Darcy jumped down from the top of the nearest range and Al clapped a hand to his heart. “Why’s there a big black cat in here?”
“Oh, sorry, he’s harmless, really. He’s just curious.” Alice stepped forward, trying to shoo Darcy away but he gave her an icy stare and walked between them.
“He crossed my path,” Al said in a strangled tone.
“Depends on which way you’re going.” Paul pointed toward the door. “If you go now, I don’t think your paths would technically be crossing. No telling what would happen if you stayed.”
Alice shot Paul a look. If she didn’t know better, she’d say he was jealous. “About those cable guys, I’m okay with you handling that.”
He nodded, not smiling. “Well, have a good time. Nice seeing you again, Al.” He turned and left without another word.
Alice tried to shake off the feeling that she was caught doing something wrong. Sure, they’d shared a very unplanned kiss, but they both knew there couldn’t be anything real between them. It was impossible, considering he wasn’t even going to be around very long. Of course, Al lived in LaFayette, which wasn’t exactly next door, either.
“That a friend of yours?” Al jerked his head toward Paul.
“I rent out the apartment upstairs to him. Just let me sort a few papers before Bix gets here,” she said. “You’re welcome to pick out a book and have a seat.”
“Oh, I’m not much of a reader.” Al shrugged. “I think I read half of some book called Grapes of Wrath in high school. Made me depressed. I prefer music.”
Alice forced a smile. “I’ll be right back.” She angled behind her desk and pulled a few papers out from under Van Winkle’s furry body. She pretended to study them until Al wandered toward the chair.
She reached up for her parents’ rings and felt the shock of their loss all over again. Maybe she would never get used to it. She closed her eyes for a moment. It was odd how quickly a person could become attached to a situation and how long it took to relearn it. A week ago, she would have loved to go out to lunch with Al. Even now, it sounded like a pretty good idea. But the reality was that since Paul had taken up residence in her head, she couldn’t help comparing every other guy to him.
Stacking the papers with a little more force than necessary, Alice straightened her shoulders. She would go to lunch and have a wonderful time. The best way to get Paul out of her head was to give herself some space from the store, from the building, and from Paul.
***
Chapter Twenty
The internet is a telephone system that’s gotten uppity. ― Clifford Stoll
“We need to be wired for several routers,” Paul said.
The cable guy pushed his cap back on his head. “Sure, we can get ya set up, but we’re gonna have to make some holes. We’ll bring it up the side of the building and drill right about here.” He pointed to an area near the windows that faced the river.
Paul glanced around. The exposed-brick living room wall wasn’t going to make setting up their gaming gear very easy but it had to be done. They’d been here almost a week and had been limping along with tablets and 4G hotspots. Even getting into his email was painfully slow unless he used his phone. “Do what you need to do. It had to be updated sometime, I guess.”
The man nodded and went downstairs to start the rest of the crew on the outside work. Paul wondered if Alice had considered having her apartment wired at the same time. It would be silly to have them come back. But he didn’t have a key so it wasn’t going to happen right now. He supposed he could try to call her cell phone but he was pretty sure it wasn’t anywhere near her, especially as she was out on lunch date.
Paul walked to the window and looked out. There wasn’t any reason that Alice couldn’t date someone else. They’d never even gotten close to that conversation. Al looked like just the kind of guy Alice would choose. Besides being pretty good looking, he was local, clearly steeped in Creole tradition and played in a band. Wasn’t playing in a band like some sort of super power? Women just loved that, more than a secret book seller.
He rubbed a hand over his face. That wasn’t really fair to Alice. She obviously loved books, too. He turned and paced the living room. Being jealous wasn’t a great feeling and it had been a long time since he’d been jealous over something other than another company’s graphics.
The cable guy came through the front door, barking into his walkie talkie. “Yer gonna have to drill it!” He looked up. “These old places are a pain and a half. We was gonna run the cable right up the front but I remembered Miss Alice said she don’t want it seen from the banquet.” The man clarified. “Ya know, from the sidewalk. So now we gotta go ‘round the side. Takes a lot more time and manpower. But nobody wants to pay the extra fees. Everybody’s got champagne tastes on a beer pocketbook.”
“I’ll cover any extra time and equipment. We just need to get some decent speeds in here,” Paul said.
“Gotcha. And what about the inside? Where’s your flat screen gonna go?” He walked to the fireplace. “It would look real nice right up here.”
Paul considered the room. They hadn’t bothered to set up the couch or chairs in any particular way, but the man was right. “Sure. Let’s do that. We might have another screen over on this side, but we can get a stand for it.” He pulled out his phone. “I’ve got them waiting in a warehouse near here. I’ll have them come and deliver the equipment now so we can get everything hooked up and working.”
“I’ll go down and get my tools. I hope the bricks aren’t real crumbly. Sometimes the drill don’t make much of a punch, but then the bricks start to fall apart. We might have to put in some spacers,” he said, walking through the front door.
Paul looked around at the apartment. He didn’t want to have piles of wires and cables hanging out in the open but this place wasn’t his New York City apartment, with the temperature, lights, and security controlled from any room, by voice.
Andy walked through the door and dropped his laptop on the couch. “Please tell me the cable guys are here to bring this place into the twenty-first century.”
Perching on the arm of a chair, Paul opened his arms to indicate the whole room. “Soon to be ScreenStop gaming central. No more ten-inch screens and dropped connections and music sounding like it’s coming from a toilet paper tube. The gear should be here anytime.”
“That’s a relief. I was about to join the Amish because it at this point it wouldn’t even be a hardship.”
“I’ve always wanted to live in one of these old places but I would have to make some serious renovations,” Paul said.
“Well, we’ll get ya started today.” The cable guy had come back through the door. “So, tell me how we’re gonna do this. All rooms? Or just the one?”
“All,” said Paul and Andy at the same time, then both laughed.
“Man, I miss watching TV in bed,” Andy said.
“Each room could function like a private office while we’ve got games running out here.” Paul glanced around. “This would make a great office building. Lots of character. They’d probably tear out the dividing wall and keep one kitchen, just updated as a break room.”
There was a knock at the door and two delivery men stood there, black uniforms pressed and clean, the ScreenStop seraph clear on the breast pocket. “We’ve got equipment for Mr. Paul Olivier?”
Paul came forward and signed the clipboard. “That was fast. The warehouse is fifteen minutes away.”
The shorter of the two cleared his throat and said, “We might have broken the speed limit just a bit. Mr. Olivier, I just want to say what a huge fan I am. I’ve got every game you guys have ever designed and I’ll be at the grand opening. I’m gonna camp out in line a few days before to make sure I get in.” His blue eyes shifted from Paul to Andy and back. “You guys rock. Seriously.”
Paul smiled and took two cards out of his wallet. He scribbled something on the back of each and handed them over. “Show this at the door and get in without wai
ting in line. For you, plus a guest.”
They both looked stunned. “Thank you so much,” the shorter one whispered.
“The best thanks would be everything making it up the stairs without getting dropped,” Andy called over. He tried to look serious but he’d never been able to pull it off. “And have a good time at the opening. I think we’re going to have hush puppies and gumbo and fried catfish.”
“Really?” The other delivery guy finally spoke.
Paul shot a look at Andy. He had no idea about the food. He didn’t handle that part personally. He supposed it would be the usual opening fare, catered by someone local and everything tasting like it came out of a box. And, always, non-spill drinks only.
“Maybe. It’s still under discussion.”
“Speaking of food, I’m starving.” Andy wandered to the kitchen. “I thought we were hiring a cook.”
“They’re starting next week. I thought we could live on sandwiches for a while.” Paul frowned. “Except I never went to the store.”
“Does anybody deliver?” Andy pulled out his phone. “Maybe there’s a Thai place. I’m craving Thai.”
The cable guy straightened up. “Not sure about that, but my Aunt Glynna runs the Round’emup Café two blocks down. You can get it to go. Pretty good food. A little spicy for my wife’s taste but the ribs are famous.”
“Ribs?” Andy looked down at his shirt, then at Paul. “You run down there and get us some while I’ll go change into something I can throw away.”
Paul snorted. “It’s a lot easier to eat ribs with your fingers than to use chopsticks.” He looked around. “Keep an eye on everything, okay? Alice left me in charge and if this installation goes south, it’s my neck on the chopping block.”
“Aye, aye,” Andy said. “And see if they have any biscuits like at the breakfast place. Those were great.”
“Gotcha,” Paul said and walked out the door. Halfway down the hallway, he pulled out his phone. A few hours earlier he’d called his legal team and asked them to find papers naming Alice Augustine, or anything mentioning By the Book. They got right back to him with the name of a lawyer in Houston.
He dialed the number and seconds later was transferred to his lawyer’s line.
“Mr. Kimmel, I’d like to talk to you about settling a case that was filed against a friend of mine. Her name is Alice Augustine and the claimant is named Norma Green.”
***
“Bix, I’m sorry it took me so long,” Alice said, rushing toward the desk.
“Not a problem. We had two customers. Both looking for something from that website you like.” Bix hadn’t even looked up from his e-reader.
“Browning Wordsworth Keats?” Alice set her purse down and smoothed back her hair.
“Yep.” He still hadn’t looked up.
“What are you reading?” Alice looked over his shoulder and almost giggled at how large the font appeared. Every word took almost half a page.
“Clive Cussler. I loved his books. Haven’t read them in years.” Bix touched the screen and showed her a row of book covers. “Now I got them all.”
“They look so bright.” Alice could never get over the covers. Just like the customer who showed her the first one, it seemed almost clearer than real life.
“Paul got me the fancy one that shows all the colors. It even connects to the Internet. Me and Ruby watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s last night when we shoulda been sleepin’ but we don’t regret it for a minute.”
Buying one of those was probably like tossing a penny on the sidewalk for Paul, but Alice couldn’t help being a little impressed. “You’ll be just as addicted as Charlie. All the time you used to spend doing other things, you’ll be attached to that screen.”
Bix stood up and stretched. “What other things, Miss Alice? I couldn’t see to read. I never knew I could watch those movies on the Internet. Ruby wants to watch Casablanca tonight.” He flipped the cover closed. “I feel like this little contraption gave me back a lot of my old friends. I don’t know how to thank Paul. I really don’t.”
Alice stood by as he got up from the desk. Her cheeks burned at the quiet rebuke in his words.
The front door opened and a man walked through, carrying a roll of cable over one shoulder. “We’re about done up there, Miss Augustine.”
“Thank you. Did everything go okay? You didn’t run into any problems?”
“Naw. Just the usual in these old places. This is gonna make a real nice office building.”
Alice took a moment to digest the words. “Excuse me?”
“Well, Mr. Olivier said he’d be pulling down the wall between the apartments and the bedrooms would be offices.” He frowned. “We just hooked up the two bedrooms on the one side today.”
“Pull down…?” Alice shook her head. “No, you must have misunderstood. Mr. Olivier is just here for a few weeks.”
“Huh. Well, if we’d known that we wouldn’t have drilled so many holes. We have portable signals he coulda used for the TVs.” He shrugged.
So many holes. Just the way he said those words struck fear in Alice. “Thank you. The first bill will come in the mail or do I have to go down to the office to pay it?”
“Mr. Olivier already took care of it,” he said as he headed out the door. “Evenin’, Miss Alice.”
She stood there, thoughts spinning. Did Paul think he could buy off everyone in town? Is that how he got his building permits? This is gonna make a real nice office building. Maybe Paul thought she was going to sell the building sometime soon. Alice closed her eyes for just a moment, her stomach twisting in on itself. Well, he would just have to get in line because Norma Green thought she deserved the store, too.
No, that didn’t make a lot of sense. He said he was only here for a few weeks. It had to be a misunderstanding. Alice brushed it off and refocused.
“Well, I’m headed home for the night.” Bix gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t fret so much Miss Alice. Everythin’s gonna work out.”
She nodded, trying to smile. Bix wouldn’t say that if he knew everything. She watched him walk out of the store, her chest growing tight. Bix had been part of her life for as long as she’d owned the store. She couldn’t imagine telling him that she was closing it down. She could only pray that she would never have to.
***
The smell of warm ribs made Paul’s stomach rumble. The Round’emup Café was packed, even in the middle of the week. He hoped that meant good things. His mama had called a few minutes before and said she would meet them at the apartment for dinner. He’d placed his order and waited for his number to be called. Andy texted a few minutes later that the cable guys were done and gone.
The evening was shaping up pretty nicely. Good Louisiana barbecue, high-speed Internet, his mama over for dinner, and a very productive conversation with his lawyer about Alice’s legal situation.
Paul opened his email and stared at the screen. He should wait for Alice to write him first, but he missed her. Ridiculous, but there it was.
Dear Alice,
I thought of you today. I imagined you as “fire answering fire,” the way Shakespeare wrote it. Did you triumph? Or perhaps it was just the promise of good things like Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote “as kingfishers draw fire and dragonflies draw flame.” I hope your spark brought you closer to success.
Your friend,
BWK
Paul sat back and waited. She would have closed up the shop by now and gone upstairs. He grinned at the thought of her making one of those peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. You could never say Alice was boring, that was for certain.
A familiar voice cut into his thoughts. “When we get married, she’ll have to sell the place. It’s probably not up to code and we’ll need someplace safe to raise a family. That is, if we stay in Natchitoches.”
Paul swiveled his head to the right and saw Eric, both hands covered in sauce. He had a white napkin tucked into his collar. One cheekbone sported a large purple bruise. He chewed,
bits of rib on full display. He was talking to an older, balding man.
“But I can’t loan you money on the promise of a sale sometime in the future. It don’t work that way, boy.” The man’s voice carried the sharp twang of a man right out of Tennessee. “And I sure can’t loan you money without her signin’ the building over as collateral.”
Paul edged closer. Eric must be some player to have moved on so quickly from Alice. Apparently, he was also a player with money issues.
“See, here’s the problem,” Eric said. He took a moment to wipe his fingers. “Alice has this old aunt, and she promised the old aunt that she wouldn’t sell the store, ever. Now, if Alice signs something and the aunt finds out, then it would cause a rift in the family. You see? So, she can say it, but she can’t put her signature on a piece of paper.”
Paul wanted to rewind that conversation and listen to it again. It sounded like Eric was bartering Alice’s building.
The other man shook his head. “I dunno. My bosses don’t work like that.” He looked down, putting a hand in his pocket. He pulled out a phone and tapped the screen. “I gotta take this. Be right back.”
The older man scraped back his chair and headed for the door. As he passed, Eric met Paul’s eyes. His expression went from shock to fear and then defiance.
Paul walked to the table and sat down, pushing the other man’s plate away.
“I could have you arrested for what you did the other day.” Eric glanced around, looking a little panicked.
Paul said nothing. These were the moments when he wished he had been blessed with being able to think of just the right thing. As it was, all his words were lost in rage.
“You think you can intimidate me. You think because you’ve got a lot of money that you’re better than me.” Eric had started to sweat. His forehead glistened in the dim overhead light.
Paul put his elbows on the table, not breaking eye contact. He didn’t know where to start arguing. He wasn’t anywhere near close to punching Eric, but the guy leaned back quickly.
The Pepper In The Gumbo: A Cane River Romance Page 21