Page 49 of Beauty and the Bayou

Maddie sighed dramatically.“I was homeless until Owen swept in and saved the day.”She leaned into Owen who kissed the top of her head.“I’m staying with him for the next two weeks.”

“You’re a freaking hero,” Sawyer told Owen.

“I always step up,” Owen agreed.

Sawyer watched Maddie grin up at Owen and felt warmth fill his chest.Damn, he loved these people.He was so fucking glad Josh had found Tori and that Owen and Maddie had found their way back together.

“So Juliet hasn’t even been coming over here to eat?”he clarified.

Which meant she also hadn’t been over here socializing or, more accurately, showing up so that everyone could check on her, make sure she got some of Cora’s muscle cream for her soreness, feed her, and to just generally see if she needed anything.

Dammit.

What was wrong with everyone?They were involved to a fault at times.But with Juliet?They were just letting her work alone every day and then go back to Cora’s, also alone, at night?

What the fuck?

He frowned at the people around the table, but they weren’t the only problems.What were Cora, Ellie, and Leo doing?Taking care of people even when they didn’t need it—or didn’tthinkthey needed it—was their freaking specialty.

“Cora’s stocked the fridge,” Maddie said, giving Sawyer a look that said clearly that he was definitelynotacting nonchalant now.“And Juliet said that she wants to be sure she doesn’t get over-tired so that she can’t do as much the next day.”

“Cora gave her some of her muscle cream, too,” Tori said.“I took it over last night.”

“Is that what’s in the jar that saysSprains, strains, and automobiles?”Chase asked.“I saw it sitting on the kitchen table.”

“Yep,” Tori told him.“Amazing stuff.”

That name was the kind of thing that happened when his grandparents and their friends drank together.Which happened often.They were hilarious.Or thought they were anyway.

“Ignore the automobiles part,” Sawyer said.“That’s just a joke.”

“No, it’s not,” Kennedy said.“Leo put it on the hinge of my car door.Lubed it up and it hasn’t squeaked since.”

“Yep, we used it on the window track of an old Chevy to get the windows down,” Owen said.“Worked like a charm.”

Sawyer shook his head as everyone laughed.

“What is it?”Chase asked.

“Some kind of balm Cora and Ellie make.They have all kinds of homemade creams and potions for stuff,” Josh said.

“Good lord,” Chase said.“Maybe I need to come back here after med school and show you all howrealmedicine works.”

“Or maybe you need to come back here after med school and use Cora and Ellie’s stuff in your practice and actuallyhelppeople,” Maddie tossed back.

Chase grinned.“Maybe.”

The new guy seemed to be fitting right in.His plate had clearly held red beans and rice and fried catfish.He was drinking the local beer, laughing and giving everyone crap, as if he was one of them.And even talking about coming back.

That made Sawyer feel good.

Chase wasn’t his problem, he reminded himself.But seeing him like this would make Juliet happy.

And yeah, Juliet being happy mattered to him.Just like it mattered a lot to him that she was scared of the water.

So much for being nonchalant.

Juliet was over at Cora’s, alone, sore and tired because she had been building a dockby herself, and battling her fear of the water.Which, by the way, was a very healthy fear down here.The bayou water was full of stuff she should be afraid of.

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