Post by Francine Crowe on Jul 14, 2016 6:18:52 GMT -5
Francine turned back towards the sink where she finished cutting up some of the melon into cubes and placing them on a platter. She saw Randi pull up but the vodka was still outside with her in the hot sun. She wanted to get it chilled and ready to serve at the bar soon. Turning her eyes back to the pool, she saw Bubba smack a girl’s ass as he was given the bottle by Jude. The platter of melon was left on the counter as she turned back to the packages Jude brought in, unloading the items the chef brought in. Andrew was helping her, carefully setting out the vegetables so they could be washed.
She had sent Andrew on a mission to get Randi and Buck and as she looked out the window, her gaze turned stern as she saw Buck standing a little too close to her. His hand was wrapped around her arm and she wasn’t sure if there was an argument going on or something else. She knew Buck had an affinity for Randi as they dated back in high school. She never knew what happened with them, but she knew the break up was hard on Buck. He was a wild child but he had a way of breaking boundaries and there were times Bryce brought him back home, keeping him out of jail. Now, as she watched them both, she felt a pang of jealousy as her baby was engaged with Randi. Andrew had yet to go and interrupt them, but she wanted to make sure her finger was firmly on that button.
Those thoughts were broken as both Jude and Brody made their way back in. Jude jumped in first talking about what he was going to cook tonight and she turned her whole body towards him with a smile. "That sounds delicious, sweetie.”
She usually laid it on a bit syrupy sweet with Jude for the sake of Brody and his friendship with the chef. It was a friendship she couldn’t quite put her finger on and she didn’t like that. Her trust of Jude was a thin mesh that could easily be penetrated with one wrong step. It was the same veil that Mira walked on. They were both outsiders that she put a mask on for but watched carefully. Her sons were everything to her and she protected them with a heavy hand. The family was known in and around the Bayou and even into the city and their reputation of fear and intimidation was something she would not allow to be trifled with.
“Andrew, go get Randi and Buck, please. They need to get out of the sun out front.” She said that rather sternly after Jude told him he was going to wash the veggies with him. Her word was the final word and all the boys knew that, including Andrew, regardless of what nonsense Mira was putting in his head.
She looked oddly at Bubba as he asked about the grouper. “You live in the Bayou and you don’t know that Grouper is fish yet? I’m pretty sure I sent you to school. Were you too busy napping?” She looked at him with a highly raised brow as she joked with him, shaking her head and turning back to the platters and plates that were laid out, knowing she needed to get more. “I agree with Brody. He doesn’t need to cook. You’re the master and you know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen.”
She moved to another cabinet, leaning down and pulling out the usually stack of plastic party plates they used for outdoor cooking and bbqs. When Bubba piped up about Bryce she turned her head. “They don’t have much time together anymore. I’m sure they snuck upstairs for a little quiet time. There’s plenty of us here to keep an eye on Andrew.”
Standing back up she put the plastic ware on another round table that was near the doors. “That poor boy wants to go swimming so badly but with you animals horsing around out there Mira is worried he’ll get hurt.” She went up to Bubba, placing a hand on his back and rubbing gently as she smiled to him. “You need to teach that boy about how you play out there. He needs to learn. Mira is going to turn him into a big pussy and that’s not something this family really wants. Maybe she’ll trust me enough to take him for a day and you boys can …teach him.”
It was a knowing look she gave her son. She wanted Andrew to learn the family business one day when he was old enough to handle himself. She wanted Mira to let him go and she wanted Bryce to take control of his family situation. Mira ran that family and she didn’t like that one bit.
She didn’t hear another car pull up in the driveway as Jude and Bubba were talking and when Andrew went outside Parnell pushed his way in, splattered with blood demanding to know where his sister was. He was breathing heavy, like a jealous lover in a rage looking for his cheating wife. He certainly protected her more then he should, but she did truly like Parnell. When he was sweet, he was like candy and she always enjoyed a taste of sugar. She came up to him, placing her hands on his chest, holding him back as she looked at the blood.
“Sweetie, she’s fine. She just ran an errand, that’s all. I asked if I could borrow something and she just went home to try and find it for me. That’s all.” It was a spur of the moment lie that may or may not come back to bite her in the ass. Regardless, she would think of something else to cover it up and get word to Maddie that her brother was here. That spy would be Bryce when he came out of the guest house as she knew her son would not want to leave any dirty tracks of his exploits behind.
If Bubba saw Bryce go into the guest house, following Maddie, then he may know what was happening and she wanted to send Bryce and Maddie a warning about Parnell, while she kept him occupied.
“Bubba, sweetie, why don’t you go grab a t-shirt for Parnell out of Bradley or Beau’s room. We can’t have him walking around the house like this. He’ll scare Andrew and the girls.” She looked at Brody for a long time, tilting her head. “If you hear Bryce and Mira in there, tell them Parnell finally arrived. Our last guest.”
She smiled a bit and turned back to Parnell, taking him by the hand and moving into the large family room that was within eye shot of the kitchen, leaving Jude to do his magic with the food.
“Come on baby, let’s get that shirt off before anyone sees you. Tell me what happened. Did you have to kick another guy’s ass who was trying to court your sweet sister?”
As she brought him into the room, she tugged at his shirt, hoping to help him pull it off and over his head, allowing him to just sit topless until another shirt could arrive. At this rate, it didn't seem like he was ready for a pool party but that was okay. He could just relax, have a few drinks and she would happily distract him from the thoughts about Maddie and what she was doing. She knew if Parnell found out about Bryce and her, he would likely kill Bryce and that was just not something she could have. She waxed him poetic with her soothing voice and sparkle in her eyes. She needed to soothe this savage beast.
"Or work? Tell me what happened."
She had sent Andrew on a mission to get Randi and Buck and as she looked out the window, her gaze turned stern as she saw Buck standing a little too close to her. His hand was wrapped around her arm and she wasn’t sure if there was an argument going on or something else. She knew Buck had an affinity for Randi as they dated back in high school. She never knew what happened with them, but she knew the break up was hard on Buck. He was a wild child but he had a way of breaking boundaries and there were times Bryce brought him back home, keeping him out of jail. Now, as she watched them both, she felt a pang of jealousy as her baby was engaged with Randi. Andrew had yet to go and interrupt them, but she wanted to make sure her finger was firmly on that button.
Those thoughts were broken as both Jude and Brody made their way back in. Jude jumped in first talking about what he was going to cook tonight and she turned her whole body towards him with a smile. "That sounds delicious, sweetie.”
She usually laid it on a bit syrupy sweet with Jude for the sake of Brody and his friendship with the chef. It was a friendship she couldn’t quite put her finger on and she didn’t like that. Her trust of Jude was a thin mesh that could easily be penetrated with one wrong step. It was the same veil that Mira walked on. They were both outsiders that she put a mask on for but watched carefully. Her sons were everything to her and she protected them with a heavy hand. The family was known in and around the Bayou and even into the city and their reputation of fear and intimidation was something she would not allow to be trifled with.
“Andrew, go get Randi and Buck, please. They need to get out of the sun out front.” She said that rather sternly after Jude told him he was going to wash the veggies with him. Her word was the final word and all the boys knew that, including Andrew, regardless of what nonsense Mira was putting in his head.
She looked oddly at Bubba as he asked about the grouper. “You live in the Bayou and you don’t know that Grouper is fish yet? I’m pretty sure I sent you to school. Were you too busy napping?” She looked at him with a highly raised brow as she joked with him, shaking her head and turning back to the platters and plates that were laid out, knowing she needed to get more. “I agree with Brody. He doesn’t need to cook. You’re the master and you know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen.”
She moved to another cabinet, leaning down and pulling out the usually stack of plastic party plates they used for outdoor cooking and bbqs. When Bubba piped up about Bryce she turned her head. “They don’t have much time together anymore. I’m sure they snuck upstairs for a little quiet time. There’s plenty of us here to keep an eye on Andrew.”
Standing back up she put the plastic ware on another round table that was near the doors. “That poor boy wants to go swimming so badly but with you animals horsing around out there Mira is worried he’ll get hurt.” She went up to Bubba, placing a hand on his back and rubbing gently as she smiled to him. “You need to teach that boy about how you play out there. He needs to learn. Mira is going to turn him into a big pussy and that’s not something this family really wants. Maybe she’ll trust me enough to take him for a day and you boys can …teach him.”
It was a knowing look she gave her son. She wanted Andrew to learn the family business one day when he was old enough to handle himself. She wanted Mira to let him go and she wanted Bryce to take control of his family situation. Mira ran that family and she didn’t like that one bit.
She didn’t hear another car pull up in the driveway as Jude and Bubba were talking and when Andrew went outside Parnell pushed his way in, splattered with blood demanding to know where his sister was. He was breathing heavy, like a jealous lover in a rage looking for his cheating wife. He certainly protected her more then he should, but she did truly like Parnell. When he was sweet, he was like candy and she always enjoyed a taste of sugar. She came up to him, placing her hands on his chest, holding him back as she looked at the blood.
“Sweetie, she’s fine. She just ran an errand, that’s all. I asked if I could borrow something and she just went home to try and find it for me. That’s all.” It was a spur of the moment lie that may or may not come back to bite her in the ass. Regardless, she would think of something else to cover it up and get word to Maddie that her brother was here. That spy would be Bryce when he came out of the guest house as she knew her son would not want to leave any dirty tracks of his exploits behind.
If Bubba saw Bryce go into the guest house, following Maddie, then he may know what was happening and she wanted to send Bryce and Maddie a warning about Parnell, while she kept him occupied.
“Bubba, sweetie, why don’t you go grab a t-shirt for Parnell out of Bradley or Beau’s room. We can’t have him walking around the house like this. He’ll scare Andrew and the girls.” She looked at Brody for a long time, tilting her head. “If you hear Bryce and Mira in there, tell them Parnell finally arrived. Our last guest.”
She smiled a bit and turned back to Parnell, taking him by the hand and moving into the large family room that was within eye shot of the kitchen, leaving Jude to do his magic with the food.
“Come on baby, let’s get that shirt off before anyone sees you. Tell me what happened. Did you have to kick another guy’s ass who was trying to court your sweet sister?”
As she brought him into the room, she tugged at his shirt, hoping to help him pull it off and over his head, allowing him to just sit topless until another shirt could arrive. At this rate, it didn't seem like he was ready for a pool party but that was okay. He could just relax, have a few drinks and she would happily distract him from the thoughts about Maddie and what she was doing. She knew if Parnell found out about Bryce and her, he would likely kill Bryce and that was just not something she could have. She waxed him poetic with her soothing voice and sparkle in her eyes. She needed to soothe this savage beast.
"Or work? Tell me what happened."