Page 120 of The Cajun Doctor

“A pilot,” Aaron corrected, as he shook Edgar’s hand. “A hotshot pilot.” He looked freshly showered and shaved, must be going to work. After a five-minute tour of the premises, Aaron patted him on the back. “I’m impressed, bro. Looks like you have everything under control.”

Hardly. My life is out of control.

“Luc called this morning. He and the feds will be here this afternoon. Are you going to be around, or should I tell Luc you’re hiding out like a wimp?”

“I’ll be here,” Daniel said. He probably would have made some excuse if Aaron hadn’t pre-empted him with the wimp accusation. Daniel wanted to ask about Samantha, and Aaron knew he wanted to ask, if his smirk was any indication, but Daniel would be damned if he would give in first.

“Do you happen to have a crowbar? I could pull up . . .” Edgar stopped midsentence as he came out onto the porch. His jaw dropped as he was staring over Daniel’s shoulder. “I think I’m in love,” Edgar said, and he appeared to be serious. “She is absolutely gorgeous.”

Damn! Samantha must have decided to join the crowd. But when Daniel turned, it wasn’t Samantha he saw. It was Lily Beth waddling toward them, and Emily was waddling right behind her, oinking joyously, no doubt in anticipation of a kiss from her best bud, Daniel.

Daniel glanced back at Edgar to see if he’d been teasing. But no, Edgar stood gaping, not at Emily, of course, but at Lily Beth, like a poleaxed teenager at first sight of his first nude woman. And Lily Beth stopped at the broken gate, staring at Edgar with equal appreciation.

Daniel and Aaron exchanged glances and raised eyebrows.

Emily trotted forward and Daniel picked her up like a baby with her snout on his shoulder.

Aaron gave him a look of disgust.

“Tante Lulu keeps harping about some thunderbolt of love, but maybe she meant Edgar, not me,” Daniel said, even as he stroked Emily’s bristly back. But then he set the pig down so she could do some exploring in the yard.

“Or not me, either,” Aaron added. “She’s been after me with her matchmaking wand, too.”

But the contrast! A very pregnant almost-doctor of physics and a college dropout, blue collar, unemployed worker?

Did wonders never cease?

Apparently not, because Angus came running out of the back door and along the path to the cabin. He was singing that Pharrell Williams “Happy” song and every couple steps, he stopped to do a few hip hop dance moves. When he got closer, out of breath, but smiling, he announced, “It’s over. Jimmy Guenot and his gang got arrested last night. Just saw it on Huffington Post. It’s hotdamnohmygodyippee over!”

“It’s over?” Lily Beth asked. “Really?”

“Yep. I pulled up the Times-Picayune page on the Internet to double-check, and the raid involved three mob bosses, including Jimmy Guenot, twelve other ‘soldiers’ and some sleazy lawyer/accountant. In all, they brought in ten million in loan sharking notes, fifty pounds of cocaine, a truckload of marijuana, and a warehouse full of stolen property. They also closed down a strip joint that was a front for prostitution.”

They all began to clap and then join Angus in an impromptu “Happy” dance. Not Daniel, who wasn’t much of a dancer, though he was dancing on the inside. Aaron, on the other hand, could be one of those Chippendale dancers with his sexy moves. Where did he learn that crap? And Lily Beth . . . oh, Lord! She looked like an elephant dirty dancing with Edgar whom she was calling “Eddie” already. As skinny as Edgar was, you could call it “Elephant Pole Dancing.”

That’s how out of control Daniel was. He was making jokes with himself.

Just then, it occurred to Daniel that Samantha hadn’t come outside to celebrate with them. That was odd.

“Where’s Samantha?” Daniel asked Angus.

“She stayed inside to start packing her bags. She’s pissed at you.”

“Uh-oh! More trouble in paradise!” Aaron said as he hip-bumped him in the middle of his fool dancing.

“Huh? How dare she be pissed at me. I’m the one who’s pissed. At her.”

“Dontcha just love a good pissing contest?” Aaron said, out loud, and everyone laughed, even though they had no idea what pissing contest Aaron was talking about.

In the midst of all that gaiety, Daniel left the premises.

He was not going to be here when she left.

The gig is up . . .

Samantha kept watching for Daniel to come see her all morning and then into the afternoon. When the two feds, along with Luc and John LeDeux, arrived at three and there was still no Daniel, she had to accept that he wasn’t just avoiding her, he was saying good-bye. Sayonara. Adios. Every which way but in person.

“Where’s the doctor?” Brad Dillon asked. He wasn’t wearing a suit and tie today, but he was wearing a blue dress shirt . . . the collar unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up . . . tucked into black slacks.