Page 1 of Landry (Bayou Brotherhood Protectors #7)

Camille Catoire flung herself into the empty chair beside her best friend, Gisele, and grabbed the cocktail napkin from beneath her empty wine glass. The Crawdad Hole Bar and Grill was hopping with live music in celebration of the first day of the parish fair.

If not for Gisele getting Shelby’s sister, Chrissy, to babysit Ava, Camille wouldn’t have been there and wouldn’t have danced five songs without a break.

She patted her face with the napkin. “I’d forgotten how strenuous dancing could be.”

Gisele grinned. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you dance. Girl, you’ve got the moves.” Her gaze slipped to the tall man at the bar. “You need to hang onto that man. There aren’t many who like to dance and are good at it.”

Camille smiled as she used the napkin to absorb more perspiration from her forehead and cheeks while hoping her deodorant hadn’t totally given up. “It’s just a dance. I don’t need to hold onto any man.”

“Maybe not, but you shouldn’t give up on dating. It’s nice to have another adult to talk to.”

“I have you,” she said.

“Now that I’m married, I go home at night with Rafael.” She leaned into her husband, who was deep in conversation with his team of Brotherhood Protectors, talking about football. “Don’t you miss having someone to hang out with at night?”

“I have Ava,” Camille said.

“Of course, you have Ava. She’s an amazing little girl. But don’t you miss talking with an adult?”

“When you’re not around, I have Amelie, Shelby, Bernie and Ouida Mae.” Camille spread her arms wide. “What’s better than our girl squad?”

Gisele’s lips twisted. She leaned closer to Camille. “Okay, do I have to spell it out? What about sex? How long has it been since you’ve gotten laid?”

Camille glanced past Gisele to the men on her husband’s team, her cheeks heating. Thankfully, they didn’t even look in her direction. “I have a battery-operated boyfriend. I can have S.E.X. anytime I like,” she whispered.

Gisele’s brow dipped low. “It’s been since your dirtbag ex was arrested, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Camille lifted her chin. “So? I don’t miss it.”

“Because it wasn’t good with him. But that’s been five years. You’re a young woman in the prime of your sexual life. Why aren’t you dating?”

Her lips thinning, Camille recited her mantra. “I never want to be dependent on another man for anything. Been there, done that and ended up losing everything but my daughter and what we could carry in one suitcase.”

“You don’t have to give over control of your life to a man to have sex with him.” Gisele sighed. “You should date, dance, have sex and fun.”

Even before Gisele finished her sentence, Camille was shaking her head. “I don’t want to parade men past my daughter. She deserves a stable home. It’s bad enough that her father is a convicted felon serving time in prison. I don’t want her or any of her friends to think her mother is slutty.”

“You’re not slutty just because you date men,” Gisele said. “But I get it. You don’t want to introduce random men to your daughter. She could get attached, and you might want to move on. But you can date without bringing the men around Ava. Any one of us would babysit. We love Ava.”

Camille’s gaze went to the man at the bar. “He is a good dancer, but that doesn’t mean I want to sleep with him.”

“You won’t know unless you spend more time with him.” Gisele touched her arm. “What will it hurt to go out on a date?”

The mere thought of getting back into the dating scene made Camille’s stomach roil. “I don’t know if I’m ready to be alone with a man.”

“You won’t know if you’re ready unless you let yourself be alone with a man. You could choose to meet in a public place. Drive yourself there. That way, you can leave when you want to.”

“It’s all so complicated.” Camille shoved a hand through her thick hair. “And who wants to date a divorced woman with a child? Or worse, a woman who was married to a jewel thief.”

“When a man gets to our age, the chances of finding a single woman who has never had a child are pretty slim. Men have to know that.” Gisele patted Camille’s arm. “And you didn’t steal the jewels. You can’t hold yourself responsible for Richard’s crimes.”

“Well, it’s all a moot point,” Camille said with a wave of her hand. “There isn’t a line of men waiting to ask me out.”

“But if one does happen to ask you out, promise me you’ll be open-minded and consider it.” Gisele held her gaze until Camille caved.

“Fine. I’ll consider it,” Camille said. It wasn’t going to happen, so why argue?

Gisele looked past Camille and smiled. “Your guy is headed your way.”

Camille rolled her eyes. “He’s not my guy. He’s just a dance partner.”

Before the big guy she’d been dancing with reached her, a shorter, wiry man wearing cowboy boots, a plaid shirt and a bolo tie ducked in front of her. He held out his hand. “Care to dance?”

Because it had been so long since she’d interacted with men other than as customers in her candy store, she didn’t want to say no.

This man was less attractive than the tall one she’d been dancing with, but seemed nice enough.

She nodded, gave the other guy a shrug and let the wiry guy in cowboy boots lead her into a two-step.

He was an even better dancer than the last one.

“Where did you learn to dance so well?” she asked over the sound of the music.

He spun her out and back, all the while moving around the dance floor, flowing with the perpetual circle.

“A couple of years ago, while I was deployed, my wife left me for another man. I left the Army, sank into depression and drank a lot. I finally got tired of alcohol and decided to do something I hoped would make me happy.” He smiled, twirled her out and then back into his arms. “I learned to dance.”

Camille laughed, enjoying the dance even more. Though she wasn’t attracted to the man, she appreciated his candor about his past and his reason for learning how to dance. “How’s it going for you?”

He promenaded her around the dance floor. “I’m dancing with one of the prettiest girls in the room. You tell me.”

Again, she laughed. “Thank you. Though I’m sure I’m not the prettiest, and I’ve seen you dancing with so many other women. Good for you. It’s nice to hear a positive spin on divorce.” She smiled at him. “I’m Camille.”

“Todd,” he said. “I take it you’re divorced, as well?”

She nodded. “Divorced, one child.”

“I suppose the fact that my wife and I never had children together is a plus, though I always wanted kids. It’s best the way it ended with none to juggle between visitation weekends.”

“I suppose so.”

“Do you have to play that game with your kid?”

Camille shook her head.

“Dad’s not in the picture?”

Again, she shook her head, not wanting to spill her life story to this nice guy.

Todd spun her out and back into his arms. “Is one dance too soon to ask you out on a date?”

Her stomach knotted. “I don’t know.’

“It’s okay if you say no. I’m not the typical boyfriend type. Not tall enough. My body is built like a runner, not a weightlifter.”

“You’re perfect the way you are. I’m just not ready to start dating. You’ll find the perfect person for you, one who isn’t still trying to figure out her way in the world of being single with a child in tow.”

“Nicely put,” Todd said without a misstep in his dance moves. “Though telling me you’re not interested would have been fine. I’m used to it.”

Camille liked the guy and could see him as a friend. She just didn’t feel anything beyond that. But then, what did she expect? A spark? A tingling of awareness? Her pulse to quicken?

Yeah. She’d settled for a lot less with her ex-husband.

As her first major relationship, Camille had just been happy that someone had claimed to love her.

She’d given up college and married Richard, in love with the idea of marriage, children and making a home for her family.

She’d never felt a spark or tummy flutters for Richard.

Nor did she feel anything like that for Todd.

Having settled once, she refused to settle ever again. If that meant staying single, she was okay with that.

The song ended, and Todd delivered her back to her table, gave a gentlemanly bow and thanked her for the dance.

Camille smiled, squeezed his hand and leaned close, to whisper, “You’re going to find your special someone, and she’ll be so very lucky to have you.”

“From your lips to God’s ears,” he said, dipping his head.

After he left her, she turned to face Gisele.

“You two were pretty chummy,” Gisele said. “Did he ask you out?”

Camille nodded.

“And?”

“I turned him down.”

Gisele shook her head. “How are you going to get laid if you turn down every man who asks you out?”

Camille gathered her purse from where she’d stashed it beneath the table.

“Because I realized something tonight. Just because I like dancing with someone doesn’t mean I want to sleep with him.

I want to feel something more than gratitude for him asking me to dance.

I want the elusive spark when I touch him, or he touches me.

Whether it’s love or lust, I don’t care. I just want to feel something.”

Gisele nodded. “Yeah. I get it. I felt it with Rafael from the very beginning. I can’t imagine settling for less.” She cocked an eyebrow. “Are you leaving?”

“I am.” Camille slid the strap of her purse over her shoulder. “I want to hold my baby girl and kiss her goodnight.”

“It’s still early,” Gisele said. “You sure you don’t want to dance a little more?”

Camille bent and kissed Gisele’s cheek. “Thanks for being a friend. Will I see you tomorrow?”

“You bet,” Gisele said. “I want to try a bite of the pie recipe you plan to enter in the fair.”

“Stop by the house tomorrow evening. I’m making two just in case one doesn’t turn out as I plan.”

“I’ll be there.”