Page 101 of Sweet Home Louisiana

“Really?You don’t want her to stay?”Ellie asked.

Owen looked at Maddie.“No.I don’t want her to stay.”

14

“What?”Cora demanded.“What are you talking about?”

“This isn’t where Maddie wants to be.”Owen looked at Sawyer and Josh.“We need to bring Bennett in.He’s the answer to…all of it.”

“All of it?”Sawyer cocked a brow.“What’s all of it?”

“What’s going to happen when Maddie and I go to California.”

Everyone was completely silent for several long seconds.

The first person to speak was Maddie.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

He nodded.“I’m coming with you this time.I’m not letting you get away again.”

She sprung to her feet, her chair scraping across the floor.“Are you crazy?You can’t leave Autre.The business.”

“I can,” he said firmly.“And I’m going to.You need to be in California.That means I need to be in California.”

“No,” she said.“No, Owen.”

Owen got to his feet, too, facing her across the table, feet braced, hand on his hips.Hewouldconvince her of this.Or not.He’d still show up in San Francisco.He’d show her, eventually, that he meant what he said.

“Bennett is buying me out, too,” he said.

Maddie’s mouth dropped open and she started shaking her head.

Not the reaction he’d been expecting.

“We talked about it.”Owen gave her a firm nod.“It’s official.”

Maddie’s eyes widened.“What do you mean ‘it’s official?’”

“We wrote up an agreement.We both signed it—”

He hadn’t even finished the sentence when Maddie stomped around the end of the table and headed for the door.What the hell?

“Mad!”he called after her.

She didn’t slow down or look back.

“Maddie!”he shouted.He started after her.

“I’m going to talk to Bennett!”she shouted back.

“Madison Evangeline!Stop!”

She swung around to face him.“I’m going to undo this!This isn’t final.”

He stopped nearly on her toes.“Why?Why are you going to undo it?”

“Because you can’t give this up, Owen!”She pushed a hand through her hair.“I’ve been watching you for almost a month.Thisis where you belong.Not California.”

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