Page 18 of More Than A Feeling

That was true, but I honestly didn't have the bandwidth to deal with Sabine'sJerry Springer Live-esquelife.

I ignored the man and focused on my last drink of the evening.

Chapter 8

Callum

Thanksgiving at the Landrys had been interminably long.

Brian and Lenora were still upset about how Fleur was behaving and had spent a lot of time carping about her. My mother had not been impressed at how they were badmouthing their own child, but my father, who liked Fleur, was, however, perturbed by her lack of respect for the family.

Sabine haddecidedthat she and I should date and see where it went. I'd finally agreed because it seemed to matter so much.

After spending some time thinking about it, I did feel that someone like Sabine was the kind of wife I was looking for. Fleur was fun, but she was immature and didn't understand the importance of family.

On Black Friday, we had dinner at Muriel's at Jackson Square. My parents had enjoyed a day catching up with old friends and going to their favorite haunts in the city.

"The Quarter is so loud and dirty. Call, you know how I feel about this place." Sabine had hoped that we'd eat at the Commander's Palace, but I knew my parents liked the Quarter.

"We love it here," Rose, my mother, announced with a tight smile.

I knew that my parents were a little tired of spending time with the Landrys. My parents had gotten to know them when Seamus was alive.

In the past, Seamus and Fleur had been around, and it had been different—easier, lighter. But then both Seamus and Fleur had that skill.

"How is dear Fleur?" my mother asked.

"We don't know, and we don't care," Brian snapped.

My mother cocked an eyebrow and looked at me. I shook my head, tacitly telling her to move on because this way only trouble lay.

"James and I always adored Fleur," my mother continued like she didn't notice the tension. I'd given my parents the Cliff's Notes about the situation with Fleur and Sabine and me.

I had thought they'd confirm the rightness of Sabine and me as a couple. Instead, my mother had announced that she'd never liked Sabine and never knew what Seamus or I saw in her.

"She's a successful, wonderful woman," I explained.

"She's got a stick up her arse," my father countered.

"Dad."

"Oh, yeah, she does," Mom added. "Seamus was so obsessed with her, but you're not, I can see that. Why do you want to date your brother's wife? Seriously, New Orleans is a big city, can't you find another girl? Hell, come to Edinburgh, and I can hook you up with some very eligible single women."

"I like Fleur, though her immaturity when it comes to her family is not too attractive," my father acknowledged. "How come you broke up with her?"

"Lenora told me," my mother spoke to my father like I wasn't around any longer. "Apparently, our Callum here was at Sabine's beck and call—and Fleur told him to shove it."

"Why was he at Sabine's beck and call?"

"I'm right here," I protested.

"But can you see anything?" My mother wondered, "Since your head seems to be way up your arse."

The one thing about my parents was that they always spoke their minds. I’d never noticed their disapproval of Sabine before, but then, they wouldn’t have let Seamus know. They trusted us to make our own decisions, and I understood that the only reason they were speaking up now was because they sensed I was being pressured into something I didn’t want. And, there was some truth to that. Between Brian, Lenora, and Sabine, I had the distinct feeling they’d love nothing more than to see me settled into couple hood with their eldest daughter.

My friends—Gaurav, a sports agent, and Francois, a host for ESPN, had also given me a version of that opinion.

Gaurav had been the most direct. "You were happy when you were with Fleur. She was a fucking firecracker. With Sabine, it's like you've become dull."

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