“She did have cancer last year.” Sylvie felt it necessary to defend her husband. She also didn’t like the fact that they hadn’t even given Rene the chance to be okay with his mother dating. If Cricket had told Rene back when they were starting, he likely would have wrapped his head around the relationship by now, and it wouldn’t be a ticking time bomb she had to defuse.

“I would still like to postpone this talk with Rene.” Cricket sounded stronger than she had even this morning. “I’m not putting you off, Louis. I’m trying to make this easier on my son. If you can’t handle that . . .”

“I can. You know I can.” Louis sighed and took her hand again. “I would wait another twenty years to have a single day with you. I’ll drive you back to the house and then I’ll find a way to the office. I doubt he knows my lunch ran extra long. He doesn’t like to talk to me much these days.”

Cricket looked up at him, her eyes shining with obvious affection. “Because he’s on edge. He loves you. You were so good to him growing up.”

“That doesn’t mean he won’t think I’m trying to step into his father’s shoes.” Louis opened the door and let the ladies walk out. “He’ll resent that. I’m worried he’s blaming me for the problems we have down at the office. I know for a fact he’s been holding back on me. He changed our bid on the last job. I’m sure he did it because he had inside information, but in the past, he would have told me.”

Sylvie winced, but she couldn’t say anything reassuring. She wasn’t about to break Rene’s confidence. “I’ll give you a ride back to the office, and once Rene’s job and the house are secure, we’ll all sit down and talk about this as a family.”

They started down the hall, Sylvie letting Louis lead Cricket out.

“Sylvie is right.” Cricket threaded her healthy arm through Louis’s. “We don’t say anything to Rene until the time is right.”

She heard Cricket gasp and then realized why as she walked into the lobby and saw Rene standing there. Hallie was there, too, clutching Gracie and looking at Rene like she didn’t know who he was.

Hallie turned to Cricket, her voice hoarse in that way that told Sylvie she was holding on to her temper by a thread. “Mrs. Darois, I need you to tell your son I didn’t hit you with my car. He seems to think it’s what my family members do. Mow down the two of you.”