The Perfect Match: A New Adult Erotic Romance (Inseparable Book 2) (2 page)

“That’s Jack’s mother, Claire, right?”

“She’s our grandmother,” Charlotte said and nodded towards Kurt. “Our mother is her daughter Noëlle.”

“And my mother is her daughter, Laurie,” Trey added.

“Wow, I don’t know how you guys keep it straight,” Polly said with a shake of her head.

“Keep coming to these parties and you’ll figure it out quick enough.” Trey said and leaned into her with a leer. “I’ll introduce you around after we eat if you want.”

Polly grinned, but shook her head. “I’ve got to help Julie keep an eye on the girls. That’s why I’m here, officially.”

Julie looked up at her name. “She’s been a life saver already!”

“And unofficially?” Trey asked Polly with a devilish grin.

Watching them smile at each other made Kurt feel like he was sitting on a tack, but before he could say anything, Charlotte pinched his leg under the table. “Kurt, you guys played great up there today,” she said, giving him a warning look.

“Yeah, I’ve never heard music like that before,” Polly said, looking at him at last. “What’s it called?”

“It’s just traditional Cajun music, but we also play some Zydeco.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Where it came from, mostly. The French story songs came down with the Acadians from Canada. The Creole folks brought African rhythms. And jus’ like a big pot of gumbo, they mixed together and made something good. The French people made Cajun music, and the Creoles made Zydeco. Over the years, they merged and influenced each other. You’ll hear some more at the fais do-do later tonight.”

“Fais do-do?” she asked.

“A dance party.”

“That’s really interesting,” she said, favoring him with a smile.

Kurt was still trying to figure out something else to say when Trey jumped in. “So, Kurt, are you still seeing Kendall?”

“What?” Kurt asked in confusion. “You know I ain’t been seein’ her in months.” He accidentally slipped into a deeper accent when Trey caught him off guard.

“I saw her around earlier and she was givin’ you the eye,” Trey said with a slow, mean smile. Kendall hadn’t been around yet, making Kurt realize Trey was trying to spoil his chances with Polly.

“So what about that sorority girl I hear you been seeing? What was her name again?” It was just a guess, but two could play that game.

Trey rolled his eyes and blew air through his lips. Turning to Polly, he asked, “So you work in a pharmacy?”

“Yeah, I’m just a pharmacy tech right now, but I’m taking Internet classes for my doctorate.”

“Hey, someone else in the medical field!” Charlotte exclaimed with a laugh. “I’m going to nursing school in Lafayette.”

“My sister!” Polly grinned and held up her hand for a high five across the table. “RN or LVN?”

“RN. I want to get a job in Houston as a surgical nurse once I’ve got my bachelors.”

“Yeah, it’s booming there for nurses right now.” She turned to Trey and asked, “What about you?”

“I’m getting a degree in Marketing at the University of Houston. In fact, I bet we’re practically neighbors.”

“You live near the main campus?” Polly asked and he nodded. “Sorry, I’m on the other side of town out off of I-10 west.” She looked at Kurt and asked, “What about you?”

“I’ve got my OSV Master license and pilot ships for a living.”

Trey sputtered a laugh. “Glorified bus driver for rough necks, in other words.”

“Fuck you,” Kurt said with a scowl. “What the hell are you going to do with that fancy marketing degree? Convince people to switch brands of soap?”

“No, I’m going to make a ton of money, unlike you.” Trey appeared so cool and calm that Kurt wanted to punch him in the nose.

“Calm down, boys,” Charlotte said with the practiced eye roll only a sister can manage. “I’m sure you both have great big dicks to impress all the girls.”

Polly laughed out loud, covering her mouth with her hand. “Sorry, but that was hilarious,” she whispered to Charlotte. “How do you stand it around here with all the testosterone?”

“You get used to it eventually,” she said with a weary shake of her head. “Why don’t you and I go get something to cold to drink and visit for a while. I’ve got to clean up later, but we’ve still got some time.”

After the girls left, Kurt was still boiling at Trey. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“Me?” Trey asked, looking wounded and innocent.

“Bringing up Kendall? Calling me a fucking bus driver? Do you
want
me to kick your ass?”

“Like you could,” Trey growled as he leaned back in the folding chair. “Did you think you have a chance with a hot girl like that? You live with your parents and smell like old fish.”

“Just because your daddy buys you a car and pays for your school doesn’t make you any better than me.”

“No, but the job I’m gonna get when I graduate in a few months will.”

The words stung Kurt more than he would admit to Trey. “There’s no shame in working for a living.”

“Let me paint you a picture of your future.” Trey leaned forward to count his points off on his fingers. “You’re twenty-five and live at home. You’re
going
to marry Kendall someday because she’s the only one who’ll take you around here. And mark my words, she’s gonna start her baby machine the day after you’re married. It’s inevitable, Kurt. I like you, man, but that is
going
to be your life if you stay in Morgan City and drive a water bus.”

Kurt shook his head and looked away. “I can play that game, too. We both know you’re headed down the same road Uncle Jack took. You’re going to end up a meal ticket for some high-maintenance college girl, hoping you can pay off the bills faster than she can rack them up.” He looked up with raised eyebrows and said, “And I doubt
you’ll
be lucky enough to land someone like Aunt Julie to save your ass.”

“This is stupid,” Trey sat back with a sigh. “I’m sorry I was an asshole.”

“You
are
an asshole,” Kurt said as he picked up his nearly empty plastic cup and drained the beer. The two men looked at each other and nodded, letting the wound between them close in silence.

Trey finally said, “The truth is I can’t even find an internship right now and it’s fucking me up.”

“Why don’t you ask Uncle Jack? I heard he’s rockin’ his new sales job.”

Kurt smiled sadly and shook his head. “He hates Mom, and sometimes I get the feeling he don’t like me that much either.”

“Well, she did call Aunt Julie his
baby momma
at the wedding.”

“Oh, I never said she didn’t deserve it,” he said with a chuckle, then said almost to himself, “Maybe I should hit him up for some help.”

“It couldn’t hurt,” Kurt said. After finishing off their food, they both stood up. “Let’s help Charlotte clean up so she won’t bad mouth us to Polly.”

“Good idea. I got some dancin’ to do later and I’d prefer it to be with someone I ain’t related to.”

“We’ll see about that,” Kurt said as he stacked the dirty plates up.

* * *

B
y the time the tables were clear, the late afternoon was cooling towards dusk when Pawpaw Garson called the musicians back to the flat bed truck to play. Kurt swung up, grabbed his guitar, and tuned up to the long note from the accordion. With a shout of pleasure, Pawpaw started in with a fast introduction to
La Pointe aux Pins
, leaving the other musicians to catch up as they could.

Soon the whole crowd was dancing, even the little ones, while Kurt strummed and swayed. Polly and Charlotte were dancing at the edges of the crowd while Trey and Landon tried to coax them out into the crowd. Charlotte was a good sport and danced with her cousin so she could show Polly the steps as she tried to dance with Trey.

Uncle Jack was twirling around his older girl, Jen, who looked to be about seven or eight now. The littler one, Lisa, was dancing around his legs waiting for her turn. Aunt Julie was swaying with little Jackson who was looking in wonder at the spectacle going on around him.

About halfway through their set, he saw some of the Arsenault clan coming up the road to join the fais do-do. His mother Noëlle went out to meet them and hugged her best friend, Kendall’s mother, Mandy. Kendall did look pretty, but he was relieved when his cousin Michael approached her to dance.

Kurt let his mind wander, poking around the sore spot Trey had left. Kendall was cute, but dumb. She talked big about becoming an attorney someday, but after dating her for a year it was clear she was all talk.

The only thing they ever had going for them was great sex, but that came to a screeching halt right after her older sister got pregnant in the spring. One day Kurt found a piece of paper with
Kendall Arsenault Guidry
signed a bunch of times. Below that was a list that looked suspiciously like baby names.

He started bringing his own condoms after she slipped and admitted she wasn't on the pill anymore. Then he stopped leaving the condoms at her place when he saw pin holes in one. After catching her in the bathroom digging one of his used condoms out of the trash, he called it off with her completely.

Shaking his head at the memory, Kurt saw that Trey had lost Polly at some point and now she was dancing with Uncle Jack instead. The two of them were laughing hard about something, then Polly looked around at Trey with a sly grin. Kurt grit his teeth and played on, ignoring them both for a while.

After a while, he noticed his younger cousin, Jean, was trying to get his attention from the ground next to the truck.

“You want me to play a spell?” Jean asked over the music. He was just seventeen, but still a passable guitarist.

“Yeah, you mind? I’d like to swing out a little before it gets dark.”

“Happy to. Gimme a hand up,” he said, then Kurt pulled him up. Taking the guitar, Jean jumped right in with the band as Kurt hopped off the back of the truck.

Heading towards the last place he saw Polly, he arrived to find her dancing around with little Jackson while Julie and Jack danced into the crowd. She looked relieved to see him, which made Kurt smile.

“Would you take the baby for a minute?” she asked looking desperate.

“Sure, gimme the little slobber machine,” Kurt said, happy to hold the smiling baby boy. The wide grin showed bare gums with two teeth poking through on the top and bottom. He had the family’s nearly black eyes and a wild patch of soft brown hair.

Before he could say anything, Polly was dashing toward the back door, obviously heading to the bathroom. He watched her wiggling walk up the back stairs with a sigh, trying to decide what kind of panties she had on under her jeans.

Jackson grabbed his nose with a happy squeal, so Kurt made gobbling sounds on along his cheek and neck until he let go with a giggle. That became the game they played until Polly came back looking relieved.

“Thank you so much, you have no idea how bad I needed that.”

“Well, since you emptied the tank, you want me to get you another beer?”

“No, I’m fine for now,” she said as she took the baby back. “You really do play well!”

“Aw, it ain’t nothin,” he said, warmed by her compliment. “Playing this stuff is pretty easy. Just chords and strumming. I been listening to them play these same songs since I was little like Jackson.” He tickled the baby’s belly and made him laugh. “Uncle Peter taught me and got me my first guitar to practice. That’s his boy, Jean, playing up there now.”

“What does your dad do?” she asked as she led them towards the chairs nearby.

“He drives a truck for a big transport company. What about yours?”

“He’s got an importexport business between here and Botswana. That’s where he’s from.”

“Were you born there?”

“No, Mom’s from Houston and wanted me to be born in the states. Dad got his US citizenship around then, but now they spend about half the year in each place. That’s where they are now. What about your mom?”

“My mom works at a meat market and makes the best andouille sausage in the world. It was in the red beans and rice at dinner.”

“Oh my god, that was so good!” she exclaimed and grabbed his arm. “I told Julie we’re bringing some of this food back or I’m staying.”

I wish you would,
Kurt thought as he stared at her beautiful smile.

“What?” she asked, wrinkling her brow at him.

“Nothing,” he said. Just before he was going to ask her to dance, Kendall came up, dragging Trey along with her. He shot an apologetic look at Kurt.

“Hey, Kurt,” she said, ignoring Polly completely.

“Kendall,” he said in a low monotone.

“Trey won’t shut up about someone named Polly, so I figured I’d swap him for you.”

“Hi, I’m someone named Polly.” There was an unreadable expression on her face as she extended her free hand to Kendall.

“Oh,” Kendall said, feigning surprise badly as she shook hands. “I’m Kendall. I’m sure Kurt told you all about me.”

“Actually, you never came up,” Kurt said.

She ignored his comment and extended both hands to the baby, inviting him into her arms. Jackson jumped happily and reached for her, so Polly let him go. “Is this the baby Jackson I’ve heard so much about?”

“Yes,” Polly said. “Don’t let him jump too much. He’s full.”

“You don’t mind if I hold him a while, do you? I love babies. Trey, maybe Polly would like to dance?”

Kurt had to admit that while Kendall might not be smart, she had a low cunning that more than made up for it on occasion.

“Uh... sure,” Trey said, pulling Polly to her feet. Polly looked back with a worried expression, but allowed Trey to drag her off to dance anyway.

“Kendall,” Kurt growled.

“You looked so cute holding him, I couldn’t resist.” She hadn’t looked at Kurt in the face, but when she finally did there was a defiant glare in her eyes. “I bet ours would be cuter.”

“Give it up,” he said and rolled his head around to relieve the tension he felt in his neck. “We’re not getting back together.”

“Maybe not,” she whispered with angry tears in her eyes. “But you’re not getting with
her
either.”

P
olly was sitting at the kitchen table helping Lisa cut her pancakes while Garson and Claire’s other overnight guests ate breakfast. The large oak table had stains and burns from decades of preparing food and feeding people. Polly wished it could talk to tell the stories told across its surface over the years.