“It’s the other half of the program that made me almost have a stroke.”
“You mean the love-potion stuff?”
“Precisely.”
“I knew you wouldn’t toot your own horn, Sylv. So I did it for you. Now you’ll get all the recognition you ever wanted. Your mother and all your uptight relatives will be so proud of you, they’ll probably burst their girdles.”
“Earth to Luc. Who died and named you my road-show manager? I distinctly recall telling you that I never wanted to be in the spotlight for JBX… that all I ever wanted was behind-the-scenes peer recognition.”
“Ooops.”
“Ooops? You just turned me into the laughingstock of the country… a spectacle… a freak… and all you can say is ooops.”
“Don’t you think you’re overreacting a bit? Okay, so you didn’t want to be the front man for the project. So, step back, and let Charles or some hired spokesperson take over. No big deal! The most important thing, Sylv, is that you and I are perfect proof that the love potion works.”
“I’ve put a halt on the JBX project,” she inserted brusquely.
“What?”
“You heard me. Your big announcement was for naught. There is no love potion project… for now.”
Her news clearly floored him, and he blinked with confusion. “But why?”
“I learned a few things while ensconced in your little love hideaway,” she said snidely. “Let’s just say that the love potion needs a little work, in my opinion.”
He waved a hand airily. “So, it’s just a temporary delay. You had me scared there for a minute. You and I both know what a great thing that love potion is. It brought us together, didn’t it?”
She glared at him.
But the fool just blathered on. “Look at us, honey. Two people who practically hated each other—well, I didn’t hate you but you hated me—and with the help of a handful of jelly beans, we fell in love. That’s important, sweetheart. And your invention did it all.”
“You are incredible.”
“I know. And by the way, you never actually said the words to me. Now might be a good time.” He smiled enticingly at her and patted the couch next to him.
“You couldn’t possibly be as thickheaded as you’re pretending to be.”
He stared at her quizzically, and she saw the moment that understanding dawned. “Spit it out, Sylv. What great sin have I committed now? I’ve been seeing that expression on people’s faces since I was five years old. Even when I tried to do good, it came out wrong. ‘Bad boy of the bayou.’ What did I do this time?”
She almost felt sorry for him. Almost, but not quite. “There was no love potion.”
“Huh?”
“You heard me. There was no love potion in the jelly beans you ate.”
He gaped at her, wide-eyed with wonder. “How… why… but you said…”
“There was a mix-up in petri dishes. I thought you ate the ones with my enzymes in them, but apparently you ate the neutral set.”
Then Luc did something she never expected. He began to laugh… and laugh… and laugh. He couldn’t seem to stop. He slapped his knee. He swiped at his eyes. Every time he seemed to be over his bout of hysteria, he started up all over again.
“You think this is funny?”
“I think this is hilarious, and you should, too, Sylv. It means that I was in love with you all along, and I didn’t need any damn love potion to jump-start my heart.”
She gasped. “No, that’s not what it means. It means that you played a game with me from the moment I told you that you’d swallowed those jelly beans. It was just one more form of teasing Sylvie Fontaine. How you must have been laughing behind my back!”
“Sylv, you can’t possibly believe that,” he said, jumping to his feet and pulling her up with him.
But she was deadly serious.
Luc felt everything that was important to him slipping away. Yanking a resisting Sylvie into his embrace forcibly, he hugged her fiercely, whispering against her neck, “Please, please, please…”
He wasn’t sure what he was begging for. Understanding? A second chance? Forgiveness? What?