Sandra Hill - [Jinx 03] by Wild Jinx Page B

They heard you in Biloxi.”
    “I’m too young ta settle down,” the boy continued, looking around him for support.
    No one agreed with him.
    He glared at each of his brothers and Charmaine, in turn, then muttered, “Traitors,” and walked away, down toward the bayou.
    “Deader ’n a doornail,” Luc remarked to Remy, who nodded.
    “Best I be warmin’ up my frottir fer the weddin’ celebration,” René said.
    “Me, I’m gonna get Tee-John’s hope chest started, right quick,” Tante Lulu decided.
    Tee-John screamed. Which was really funny. Tante Lulu couldn’t recall ever hearing a man scream before, except maybe Valcour LeDeux the time she hit him in the privates with a baseball bat.
Just call me . . .
    Celine got a call later that night, from John LeDeux, of all people. Good thing her grandfather hadn’t answered the phone.
    “What do you want?” she snapped.
    “Hello to you, too, darlin’.”
    “I don’t have time for your nonsense, John. I’m in bed.”
With a book. Darn it!
    “Alone?”
    Are you kidding? I haven’t had sex for so long I probably forgot how.
“That’s none of your business.”
    “Jeez, Louise! I was just askin’. I figured we’re sorta friends now that we both hang out at sex clubs. Do you have a boyfriend, Celine?”
    “A boyfriend? What, are we in high school again?”
    “Okay, a lover?”
    “
That
is definitely none of your business. I repeat, what do you want? Talking to you twice in one day is more than my system can digest.”
Actually, it’s kinda nice. Darn it!
    “I
am
yummy.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Why are you whispering?”
    “Because I’m callin’ from my aunt’s bedroom. I don’t want her to overhear me.”
    “Are you afraid of your aunt?”
    “Damn straight!” He paused, then asked, “What’re you readin’?”
    “What makes you think I’m reading?”
    “Because if I was in bed with you, I wouldn’t be lettin’ you talk to some other guy. Wanna know what I’d be doin’?”
    Yes.
“No.”
    “So what’re you readin’?”
    “
The Red-Hot Cajun
.”
    “I’m a red-hot cajun.”
    “How did I know you would say that? It’s a romantic humor novel.”
    “Actually, I know that. One of the lieutenants on the force, Mollie Andrews, was readin’ it last week. Couldn’t stop laughin’.”
    She yawned loudly. “Look, this is real pleasant and all, but why are you calling?”
    “I just wanted ta warn you. If any of my family members approach you, run.”
    “Huh?”
    “Don’t pay any attention if someone mentions thunderbolts or St. Jude or a hope chest.”
    “A hope chest? For who? Me?”
    “Hell, no. For me. My great-aunt makes hope chests for all the men in our family.”
    Celine couldn’t stop herself from laughing.
    “It’s not funny.”
    “Yes, it is. I never heard of a hope chest for a man.”
    “It’s a LeDeux thing. Anyhow, just ignore anything they might say.”
    “John, I haven’t seen any of the LeDeuxs, except for you, in years. And even with you, it’s been years.”
    “Believe you me, baby, you’re probably gonna be seein’ a whole hell of a lot of them now. Just ignore the whole crazy bunch.”
    With those words, he hung up.
    Celine stared at the phone, and wondered if John had gone off the deep end. Maybe his job suspension was hitting him harder than expected. Or maybe he was just drunk.
    But then an alarming thought occurred to Celine. She couldn’t have the LeDeuxs coming around here. For one important reason. Etienne.
    Tomorrow she was going to send her grandfather and Etienne on a vacation to her cousin Julian’s ranch in Texas. They’d been talking about such a trip for ages. Now was definitely the time.
    Damn those LeDeuxs.
    Damn John LeDeux.
Avast, me maties . . .
    Veronica was impressed with the work René LeDeux had done for them thus far on the Pirate Project. Too bad the bayou ecologist, who taught school, didn’t want a full-time job.
    They were all crammed around the table in Tante