Stand-In Groom

corner.

He bit his bottom lip and took a deep breath. “I’m worried that my employer’s confidentiality about his relationship with Courtney may have been breached.” He paused, and she turned to face him. “If anything happens and I have to suddenly disappear, please don’t hold it against me. If anyone connects me with Bonneterre or Courtney Landry, all may be lost.”

“I still don’t understand the need for such secrecy. What would happen if someone found out why you’re here?”

He stepped in front of her to open the door to the parking lot. “If my employer’s secret engagement leaks to the press because of me, I would most likely lose my job, which means I would have to return to England.”

“Would that be such a bad thing? To go home after so many years?” Anne looked like a movie star when she slipped on a stylish pair of sunglasses and ran her fingers through her hair to push it back from her face. The late June sun and steamy humidity never seemed to affect her.

How long would he have to live here to become acclimated? He probably wouldn’t get the chance to find out. “Given the dwindling need for full-time personal assistants with the advent of modern technology, it would be difficult for me to find a position that’s the equivalent of what I have now. Aside from that, it’s not really the occupation I’d like to keep for the rest of my life.”

“Well, just from what I’ve seen in the short time I’ve known you, I know you’d do well as an event planner wherever you decide to settle.”

“Thank you.” Wherever you decide to settle… Disappointment attacked him through her words. He’d hoped she’d want him to settle here, maybe even go into business with her. They would make a perfect team—her connections and his attention to detail. If he went into business with her, he could get his work visa changed… or he could marry her and get a green card. There were much worse fates than being married to a woman he was already attracted to.

They reached the car, and he used the remote to unlock it. He opened the door for her.

She lowered her glasses and winked at him. “Have I warned you about my family? Almost all of the extended family will be at lunch. And they can be somewhat overwhelming.”

He winked back. “I have survived a couple of dinners with Jennifer and Rafe.”

She laughed. “Oh, they can’t hold a candle to the whole family being together.”

George followed Anne’s directions through town. What had she meant by “overwhelming”? He’d experienced many large dinner parties and gatherings throughout his career—of course as someone who had to service the guests—so he couldn’t imagine a meal with her family would be that different.

He was going to meet the rest of her family. He and Forbes had formed a strong friendship in the short time since they’d met. He also enjoyed the weekly dinners he’d attended with Anne’s cousins. Not all of them came every week, but they accepted him and offered him friendship even when he couldn’t divulge much personal information to them.

From the examples he’d seen in Anne, Forbes, and the others, her family was the epitome of his image of Southern charm. Anne, never ruffled, always had a smile and encouraging word for everyone she met. Forbes played the dapper gentleman for whom chivalry was a way of life, not an ancient fairy tale. Jennifer, the flirtatious Southern belle… He laughed. Henry would love Jennifer. His youngest brother would definitely fall for the beautiful charmer with the strawberry blond hair.

The sunlight barely peeked through the dark green foliage that canopied Oak Alley Drive as they traveled through the garden district toward midtown. She instructed him to turn left on Tezcuco Avenue before reaching the commercial district. Deeper into the heart of the residential area, the smaller houses on Oak Alley gave way to large, immaculate Victorians set far back from the street and surrounded by lush green lawns shaded by oaks, magnolias, and other trees he didn’t recognize.

Another left onto Destrehan Boulevard, and the lots grew larger, the landscaping more elaborate. Homes ranged from sprawling Victorians to enormous Greek-revival manses, red brick with fat white columns lining the front.

The first indication that this “family dinner” was beyond what he’d imagined was the number of cars lining the street in front of the multi-gabled, three-story house Anne had him stop in front of.

“This is Aunt Maggie and Uncle Errol’s house. They bought this house after I went to college, but it’s still home.”

He helped her out of the car, and she led him up the driveway toward the sidewalk that snaked across the yard to the wraparound front porch.

Maggie and Errol. He was about to meet the people who’d stepped in to raise Anne after her parents’ deaths. His heart pumped a little faster. He hoped to make a favorable impression on them. If he was going to spend the rest of his life with her—but no, he couldn’t indulge in that kind of thinking yet. She needed time to get to know him better, and he had to regain her trust.

His thoughts were interrupted when the front door flew open and an older woman—who bore a remarkable resemblance to Anne— stepped out onto the porch.

“It’s about time,” the woman called as George and Anne approached the house.

“What are you talking about?” Anne looked at her watch. “It’s only twelve forty-five. We never eat dinner before one.”

“You’re thirty-five years old. It’s about time you brought a man home for Sunday dinner!”

Chapter 15

Just when she’d thought her family couldn’t possibly embarrass her any further…

Anne stepped up onto the porch and bent forward to accept Aunt Maggie’s kiss on her cheek. “Good afternoon to you, too, Mags.” She turned. “George, this is my aunt, Maggie Babineaux. She’s the vendor I suggested to you for the wedding cake.”

He nodded, brown eyes twinkling as he took Maggie’s hand and lifted it to his lips. “The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Babineaux. I’ve heard much about you from Anne.”

Maggie regarded him with calculation in her gaze. “I wish I could say I’ve heard more than rumors about you, George Laurence.” With a wink at Anne, she took hold of his arm and directed him into the house. “But we’ll remedy that today, won’t we?”

Anne shrugged and wrinkled her nose in an apologetic grin when George glanced at her over his shoulder. She nearly laughed at the expression of trepidation in his eyes. He’d never experienced anything like a large Cajun family gathered for Sunday dinner. This afternoon would be a trial by fire of his professed feelings for her.

She inhaled deeply as she crossed the threshold into the house. The aroma of roast beef and fresh yeast rolls brought instant images of her childhood to mind. Aunt Maggie and Uncle Errol had bought this house not long after Anne had left for college, but every time she walked in, she was home. Her happy memories from childhood started the day she moved in with Maggie, Errol, and their four sons twenty-seven years ago.

The buzz of voices from the back of the house created a tingle of anticipation in Anne. Would George, mostly estranged from his own relatives, understand the importance of family to her? She grinned. Would he survive her family?

* * *

George refrained from turning to make sure Anne was still behind him as her aunt led him through the large, well-appointed home. The food smelled wonderful, and even though breakfast had been more than satisfying, his stomach rumbled in response to the tantalizing aromas.

Beside him, Maggie Babineaux kept up a constant chatter about the family, trying to tell him the connections of everyone he’d meet today. She lost him after the name of her oldest son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren.

The front rooms were formally furnished and appeared rarely used. From what he could see, each room had wood floors covered with expensive, probably antique, Oriental rugs. Anne came from money. He shouldn’t be surprised by that, given her education and refinement. He fought disappointment. He’d assumed her background