False Pretenses - Kathy Herman [108]
Vanessa rolled her eyes. “He’s the one who intruded on our lives. I’m not letting that man get away without finding out every detail he’s willing to tell us. If I’m a little intrusive in the process, he’ll have to forgive me. I have a million questions.”
“Which I’m sure you’ll ask.”
“Oh, come on, Ethan. You’re just as curious as I am about Josiah Langley’s involvement in the Underground Railroad.”
He smiled. “You bet I am. But I’ll tell you whose curiosity is over the top—my dad’s and uncles’. Dad’s going to dig out the original blueprints. But he’s almost positive the tunnels aren’t on there.”
Vanessa mused. “After this new discovery, I wonder if the three Langley brothers might regret their decision to give us the family heirloom as a wedding gift.”
“Are you kidding? They’re more excited than ever to let us bring the place back to life. And I’m sure we’re all just a little prouder now to have the name Langley.”
CHAPTER 35
Pierce sat in the glider on the screened-in porch at his parents’ home, the ceiling fan going round and round and rustling the pages of today’s issue of the Houma Courier. He folded the newspaper and set it on the seat next to him. Could he remember anything he’d read?
He picked up his mug and took a sip of coffee, focusing on a lone white ibis meandering through the back lawn, picking through the blades of grass in search of a tasty breakfast. Glints of sunlight filtered through the sycamore trees that shaded the yard. How relieved he was to be home—in the house he grew up in—ninety minutes from Les Barbes. He wondered if he would feel as relieved when one o’clock rolled around and he couldn’t go to Remy’s memorial Mass.
He thought of Zoe, and an image of her pretty face popped into his mind. Wouldn’t he be smart to just walk away? It’s not as though he needed the job at Zoe B’s. Wasn’t he experienced enough now to get hired as a chef almost anywhere in South Louisiana—or go back to teaching history?
The Church would probably annul the marriage. The woman he promised to love “for better or for worse,” and to whom he pledged his faithfulness, didn’t exist.
Pierce sighed. Would an annulment really change the reality that he had loved Zoe with all his heart—and still did? At least the Zoe he knew. How could she have been carrying around all those secrets without him picking up on it? So much for being soul mates!
He heard someone cough and realized his dad was standing next to the glider, dressed in his gray coveralls.
“How’re you doing, son?” Burke Broussard said.
“I’m alive.”
“Mind if I sit?”
“Not at all. I’m lousy company, though.” Pierce picked up the newspaper and set it on the end table.
Burke sat on the couch next to him, his arms folded across his chest. “I’ve got to get out to the sugar refinery. Just wanted to check on you first. Did you sleep?”
“Not really. I’ve got a lot to sort through.”
“Yeah, you do. I just got on the computer and read today’s headlines in the Les Barbes Ledger. The article focused on that drug-dealing creep who hung your friend Remy, and his threats against Zoe and Vanessa—not so much on you.”
“No, I’ll just be stuck with the stares and the unspoken questions—like what kind of dupe falls for a woman like that?”
Burke rubbed his red and gray beard and seemed pensive. “Zoe does love you, son. She didn’t lie about that.”
“Didn’t she?”
“You know she didn’t. She got herself in over her head and made some really bad mistakes. But I’ve known her for six years. Five of those years she’s been my daughter-in-law. I’ve seen how the two of you are together. I know love when I see it.”
“Yeah, well, I thought I did too.”
Burke pushed with his foot and made the glider go faster. A minute passed without either of them saying anything.
“Don’t worry, Dad. If I decide to petition the Church for an annulment, I’ll be quiet about it so I don’t humiliate you and Mom.”
“Is that what you think we care about? We’re not worried about you humiliating us. We’re worried about your well-being—and Zoe’s. She’s family. If the two of you split