“Daddy?” she called over her shoulder before she sucked her teeth and leaned against the doorjamb.
“Yes, Lilybug?” Jesse heard Mr. LeRoux call back. “How can I help you?”
“Can you grab my gun?”
“What—oh, Jesse. How are you?” Mr. LeRoux said as he stepped from behind his daughter. His tone was polite, but he didn’t smile. Not that Jesse expected him to. His wrist was still wrapped.
“Good Evening, Lily-Grace. Mr. LeRoux. I—uh. I came by to apologize. I was out of line yesterday and I had no right to react that way,” he said, just the way he’d rehearsed in his truck. Jesse held up the bottle of wine, proof of his sincerity. He didn’t get a chance to hand it to Mr. LeRoux before Lily-Grace snatched the bottle out of his grasp. Jesse watched her face carefully as she glared at the label.
“Pathetic olive branch, Pleasant. It’s your own brand. You know you should at least have sprung for a mix-and-match box from BevMo! and not some free shit from your own pantry.”
Mr. LeRoux almost held back a loud snort. Almost. “Nice to see you, Jesse. And happy to accept a heartfelt apology and some Pleasant label wine. Come on in.”
Jesse stepped up onto the porch, but Lily-Grace’s arm shot out, blocking the doorway. “No, you can stay right there.” She handed the bottle to her father, then stepped closer to Jesse, like he was going to have to tackle her to get inside. Mr. LeRoux apparently thought the whole thing was hilarious and not bizarre and kind of rude.
“Thank you for this. I’ll let you two talk.” Mr. LeRoux stepped back inside and closed the door.
“Well?” Lily-Grace asked, her eyebrow arching up.
“Well, what?”
“That was your whole apology? Free wine and a mumble mumble something, my bad I’m sorry?”
“I didn’t mumble and I suppose I could have bought something at the store, but I thought something made by a member of my family would be a more meaningful gesture.”
“Mm-hmm, I bet. Did your grandmother put you up to it? I’m sure she had more of an earful for you than I did.”
“Actually she’s not speaking to me right now.”
“Ooh, icy. I like it. So you came over here with your cheap wine all on your own.”
“Okay, I may have had it sitting in my kitchen, but nothing the family produces is cheap.”
“I had a scorching your mama joke at the ready, but I always admired your mom. She’s a goddess.”
“You remember my mom?”
“Ah yeah. It’s not every day you get to sell Girl Scout cookies to a former Miss California.”
“Hmm.”
“Anyway, it was a weak apology, and if I can verify the wine isn’t poisoned, I’m sure my father and I will enjoy it. Hope I didn’t mess up your meeting too badly this morning.”
“Actually, you didn’t. The meeting went very well, and when I explained what happened, they said they admired my dedication to my family.”
“Who is they?”
“Just a new vendor we’re in talks with.”
Lily-Grace’s eyes narrowed like she knew he was lying. “I should leave a scathing Yelp review just in case they are still on the fence about working with you.”
“So what brings you back to Charming?” Jesse asked. For some reason he didn’t want this conversation to go down the road it was headed, but he didn’t want it to end either. Which made no sense, considering Lily-Grace was set on giving him a hard time. She was just so easy to talk to.
“As you may notice”—she motioned over her head with a flourish—“we are standing in front of Chateau LeRoux. Last I checked I didn’t know I needed a reason to visit my father.”
“You don’t. I just haven’t seen you in a while.” Jesse regretted the words as soon as they were out. “I mean—”
“I know what you mean.”
“It’s fresh into a new fiscal quarter and I figure Ulway would have you watching every dime after they squashed the benefits package the drivers were after.”
Lily-Grace cut him a smirk that could shatter kneecaps. He could just picture how ruthless she was in a boardroom. It was probably her idea to keep workers comp and health care from ever coming anywhere near the table. Smart for Ulway. Bullshit for their employees, but that was her business. Jesse swallowed, ready for whatever brutal remark she had coming next. Instead, she cocked her head to the side and stepped around him.
“Is that your dog?”
“Yes.” Jesse followed her to his truck and unlocked the door. Lily-Grace wasted no time opening the rear cabin door and Clementine wasted even less time sticking her big head out to receive some pets.
“She’s so cute.” Lily-Grace turned, and looked him up and down. “She deserves better.”
That, Jesse took offense to. He’d never met a dog more loved and more cared for. “You want to give her a home? She’ll outsmart you every day. And she likes her steaks cooked a certain way or she’ll send them back.”
Lily-Grace’s eyes narrowed before she turned back to Clementine. “So what changed your mind?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, from the way my dad and your grandmother tell it, you define stubborn these days. And bossy. Maybe a little controlling.”
“I definitely wouldn’t say I’m controlling. I’ll give you bossy and stubborn, though.”
“Right. Not controlling, but you never thought to consider why your grandmother might be hiding a whole healthy relationship from you. Specifically.”
Another sting to the center of his chest. “She said that?”
“Yeah, she said that. So what changed in the last twelve hours? Threat of a lawsuit actually do the trick?”
“Actually, no. It was something my brother said.”
“Sam or Zach?”
“Zach.” It was jarring to hear her talk about his family in such a casual way. It had been so long and he was still a little shocked to be having this conversation right now. He never thought he’d see her again. He never thought she’d grow up to look like this, this beautiful. Even in a Baby Yoda onesie.
“And what did your wise younger brother have to say?”
“It’s not so much what he said, more what he made me realize. I’m taking on too much, and that includes looking after my grandmother. Maybe it’s time for me to step back. Let my family see how things play out when I’m not so vigilant. Or controlling, as you like to call it.”
Lily-Grace rolled her eyes. “How do you confess to having so many complexes in one sentence? Have they gotten your size for your martyr robes yet?”
“I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Good, cause you still sound ridiculous and you’re not the only person on Earth who loves their family. Luckily for you, I have my own problems, so as long as you chill the hell out and keep your hands and your temper away from my father, we’ll be fine. Come on, Clementine.”
Like the perfectly trained dog she was, Clementine jumped down from the cab and dropped her butt down on the driveway, looking up between them, waiting for her next command.
“Look at this polite little lady. So unlike her doggy dad. Let’s go, Clementine. I have four episodes of Ted Lasso to catch up on.” Jesse watched Lily-Grace as she walked back up her front steps. His traitorous dog actually followed her. “What does she eat?” she called over her shoulder.