Page 14 of Beauty and the Bayou

Then he pulled the door open.

It wasn’t even eight a.m., but the building was seemingly full of people.And it was loud.

There was conversation and laughter, the clinking of silverware against plates, bowls, and cups, and the morning news coming from the two TVs mounted on the wall.

But all the noise stopped, except for the TV, as everyone in the place turned to look at them.Juliet felt completely conspicuous, as if someone had just shined a spotlight on her.She swallowed hard and gave the room a wobbly smile.

The place looked like a shed on the inside, too, but a shed that had a hodgepodge of paraphernalia on the walls—from a New Orleans Saints poster to a banner that read 1992 B League Fast Pitch Champs to a variety of photographs hung in mismatched frames.The only pattern to the wall décor seemed to be “stick it up wherever.”

The room was full of tables and chairs, had a few booths on the west wall, and a wide wooden bar running along the east wall.Clearly there was more to it than this one room—there was a set of swinging doors that seemed to lead to a kitchen and an alcove at the back that likely led to restrooms—but it seemed very much like it had been a simple square building and whoever owned it had slowly added stuff to it as needed.

The tables and chairs didn’t match, the light fixtures didn’t match, most of the bar stools did, but where the majority were covered in black vinyl with silver legs, there were three oddballs.One had a cherry red seat with silver legs, one had a blue seat with black legs, and one had a bright yellow seat with each leg painted a different color.All of the stools were occupied.

Even on first glance, it seemed that the people inside the building were also a mishmash of styles and ages.Seemingly, everyone was in blue jeans and T-shirts, a few in flannel.There were only three women by Juliet’s count.Two sat at the far end of the bar and even they were a mix of styles.One, a pretty brunette, wore cutoff shorts and a baby blue T-shirt, and her eyes widened when she saw Sawyer and Juliet come in, giving them a big smile.The woman next to her was in a black tank, black skirt, black combat boots, and heavy black makeup around her eyes.She looked curious, even dropping her one foot from where it had been propped on the bar to sit up straighter.The only other female was behind the bar.She had snow-white hair that hung in a long braid down her back, deeply tanned and wrinkled skin, and bright eyes that Juliet could feel taking in every detail about her.She was also wearing a T-shirt that said:IOWA, for some reason you have to come here to be President.

“This is a restaurant?”Juliet asked Sawyer, nearly whispering.The entire place had gone quiet when they’d stepped in.

“My grandma’s place,” he said.“It’s mostly a bar, but they do food, too, and seems everyone in town comes in for breakfast before heading out for the day.”

“Well, damn, Kennedy,” the man perched on the bright yellow covered stool said.“Guess you’re gonna have to be the next kid in the family to walk in here with a hot girl now that Josh, Owen, and Sawyer have all done it.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Grandpa,” the woman with the goth look called back.

“My sister, Kennedy, and my grandfather, Leo,” Sawyer said to Juliet.

“I’m…” Juliet wasn’t really sure how to describe what she was at the moment.

“I completely understand.”Sawyer put a hand at her lower back and nudged her further into the room.“Let’s get this over with.”

“This?”

“Them gushing all over you.”

“They’re going togush?They don’t even know me.”

“That won’t keep them from it.I’m pretty sure they know a lotaboutyou,” he said dryly.

She let him lead her into the room.“They do?You didn’t.”

“I’m probably the only one.I’m also sure that was very intentional.My family is a lot of things, but good at keeping a secret is not one of them.Just because they didn’t tellmeyou were coming, doesn’t mean they didn’t blab all about it.”

Oh boy.

Sawyer stopped in the middle of the room, his hand still on her lower back, and Juliet found herself inching closer to him for some reason.He smelled good.That was certainly part of the reason.Oh, and this incredibly intimidating collection of characters who was looking at her like she was about to say something astoundingly important and extremely entertaining.

She wasn’t.Not at all.

“Everyone, this is Juliet Dawson.Juliet, this is most of my family and a good portion of the work force in Autre, Louisiana.”

“You already made her put a life jacket on?”Sawyer’s grandfather asked him.

Sawyer moved his hand from her back to tuck it in his pocket.“This is how I found her.”

The older man swiveled on his stool and looked her up and down.“Those hip waders yours?”he asked.

Juliet nodded.

“How about that hard hat?”

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