She shook her head vigorously. “Absolutely not. If Charles wants to waste money on following me around, let him. That will be the most boring job the PI ever took on. Do you know what I do in a week? Tour parks and sewage management systems. I listen to a whole lot of people complain. On Saturday, I’m throwing out the first pitch in our Little League tournament. So bring on the investigation.”

“I didn’t think . . .”

“I’m not worried about it, Rene. I’ve always got eyes on me. Papillon is laid-back when it comes to politics, but there’s always someone who would like leverage on me. You don’t work in politics without being threatened.”

“Who?” He would show anyone who came after his wife exactly what it meant to be threatened.

“That’s a very intimidating look,” she said with a nod and absolutely no sign of intimidation whatsoever. “Scary and yet still attractive. And no, I’m not giving you my list of political enemies. I think you would have fun taking out some of your frustrations on them, and honestly, they’re harmless.”

Unlike his enemies. “Still, I want to know if you feel uncomfortable in the least.”

She was quiet, sipping her bourbon for a moment before her eyes lifted to his. “Did you know your aunt thinks my mother is the reason she got married?”

He stilled. He should have known that would get out. “My aunt doesn’t respect many people, but she has an affection for your mother.”

Sylvie sighed and took another sip. “That’s a good call then. I’ll make sure Mom comes out to the B and B to talk to her on her birthday weekend. She can bring her cards with her. Strangely, the cards often do what Momma wants them to. She did a reading for Estelle Bodon the other day that told her to let her hair go natural for a couple of months. It was starting to fall out from all those chemicals she was using.”

He sat up because, despite the casualness of her words, he knew this was serious. She’d danced with him and things had seemed all right, but now he could see that she’d been thinking, waiting for the right time to bring up what had happened. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll handle my aunt. I don’t want to force your mother into this problem.”

A brow arched over her eyes, that intelligent stare slicing through him. “I rather thought that was what the Martine women were here to do—take care of your problems.”