Page 23 of Louisiana Protector

“River, Gus and Jean-Luc all entered my life when I was pregnant and only had Gramps to depend on. It started with them bringing us fish, and my friendships with them grew from there.” She took another bite of her sandwich. “They brought diapers and toys for Danny, and they’ve always been very kind to me and Gramps.”

“I wish I would have been there for you, Mimi,” he replied passionately. It positively killed him to think of her alone and pregnant with what he knew in his heart was his child. “Dammit, I should have been there.”

She offered him a tight smile. “But you weren’t. It’s all in the past now, Johnny.” She picked up the last bite of a half of her sandwich and popped it into her mouth.

He wanted…needed to explain to her his frame of mind when he’d chosen to leave Black Bog and her behind. However, he didn’t want to do it between bites and with the small roar of other conversations and clicks of silverware going on in the café. He’d wait until they were on their way back to her shanty.

He focused on eating the delicious chicken-fried steak. The conversation turned once again to food.

“I’m lucky that most nights Gramps cooks dinner. He’s a great cook,” she said. “On my days off I try to take care of dinner to give him a little break.” She eyed him curiously. “I know when you were young and living at home, your father had a chef come in every night to cook for you and him. Are you still using a chef or do you cook?”

“No chef. To be honest, when I was living at home, I was always embarrassed that we had a chef. It was pretentious and unnecessary, but my father loved being able to tell people he had a personal chef.”

“I guess Gramps is my personal chef,” she said with a small laugh.

“Back to the original question, yes, I’ve learned to cook. I’ve gotten pretty good at it if I do say so myself. Part of it was due to survival, and the other part was that I like to eat. Maybe one night you could come to my place, and I’ll cook for you.”

“What are some of your specialties?” she asked.

“I make a great spaghetti sauce with meatballs, and I use the same sauce to make chicken parmesan. Or if you don’t want Italian, I make a good beef stew, and I also make a mean fried chicken. So, what do you say? Will you come over to the house one night and let me cook for you?” He held her gaze intently.

“Johnny, right now, I don’t know. All I can say is we’ll see,” she replied, the answer disappointing him.

They finished the meal with her catching him up on what had occurred with friends they had spent time with five years before. He was surprised by who had gotten married and who had broken up. Some had children while others were pursuing careers away from Black Bog.

“Gramps still looks really good,” he said. “He looks like he didn’t age a day while I was gone.”

“Yeah, he still looks good. Thankfully his health is great, other than some arthritis. I don’t know what I’d do without him. He is and always has been my rock,” she replied. “I know he’s enjoying you being back in town. He missed you when you left.”

“I missed him a lot when I was gone,” Johnny admitted. “You know he was…is like a father to me.”

Her gaze on him softened. “I know.”

He swallowed against the emotion that rose up in him with thoughts of Gramps. He had loved Johnny when Johnny’s own father couldn’t or wouldn’t. Gramps had made him feel like he was good and smart and a hundred other positive things. He cleared his throat before the emotions overwhelmed him.

“Would you like some dessert?” he asked when they were finished with the meals.

“Oh no, thanks. I’m way too full for any dessert, but you go ahead and get something if you want,” she replied. “You always loved the banana cream pie.”

“I still love it, but like you, I’m way too full to eat a piece right now.” He motioned to their waitress for their check. Once he paid, they left the café.

The night air was hot and humid and more than a little bit oppressive. It only added to the anxiety that now filled his chest. When they were back in the car, he got the air conditioner cranking as nerves made him feel half sick.

Now, he needed to explain to her why he had left her five years ago. He wanted her to understand why he made the choices he had, choices he had deeply regretted over the years.

This might be his last opportunity to talk to her all alone. While he drove her home, she would be a captive audience in the car. What he was really hoping for was her forgiveness and the chance that she might love him once again.

Chapter Five

Mimi hated to admit it, but for the most part she had enjoyed the dinner with Johnny. It was difficult to sort out old feelings from new ones. There was the twenty-two-year-old Johnny who had stolen and then broken her heart. Then there was the twenty-seven-year-old Johnny who was more mature and confident and who was working his charms to get back in her life.

He pulled out of the café parking lot and then shot a glance at her. “Mimi, I need to explain to you why I left Black Bog…why I left you.”

“Johnny, you don’t owe me any explanations. I’ve told you before, it was a long time ago, and none of it matters anymore,” she replied.

“But it does matter,” he protested. “Please, Mimi, just hear me out.” There was a touch of desperation in his voice.

She nodded with a touch of dread. She hated that he was going to take her back to that painful time in her life. “Okay, I’ll listen.”