Page 24 of Sweet Home Louisiana

“Look,” Sawyer said, pinning Maddie with a look.“Our grandfathers started this business and passed it down.They wrote up this partnership agreement to ensure that if anyone walked away, it wasn’t without a lot of thought and examining all options and angles.”

Maddie nodded, squeezing her hands together.Saying no to the idea of hosing bayou scum off of airboats was easy.Listening to these people talk about their family roots and history and how much this—bayou scum and all—meant to them was way harder to be callous about.

“I said I’d put some time in at the office,” she said, coolly.

“Fine,” Sawyer said.“But you also do the camping trip with us.”

The camping trip.

It meant sleeping in a cabin that had been built sixty years ago, had no running water, no air-conditioning, no WiFi…and held a ton of memories for her.

Like losing her virginity to Owen Landry.

She didnotlook in his direction, but she could feel his gaze on her.

She was absolutely going to pretend that her resistance was about the WiFi.“I will do almostanythingelse,” she told Sawyer.

“You can choose from the ten-year-old’s birthday party or the bachelorette party tomorrow,” Sawyer said.“One is going to squeal and want alligator souvenir cups and will probably puke over the edge of the boat.The other is a bunch of little boys.You’re going to have to let both groups touch a gator.”

Maddie shivered.She hated alligators.She thought fast.“Okay, I will make green swamp slime and a batch of swamp water for the kids.And I’ll put together little hangover packs for the girls.They’ll need water, ibuprofen, eyedrops, sunglasses, and iced coffees.But I’m not touching an alligator.”

There was a beat of silence.All of the guys were staring at her.

“What?”

“Swamp slime and swamp water?”Josh asked.

She nodded.“That slimly play stuff that you make with glue and water and Borax,” she said.“And swamp water is a green punch with gummy alligators in it.”

They were still staring.But they looked a little impressed.

“You know about slime?”Owen asked, with a small smile.

She shrugged.Apparently she did.The idea to use it had just kind of come to her.Looked like desperation to avoid the old bayou cabin had brought out her creativity.

Sawyer snorted.“Fine.No camping.I doubt you even remember how to catch catfish and cook over a campfire anyway.”

She grimaced.She loved a good salmon fillet at her favorite seafood place at Fisherman’s Wharf, but it had been a long damned time since she’d eaten catfish.Even longer since she’d caught her own.

“Poor Maddie,” she heard Tori say to Kennedy.

Well, maybe she had one—sort of—ally.

Kennedy laughed lightly.“Hope she brought something other than those heels.”

And…crap.

If she was going to be hanging out on the docks regularly, she was going to need to get some new shoes.

4

Owen found Maddie down on the dock in the dark.The moon was up and there was enough illumination from tall yard lights up by the road that she could easily find her way—and he could easily see her—but it was dark down here.It was nearly midnight and when she’d slipped away from the fire pit outside of Ellie’s and the music, drinking, and laughter that accompanied her welcome home party, he’d assumed she was headed to Cora’s to call it a night.She had to be exhausted.

But when he’d followed her around the corner of Ellie’s, he’d been surprised to see her head across the road toward the Boys of the Bayou buildings.

Now she was on the far dock, just watching the water.

She was fine.He should leave her alone.She was safe here in Autre.At least from people.

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