The Pepper in the Gumbo (Men of Cane River #1)(15)
She leaned back, absent-mindedly fiddling with the rings on her necklace. Either it was a staged photo or the man had style and money. Money for the expensive shirt and tie, style to pull it all together with a sly smile. Or it wasn’t even him. BWK could be anyone, anywhere.
Something about that thought gave her courage and she hovered the mouse over the contact button, and then finally clicked. There was an email address but any messages probably just got some automated response. Alice chewed her bottom lip and then quickly opened her email, pasting in the address. She didn’t know what to write. She wasn’t even sure why she was writing him. But she felt compelled to reach out, even knowing she must be one of literally hundreds of people wanting to make a connection to this person.
Dear Mr. (or Mrs.? Miss?) Keats,
I’m sure I’m one of thousands who feel the need to write and thank you for your hard work. I can’t imagine the time and effort needed to create and maintain this website, unless you have a dedicated team of assistants. No one solely interested in monetary gain would give this much of his or her time.
Alice stared at the screen for a moment. That was enough. He didn’t need to know anything about her and probably wouldn’t read it anyway. But she found herself continuing.
I own a bookstore dedicated to rare and classic books. I just met one of your customers. She’d discovered Beau Geste and was looking for more of P.C. Wren’s work. I suppose you could say that I’m writing to thank you for the sales. My shop is suffering and has been for a long while, so this was a wonderful surprise on a usually quiet morning.
I wish everyone had access to real books, but if that’s not possible, I’m glad they get a chance to experience them on a screen.
If there’s ever anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Alice Augustine
By the Book
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Alice pushed send before she could change her mind. She really wasn’t one to send fan letters, but this was more of a thank you note, really. Plus, nobody was on the other side of that email, probably.
“There you are.” Eric’s voice made her jump in her chair. “Did you get my message?”
Alice turned, feeling her face flush with guilt. She closed her laptop and stood up, catching her thigh painfully on the edge of the desk. “I’m so sorry! I forgot to call you back.” She reached out to give him a big hug but he stepped back.
“I really feel like you’re ignoring me, Alice. Maybe I should ask you to pencil in a few minutes on your calendar because just calling doesn’t seem to be working. Maybe I should make an appointment.” Eric’s handsome face was devoid of any humor.
Alice felt, to her horror, a laugh welling up. The stress of the legal problem and the surprise of seeing him made her want to laugh. And she couldn’t force back the realization that Eric sounded just like a girl she was friends with when she was little. Well, not really friends, because Lorinda nagged her incessantly so that their play times always went exactly as she wanted.
“You think this is funny? I’m not kidding.” Now his arms were crossed and he was giving her a look of total outrage.
“I’m sorry. I’m―” Alice covered her face for a moment and tried to get control. Eric was a nice guy. She really shouldn’t be laughing at his very understandable pique. “I had a shock this morning.”
“Excuse me, I think I have everything I want.” Karen’s soft voice interrupted the tense moment and Alice stepped to the side.
“Come right over here to the register.” She motioned toward the long counter where Charlie usually sat on a stool. Karen crossed the tile floor, glancing back at them.
“I’m sorry,” Alice whispered, reaching up on tiptoes to give Eric a kiss. “Come back at lunch time and I’ll leave Charlie in charge for a bit. We can go grab a sandwich at Babet’s Cafe. I need your advice on something.”
Eric shook his head and for a moment Alice thought he was going to walk away from her in anger. “Okay, but don’t forget. I have a root canal scheduled for two this afternoon and I can’t be late.” He softened, leaning his blond head towards hers. “I’ll meet you and we can walk over. It’s such a beautiful day.”
She gave him another quick kiss and whispered, “Promise.”
As he went out the door, Alice wondered at the way he hadn’t asked about what had shocked her, or what she needed to tell him. She thought of how many times she’d forgotten to call him. She liked Eric and enjoyed his company when she wasn’t feeling guilty about forgetting him. But something was wrong, either with her heart or with him.
Chapter Six
If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push button finger.
―Frank Lloyd Wright
Paul settled back in the leather reclining seat and did his best to ignore the fact they were no longer in contact with the earth. He closed his eyes and let out long, slow breaths. His doctor had offered to prescribe a mild sedative but Paul didn’t like the idea of taking a pill just because he couldn’t handle his fears. His mama had asked him to get the jet blessed by a priest but he never had. Now he was wondering about the wisdom of that oversight. At least he’d been to confession recently. Flying was a good way to keep himself on the straight and narrow. He really didn’t want to die in a state of sin. No matter how many times he got on a plane, he still felt the scrabble of panic in his throat as they made the slow climb into the clouds.