“Loretta-” Luc said, but he stopped there. What could he say, she wondered, to soften the shock of what she’d just learned? Nothing. There was absolutely nothing he could say.
And there was nothing she wanted to say. Bad manners though it was, she turned and fled without a word, without cleaning up the mess or apologizing for breaking Luc’s mug. She could think of nothing but escape.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“LORETTA! Wait a minute!” Luc ran after her, but she was already behind the wheel of her car by the time he reached the driveway. He knocked on her window, but she wouldn’t even look at him. She cranked the engine and backed out, spraying gravel, completely oblivious to him. She’d have backed over his foot if he hadn’t jumped out of the way.
He watched her go, feeling a sense of loss and desolation so great he couldn’t find words to describe it.
His visitor followed him out into the driveway. “Did I say something wrong?”
“You didn’t have to say anything. Just showing up was enough.”
“Girlfriend?” the probation officer asked.
“Ex-girlfriend now, would be my guess.”
“She didn’t know of your…situation?”
Luc shook his head. “I was going to tell her. But I hadn’t gotten around to it. I never imagined you would show up here. Mr. Conley never did.”
“Which was one reason he was transferred. He was a little, shall we say, lax? Making unannounced visits to a client’s home or place of business is standard operating procedure.”
“I don’t have a problem with that. Your timing sucks, that’s all.”
“I’m sorry,” the man said, sounding sincere. “It’s not my aim to cause problems for you. I want you to adjust, and part of that adjustment is to form bonds within a support network that will-”
“Yeah, I know,” Luc said woodenly. “That was exactly what I was doing. I was finally starting to feel like a part of the town, a member of the community. But once it gets all over that I’m a convicted felon-”
“I understand. I guess I didn’t realize the repercussions an unannounced visit could have. I’m, uh, new at this.”
Luc could have made the guy feel worse, but what was the point? The damage was done. “Come on inside, have some coffee. I’ll show you what I’ve been doing with myself for the past umpteen months.”
Thankfully none of the guests were around. But Celeste made an appearance just as Isaac Belton was finishing up with his questions. She’d slept in that morning, for the first time since she’d arrived in Indigo.
Luc groaned inwardly, not too keen for his grandmother to meet his new probation officer.
“Good morning, Luc,” she said as she headed for the coffee pot. “I apologize for missing breakfast, but I feel like I might be coming down with a cold, so I thought getting some extra rest would be helpful. Good morning,” she said to Mr. Belton, probably thinking he was a new B and B guest.
Luc privately thought his grandmother’s sleeping late had nothing to do with any cold. He’d heard someone tiptoeing down the squeaky wood stairs last night at an ungodly hour and leaving by the kitchen door. The most likely candidate was Doc, though Luc hadn’t cared to confirm his suspicions. He’d put his pillow over his head and hoped to forget the incident by morning.
“I’ll fix you something for breakfast, Grand-mère, in just a few minutes.”
“Oh, so this is your grandmother,” Isaac Belton said. “The one who owns La Petite Maison?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Celeste said. “Celeste Robichaux.” And she extended her hand like a duchess expecting an underling to kiss her ring.
The probation officer took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m Isaac Belton, your grandson’s new-” He stopped and looked at Luc, as if to seek permission.
Luc just shrugged and nodded. It couldn’t get much worse, unless Celeste told this guy she’d seen Luc doing drugs or stealing jewelry from his guests.
“I’m a probation officer from New Iberia,” Mr. Belton said. “I’ve recently taken over Luc’s file, and I came here to introduce myself. I was also frankly curious about this place. I own a similar type of house, only it hasn’t been renovated. Your B and B is an inspiration to me.”
“It’s all Luc’s doing,” Celeste said. “I had the idea to turn it into a B and B, but Luc did every bit of the renovations, the décor, the advertising and marketing, everything. He even cooks! I couldn’t have put this place into better hands.” She gave Luc a wink behind the probation officer’s back, acknowledging that she was laying it on a little thick.
“I can see that,” Mr. Belton said. He made a notation in his notebook. “I’ve seen everything I need to see, Luc, so I’ll leave you to your work. See you next Tuesday at my office?”
As if Luc had a choice. “Yes, sir.”
“And I am sorry about my lack of tact earlier. I’d be happy to talk to your friend if you think it would help.”
“No, thanks.” Luc couldn’t imagine anything that would help. Loretta’s worst nightmare had come to pass-she’d become involved with another criminal. Worse, she’d let her impressionable daughter associate with a felon. If he’d been able to tell her about his past in his own way, in his own time, maybe he’d have stood a chance of not driving her off. But now…
Ah, hell. By not telling Loretta the truth, he’d only delayed the inevitable.
“Well, good day, then.” Mr. Belton tipped an imaginary hat, one of those impossibly gallant Southern-gentleman gestures. “Mrs. Robichaux, enjoy your visit.”
Luc walked him to the front door. After he’d closed it, he turned to find Celeste standing right behind him. “Thank you, Grand-mère, for saying those nice things.” He meant it. The woman wielded a lot of power over him, and she knew how to use it. A few well-placed words in the wrong ear, and he could end up wearing prison stripes.
“You’re family, Luc,” she said, her voice warmer than he’d ever heard it. “We have to stick up for each other. Perhaps if I’d been a little more understanding and forgiving with your father, things would have turned out differently.”
Luc was so shocked, he couldn’t respond. First, that his grandmother actually considered him family. And second, that she was admitting she might have been wrong, at least partly. That wasn’t her usual M.O.
“What did Mr. Belton mean when he said he was sorry about his lack of tact?”
Luc grimaced. “He spilled the beans to Loretta.”
“She didn’t take the news well?”
“To put it mildly.”
Celeste shook her head. “I’m sorry to hear that. I like Loretta. But maybe it’s good the truth is out.”
Celeste wouldn’t say that if she’d seen the way Loretta had torn out of there a few minutes earlier.
“Do you want me to talk to her?” Celeste asked.
“Thank you, Grand-mère, but no. I’ll talk to her once she settles down.” In about a million years.
LORETTA HAD NO IDEA how she made it home without driving into a ditch or hitting a stop sign, her eyes blurry with tears. Still, she managed to blank her mind until she was safely parked at the side of the bakery. Then she ran for the front door, fumbled with the keys and finally unlocked the door.
Fortunately there were no walk-in customers waiting for her to open. She made her way through the darkened bakery and into her house. She didn’t stop until she reached the safety of her bedroom, where she flopped on her bed like a melodramatic teenager and gave full vent to her emotions.
She wasn’t so much sad as furious-and when she was angry, she cried. Luc had a probation officer! All this time she’d thought he was hardworking, honest and generous, when he was actually a criminal.