Page 43 of Beauty and the Bayou

“I’m worried Juliet is maybetoocareful.I think she needs to lighten up a little.”

Kennedy slowly shook her head back and forth.“Hallelujah.Praise the Lord,” she said, still with a note of disbelief in her tone.“He really is back.”

Sawyer felt a kick behind his breastbone at that.“I don’t know about that,” he said, meeting what she’d said, and meant, head-on.“But maybe he’s on his way.”

He was shocked to see Kennedy’s eyes fill with tears.She leaned over the counter and wrapped her arms around his neck.“I’ll take it,” she said, her voice raspy.

He let her squeeze him, actually blinking rapidly himself as he felt his eyes stinging.

Fuck.He knew that he’d been stressing them all out, but he hadn’t realized he could bring his tough-as-nails sister to tears.

Kennedy sat back after a long moment.She sniffed.“So, what are you gonna do about her?”

If Kennedy’s tears had shocked him, the impressively long list of things he’d like to do with—and to—Juliet Dawson that tripped through his mind actually took him aback.

Wow.He hadn’t realized just how subconsciously filthy his thoughts had gotten.

“I’m going to…keep my eye on her,” he said.

Kennedy gave him a knowing wink.

“And maybe get her to have a little fun.”

“Yes,” Kennedy said enthusiastically.“You should totally do that.”

“You think?”

“Come on,” Kennedy said.“She’s only here for a few days, right?So you flirt a little, have a little fun, remember what it’s like to laugh and kick back and be not-a-pain-in-the-ass, but it’s nothing serious for you to get all worked up about.Then maybe some of that will stick after she leaves.”

For some reason that made Sawyer’s gut twist a little.Juliet was leaving.

She’d been here for four days and he’d barely seen her over the last three, for fuck’s sake, yet he was already feeling like her leaving might be depressing.What the hell was that?

Stupid.That’s what it was.But yeah, maybe the two weeks with her could snap him out of his funk, remind him how to have fun, prove that he didn’t have to be on top of everyone and everything all the time.

He could just be on top of Juliet.

And not in the if-I-leave-her-alone-she-might-die way.Instead, it could be in the I-really-need-to-get-her-naked-in-water-of-some-kind way.

“Yeah.Okay, maybe.”

Kennedy lit up at that.As would the rest of his family when she told them that he was not just smiling more, but that he wasn’t breaking out in hives at the idea of having fun.Hell, he’d even used the word and hadn’t choked on it.

They’d probably build a statue of Juliet and put it right in front of Ellie’s.Or on the end of the dock Juliet and Chase were building.

If he got laid, they might declare an annual holiday.

Was it weird that the Landry family cared about everyone getting laid?Maybe.But they were a weird bunch.Who all thought getting laid regularly was a really good thing.Right up there with homemade cornbread and live music on Friday nights.

“You goin’ up to dinner?”he asked.

“Yeah.”Kennedy quickly closed down the computer, pocketed her phone, switched off the little lamp on the counter, and slid off the stool.“Let’s go.”

They headed up to Ellie’s.It was the gathering spot for his family at the start of the day and the end.He’d never thought twice about it because it had been that way all his life, but it was nice to know there was a place he could always go and there would be friendly faces and good food.They didn’tallshow up thereeverymorning and night, but everyone stopped in often enough that they kept tabs on one another and knew if anyone needed help with anything.He was certain there had beenmanyconversations about him over the past few months.

It wasn’t just his brother and sister and Maddie that needed reassured that he was getting better.He knew his mom and dad were worried, his grandparents, hell, most of the town.

Sawyer pulled the door open and stepped inside with a big smile.He took a huge breath of the Cajun-spiced air and looked around.

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