Tucker responded to Monique’s message about their get-together that afternoon, and they both agreed to leave work early, not wanting to wait. She took the morning off and headed to the store to pick up a few things for Grady. There wasn’t a lot you could pick for a six-month-old that he probably didn’t already have, but the shop owner filled a bag for her.
Monique arrived a few minutes earlier than they’d said, and Tucker went down to help her with the baby and the diaper bag. They waited until they were inside for Monique to hand Grady over, and Tucker couldn’t believe how haywire her emotions got when Grady put his head down on her shoulder.
“He looks like Jim Bob,” she said as Monique nodded and rubbed her arm.
“Jim Bob always said he looks a lot like you as a baby.” They sat on the sofa together and Tucker sat Grady on her lap to get a better look at him. “It was something he mentioned often, and he hoped Grady would turn out more like you. It really bothered him that his relationship with his other children wasn’t great.”
“His death came way too early for him to fix his relationship with Bubba and Tara, but there was more to that dynamic than we can all know.” Tucker wondered how much Jim Bob had shared with Monique, but considering they’d gotten engaged, it was probably all of it. “I think Ivy’s drinking had a major role in all the drama.”
“That’s what Jim Bob said, but we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want.”
Grady picked that moment to start a long string of baby talk, and Tucker was delighted. “Today’s about happy things.”
They spent the afternoon together talking and getting Grady to smile, and Tucker decided to test the waters about how serious Monique was about sharing Grady with them. “I know we said we’d wait, but would you mind if I called my parents and asked them over? This little boy would do wonders toward cheering them up.”
“Do you think they’d be okay with all this?”
“My mother’s a little…different, but they’ll be fine.” She watched Grady sleep on the blanket on the floor and hoped Jim Bob could see him from wherever he was. He’d really left a bit of himself behind, and her family had to rally around Monique and accept her as one of their own.
Her parents took no convincing to come over for dinner, and they cordially greeted Monique when she introduced her—until her mom got a look at Grady. “Augusta Delacroix, what in the holy hell are you thinking?”
“Mama,” she said, wanting to laugh when Monique’s eyes widened like they’d fall out. “Let me explain.”
“What’s to explain?” Her mom picked Grady up and held his head against her cheek. “You somehow got this young lady pregnant and decided to wait until now to tell us? Didn’t you think this might’ve been something your father and I needed? We already know you’re gay, for God’s sake.”
“You might want to slow down,” Tucker said.
“Slow down?” Her mom spoke through gritted teeth but she held Grady like he’d disappear if she eased up on him. “If you’d moved any slower, we’d have met your baby at his high school graduation. Either he’s a few months old, or he was a twenty-pound baby at birth.” Stella turned to Monique and smiled as if in sympathy. “Honey, you’ve got your work cut out for you when it comes to training this one. It took her father thirty years before he started to get it, which means don’t hold your breath thinking Tucker’s going to fall in line anytime soon.”
Monique looked at Tucker, her eyes still wide, and she was clearly speechless. Tucker shook her head, smiling. “Mom, sit down and take a breath.” Tucker guided her father to sit next to her mom.
“Congratulations, you two,” her father said. “He’s the spitting image of you, Tuck. What’s his name?”
“Guys, this is Grady, but he’s not mine.”
“Tucker Delacroix.” Her mom’s voice softened enough not to use the stuffy first name, but the inclusion of her last name meant she was still peeved. “I did not raise you to be an asshole who shirks her responsibilities. I mean, your baby’s mother is standing right here.” She could tell her mother’s dressing-down amused Monique, but she did her best to hide her laughter behind her hand.
Tucker took a deep breath and plunged in. “Grady is Jim Bob and Monique’s baby, and Monique was his fiancée. I found out about both of them yesterday, so I’m not an asshole or shirking anything.”
Her parents looked from her to Monique, opening and closing their mouths a few times before her father finally found his voice. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Monique, but thank you for loving our son.”
Tucker breathed a sigh of relief. Just like that, her parents were on board. Maybe knowing Tucker had accepted her right away helped. Whatever the reason, Grady and Monique had the family they needed.
“Believe me, sir, Jim Bob was easy to love and will be impossible to replace.” Monique cried when her father hugged her, followed by her mom when she handed Bart the baby.
“I’m so sorry we didn’t know about you or the baby,” Stella said with her arm still around Monique. “You shouldn’t have gone through all that alone.”
“She’s not alone now, Mama, and neither is Grady.”
“Your grasp of the obvious is truly stunning, my love,” her mom said, and Monique laughed again. “Monique, do you have family close by?”
“My sister, but she travels a lot for work. She’s been a big help with Grady, though.”
They ordered in and enjoyed dinner together, as well as taking turns holding Grady until it was time for Monique to go or end up staying the night. At her mom’s urging, Tucker insisted on going with her and helping with the baby. Her mother wanted to drive home the point that Monique was now part of the family. As it happened, they didn’t live that far apart from each other, and Monique seemed happy that she wanted to spend time with him.
“Thank you for today, Tucker. You don’t know how much it means to me that you and your family want Grady in your lives.” Monique stood next to Grady’s crib with her and spoke softly. Tucker placed her hand on the baby’s back one last time before they went in the other room.
“I may have lost my brother, but it’s nice to have gained a friend. Trust me, it’s more than Grady that we want in our lives.” Monique smiled at that as she unzipped the small black bag on the side table and pricked her finger with something. Tucker was puzzled. “I don’t think we need to sign a blood oath or anything—I agreed to help you.”
“Sorry.” Monique laughed. “I just need to check my blood sugar since I’m diabetic. You want me to wait? I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“No, go right ahead. Are you okay?”
“It’s been my curse since childhood, and it’s caused some health problems, but nothing too major. I try to take care of myself, so it’s usually under control.”
She glanced around the house and saw all the pictures of Grady and Jimbo, and it made her spirit lighter that he’d seemed to be happy here. The only photo that seemed out of place was a shot of a blonde woman holding a baby, with a toddler standing next to her. “Listen to my mother. You aren’t alone any longer, and while I don’t know much about babies, I can come and help out with Grady if you’re not feeling well. Heck, I want to do that even if you’re feeling good.” She smiled when Monique took and squeezed her hand. “I can start learning now so I’ll be ready whenever you need a break.”
“I would love that. How about I cook tomorrow, and you can take over bath duties? It was Jim Bob’s favorite thing aside from getting up to feed him at three in the morning.”
“I’ll be here.” She handed over a card with all her contact information on it. “But no matter what, you call me if you need anything. Trust me, if something happens to you or that baby, my mother will hunt me down with a switch.”
“Thank you, Tucker, from both Grady and me. He’s too young to know it, but he’s going to love you forever.”
“That’s something to look forward to, and the feeling will be mutual.”
* * *
Tucker sat in Jefferson’s office four days later and sighed when he handed her a bound document. “It’s the keys to the kingdom, my friend. The succession is complete, and the company is yours. My Christmas bonus this year should be awesome.”
“Thanks for finishing so fast, and I love you for all the late nights. This couldn’t have been easy, so your twenty-five dollar gift certificate to Walmart at Christmas will totally be worth it.” She put the file in her bag and hugged him. “Let’s get the rest of this done, if only to buy myself some peace and quiet.”
“Are you mad at me about Grady and Monique?”
Knowing Jefferson, keeping the secret must’ve killed him, but she understood his devotion not only to Monique but to Jimbo. “I understand why he asked you to stay quiet, but I don’t. You know what I mean? That Jimbo would think I’d judge him for that somehow is beyond my comprehension, but I don’t blame you.”
Jefferson walked her to the small conference room, and Tucker guessed it was twenty degrees cooler inside. She put her hand up when Ivy opened her mouth since she wasn’t in the mood for an argument. No one said anything as Jefferson placed some bound documents in front of each of them.
Tucker began, “Those are for your records pertaining to the trusts Jim Bob asked me to set up for you. From what Jefferson tells me, these are much more generous than what you’re currently getting monthly. It was Jim Bob’s explicit wish that the money be set up this way, and before you ask, I have no idea why. He didn’t give Jefferson or me an explanation for that in all his written directives. But legally, this is where we stand, and where it all stops.”
“What about the house?” Ivy asked. “It should go to my children. It’s what Jim Bob would’ve wanted as well.”
“The three of you seem to forget one important fact. I am a Delacroix too, and the house rightfully belongs to my parents. The only reason they moved out is because you and Jim Bob needed the room once the kids got older. I’m their heir, just like Jim Bob was, and it’s my home as well. I grew up there, in case it slipped your mind.” She was tired of the grab-all-you-can mentality. Her family should’ve been above all this, but money made people crazy sometimes. “That’s as simply as I can put it. The house is mine, and you go elsewhere.”
“You already have a house, Aunt Tucker,” Tara said. “What are we supposed to do?”
“This wasn’t necessary, but Tucker’s offered you her house, free and clear, with the ownership to be in Ivy’s name. It’s even furnished,” Jefferson said. “The offer will be good for as long as we’re in this room. If you accept, you have three weeks to move.”
“If we don’t?” Ivy appeared ready for battle.
“This is the court order giving you a week to get out,” Jefferson said, placing a sheet in front of Ivy.
“Jesus, Tucker, who knew you were such a bitch.”
“I did actually, but only when she’s provoked. The rest of the time she’s a teddy bear,” Jefferson said.
Ivy snapped her fingers at Jefferson. “Shut up, Jefferson, and tell me where to sign.” Ivy put some kind of mark on the page that in no way resembled her name, but Jefferson’s associate and secretary witnessed it, and that was one less item to worry about. “The only loose end is you, Bubba.”
“What?” Bubba seemed to know by his wary expression that whatever came next wouldn’t be good.
She handed over a pink slip officially ending his employment. “Think of this as either your get out of jail free card, or a breather to decide what it is you want.”
“You’re seriously firing me from my family’s business? Are you fucking kidding me?”
The only predictable thing about Bubba was his predictability. Temper was always his first go-to. He’d started with little tantrums when he was about a year old, and he’d perfected his art, at least on his father. Bubba getting mad and flailing around was like Don Quixote tilting at windmills. It was entertaining as shit for about five minutes, but then you tried to distance yourself from the crazy.
“It’s the only thing I have left of my father.”
She could kill Jim Bob for leaving her with this sinking ship of fools. “So far I get the impression you’d be happier without the burden of having to show your face and try to look busy. You got enough money to do whatever you want without worrying about the business. You don’t actually have to work, which is good, since you don’t actually do anything.”
“That’s not fair. You and Dad never gave me a chance to show you what I was capable of.” When anger got him nowhere, trying guilt as a manipulative tool was the second go-to.
“Lose the pity face. I was raised by Stella, and you have no clue what guilt is and how to use it effectively. There isn’t a contract on our roster that requires a staff member who’s really good at Candy Crush, and that’s a major part of your skill set.”
“Stop making fun of me and admit that I’m right. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
“But I do, my dear nephew.” She dropped a stack of expenses in front of him as she stood. “Your grief counseling has really added up, and your choice of counselor is interesting. Is titty therapy a thing?” The receipts from Rick’s Cabaret strip joint on Bourbon Street were for more than twenty-two thousand. “One more lap dance and your dick’s going to fall off. And so you don’t think I’m a total bitch, these are on me.”
“I was entertaining—”
“Please save it and start praying you have enough inheritance for the rather large bill you’ll be getting.” She buttoned her jacket and smiled. Bubba and Ivy were pissed, but Tara was busy flipping through the information about her money.
“I thought these were on you?” Bubba asked.
“I’m paying for your fun, Bubba, but your vindictive bad decisions based on your ego are on you.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you might get a lesson on thinking before you act, especially if it’s to cause others problems because they don’t fall for your little pity party. That’s all the helpful hints I’m giving up today.” Tucker left, and knowing she’d be done with these people on a daily basis was a weight off her shoulders. It would have been nice to have someone to celebrate with, and she briefly thought of Willow but pushed that aside. No reason to invite more crazy in when she’d just gotten rid of a load.
* * *
Willow yawned as she pressed her hands to the coffee cup she’d just prepared as she sat to watch the noon news. Her schedule of tests for the last two days had been from midnight to noon, but the raging storm outside with an impressive lightning display had brought the crew back in early. If it calmed down later, she could finish and move to the next platform. With any luck she’d make it home for Grady’s graduation from Tulane.
The job really was beneath her experience level, but she’d decided not to give Mann any ammunition to torpedo her future. She’d finish his list and give it a hundred percent so there’d be no way he could give her a bad reference if anyone called him from her job search. It seemed that the oil industry was run by spiteful small-minded men who didn’t take rejection well.
Three guys joined her in the television-game room carrying plates of food in with their coffee. She nodded in their direction and noticed the logo on their shirts. What were some Delacroix guys doing on an exclusive Suntrust platform?
“You guys get lost?” She smiled to show them she was kidding.
“We’re heading to oversee the installation of some new safety equipment on the Stella III, and fifteen-foot seas aren’t something you want to ride out in a crew boat,” the youngest guy said. “Your operations manager offered us a room and lunch until this blows over.”
“I’m surprised you’re on the water.”
“Stella is a platform that’s pretty self-sufficient, so it’s a small crew and no helipad.” The older guy didn’t seem as friendly, but he was far from being rude. “It’s either crew boat or swim. Do you mind if we eat in here? We want to watch the news and find out what our future is.”
“Something’s going on?” She hadn’t talked to Monique in the last couple of days, but she had gotten an email from her with some pictures of Grady. That’s all their conversations revolved around these days, but at least they were talking, and the conversations weren’t forced or awkward. For the first time in forever Monique actually sounded upbeat. Something had changed and she couldn’t wait to get home and find out what.
“We’re fixing to find out,” the third guy said. “We got a companywide email telling us to watch the news.”
She turned the television up when she saw Tucker standing at a podium with her company’s logo on it. There was something about Tucker that made her want to touch her every time she saw her, and she wondered if it was the same for Monique when she saw Jim Bob. There really needed to be some sort of mental test as to why the Delacroix siblings were so alluring.
“Thank you all for coming out today as we honor my brother’s life and the new direction we’ll be charting since his passing,” Tucker said into the microphones on the podium. “As of today, Delacroix Oil and Gas Company will remain a family owned and operated business, with me as the sole owner.”
“Thank all that’s fucking holy,” the older guy said, sounding incredibly relieved. “I loved Jim Bob, but I couldn’t work for his kids.”
“Be quiet, she’s not done,” the young guy said.
“Jim Bob Delacroix will be remembered as not only a good businessman, but also as someone who loved the environment, so I’m establishing a trust in his name that’ll fund coastal issues, as well as the conservation of our fisheries. We make our living pumping oil and gas out of the ground, but there’s no reason we can’t care about the place we love and call home.”
“Will this change mean anything to your employees?” the anchor for the NBC affiliate asked. “You’re the second largest employer in the state.”
“Employees are our greatest assets, and nothing will change in that regard. We have leases we’ll be exploring, and contracts to evaluate.” Tucker smiled and took a deep breath. “The only change will be that Jim Bob won’t be at my side in the physical sense. I’ll strive to make him proud, and to grow the company that has meant so much to our family. But New Orleans is our home, and home to many of our employees, so the only change is at the helm.”
Tucker took some more questions before the coverage cut away, and the news anchor gave a recap of what had been said.
“This is good news, fellas.” The young guy along with his pals seemed happy.
“I wonder why Jim Bob’s family didn’t want ownership of his share?” Willow spoke the question out loud, but she hadn’t meant to.
“That’s an easy one, and don’t take this as me talking out of my ass about my employers,” the older guy said.
“Believe me, you don’t want nothing to do with anything coming out of his ass,” the young guy said, making everyone laugh.
“Don’t listen to this smart-ass,” the old guy said. “What’s your name, curious lady?”
“I’m Willow,” she said, smiling.
“I’m Jerry Lopez,” the young guy said. “That’s my buddy Chuck Turner, and our old boss there is Travis Boudreaux.”
Travis got up and shook her hand. “Call me Trout. To give you a simple answer to your question, all I can say is Jim Bob and Tucker started coming to the office when they were toddlers. They loved it, but once they were eighteen, Bart, their daddy, had both of them working out here doing the shittiest jobs the old guy could think of giving them. I came up with Jim Bob, the both of us were in the same boat since my daddy worked for Bart. Tucker though, came after me, and she outworked all the other runts out here.” Trout seemed emotional as he reminisced about the early years of his career.
“Wow, it really is a family business. Tucker spent every summer out here?” Standing before her was her golden chance to ask questions about Tucker and her brother without anyone getting pissed.
“Do you know Tucker?” Trout asked, sounding suddenly suspicious.
“We’ve met, and I was actually the engineer who was heading the Apache Delta project for Suntrust until recently.” She crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair, wanting to get back to that relaxed vibe they’d had going. “I resigned from the project, and my boss punished me by shipping me out here for a couple of months of grunt work.”
“Can I ask why you quit that project?” Trout asked. “You look like you graduated about five minutes ago, and it doesn’t sound like Mann would’ve trusted anyone so young with something that major. No offense.”
“I’m older than I look, and I am a little offended.” She raised her eyebrow but smiled.
“You’re in deep shit now, old man,” Jerry said, laughing.
“He’s not there yet, but the afternoon is young and I’ve been up all night, which tends to shorten my fuse. To answer your question, I objected to some shortcuts they wanted to make, and now I’m the mud the totem pole sits on.” Trout smiled at that and gave her a nod so she continued. “My penance is to stay out here until I see the error of my feeble, female-minded ways.”
“Uh-huh, and how do you know Tucker?” Trout asked.
“She approved my initial design, and we had dinner once.”
Trout chuckled for some reason. “She wasn’t an ass, was she? It doesn’t happen often, but she can be. She’s got a good heart, though, as well as a good head on her shoulders. Tucker was a roughneck until she graduated from college, and I think it took her a year after graduation to get all the oil from under her fingernails. Then she alternated between the office with Jim Bob and Bart and being a driller on their first deepwater rig. Tucker is badass and she’s got the business in her blood.”
“And Jim Bob’s kids?” Her exhaustion seemed to disappear with this live version of a soap opera.
“They’re the generation we like to call genetically lucky. The boss didn’t make them work for it, even though they’re only about five years younger than Tucker.” Trout sounded like a man who had no patience for anyone who didn’t know what getting their hands dirty was. “If there’s a job that’ll let you goof off all day, they’d be good candidates. In the end their main career path was to become heirs.”
“I’m glad it’ll be Tucker running the show then.” She wondered if she’d be able to get Tucker on the phone. Now the comment about Tucker not having to do anything about the contract with Suntrust made sense. “Nice talking to you, fellas.”
“Hold on there,” Trout said, sounding like an old cowboy. “We dished like some old hens at a beauty parlor. Tell us what you meant by changes to Apache Delta.”
Trout and the quiet guy appeared old enough to know Big Earl, and she really didn’t need this to come back and chew her left ass cheek off, but she didn’t want to blow them off, either. “I met with Tucker when my team’s design was done, and she wanted changes to strengthen the structure, but TPT Construction did away with those and then some. I didn’t agree, and I didn’t want to be part of the project going forward, so I quit.”
“Have you told Tucker that?” Jerry asked.
“I did, but it won’t hurt to remind her. You guys might want to mention it again if you talk to her.” She stood, needing some time to think, but Trout stood along with her.
“You actually quit because of that?”
If she was wrong, and Fish Guy was a fan of Big Earl’s, she’d screwed up royally. “I quit for the same reasons you’re stuck on Stella III for the next week. Sometimes change is good, like letting women vote, but sometimes it’s bad, like watching people die because you want to save money.” Hell, if she was going to screw up, she might as well make it a spectacular show so Mann would get his money’s worth.
“Feisty, aren’t you?” Trout stopped laughing when she glared at him. “I’m stuck out here for longer than a week because of jumbo shrimp Earl, but how about you give me your number?”
“I haven’t been out here so long that I’m taking propositions, even though you’re kind of cute,” she said, and Trout actually blushed, making Jerry laugh hysterically.
“Behave, young lady, I’ve got daughters your age. What I meant was when I’m done, I’ll call you and talk to you about joining my team. We take our commitment to sending everyone home in the same shape they arrive dead serious, and money can’t buy that back if we fuck it up. We could use someone with a brain and a conscience.”
“You know I’m an engineer, right? I’m not an assistant or flunky.”
“I’ve got an assistant, thank you, and these two bozos are my flunkies. I’m older, not stupid. If you come work for me, I can promise the money will be more than what Mann’s giving you. He isn’t as evolved as we are, so I wouldn’t bring up that letting women vote thing being a good idea. You might find yourself with a mop in your hand.”
“I’ll remember that, thank you, and I’ll be happy to talk to you about what comes next.” Could it be that easy? Could she just walk into a job with people who actually cared about what they did? The thought was buoying.
“I’m willing to gamble if you are,” Trout said, holding his hand out again.
“What do you mean?” She took his hand, liking this guy.
“You call in your resignation and come with us to Stella once that monsoon out there clears up, and I’ll hire you right now.”
“That’s flattering.” It really was, but she wasn’t raised to do something like that. She’d made a commitment, although a sucky one, and she’d see it through. “But that wouldn’t be right. If you don’t mind waiting, I’ll take you up on your offer when I’m done with what I’m out here to do. I see my commitments through.”
“The job’s yours if you want it, and believe me, I’m never this rash, but you look like someone who’ll do a good job for us. That you’re not jumping on board means you’re the kind of person I want working for me.”
The opportunity was a good one, and this was usually how people got hired to companies at this level. It wasn’t some long thought-out process, but a who-you-know situation, and the fact that she knew Tucker might’ve had some bearing on his decision to bypass the normal channels.
“Thanks, Trout.” Maybe this was the best way to make it up to Tucker and get them back on the road to friendship, and if their friendship came with benefits, who was she to argue? “Let me know if I can get you anything until the storm clears.”
“After you take a nap, you can review these plans with us,” Jerry said.
“Sure, but let me get some beauty sleep.” She waved and headed for her windowless room, wondering why the hell she didn’t have Tucker’s cell number. Though, this might be short-lived if she was lying about starting over. It was a gamble. The thought of ending up a ditchdigger was starting to seem like more of a reality if she quit one job only to get physically booted out of another because Tucker hadn’t fully forgiven her.