AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Ha! You’re funny. You said the same thing about Alphé.”
They opened the menus, taking shots at each other the whole time like only friends who had a long history with each other could do.
“Remember when we were kids, we said we were going to marry rich?” Katrina asked. “Have a big fancy house in Pinecrest? Drive an expensive car?”
“Ha! Don’t remind me. I did it, remember?”
“Yes, you surely did,” Katrina answered.
Maggie had married Russ, a wealthy, handsome older guy and had all the financial comforts money could buy, and then he turned out to be a jerk. Her divorce settlement was hefty, however, and Maggie would make sure her friends and the animals around her cottage benefited when she funded an animal rescue and was about to open a veterinary clinic on her property.
“I prefer the cottage even if it has to sit on stilts to stay dry,” Maggie said, laughing. “And the money is nice, but I would be happy without it. I work and had my own little savings.”
“And your boyfriend’s no slouch. Justin is not only a veterinarian, he’s hot!” Katrina said.
They laughed, clapping each other’s hands over the table. The server took their orders, more food than either woman would eat at one sitting.
“And you did alright by yourself,” Maggie said. “I’m proud of you.”
“Aw, thanks. Yep, at the end of the year, I’ll be the CMO—Chief Marketing Officer—with the paycheck to match.”
“How’s that going to work with you living in Cypress Cove?”
“I’ll be traveling a lot,” Katrina said, shrugging her shoulders. “Alphé won’t even miss me. That man has got two things on his mind: his fishing boat, the catch, and his kids.”
“That’s three things,” Maggie said.
“Yeah, so he’ll even miss me less. So, get back to Luke Esprit.”
“Ah! Luke.”
Luke Esprit, age thirty-two, known as The Bod, was the guy who did all the construction in Cypress Cove. Saturday, on the way to Bayou Cottage, he stopped in at the hardware store for supplies. Lola Beaumont, girlfriend of the hardware store owner and Alphé’s ex-wife, teasingly took a step back with her hand to her heart when Luke walked through the door, amusing the female customer on whom she was waiting.
“Lord, have mercy,” the woman said. “Who is that?”
“The local, go-to construction guy, Luke Esprit,” Lola said. “Don’t tell me you’ve never seen him around.”
“I wouldn’t forget that face,” she replied.
“What face?” Lola asked, and they laughed out loud.
He had grabbed a handbasket, grinning when he heard the women who weren’t trying to hide their conversation. Knowing what they thought of him was not a new thing; he was a simple guy who loved construction, and the side benefit was his physique. But romantic love had eluded him, and he hated the dating cycle—meet the girl, go out on dates, try to take it to the next level, have expectations be dashed, and move on.
Finally, at his age, he didn’t need to prove anything by notches in his belt. He still put himself out there, going on blind dates and get-togethers held on his behalf. It was a frequent refrain“Luke, come by for dinner tomorrow night. A friend from college is stopping by and you two would be perfect together.”
They never were perfect together, however, and although the women and the hosts were disappointed that love didn’t arise from the meetings, Luke enjoyed socializing and didn’t regret making the effort.
So that Saturday when he was at Bayou Cottage to help his friend Justin Chastain build a barn, the introduction to Katrina Blanchard led to him doing the restoration work on Creole Cottage, but no romance.
Katrina and Maggie were lying in the sun on the dock, watching the construction activity from afar.
“So, what was the outcome of the introduction? I saw you two schmoozing.”
Maggie had served coffee and donuts and fruit salad to the workers before they started, and it was the perfect time to make the introduction between Luke and Katrina. She watched them drinking coffee and talking, Luke animated, gesturing with his hands.
“There is zero chemistry. Less than zero,” Katrina said, laughing. “But it’s perfect, because he has the same vision I have for the cottage and he agreed to do the work.”
“That’s great!” Maggie said, sincere.
