“Are you all right?” Sera asked when they’d reached the quiet of the inner dining room. “I can cover for you if you want to leave. Though I’m not sure I can get Rene out of here without pulling the fire alarm. They are all over him. I thought most of his family was in New Orleans or Houston.”

They were. It seemed as though the NOLA contingent had all made the two-hour drive, and not one of them had brought a gift. She didn’t believe their “we just came to celebrate” excuse. Especially since she’d heard the word lawyer mentioned more than once.

“No, I’m not going to leave. My mother did, though. She went with Cricket and Louis. She said it was so she didn’t have to wait for us, but I think she wanted to get away from this nonsense.”

“I suspect she wanted to make sure Cricket got home all right. I saw them earlier with my mom,” Sera said. “Cricket seemed happy with this marriage, though she wasn’t thrilled to see the cousins show up. Do you think that’s why Rene hustled her out of here?”

That was a question she’d love to know the answer to. “He suggested I could go home with her if I was tired. It’s never a good thing to tell your new wife she looks tired on her wedding night.”

Though it meant she would be getting plenty of rest tonight. She wasn’t going to be doing normal newlywed things. He’d assured her she would have her own room, though it connected to his. She’d also been told she could lock the door if she was worried.

As if. At this point she wasn’t worried Rene would pay her any attention at all tonight.

“I don’t think he meant it that way. I think he’s a little overwhelmed. That’s how he sounded to me,” Sera said. “How do you think the cousins found out? I thought you were keeping it quiet for now.”

“I think the word got out that he married today. Charles was at the courthouse this morning, and I can’t believe that was a coincidence.” She’d seen the way Charles’s expression had changed the minute he’d realized she was the one Rene was marrying.

“You think someone’s talking to him?” Sera asked.

Charles wasn’t well liked, but he still had friends and people he worked with who would side with him. “I can’t force people to not talk to him.”

“You’re the mayor. You should make a city ordinance. No talking to the mayor’s enemies,” Sera offered. “You could lean into the whole political warfare thing we’ve got going on.”