She would never, ever forgive him.
That evening, Sylvie sat on the sofa with Blanche waiting for the local newscast to come on. Tante Lulu had called to alert her that there would be a special segment on the settlement between the Southern Louisiana shrimpers and Cypress Oil.
“Honey, you have to put this in perspective,” Blanche advised. They’d been discussing the situation between her and Luc. Her friend had already given her candid opinion of Sylvie’s red eyes and puffy nose.
“Perspective? The man is a tomcat who screws everything in sight, including his own stepmother, or almost-stepmother. And he lied through his teeth about being wildly attracted to me because of the love potion.”
“Okay, I’ll concede he deserves a few whaps in some strategic places, but, geez, Sylv, love doesn’t come along all that often.”
“But he doesn’t love me. Can’t you see? He was just pretending when he said that.”
“I was referring to your being in love. And don’t deny it, Sylv. You love Lucien LeDeux.”
Sylvie sighed, unable to repudiate that fact, much as she wished she could.
“Honey, don’t throw it away without giving him a chance to explain.”
“Explain? Oh, Blanche. What explanation can there possibly be for deliberately pulling the wool over my eyes? I knew I was out of my league with him from the start. I just didn’t realize how far.”
“And now we take you to the boardroom of Cypress Oil where a press conference is about to take place,” the announcer was saying.
She and Blanche sat up.
Seated at a long table in front of a bank of microphones was the president of Cypress Oil, Winston Oliver, who’d flown in from Los Angeles; Joe VanZandt, a Cypress Oil attorney; Deke Boudreaux, a Cypress flunky; several of the shrimp fishermen; and Luc, who looked absolutely gorgeous in a dark suit and white shirt with a floral tie. His hair had been recently trimmed.
“He got a haircut,” Sylvie murmured. For some reason, that brought tears welling in her eyes, even though she thought she’d been cried out today.
“You’re weeping over a haircut, Sylv? Why?” Blanche was staring at her with alarm.
“Because he’s already started to change, that’s why. To go on with his life.”
Blanche chuckled at her fancifulness.
Sylvie swiped at the tears and forced herself to focus on the TV screen.
VanZandt was giving the press an overview. Sylvie remembered him from grade school. He was an oily slimeball then, and still was. “It’s with profound pleasure that Cypress Oil and the Southern Louisiana Shrimpers Association announce a mutually beneficial settlement. A short time ago, the shrimpers called to our attention a pollutant problem that we were unaware of. We were shocked to find that a small amount of pollutants had accidentally escaped.”
“Oh, yeah, they were shocked, all right,” Sylvie told Blanche. “Shocked to be caught in the act.”
“As you all know, Cypress has an impeccable record for environmental protection. Therefore, we were surprised and gratified to have these issues called to our attention before they were cause for concern. We are delighted to announce that the problem has been nipped in the bud.”
“God, I’d like to nip something of his in the bud.”
Next Luc spoke. “On behalf of the Southern Louisiana Shrimpers Association, we’re proud to announce the establishment of a Bayou Clean Air and Soil Fund, thanks to a five-million-dollar startup gift from Cypress Oil.”
Sylvie had to smile at his diplomatic choice of words.
“In addition, independent investigators will be given permission to spot-check soil and water samples in and near Cypress property for the next five years, without prior notification.”
All of the Cypress people pasted cardboard smiles on their faces as Luc outlined the terms of the agreement. To say they were displeased would be a vast understatement.
“Are you satisfied with this settlement?” one local anchorman asked Luc and the shrimpers.
The shrimpers shrugged, and Luc spoke for them. “Both sides compromised in this arrangement. It’s not all that we would have wanted. Five years of inspections is nothing compared to the years of devastation in the bayou ecosystem, but it’s a beginning.”
“And what did the shrimpers promise in order to gain these concessions?”