Page 103 of Sweet Home Louisiana

“I’m in love with her, man.This can’t be a total shock.”

“You leaving and selling your percent to Bennett Baxter?”Sawyer said with a scowl.“Yeah, it’s a shock.”

“I’m sorry but—”

“We have a partnership agreement,” Sawyer broke in.“You have to give us thirty days.”

Owen braced his feet and put his hands on his hips.“You’re kidding, right?”

“Not even a little.”

“I have to wait thirty days to go to California with Maddie?What’s going to change in thirty days, Sawyer?”

“Well, a total stranger won’t own fifty percent of our fucking business!”Sawyer snapped.“That’s one thing.”

Owen sucked in a breath and let it out slowly.“I think Baxter is a good guy.”

“I don’t fucking care what you think,” Sawyer told him.“You’re giving me thirty days to figure out what to do about your fifteen percent.You’re not selling it to him!”

“Maddie’s over there telling Baxter the same thing,” Josh said, his voice calm.Though the frown he sent Owen said he was almost as pissed as Sawyer was.“If anyone can get Owen out of this, it’s her.”

That was a little emasculating, but it wasn’t totally untrue.Owen still frowned back.“I don’twantout of it.”

“It’s bullshit,” Sawyer said.“It’s complete bullshit.We should have the chance to buy you out.”

“You can’t afford it!”Owen reminded him.

“Not Tommy’s thirty-five, but maybe fifteen.”Sawyer shoved a hand through his hair.“But we’ll still be a man down and I doubt very much that Baxter knows how to…do any damned thing that might be helpful at all.”

Owen hated seeing Sawyer and Josh wound up and worried.And pissed.“What am I supposed to do, Sawyer?”Owen finally asked.“She’s leaving.I can’t just let her go.”

“She doesn’t want you to go with her,” Sawyer pointed out.

“Yeah, well, that’s too bad.”But something nagged at the back of his mind.She said she couldn’t paint here.That was what bothered him the most.Her painting was important to her.But it wasn’t working here.She said it was because all of the emotions she normally put into her art were coming out other ways.

If he was in California with her, would that do the same thing?Would she not be able to paint if he was there?That seemed crazy.It seemed like a terrible reason to not be together.But, he had to admit, it seemed pretty damned selfish of him to assume that she’d choose being with him over her painting.Maybe that was why she didn’t want him to come?

Or maybe she just wasn’t feeling what he was feeling.And had he eversaid, “Hey I’m in love with you.Again.Still”, or if he’daskedher what she wanted, maybe he wouldn’t be standing in the middle of his grandmother’s bar, facing his entire family, and feeling like the world’s biggest ass.

“Seems like maybe you need a drink,” Ellie said, moving toward the bar.

Well, it wasn’t milk and cookies and a big hug, but he had to admit, at his age and in this situation, his grandmother had exactly the right offering.

Maddie stalkeddown the path in front of Ellie’s.

What in thehellwas Bennett doing?He’d made an arrangement with Owen?Who did he think he was?He was going to buy another fifteen percent of the company?Just like that?That wasnotthe agreement.

And Owen couldn’t sell his portion.He needed it.The Boys of the Bayou needed him.There was no way Owen should be in California.He couldn’t leave Louisiana.What the hell washethinking?

She was just past the Boys of the Bayou office when she saw a flash of light out of the corner of her eye.It made her pause.What was that?She walked back a few yards and peered into the darkness.

There it was again.

It looked like a flashlight.

Frowning she immediately started in that direction.Who the fuck was skulking around the office at this time of night?All of the partners were up at Ellie’s.

She rounded the corner of the building just as a tall shadow stepped into her path.Without thinking, she immediately swung, her fist connecting with his jaw and snapping his head back.She knew it was a him because of the deep “oomph” sound he made when she hit him.

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