Page 25 of Ma Belle Marguerite (Hidden Secrets #1)

Isabella

R ex talks to Remi about his tryout tonight until the food arrives. I have no idea what most of the things they are talking about even are, but Remi seems happy, and that is all that matters to me.

Grandma, as she insists we all call her, brings out the twins' food first. “Here you go, my babies, eat up.” She smiles at the kids before heading back to the kitchen.

Next, she brings Rex some tourtiere . I haven’t had that in forever, and it looks incredible. When made right, it’s a delicious ground meat pie. I have had many that are dry and not seasoned well. I should have got some, because it looks delicious.

Finally, she comes out with a tray with a taste of about half the menu on it and sets it down in front of me.

“Oh wow, this is too much! You didn’t have to do all this for us.” I look at her and smile.

“Oh, nonsense. You must try a bit of everything to have a favorite. The next time you come, I’ll prepare the rest of the things you must try.” Looking at Rex, she says, “You better bring her back soon!” and then walks away.

I’m overwhelmed just looking at all the food in front of me. “You better help me eat this! There is way too much for me to possibly eat all by myself.”

I get excited when I see there is a piece of tourtiere on one plate. I decide to try that first along with some steak. They are both mouth-wateringly delicious. “What kind of steak is this, Rex?”

With a smirk on his face, he says, “That would be Grandma's famous moose steak. You know—what you always said you’d never try growing up.”

Mother fucker! I cannot let him know that this is freaking delicious. Then I would have to say that he was right all those years ago. Instead I look over at the twins to see how they are enjoying their meal.

Remi hasn’t wasted a moment and has dug right into his poutine . It looks delicious—the perfect ratio of homemade fries, cheese curds, and gravy.

I reach across with my fork and sneak a bite before he can bat my hand away. Remi isn’t one that is too keen on sharing. I hear him let out a low growl as he sees me eating a bite of his poutine.

“Oh, settle down. You can have some of mine. I have lots to share,” I say around a mouthful of food. I must look like a pig, but this food is too good to care.

Just as I start to try some of the different foods, Rex says, “So, your mother and I have a bit of news to share with you.” Of course, my mouth is full, and I can’t say anything.

Brielle looks at me like I just kicked her puppy. I kick Rex under the table for saying that and making it sound like we’re giving them bad news.

“We have some good news! Your mother is starting a new job with me, and she needs to be available 24/7, so you’ll be moving into my house.

You’ll have your own rooms. There are two pools.

One is inside, close to your wing of the house, and the other one is outside and heated with a hot tub attached.

” Rex takes a break to have a bite of his food while the kids process everything he just threw at them.

I study Remi and Brielle’s faces. This was not how I would have brought this up. I don’t know what Rex is thinking, but it's too late now. I’ll just have to go with the flow, I guess.

Rex looks to Remi as he mentions, “I have a home theater and gaming room. There’s also a gym.”

Brielle touches my arm gently, and I look at her. “We’ll be fine, Mom. I can see you’re stressed. It isn’t permanent, right? It’s just a house. It’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah, besides, it sounds way cooler than our place. No offense, Mom.” Remi looks at me with a big grin. “Plus, it’s easier for your new job.”

Wondering why they’re being so calm, I decide to just go with it and talk to them alone later, without Rex’s influence. “Well, that was easy, I guess. We’ll go as long as you guys are okay with it. If at any point you change your mind, we can always go back home.”

Content with what has been decided, everyone goes silent as we enjoy all the amazing food in front of us. Grandma’s food may be my new favorite guilty pleasure. I’ll need to start working out if I eat here often. It’s too good to put down, even though my stomach feels like it’s about to explode.

I see Grandma approaching the table with some take-out containers. We definitely need those. “How was everything?”

With a smile, I reply, “I don’t know if I can move. It was so good, I couldn’t stop!”

Remi is still shoveling food into his mouth.

Between bites, he says, “It's so good I could live here.” After he swallows his food, he looks at Grandma with his ‘puppy’ eyes. “Is there any way to get some iced tea to go please?” This boy is going to be the death of me; he knows ladies can’t resist his beautiful eyes.

Laughing, Grandma says, “Of course. I’m happy to hear you like my cooking.

Come back anytime, and I’ll make sure you’re fed.

Rex should already have some of my iced tea at home.

That’s one thing he can’t seem to live without.

But I will make sure that some gets sent to you as well when I make my next batch” Putting the takeout containers down, she pats Rex’s shoulder and says, “Don’t wait so long between visits.

” Bending down, she gives him one of those wet Grandma kisses I always dreaded as a child, then walks away with a little extra pep in her step than when we came in.

I can’t help but giggle at the look of surrender on his face. His usual gruff, ‘watch out I’m a cranky old man’ face turning into one of affection. He’s always had a bit of a soft spot for those that he considers family. I am happy to see that that part of him hasn’t changed.

Brielle helps me load up all the leftovers while Remi finally slows down. “Remi, you’ll have a stomach ache if you don’t stop.” I look at Rex, “This boy will eat you out of house and home. Are you still sure you want us to move in?” I’m only partly joking, this boy can eat.

Without missing a beat, he says, “Of course I do. The kitchen is always fully stocked. I have someone come in and make meals. I can have whatever he needs meal prepped and we’ll have him in tip top shape for the rest of the season.

” He winks at me as he gets up with the leftovers and walks towards the door.

“Wait, we didn’t pay,” I say as I reach out to try and stop him before he walks out the door.

Without looking back, he says, “I have a tab, so don’t worry about it.”

Of course he does. I should have known, it is the way of the crime organization.

I spot Grandma talking to someone behind the counter at the back of the room, and I wave to her as we follow Rex to his truck.

We pile into the truck and drive towards the mall about 20 minutes away in the next town over. I’m thankful I don’t need to tell the kids about the break in at the house and they just accepted my new job as the reason for the move. They don’t need to be worrying about that.

Remi takes full advantage of being the one to pick music along the way, taking his road trip dj job very seriously. I chat with Brielle in the backseat about the new friends she made today at school during her brother's tryout.

Remi and Rex seem to be talking about football and hockey from the pieces of their conversation I can hear. This all seems too normal and calm.

I know they have missed having a father figure in their life the last six months. I mean, there are only so many sports conversations I can have. I’m not the best at these things. Besides, there will be things that I’m sure Remi would rather talk to a man about sooner than later.

As we pull into the mall parking lot, I take a moment to look around and see how much things have changed. There are a few new stores, but everything looks almost the same as when I left years ago.

We all get out of the truck and head toward the mall.

Rex comes up beside me and slips a credit card into my hand.

He whispers, “Get some sexy lingerie and outfits for later.” Then louder, he says, “Remi, you and I are going to get some stuff for you, and the girls can go to their stores. We’ll meet back here in an hour. ”

I laugh, “Good luck, Rex.” He has no idea what he’s gotten himself into. Remi absolutely hates shopping, even if it’s for his sports equipment. Welcome to the world of teenage boys.

Smirking at me, Rex and Remi walk away, already chatting.

I guess they’re hitting it off well. I'm not too sure what I think about this.

There are so many contradictory feelings.

While I am happy Remi seems to be able to talk to him, I don't want him to get attached too quickly in case things don’t work out between Rex and I.

“So, Brielle, what do you think of my new boss?” I ask, trying to get a feel for what she is thinking. She is very smart and sees things most others may miss.

Sighing, Brielle answers, “He seems nice. He looks at you strangely, though. I don’t know how to describe it.”

Taking a moment to think of my next words carefully, I say, “Well, Rex and I dated in high school. So we know each other very well.” I pause to see if she will comment on that. Hopefully she will take it at face value and not want to know more.

When she says nothing, I continue. “He came into the hospital here after a car accident on my first night working. He had to stay in the hospital for a bit. He saw how I was struggling with being there and mentioned that he had a job opening. After a small chat, he offered it, and I accepted.” I realize I’m rambling.

I need to stop before she gets more suspicious, if it isn’t already too late.

“So that’s about everything with that, what store should we go to first? ”

Brielle looks at me like she knows I’m hiding something, but just turns to look at the map on the wall before us and says, “Victoria’s Secret! I would love a new bathing suit from there. Then we can go to whatever store you need your new work clothes from. I'm not sure where you’d want to do that.”