
She cut me off. “I know. And I would usually agree. But the more I think about it, the more ridiculous it seems that a man as rich and powerful as Antoine Broussard would wait so long before exacting his revenge. It doesn’t make sense. Especially since the entire scenario is based on the supposed witness account of Antoine killing his own daughter that Mimi says adoortold her. As much as I love Mimi, the whole account and connections seem more than improbable.”
