It wasn’t his fault Otis tended to freak out the tourists and they tried to speed away and didn’t notice that the speed limit had gone down. Way down.
It wasn’t really his fault Otis liked that stretch of highway and that it had been a perfect place to change the speed limit.
“You took your time,” Lila said, those bee-stung lips frowning his way. “Did you find out about my criminal past?”
He gave her his best smile, the one he used at election time. He’d been told his vote-for-me smile worked on young and old, people of all political inclinations. “You’re perfectly clean, Miss Daley. Can I call you Lila?”
A single brow rose over her pretty eyes. “Why would you do that, Officer?”
Damn, he hadn’t even introduced himself. He was out of practice. “It’s Sheriff. I’m the sheriff of Papillon Parish. Name’s Armand LaVigne, but my friends all call me Armie.”
“Can I have my ticket, Sheriff?”
Yeah, they should get through the bad part first. He tipped his hat her way and handed her the ticket. “Here you go. I’m sure you won’t have any more trouble now that you know about the safety zone. Got to watch out for the kiddos.”
“Safety zone? Seriously?” She huffed and tossed the ticket in her passenger seat.
“So you have a truck coming?” Small talk was good. At least he thought it was.
“Why would I have a truck coming? Are you going to try to ticket that, too?”
His small-talk game needed some work. “Because you’re moving. Given that you’re taking a job here, I would assume you’re moving.”
“Your powers of observation are incredible, Sheriff. And no. There’s no truck coming. You’re going to have to find someone else to upgrade your break room.”
“You don’t have furniture coming?”
“I bought a place and it came furnished,” Lila explained in her matter-of-fact way. “I didn’t really have a lot back in Dallas. I don’t need a ton of stuff. I mostly work. All my home needs is a bed and a kitchen and a shower.”
“You bought a place?” He sought his memory for any idea about a home that had been for sale. He prayed it wasn’t the one he was thinking of. “Tell me you didn’t buy that piece of crap Bill Roberts’s kids have been trying to foist off on the unknowing public for the last six months.”
She frowned again, but it was a curious sort of expression. “I bought a three bedroom on Hall Street just outside of town. I didn’t have time to come down and look at it, but Remy told me the foundation was solid.”
The foundation might be solid, but there were other issues. “Remy let you buy that place?”
Her shoulders straightened and he had the idea that if she hadn’t been sitting in her car, she might have gotten in his space, squaring off with him like a prizefighter.
Yeah, that did something for him, too.
“Remy doesn’t make decisions for me. He’s my brother-in-law, not my keeper. That house was the only one on the market. It will be fine. The price was right so I’m setting down roots. If there’s something wrong with the place, I assure you I can handle it. I learned how to fix things at a very young age.”
He hoped she was familiar with plumbing. And electrical systems. And how to deal with hoarding. But that was a problem for another day. “That’s good to know, but if you have any trouble, you can call me. In fact, I was thinking since you’re new in town, you might need someone to show you around.”
That brow was back up. “I have a sister.”
“Yeah, but sometimes it’s nice to see the town from the view of someone who’s lived here all his life.” Most of his life, but he wasn’t going to point that out. “I know all the nice places.” All two of them. “I was thinking after a long day of travel, you might want to get a bite to eat.”
“You’re asking me on a date?”
He couldn’t be screwing it up too much. “We can definitely call it that.”
“After giving me a ticket.”
She would have to concentrate on that. “I wanted you to understand that there’s no pressure on you. So, pick you up at seven? We can go to Guidry’s.” Maybe she wouldn’t want to hang out at her sister’s family bar. “Or Lucille’s. They’re open for dinner tonight. Best shrimp and grits you’ve ever had. I promise.”
“You should back up now.”
He took a step back and she gunned the engine, taking off down the highway.
“That’s a no, then?” Armie shouted after the car.
She was probably speeding again, but he wasn’t going to press his luck.chapter twoLila stood in front of the dilapidated ranch house that seemed to back up to some form of water. That must be the bayou portion of Butterfly Bayou, though she didn’t see any butterflies. She did see the massive potential for mosquitoes. There was a dock she probably would never in a million years risk walking on, and a boat she was shocked was still floating tied to it.