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Before she knew it, he was kneeling in front of her, his arms around her, head in her lap. “Maggie, I feel secure. I’m so sorry it sounded like I meant otherwise. I know you had an awful experience with that jackass.”
She smiled, smoothing his hair back. “It’s fine. I’m glad you’re secure. I just want you to know I love you.”
He kissed her and went back to his chair. “Every topic is supercharged tonight.”
“Just relax,” she replied. “Isn’t that what you always tell me? ‘Just relax, Maggie.’”
They heard another small animal make a splash. A small boat, lights shining ahead of it, advanced toward the village dock from the other side of Bonnet Island, where speckled trout, redfish, drum, flounder and other species gathered each night to feed. Someone’s laughter echoed across the bay from a party barge, the atmosphere perfect for such a phenomenon.
“This is what I wanted. Sitting here with you, like I used to sit with my grandfather or my father after sunset, the sounds that you only get in the bayou. Except for that laughter and that boat, we might be the only people alive on the planet. It’s slowly losing that quality. I probably aided it when I set up that rescue.”
“You wanted something more for the well-being of animals,” Justin said. “It was a sacrifice you made.”
“I didn’t expect my aunt and then my mother and Annie and Katrina to follow me here.”
“The good thing is they will not allow you to disappear as a hermit.”
“Great,” she said, snickering. “Gee, thanks.”
They held hands, talking like that for a while longer. “I just had an idea,” Maggie said.
“What’s that?”
“Do you want to make love in the skiff? We haven’t baptized the new boat yet.”
“If you think you’ll be warm enough, let’s go!”
He stood, pulling her along with him. It didn’t take long for them to get into the rhythm of the night, their cries of passion soon mingling with the other night sounds of the bayou.
Chapter 3
Late Saturday night, Alphé Beaumont and Katrina Blanchard sat on the screened porch behind his house. Small boats crowded with inebriated teenagers and lit with torches floated down the creek toward open water, laughter echoing out over the yard.
“I wish I were on one of those boats.”
“No, you don’t,” Alphé said, chuckling. “That creek is freshwater, so you know what that means. Gators.”
“Ew, no way. So those drunk kids fall in the water, they could be dinner for a lucky gator?”
“That’s pretty much what it means.”
He yawned, and Katrina took his hand.
“You must be exhausted, working all day and socializing tonight. I don’t know how you do it.”
“I’m pretty tired. I’m thinking of not going out tomorrow. I wonder if the kids will mind.”
“Angela said she hoped you’d stay in tomorrow. She has a project due that she and Penelope are working on together.”
“Okay, thank you for letting me know. When I pulled up to the dock today, Pierre said he’d had it, too. We’re both in need of a vacation, but can’t afford it. Taking a Sunday off feels right.”
“We’ve never talked about money before,” Katrina said softly.
“And I never want to,” Alphé replied. “I know what you’re going to offer, and the answer is no.”
She said nothing, looking back at the creek. Moonlight shone on the surface of the water that moved swiftly downstream. It had been a while since the last boat floated by. She wondered if that would be it for the boat parade, also wondering if she should drop the subject of money or try again.
“We’ll talk about it when you and I get married.”
