Page 105 of Beauty and the Bayou

She pulled back from the hand he lifted to her face.“I need to go get dry and…” She looked down.She was muddy and dirty and confused.No, she couldn’tseethe confused, but it was definitely there.“I need to…go.”

He paused, but finally nodded and released her.

“I—” She really had nothing more to say.So, she turned on her heel and headed up the ramp.She’d go to Cora’s, she’d get in the shower, she’d clean the bayou off, and she’d…figure out what to do next.

“Thanks, Juliet.”

The little voice stopped her at the top of the wooden walkway.She looked over to find Cooper Trahan standing under the eaves of the building with Gabe.

She gave him a smile.“Hey, sweetie.Are you okay?”

“I think so.”Cooper looked down as if checking.“Stella thought that was—” He looked up at Gabe, then back to Juliet and whispered, “Badass.”

Juliet felt herself smile in spite of everything.

“I think that maybe in this case, badass is appropriate,” Gabe said with a low chuckle, setting his hand on his son’s head.He looked up at Juliet.“Areyouokay?”

“I’m…” She looked down at Cooper again.“Fine.”She was.She was fine.She was who she’d always been.She’d done what she’d had to do.But she’d learned from the experience.After she’d skinned her knees, she’d started carrying the first aid kit.After she’d fallen in the bayou, she was going to…avoid the bayou from now on.

Gabe didn’t look like he was buying the “fine” thing though.“Sawyer would have never let anything happen to you,” he said.

She nodded.“The thing is, it happened to him, too, you know?”

“Did I scare you about the lightning?”Cooper asked.He looked sincerely worried.“I sometimes say stuff that scares Stella.And it’s true.But I sometimes need to learn when to keep stuff to myself or say it at different times than I do.”

Juliet didn’t laugh but she kind of wanted to.That sounded like a talk that one or both of his parents had had with him in the past.“Well, the idea of being struck by lightning is a little scary,” she said.“But I don’t think that’s a good reason tonotsay it.We should all know when things are dangerous so that we can make plans and be as safe as we can be.”

Cooper’s eyes got wide.“That’s what I think, too!”

She smiled.“I knew we had a lot in common when we first met.”

Cooper beamed at that.“And I’m going to have to work here at Boys of the Bayou, too,” he said.

“Oh, I don’t work here,” Juliet said.

“You don’t?You don’t help Sawyer out?”Cooper asked.

“I…” Did she help Sawyer out?She liked to think she had, in some small way.“I do.But I’m his friend.”

“Oh.”Cooper nodded.“Well, I’m Stella’s brother.But I’m going to work with her, too.”

“You want to drive airboats?”Honestly, that didn’t seem to fit the little boy.

“No,” Cooper said adamantly.“But, I will,” he said.“Someone has to look out for Stella.”

That grabbed Juliet by the heart.“You would do that?Even though you don’t like the bayou that much?”She’d figured that out by the way the little boy had stayed in the middle of the boat and had strapped his life jacket on first thing just like she had.

“Well, yeah,” he said with a shrug.“Stella is excitable,” he said, in a tone that indicated perhaps he’d also heard that from a grown-up or two.“I’m practical.I keep her safe and she makes sure I have fun.Everyone needs someone to balance them out.”

Juliet felt the lump in her throat again.Everyone did need that.It had seemed that she and Sawyer could be that.Did she have anyone else to balance her?To be there for her when she was excitable?Or to calm when they were excitable?Chase, maybe.She smiled at Cooper.Brothers could be so awesome for their sisters.

And their brothers.Sawyer’s brother and his cousin and sister were great for him, too.

Butshewanted to be great for him.

“Do you want us to walk you up to the house?”Gabe asked.

She gave Cooper a smile because she really did want the little boy to know there was nothing for him to worry about.“No.I’m really okay.It was really great to meet you both.”She stretched her hand out for Cooper to shake.“Stella is really lucky to have you.”

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