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behind his desk. “That
place is already popular. You know the old beach area. Kids
especially like to go tubing down the river from there.”
    “All three of you are hallucinating if you
think Rae Dalcour is going to sell any part of her family’s land to
you guys,” Baylor retorted and crossed his legs.
    “Why not? She’s got a career to pursue. I
don’t think either of her brothers will refuse the price we’ll
offer.” Simon lifted both hands.
    “Why is Darcy pushing you out front? That
dude has something up his sleeve, man. Watch him.”
    “We both decided to handle it this way. I
don’t have the history with them that Darcy and Toya have.”
    Baylor lifted an eyebrow at him. “Your
grandfather was one of the partners.”
    Simon shook his head. “Papa Joe didn’t go on
the crusade that Mr. Henry did when Vincent Dalcour split. No, the
only thing to do is make sure Rae Dalcour understands the potential
of profit. I’m going to take my time on this deal.”
    Baylor grinned at him. “That won’t be such a
bad job after all. She’s got it all the way. Smart move, my
brother.”
    “Like I said, this is business,” Simon
replied, affecting what he hoped was a convincing matter-of-fact
tone.
    “Um-hum, sure it is. A sexy woman with a wild
reputation blows into town after a lot of years. She’s got a walk
that makes you wanna holler and it’s just business.” Baylor stood.
“Peddle it to some other sucker ‘cause I ain’t buyin’.” He strolled
to the door.
    “Hey, my mind isn’t always in the same
direction when it comes to a fine woman,” Simon shot back.
    Baylor whirled to point at him. “So you think
she’s fine? That’s how it starts. Like I said, danger ahead.”
    “Get a grip. This isn’t 2003 or 1963. We’re
not locked in the past, Baylor.” Simon looked out the window at the
restored storefronts, some dating back to the 1880s. “I think we
all know it’s time to move on.”
    “You could be right. All I know is that
people are talking about it again, like it happened yesterday. Be
careful of Ms. Dalcour.” Baylor paused before leaving. “Darcy, too.
Like I said, something is up with him.”
    “Lighten up. This is a simple transaction.
She’ll leave town and life will go on.”
    “I hope you’re right,” said Baylor with a
look that showed he was not convinced in the least. “See you
later.”
    Simon stared after him for a few minutes.
He’d tried to convince Baylor that Rae Dalcour meant only business;
now what about convincing himself? He tried to think of the shapely
woman, a look of worldly wariness in those big brown eyes, without
feeling she was a mystery he wanted to solve. Simon shook his head
as though to clear it. Man, you gotta be out of your ever-lovin’
mind!
    A booming male voice came from the outer
office. Another excellent reason to curb this train of thought,
Simon mused. A loud knock sounded, only to be followed by the door
swinging open immediately.
    “Hey, son! How’s my boy?” Tall with a light
tan, Joseph St. Cyr was still a commanding figure at
seventy-five.
    “Hi, Papa Joe,” said Simon, getting up to hug
his grandfather. “Come on in here. This is a rare visit. Since you
retired, you avoid any place that reminds you of work.”
    “Working your butt off for forty years will
do that to you, Simon. Of course you’re working for yourself, which
is different.” Papa Joe glanced around the office. “This is why I
laid bricks for Acme all those years – to see my sons and grandsons
have their own businesses.” He lost his smile at the reference to
Simon’s father. “How is your daddy?”
    “You could pick up the phone once in a while
and ask him.”
    Papa Joe sat down with a grunt. “Well he
could do the same,” he retorted. “Phillip threw away a chance to
build something for you. I handed him the future and he spat in my
face.”
    “Daddy didn’t want to be in the bricklaying
business, but Uncle James did.” Simon had heard this