In vino veritas, as his pop-pop would say. Had she told the truth last night? Was that what she wanted?

“I lied to her,” Remy admitted.

“Were you trying to hurt her?”

“Hell, no.”

Jean-Claude pointed a finger his way. “You’re one of the single best men I’ve ever met in my life. Unless something’s happened in the past couple of years to change things, you’re honorable and good to the people around you. You tried to make things work with Josette. You tried to give her what she told you she wanted. What she really wanted was an entirely different life where you didn’t work your ass off and could spend all your time worshipping her and being the golden couple of Papillon. If this Lisa is anything like that, do your job and let her walk away.”

“She’s not,” he replied quickly. “I thought she might be at first, but now I honestly think she might be looking for something to build. She didn’t like her office job, but she might like this. She’s good with people and she’s smart. This job might keep her on her toes. And I know damn straight she needs someone who’ll keep her out of trouble. It follows her around.”

Could he use this very place he’d thought she would run from to catch her in his web? She’d loved the fair the night before. It was the kind of thing that couldn’t be replicated in a big city. Oh, the big-city fair had more rides and attractions, but it didn’t have the same sense of being a family party. They would be talking about the Lisa/Josette takedown for the next twenty years.

“Are you sure you want to leave?” Somehow the thought of losing his cousin just as they were starting to be honest with each other hurt. He hadn’t understood the tension between them all those years ago. He’d thought it was about the wharf and their management styles. He hadn’t realized it had all been about a woman.

“I have to,” Jean-Claude said quietly. “If I don’t, I’m going to end up bitter and I don’t want that. You move her in. Keep the old place up for me if you can’t accept it as a gift. I’m going to work for that conglomerate. Yeah, the horrible one that almost took our town down.”

“Is that why you were in New Orleans? Sera mentioned it, but she thought you were making a deal behind my back.”