Page 62 of Christmas at Black Cherry Retreat
‘I know, honey, butmy wicked mind wouldn’t listen.’ His expression turned serious again. ‘You shouldn’t put yourself down. You might not be at ease around large, close families like mine but you did a damn fine job the other night. Not everyone has to be loud and over-sharing. There’s nothing wrong in being more of an introvert.’ He smiled. ‘Every family needs one or two and it’d be a crazier world than it is if wewere all the same.’
‘You’re a good man.’ Fee rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. He’d already given her a lot to think about and hadn’t heard half the story yet.
‘Caught you.’
Tom jerked around and a young, blonde woman screamed right in his face, her stunning features marred by hot anger. Curse words sounded the same in any language and he guessed these were inthe local Cajun dialect. Everyone around them stopped eating and drinking to stare.
‘Excuse me, ma’am. Do we know you?’
‘She does.’ The woman pointed an accusing finger at Fee. ‘Are you her accomplice?’
‘Accomplice?’ Tom asked. ‘What the heck are you talking about?’ He held out his hand but she didn’t shake it. ‘My name’s Tom Chambers.’
‘Would you care to join us,Lisette?’ Fee broke her silence. ‘I’d rather not broadcast our private business.’
‘I guess you don’t want everyone knowing you’re a money-grabbing fraud,’ Lisette sniped and pulled out a chair to sit down. She waved away the waiter who was hovering around their table to take her order.
‘Tom is my… boyfriend,’ Fee said with a shy smile before glancing at him. ‘This is Lisette Dupre.Allain’s daughter.’
Daughter?Of all the guesses running through his mind that one hadn’t made the list. ‘Pleased to meet you.’
‘I can’t imagine why,’ she snapped. ‘Your little scheme is over. If you think I’ll stand by and let you fleece my poor father when he’s still grieving you can forget it.’
‘Lisette came to visit her father last night,’ Fee explained with a tremorin her voice. ‘He, um, explained who I am and it was rather a shock.’ What she didn’t say came through clearly and Tom could only imagine how the volatile girl reacted to the news of an unknown half-sister.
‘It’s all a pack of lies and we both know it,’ Lisette interrupted. ‘Papa agreed to a DNA test this morning. I assume you won’t object.’
‘Of course not. Why should I?’ Fee’swillingness took the other girl by surprise. ‘I don’t need his money and I’ve managed for nearly forty years without a father and done quite well for myself. Trust me, I don’t have any agenda.’
‘I guess we’ll see about that won’t we?’ Lisette pushed her chair back and stood up, glaring at them both. ‘I’ll be staying with my father until you leave.’
‘Making sure I don’t steal thesilver?’ Fee quipped.
‘You won’t be laughing soon,’ Lisette threatened and stormed off.
Tom waited for Fee to say something – anything rather than the blank stare she was giving him now.
