It was good that Cricket was going to raise her son’s spirits since Sylvie was going to give him a long lecture about not talking to his wife. They could probably solve the entire situation with a nice conversation, but he would have to be around physically or answer his phone in order to do it. “I’m glad you’re willing to talk to him. I’m sure he feels terrible about the situation. He’s in a bad place, and I’m worried he’s been there for a while.”

“Because of everything that’s happened in the last few years,” Louis agreed. “I’m worried Rene’s felt pressure for so long that he doesn’t acknowledge it anymore. He’s got a lot of balls in the air, and the people he loves will be hurt if he drops a single one of them. That kind of pressure can get to a man. It can make him suspicious.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Cricket insisted.

“I should have told him. He trusted me and I broke that trust. Look, it is our relationship, Cricket. But I know Rene. I knew how he would feel, and I wanted to avoid that conflict for as long as possible. He deserved to know that his right-hand man was dating his mother. I have a relationship with him, too. I want to keep my relationship with him, so I’ve got work to do.” Louis looked Sylvie’s way. “Do you know about what’s happening with the bids?”

She wasn’t sure how much Rene would want her to talk about this. He’d left Louis out for a reason. Sylvie might not agree with it, but she had to honor her husband’s wishes. “I know something of it.”

“He didn’t trust me with the last one. They did it with Lowestone, too. I saw our winning bid and it was lower than the one I put in the computer. He found out about it and changed the bid. That must have hurt Charles quite badly with the company he was working for,” Louis said. “It’s probably why he decided to throw a Hail Mary. He knows his time is running out. The next time a board vote comes up, Rene will know what to look for. Does Rene think I’m working with Charles?”

Again, this was something Rene should be handling. “He’s suspicious of everyone.”

“He’s been around me all his life. He could probably feel I was hiding something. Which I was.” Louis stood up. “I’m going to go look for him. I’ll check the house in New Orleans and a couple of the hotels I know he likes.”