Calumet
Calumet
Synopsis
Jaxon Lavigne left the small town of Chackbay, Louisiana, to
escape disapproving parents and has never looked back.
She’s now a popular English lit professor. Life is good. Really.
The only problem is the invite in her mailbox. Who in their
right mind has a fifteen-year high school reunion?
Iris Long’s days are predictable. She did the safe thing and
married the high school quarterback. While her life isn’t a
grand love affair, it’s comfortable, and as the secretary at
the local high school, she can see her daughter and son
throughout the day. Her family is great, but Iris longs for the
one person she can’t have.
Jaxon comes back to town amid gossip that started sixteen
years earlier and never really died down. After crushing on
Iris in high school, seeing her again is a welcome surprise.
But it’s Iris’s daughter, Sean, whose dark hair, blue eyes,
and brilliant mind are startlingly like Jaxon’s own who
exposes scars from small town secrets.
Jaxon has been kept in the dark by those she loves most,
including Iris. But when the truth is finally revealed, will she
leave for good?
Praise for Ali Vali
One More Chance
“This was an amazing book by Vali…complex and multi-
layered (both characters and plot).”—Danielle Kimerer,
Librarian (Nevins Memorial Library, Massachusetts)
Face the Music
“This is a typical Ali Vali romance with strong characters, a
beautiful setting (Nashville, Tennessee), and an enemies-to-
lovers style tale. The two main characters are beautiful,
strong-willed, and easy to fall in love with. The romance
between them is steamy, and so are the sex scenes.”—
Rainbow Reflections
The Inheritance
“I love a good story that makes me laugh and cry, and this
one did that a lot for me. I would step back into this world
any time.”—Kat Adams, Bookseller (QBD Books, Australia)
Double-Crossed
“[T]here aren’t too many lesfic books like Double-Crossed
and it is refreshing to see an author like Vali continue to
churn out books like these. Excellent crime thriller.”—
Colleen Corgel, Librarian, Queens Borough Public Library
“For all of us die-hard Ali Vali/Cain Casey fans, this is the
beginning of a great new series…There is violence in this
book, and lots of killing, but there is also romance, love, and
the beginning of a great new reading adventure. I can’t wait
to read more of this intriguing story.”—Rainbow Reflections
Stormy Seas
Stormy Seas “is one book that adventure lovers must
read.”—Rainbow Reflections
Answering the Call
Answering the Call “is a brilliant cop-and-killer story…The
crime story is tight and the love story is fantastic.”—Best
Lesbian Erotica
Lammy Finalist Calling the Dead
“So many writers set stories in New Orleans, but Ali Vali’s
mystery novels have the authenticity that only a real Big
Easy resident could bring. Set six months after Hurricane
Katrina has devastated the city, a lesbian detective is still
battling demons when a body turns up behind one of the
city’s famous eateries. What follows makes for a classic
lesbian murder yarn.”—Curve Magazine
Beauty and the Boss
“The story gripped me from the first page…Vali’s writing
style is lovely—it’s clean, sharp, no wasted words, and it
flows beautifully as a result. Highly recommended!”—
Rainbow Book Reviews
Balance of Forces: Toujours Ici
“A stunning addition to the vampire legend, Balance of
Forces: Toujour Ici is one that stands apart from the rest.”—
Bibliophilic Book Blog
Beneath the Waves
“The premise…was brilliantly constructed…skillfully written
and the imagination that went into it was fantastic…A
wonderful passionate love story with a great mystery.”—
Inked Rainbow Reads
Second Season
“The issues are realistic and center around the universal
factors of love, jealousy, betrayal, and doing the right thing
and are constantly woven into the fabric of the story. We
rated this well written social commentary through the use of
fiction our max five hearts.”—Heartland Reviews
Carly’s Sound
“Carly’s Sound is a great romance, with some wonderfully
hot sex, but it is more than that. It is also the tale of a
woman rising from the ashes of grief and finding new love
and a new life. Vali has surrounded Julia and Poppy with a
cast of great supporting characters, making this an
extremely satisfying read.”—Just About Write
Praise for the Cain Casey Saga
The Devil’s Due “A Night Owl Reviews Top Pick: Cain
Casey is the kind of person you aspire to be even
though some consider her a criminal. She’s loyal,
very protective of those she loves, honorable, big on
preserving her family legacy and loves her family
greatly. The Devil’s Due is a book I highly recommend
and well worth the wait we all suffered through. I
cannot wait for the next book in the series to come
out.”—Night Owl Reviews The Devil Be Damned “Ali Vali
excels at creating strong, romantic characters along
with her fast-paced, sophisticated plots. Her setting,
New Orleans, provides just the right blend of
immigrants from Mexico, South America, and Cuba,
along with a city steeped in traditions.”—Just About
Write Deal with the Devil “Ali Vali has given her fans
another thick, rich thriller…Deal With the Devil has
wonderful love stories, great sex, and an ample
supply of humor. It is an exciting, page-turning read
that leaves her readers eagerly awaiting the next
book in the series.”—Just About Write The Devil
Unleashed “Fast-paced action scenes, intriguing
character revelations, and a refreshing approach to
the romance thriller genre all make for an enjoyable
reading experience in the Big Easy…The Devil
Unleashed is an engrossing reading experience.”—
Midwest Book Review The Devil Inside “The Devil Inside is
the first of what promises to be a very exciting
series…While telling an exciting story that grips the
reader, Vali has also fully fleshed out her heroes and
villains. The Devil Inside is that rarity: a fascinating
crime novel which includes a tender love story and
leaves the reader with a cliffhanger ending.”—
MegaScene
Calumet
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By the Author
Carly’s Sound
Second Season
Love Match
The Dragon Tree Legacy The Romance Vote Hell Fire Club in
Girls with Guns Beneath the Waves Beauty and the Boss
Blue Skies
Stormy Seas
The Inheritance Face the Music
On the Rocks in Still Not Over You One More Chance A
Woman to Treasure Calumet
Call Series Calling the Dead Answering the Call
Forces Series Balance of Forces: Toujours Ici Battle of
Forces: Sera Toujours Force of Fire: Toujours a Vous
Vegas Nights Double-Crossed
The Cain Casey Saga The Devil Inside The Devil
Unleashed Deal with the Devil The Devil Be Damned
The Devil’s Orchard The Devil’s Due Heart of the
Devil The Devil Incarnate
Calumet
© 2021 By Ali Vali. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-901-9
This Electronic Original Is Published By Bold Strokes Books,
Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Valley Falls, NY 12185
First Edition: August 2021
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are
used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living
or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is
entirely coincidental.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any
form without permission.
Credits
Editors: Victoria Villaseñor and Ruth Sternglantz Production
Design: Stacia Seaman Cover Design: Tammy Seidick
eBook Design: Toni Whitaker
Acknowledgments
Who remembers their last high school class reunion? My
class decided our senior year ours had to happen every five
years. They’re always interesting in that you get to see in
those increments of time what your fellow classmates have
done with themselves. Some of them really surprise you.
Thank you, Radclyffe, for the opportunity to create my own
version of whatever topic pops into my head. Thank you,
Sandy, for keeping me on track and for all you do. The BSB
family is an awesome group to be a part of, so thank you to
the whole team for your support and hard work. I appreciate
every one of you.
Thank you to my awesome editors Victoria Villaseñor and
Ruth Sternglantz. Vic, thank you for all those lessons. I have
to admit emotions are a good thing. You and Ruth have
taught me so much and I appreciate both of you. Tammy
Seidick, thank you for another awesome cover—I love it.
Thank you to my first readers, Lenore Beniot, Cris Perez-
Soria, and Kim Rieff. Your comments, questions, and
commentary really are always awesome.
A huge thank you to every reader. There’s no way I would’ve
ever gotten to thirty without you. You guys send the best
emails, so every word is written with you in mind.
Hopefully, we’re one step closer to finally seeing each other
at different events and catching up. A worldwide pandemic
was not on my bucket list, but hopefully everyone was in
good company when the world went quiet. Thanks to C, who
kept me laughing and sane throughout. There’s a whole
world out there yet to be explored and I can’t wait to get to
it. Verdad!
For C
and
all my English teachers through the years
CHAPTER ONE
Eager. Gung ho. Voracious. Zealous. Dr. Jaxon Lavigne
glanced back at her class and saw none of that. They were a
week into the semester, and most of the students in here
would be free not only for the coming spring but for the rest
of their lives once they graduated. The key phrase was if
they graduated. For a few of the overly unmotivated, reality
meant putting off graduation until the end of May or facing
her again in the summer.
“Remember, people.” She put her chalk down and turned
after writing out the instructions on the board. “There will be
weekly assignments, and no, they are not worth eighty
percent of your grade. Your midterm and final will count for
enough to pull you out of the hole some of you have already
started diligently digging, so might I suggest you moderate
your drinking and read.”
They were awake enough to laugh and lift their heads
from their various electronics so they could ask questions.
As seniors they’d lost that shyness most college freshman
had at the very beginning, which made for a better
experience as a teacher. This was the reason she’d become
an educator. It was a bug she’d caught in high school when
she sat in Miss Landry’s class, enraptured in the new world
she’d introduced her to. All those books she’d read and
found escape in were stories she wanted to share with her
students, and she hoped they’d be as passionate about
them.
“Time’s up,” she said when she looked at the clock by
the door. “Don’t forget the assignment and my office hours.
Hopefully there’ll be a vast improvement from last semester
when I saw no one. If you follow that path, I’ll have no
choice but to believe you know all this stuff and don’t need
a grading curve on exams. If you need anything, stop by,
but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to listen to you beg if you
haven’t done the work. We should get that out there right
off.”
“Still a hard-ass.” Dr. Robert Butler was waiting outside
her classroom and shook his head as she shouldered her
bag. “If anyone needs to find all the beautiful people on
campus, someone should send them here. The sexy
teachers attract all the sexy students.”
“Have you always been this hilarious?” She lifted her
hand to flick Bert in the head, but he moved too fast for her
to make contact.
They’d been friends since the third grade when the new
kid with the whitest sneakers she’d ever seen had come up
and introduced himself. Bert was her best friend and had
followed her from that small town in Louisiana to LSU when
she got a scholarship to play softball, then on to UCLA
where she’d gotten her master’s and doctorate. That felt
like a lifetime ago, and they were still at UCLA, only now
they were faculty. Bert had received his doctorate in math a
year before she’d finished, and she loved that she saw him
every day.
“You know you’re a superstar. Most of those girls sit in
there and talk about Billy Shakespeare only so they can
undress you with their eyes.” Bert pushed his glasses up
more out of habit than their needing adjustment.
“Billy Shakespeare?” She laughed and stepped outside. It
was sunny and warm, but nothing like summers back home
where the humidity alone would make you contemplate
moving to Antarctica. “Thank God you understand calcul
us,
buddy.”
“What are your big plans for tonight?” Bert was
successful in his career, but that luck hadn’t translated into
his dating life, so he often turned to her for company.
“There’s a showing of Pride and Prejudice at that place close
to my house.”
“Let me check with Margot, but that sounds good.” They
walked three buildings over and she let him enter first. Her
office was on the second floor, and the department head
was on the first. Dr. Ian Hadley was in his late sixties but still
loved being in the classroom, and he loved the staff he’d
put together. Jaxon was just glad to be part of his team.
“Please promise Margot’s not going to try to set me up
again. I love your girlfriend to death, but she has horrible
taste in men. Not that I mind going out with good-looking
actors, but all that last guy wanted to do was comb my
chest hair.”
“Do you have chest hair?” she teased him, and it earned
her a slap to her arm. “And of course Margot has terrible
taste in men. That’s a big duh.”
“Well, I need her to start refining her talent. You found
someone wonderful, and I have a magnet for weirdos.”
“Come on, if I had chest hair, I’d like someone to comb
it.”
“You don’t have chest hair? I find that shocking, Dr.
Lavigne.”
“Shut up and keep Viola company in case some of my
students show up.” Her assistant, Viola Morehouse, blew her
a kiss when she walked in and followed up with one for Bert.
“I’m sure there’ll be a few sick grandmothers who need their
attention, so they can’t be blamed for their apparent
laziness at the end of the semester.”
“I fell for that shit the first year I was here.” Bert shook
his head and dropped into the chair across from her desk.
“The imagination of the young. It’s entertaining but also
annoying.” She flipped on the coffee maker Margot had
gotten her and set up two cups. “Are you getting your car
back soon?” Her mornings this week had started earlier than
usual since she’d had to make time to pick Bert up. “Buying
a new car isn’t a sin, you know.”
“But I love my car.”
“It is a step up from the purple Gremlin you had in high