Free BayouBabe99er (BookStrand Publishing Romance) by Mickie Sherwood Page B

I can hire to get me out there? I need to get out there,” she repeated.
    “Sharlene—”
    She cut him off. “Are you still here?”
    “Sha, all reliable vessels are already in the hunt.” He patted her shoulder. “We wait.”
    That seemed to seal it for Sharlene, who moseyed up the hill en route to the store. Drake watched her dragging steps carry her away from him. All he could do was follow behind and monitor her progress. Her appearance caused a hush to come over the small gathering huddled on the sidewalk. He prepared to brave her wrath with one more plea when a nattily dressed man broke from the group.
    “Ms. Mouton?”
    Sharlene paused and turned at the calling of her name. “I’m Gary Maine. May I have a few minutes of your time?”
    “I have no comment regarding my uncle.” She started to push on.
    “I’m not a reporter, Ms. Mouton,” he explained. “I’m an attorney.”
    Drake and everyone within earshot listened.
    “Mr. Maine, your timing is atrocious. Please. Leave me alone.”
    Drake was about to intervene when the lawyer clarified his motives.
    “Ms. Mouton, I want to offer you a position with my New Orleans firm.”
    That stopped Sharlene dead in her tracks. She looked confused. “You came all the way down here to offer me a…a job?” Her eyes narrowed. “I don’t have any legal training, Mr. Maine. I don’t see how my presence would benefit your firm.”
    “You have exactly what we need, Ms. Mouton, a background in finance. We need a consultant.”
    “How do you know my qualifications?” she interrogated.
    “I have clients from this area since the spill. Some spoke highly of your knowledge in helping them weed through their contracts before they came to me.” His bushy silver brows slanted when his brown face frowned. “In addition, I saw your interview from last night that made mention of your blog.”
    Her eyes widened in surprise. “I didn’t say a thing about any blog,” she contested.
    “No, you didn’t,” he concurred. “The reporter did in his subsequent piece with the oil company’s spokesperson.”
    “Mr. Maine, I know I should be all over this opportunity because so many are in need of work and here you are…laying a prize at my feet.” She hesitated. “I can’t ask you to hold the position until my family situation is at least updated, if not resolved.”
    “But I can,” a voice in the background spoke out.
    Sharlene whipped to face Drake. “Butt out of my business.”
    Drake noticed everyone was looking at them as they sparred.
    “Who are you?” the lawyer asked.
    “A friend,” he said.
    At the same time, she snapped, “Nobody!”
    “Hmmm. I see.” He extracted a business card from his holder. “We’re in urgent need of your expertise. For that reason, I’ll give you a week to respond with your answer.”
    Accepting the card, Sharlene glanced at it. “Thank you, Mr. Maine. You’ll be hearing from me.”
    Drake watched the exchange as the attorney advanced on his black, foreign-made sedan.
    “Remember. One week from today.”
    Watching him drive off, she surmised anything could happen in a week.
    “Are you going to take it?”
    She turned a peeved expression on Drake. “I’d be a fool not to.”
    “I’ve got a feeling the Moutons don’t raise no fools,” he corroborated. Sharlene left him standing in the street as the crowd thinned out. He muttered out of her hearing range as he followed her into the store. “Now we may have a conflict of interest, Skeeter.”
    A sullen Sharlene went sat in a corner with her chin perched on her hands when he entered the store. It saddened him to know she was all alone in her misery. That was why he chanced another go at bridging the chasm between them. He sought Clyde out and now bore down on her with two cups of coffee.
    One cup hit the table under her nose, bringing her eyes up to his. A huge teardrop hung on her lower lid before spilling over. The sight mesmerized him as he watched it slide