“This is kind of out of the way, what made you pick this area?”
God, he has pretty eyes.
Gianna bit her lip. Time for more lies. “I wanted someplace really out of the way. No tourists, hopefully no people. I drove my Papaw’s tent trailer out here and was staying in it when Neil ran across me.”
Sebastian rubbed his chin and she could see he was trying to cover a grin. “Tent trailer? In hurricane season?”
“Granny and Pawpa have had it for decades and they’ve never had any problems with it,” she said huffily. “Anyway, Neil found me parked under a shade tree near a river. I’d passed some boat launches about two miles back, and Neil explained that was a private launch that belonged to the Durand farm.”
“So you didn’t want complete privacy,” Sebastian said with a smile.
“Knowing that there is a little bit of civilization is just good sense, for goodness sakes.”
“Yes, it is.”
“What are you two whispering about over there?” Armand asked as he shoved back his chair and weaved his way over to them. Sebastian had to steady him before he fell down.
“Armand, we’re not whispering,” Gianna smiled at him, then sighed. She felt both sad for him and disgusted. After weeks of talking to him, she’d realized just how privileged his life had been and how he’d squandered it away. The fact that he still felt that he’d been marginalized dumbfounded her, yet she knew he was hurting.
Armand shrugged out of Sebastian’s hold and reached out for her. Gianna easily sidestepped him so that he ended up falling against the counter.
“What, now that Bastian’s home, you’re going to ignore me?” he glared at her.
“What are you talking about? We’ve talked about you drinking too much. You know I don’t like to see you like this. I think you should go on up to bed.” Gianna tried to keep her voice positive.
“Come give me a kiss goodnight.” He held out his arms.
“No.”
“Tomorrow night then, when I’m not drinking,” he tried to cajole her.
Gianna hid her distaste. If she didn’t need him so much, she wouldn’t be putting up with this crud.
“Go to bed, Armand.” She peeked over at Sebastian to see what he thought of all of this. She noticed that he was watching the interplay with intense concentration.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, sweet thing,” Armand said as he lurched toward the kitchen door leading to the hallway.
“Seems like you have an admirer,” Sebastian said after the swinging door closed.
“He’s harmless,” Gianna said as she rinsed out the washcloth and hung it over the faucet to dry.
“Don’t be so sure.” Sebastian sounded serious.
She laughed up at him. “Trust me, I can take care of myself.”
“Lady, you’re barely five feet tall and all soft woman. I’m not seeing how you can take care of yourself if you’re here alone with a drunk man who gets it in his head he wants something you don’t want to give.”
There was a definite bite in his tone.
“Did you not see the way he couldn’t even walk? He’d trip over his own feet before he’d be able to catch me,” Gianna said heatedly. “Anyway, he’s harmless, and most times your grandfather and Ophelia are here. This whole conversation is moot.”
Sebastian didn’t respond, he just stared down at her from his lofty height. Now here was a dangerous man. If he wanted to take advantage of her, there would be no stopping him.
His gaze softened and he slowly smiled. “I would never hurt you, or any woman.”
Gianna nodded.
“I can get you some letters of recommendation if you’d like. I’d start with Ophelia, then there is my friend Braxton’s mom and his four sisters, they’d write letters. I could also get my next-door neighbor, Mrs. Crabtree, to write a letter. She really likes me because I mow her grass when I’m in town.”
Gianna couldn’t stop her smile. “How old is Mrs. Crabtree?”
“She’s eighty if she’s a day, but that doesn’t stop her from talking about my ass.”
“What?!”
“Swear to God. She told me that her great-niece would really like me because I’m kind and that I have a great ass. I almost spit out the sweet tea that she’d made for me. But if you ever tell anybody that I told you, I’ll deny it.”
Sebastian’s eyes danced with mirth, and now Gianna thought his eyes were spectacular.
“I really want to read her letter of recommendation. However, I wonder if she would give you one, seeing as how she probably wants you for her great-niece.”
“Well, there is that,” Sebastian agrees with a grin. “I saw pie in the fridge, want some?”
“Nah, I’m full. I need to get back to the carriage house.”
“I’ll walk you back,” Sebastian said.
Gianna looked out the window at the wind and rain. “No, you won’t. There’s no reason for us both to get soaked. Stay here, I’ll be fine.”
She headed for the coat rack and Sebastian followed her. He reached over her head and grabbed his jacket when she grabbed hers.
“I’m serious, Sebastian. I don’t need you walking me the few yards it takes to get to the cottage.”
“Okay.” He nodded. He helped her put on her coat, then put his on. She walked to the back door and he opened it for her. When she stepped out onto the porch, he put his arm around her shoulder.
“You’re not going to listen to me, are you?” She had to shout to be heard above the wind and rain.
“Nope.”
He kept her close as they walked down the gravel path and around to the front of the carriage house. When they got under the overhang, she pushed open the door.
“You didn’t lock it?” he asked as they got inside.
“Of course not,” she said as she took off her coat and hung it up.
“Gianna, you always need to lock your door.”
“I never have to lock my door here, nobody lives here. It’s fine.”
Sebastian stepped forward with a hard look on his face. His hands came up and captured her face. “You never fuck around with your safety. Ever. Never. You got me?”
His expression was intense. Beyond intense. Freaked.
“Okay, Sebastian, I’ll lock my door, I promise,” she whispered.
Then, as if he noticed what he’d done, he stepped back. “Okay, good.” Sebastian walked over to the window, then shook his head. “Shit, there are no hurricane shutters.”
“What are hurricane shutters?”
“Helen is gaining strength and due to hit New Orleans tonight. I can’t believe Neil hasn’t installed hurricane shutters on this place. You’re going to need to stay the night in the big house. Pack a bag.”
“What are you talking about?”
Sebastian motioned for her to follow him to the window that faced the big house. “There, see how all of the windows on the second and third floors have closed shutters over them? Those are hurricane shutters that Neil must have closed before he and Ophelia went home. Armand should have already shut the ones on the first floor.” Sebastian shook his head with disgust.