The instant he walked into the restaurant, Beau zoned in on Sabine like he had preset radar. She was sitting in a corner booth with another woman, who had turned around when he walked in and given him a comprehensive up and down before turning back to Sabine. He briefly wondered if he’d passed the friend’s test, then got agitated at himself for caring…or wondering…or whatever he was doing.
No strings, Villeneuve.
His entire adult existence centered on keeping things simple, uncomplicated. He’d learned that one the hard way. He carried his own baggage, and he wasn’t interested in carrying anyone else’s. It had always been his experience that women were the most complicated people on earth. And their baggage usually came in matched sets. Hell, if the line he had on locating Sabine’s family turned out to be accurate, she would soon be faced with more baggage than a freight train.
Unless you can talk her out of wanting to know.
Sabine waved at him and he smiled. Quickly catching himself, he put on his game face and crossed the restaurant, resolved to talk Sabine out of this quest of hers. It couldn’t possibly bring her anything but misery. And if there was any way at all, he intended to spare her the disappointment he’d suffered.
As he stepped up to the table, the other woman sitting with Sabine rose and extended her hand. “I’m Maryse Robicheaux, Sabine’s best friend. It’s nice to meet you.” She looked over at Sabine and grinned. “Sabine has been telling me everything about you.”
A light blush crept up Sabine’s face and she glared at Maryse. Beau shook Maryse’s hand. “Beau Villeneuve.”
“Well, this has been fun,” Maryse said, “but I have to run.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” Sabine argued. “You said you had another thirty minutes.”
Maryse smiled. “But that was before you made plans for us tonight. Now, I need to see my attorney and remove you from my will.” She winked at Beau and hurried out of the restaurant.
Beau slid into the booth across from Sabine, wondering how in the world she made jeans and a plain blue polo shirt look so elegant. Maybe it was her hair, twisted in a complicated knot, with shiny black locks framing her face. Or maybe it was the silver earrings shaped like a teardrop.
Maybe you should get your head out of the clouds and focus on business.
“Should I even ask what your plans are for tonight?” Beau asked.
“No. I was trying to play a joke on Maryse, but apparently it backfired. She always gets the last word. I don’t know why I bother.”
“I like her,” Beau said, trying to block out the sweet smell of Sabine’s perfume. “She doesn’t dance around things, does she?”
“No. Finesse was never Maryse’s strong point. I think she sees it as a waste of good creative energy and time.”
Beau nodded. “She’s probably right.”
“Really? Then maybe you should try taking her shopping with you. We’ve been officially banned from two boutiques and a pet store.”
“A pet store?”
Sabine waved a hand in dismissal, at least twenty bracelets jangling on her arm. “It’s a long story and doesn’t end so well for the turtle.” She pulled a manila folder from a bright pink shoulder bag and slid it across the table. “This is the file I mentioned when I called.”
“The file your friend ‘appropriated’?” Beau scanned the police records inside.
Sabine sighed. “Yeah, that’s the one.”
“This friend wouldn’t have been Maryse, would it?”
“Oh, God no! Maryse can be painfully direct and sarcastically entertaining but would never break the law. Well, almost never…okay, definitely not this time.”
Beau smiled. “Convinced yourself yet?”
“Not completely. Was it that obvious?”
“Well, let’s just say I didn’t have to be psychic to get it.”
Sabine laughed. “Good. Raissa and I already have the spirit world covered. It’s the real world I can’t seem to make any headway in.”
Beau sobered. “That’s another thing I’d like to talk to you about. I’ve got a lead on your family.”
Sabine’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding. So soon? I can’t believe it!”
“Don’t get excited just yet. It might turn out to be nothing.”
“Still, a lead in a matter of days when I’ve come up with nothing for over twenty years is definitely something.”
It’s now or never, Villeneuve. Beau took a breath and pushed forward. “I guess what I wanted to say is, before I get too far, I just want to make sure you really want this.”
Sabine stared at him. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Lots of reasons, and probably things you never thought of.”
“Like?”
“Well, what happens if your family doesn’t turn out to be the kind of people you hoped they would be?”
“You mean they might be conservatives?”
Beau smiled. “That’s possible, of course, but what I had in mind was something a little worse.”
“Fundamentalists? Yikes.” Sabine’s expression grew serious. “I understand what you’re insinuating. My family could turn out to be people who don’t share the same value system—and while I know on the exterior I may look a little questionable, I assure you I’m really a law-abiding bore.”
Beau nodded. “And your family could be the kind of people that HBO makes movies of the week about.”
“Like the weirdo that tried to break into my building in broad daylight…and with three—two—people right upstairs?”
Beau’s senses went immediately on high alert. “Someone tried to break into your building? When?”
“Yesterday midmorning.” Sabine gave him a rundown of the attempted break-in.
“Did you get a good look at him?”
Sabine shook her head and described the intruder’s outfit. “The Mudbug police dusted for prints, but they only found mine and Maryse’s.”
“What did the police say? Has there been a problem with random break-ins lately?”
“I’ve never had a problem, and the only other breakin the police know about was at the hospital last week. The whole thing is very weird.”
“Do you keep much cash around?”
“No way! I take everything but a hundred dollars of change for the register to the bank every day right before closing. Everyone in town knows that, and even someone who didn’t only had to watch me for a couple of days to figure it out.”
“Could be junkies. They’re not always smart with their targets. And that would explain the break-in at the hospital, too,” Beau said, but his mind was whirling with possibilities. He didn’t believe in coincidences—especially not this kind. What if something Sabine had done had made someone nervous? It could be her search for her family or something else entirely, but either way, Beau wasn’t about to dismiss the timing of the attempted break-in. It might turn out to be nothing, but it would be foolish to ignore. “This is exactly the sort of thing I was worried about. And things could get far worse the closer we get to the truth. What if these people you’re looking for simply don’t want to be found?”
“You’re thinking what I don’t know can’t hurt me.”
“Exactly.”
Sabine studied him for several seconds, then sighed. “I understand what you’re saying, and I appreciate that you’re trying to protect me from what might be an ugly situation. The fact that you’re having this conversation with me after informing me you have a lead tells me you’re not happy with the direction the lead is taking you.”
“No. I’m not.”
“I wish I could tell you I didn’t care and just let the whole thing drop, but that’s just not possible. I know you’re trying to protect me and that’s very sweet, but the reality is, not finding my family could be far more detrimental to me than anything you come up with.” She reached across the table and placed her hand on his. “Thank you for caring. Most people wouldn’t even have given it a second thought.”
The skin on Beau’s hand tingled under Sabine’s gentle touch, and he fought the urge to pull his hand out from under hers before he did or said something he’d regret. “I’ve had nothing but second thoughts since the moment I met you,” Beau muttered, then sucked in a breath. “Oh hell, I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
Sabine stared at him, her eyes wide. “I’ve thought of you, too.”
Beau felt a queasiness in his stomach. Back out while there’s still room. “So what are we going to do about it?” Shit.
The color rushed from Sabine’s face. She pulled her hand away from Beau’s and jumped up from the booth. “We’re going to pretend this conversation never happened. Thank you for the update, Mr. Villeneuve. I hope the file helps.” She spun around and hurried out of the café without ever looking back.
What the hell? Beau watched the door shut behind her, then slumped back in the booth, replaying the conversation and Sabine’s response over and over in his mind. Unbelievable. All those years of carefully guarding himself from crossing that line with a woman and the one time his resistance was too low, he’d run into the only person in the world more scared of relationships than he was.