Sylvie had been a bit more slippery. She’d walked around and talked to people. It was a flaw in his plan, but then it was also part of her personality. He supposed being the mayor meant a lot of talking to people she didn’t necessarily know. When he’d looked over and seen Ashley walking away from Sylvie with that disdainful look on her face, a chill had gone through him.
He hadn’t wanted Sylvie to have to deal with his relatives. That had been naive and foolish, and he’d thought all night long about what he’d dragged her into.
“I talked to Ashley tonight. She’s still every bit as unpleasant as she was in high school.”
He winced. “I’m sorry. She shouldn’t have been there.”
“I don’t know. It was an illuminating conversation.” She took another sip. “Did you know Charles has a private investigator following you?”
He felt his skin flush. “No. I should have.”
“According to your cousin, you two do this a lot.”
It appeared a few minutes of relaxing his guard had done a world of damage. “I’m not proud of it but, yes, I’ve had someone investigate Charles. Yes, I was looking for dirt. This isn’t the first time he’s threatened my job. I have never used anything I discovered against him.”
Mostly because while Charles was mean and annoying, he didn’t seem to be dirty. He spent his time at his law practice or with his wife and children. He liked to hunt and fish and, according to his private investigators, hadn’t signed away his soul to the devil, though Rene rather thought they couldn’t be one hundred percent sure about that.
“Oppo research,” Sylvie said. “I don’t like it, but I understand the necessity at times. I don’t know. I thought maybe this was a one-time play of his. I know you’ve never gotten along, but I didn’t realize the two of you were at war.”
“I wouldn’t call it war. I don’t know. Maybe it is. I know he wants to win at my expense, and I can’t let it happen.” He hadn’t even realized he was being followed, but then he was sure Charles had gotten someone good. Would he put someone on Sylvie now? “I didn’t realize he’d hired anyone, though I told you I thought he might set someone on you when he found out about the marriage. I’ll talk to him. I’ll hire a bodyguard.”
She shook her head vigorously. “Absolutely not. If Charles wants to waste money on following me around, let him. That will be the most boring job the PI ever took on. Do you know what I do in a week? Tour parks and sewage management systems. I listen to a whole lot of people complain. On Saturday, I’m throwing out the first pitch in our Little League tournament. So bring on the investigation.”
“I didn’t think . . .”
“I’m not worried about it, Rene. I’ve always got eyes on me. Papillon is laid-back when it comes to politics, but there’s always someone who would like leverage on me. You don’t work in politics without being threatened.”
“Who?” He would show anyone who came after his wife exactly what it meant to be threatened.
“That’s a very intimidating look,” she said with a nod and absolutely no sign of intimidation whatsoever. “Scary and yet still attractive. And no, I’m not giving you my list of political enemies. I think you would have fun taking out some of your frustrations on them, and honestly, they’re harmless.”
Unlike his enemies. “Still, I want to know if you feel uncomfortable in the least.”
She was quiet, sipping her bourbon for a moment before her eyes lifted to his. “Did you know your aunt thinks my mother is the reason she got married?”
He stilled. He should have known that would get out. “My aunt doesn’t respect many people, but she has an affection for your mother.”
Sylvie sighed and took another sip. “That’s a good call then. I’ll make sure Mom comes out to the B and B to talk to her on her birthday weekend. She can bring her cards with her. Strangely, the cards often do what Momma wants them to. She did a reading for Estelle Bodon the other day that told her to let her hair go natural for a couple of months. It was starting to fall out from all those chemicals she was using.”
He sat up because, despite the casualness of her words, he knew this was serious. She’d danced with him and things had seemed all right, but now he could see that she’d been thinking, waiting for the right time to bring up what had happened. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll handle my aunt. I don’t want to force your mother into this problem.”
A brow arched over her eyes, that intelligent stare slicing through him. “I rather thought that was what the Martine women were here to do—take care of your problems.”