Page 22 of Sweet Home Louisiana

She didn’t have to say that she wasn’t proud of her past here.That unspoken sentiment hung in the air over the table.It wasn’t that she was embarrassed of beingfromAutre exactly.But it wasn’t as if she told everyone she met that she’d grown up on the bayou in Louisiana or that her mom had been killed by a drunk driver or that her dad was in jail.When people asked, Maddie said she was from San Francisco.Because for the past twelve years that had been true and those twelve years mattered most.Those were the years when she’d gotten to know herself and become who she wanted to be.That was when she’d really started painting, when she’d gone to college, when she’d decided she wanted to work surrounded by beauty and to express her passions in safe ways—like with paintbrushes.

“I’m…happy,” she said.She swallowed.She knew that mattered to them and that made the knot in her stomach tighter.“I just want to keep being happy.”

No one said anything to that right away and she snuck a glance at Owen.His jaw was tight and he was staring at his sweet tea.His grip on the mug made her think that he was seconds away from pitching it at the wall.That wouldn’t have surprised anyone.

The stupid ribbon of heat she felt didn’t surprise her, either.Twelve years hadn’t made it any less hot when Owen got worked up about her.Thatwas the biggest problem here of all.

Sawyer finally broke the tense silence.“Well, the thing is, before we can change anything in the partnership agreement, there are a few things we have to do.”

Yeah, the camping trip.She started to answer that—with a “that is not happening”—but he kept on.

“You have to come to work every day,” Sawyer told her.

She frowned.“Work?”

“At the tour company,” Sawyer said.Judging by the look on his face, he was either trying hard to stay firm or he was sincerely annoyed with her.

Working at the tour company?Yeah, right.“What am I going to do?”

“Well, Tommy led tours, did repairs, balanced the books,” Owen said.He shifted, leaning back in his chair and finally looking directly at her.His entire demeanor had changed.Instead of looking like he was barely holding onto his temper, he now looked nonchalant.

“I can’t lead tours or do repairs,” she said, also sitting back and crossing her arms.

“You could fill the tanks, hose off the decks—”

“I’m a majority owner,” she interrupted.She couldn’t hang out with these guys every single day.That wasnotthe way to stay emotionally closed off.She looked up at Sawyer.“That means I get a majority vote in all of this stuff.”

“You’re an even partner with me,” Sawyer said with a little nod.

“But I have more vote than Owen.And Josh,” she added, so it didn’t seem like Owen was getting to her.

Sawyer cast a glance at his brother and cousin.“We’ve never run things that way,” he said.“We’re all equally invested with our time and energy and commitment.”

“Well, that’s very nice,” Maddie said, digging deep for some cold I-don’t-care-about-this.“But in reality, I have more say than they do.”

Sawyer’s brows rose but Owen and Josh said nothing.“I guess that’s true,” Sawyer finally said.

Maddie looked down at her nails, pretending to study her manicure.“So I’ll do the books this month and I can help with scheduling, inventory, things like that.”

It wouldn’t be like doing the work at the art gallery, but it would be away from the guys.She couldn’t take watching them all do their thing with the tourists.She knew that they were enthusiastic and friendly and fun and charming.Nope, she had to stay away from all of that.She couldn’t watch them with the kids and the little old ladies or even the bachelorette parties.Okay, she couldn’t watch Owen with the bachelorette parties.She would havefeelingsabout all of that and she needed to avoid those as much as possible.

“But I won’t be working full-time.I have work to do remotely for myrealjob.”That was actually true.“And I won’t be doing any tours, or repairs, or really anything outside.”There, they could think she was a spoiled city girl who was afraid of sunburns and bugs rather than knowing she was afraid of liking all ofthemtoo much.

“I don’t want her doin’ any repairs,” Owen finally spoke up.“God only knows what she’d mess up.The girl works with paintbrushes now, not wrenches.”

Maddie looked at him in surprise.He was giving her an out?

“She’d probably make everything too…tight, you know?Or we’d find a stick stuck up someplace it doesn’t belong.”

Maddie rolled her eyes.Tight.As in uptight.Stick up her ass.Right.Real subtle.

“Exactly,” she said.He was trying to bait her into an argument?Get her saying things like, “fine, I’ll do it,” just to prove she could?That had worked when she’d been a teenager.It didn’t anymore.She had a lot more self-control than that.

And frankly, she didn’t want to be tightening things or sticking things anywhere down on that dock.He was actually giving her good excuses not to get too involved.

“I could mess everything up,” she said.

In fact…if she was really bad at the job, they wouldn’t have her keep doing it…

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