The Pepper in the Gumbo (Men of Cane River #1)(30)

“What on earth prompted that?” Bix asked. “I’m not saying you done wrong, sha. Not at all. Just curious timing if you ask me.”

“It’s a long story,” Alice said, sighing. “Let’s just say he got in the way of a sale.”

Bix’s smile grew wider and wider until he finally burst out in a belly laugh. “That boy don’t have a lick of sense. If he had any brains, he would have been helping you run this place, not gettin’ in the way.”

“Well, it’s over now and I need to grab some lunch.” Alice shoved some papers into a drawer under the counter.

“Are you going to give them the tour of the apartment?” Charlie hopped down from her stool as if she thought she might be invited along.

“What tour?” asked Bix.

“No, I’m not,” Alice said. She turned to Bix. “Paul Olivier wants to rent the other half of the upstairs. And I wish he would find some other place to live. I think he’s doing that just to spite me.”

“Spite you? Girl, he just bought the priciest manuscript we have and he’s going to pay rent in your building when he could live anywhere.” Bix shook his head. “If you call that spite, then I want to see your idea of a good deed.”

“Well, I have a lot of ideas, but moving his ugly building out of our city would be a good start. I don’t know why that’s so hard to understand.” With that, Alice turned and stomped out of the store, through the back door and up the small wooden staircase leading to her apartment. The long hallway was empty and she tried to pass silently by the door to the other apartment in case they were already inside.

As soon as she was safely behind the thick oak door, she kicked off her shoes, dropped her purse on the side table, and sank onto the little entryway rug. She pulled the rings out from under her shirt and clenched them tight in her fist. She wasn’t a crier, but today had pushed her over the edge. She cried in a sad, pitiful way that felt good and annoyed her all at the same time. She knew she was being unreasonable about the apartment, but she had never been very good at conflict. How was she supposed to fight this man with everything she had when he was living under her roof?

She pressed the rings to her lips, wishing her parents were still alive. For the first time in a long time, Alice ached for a best friend. She’d never had any really good friends, unless she counted Mr. Perrault. She needed someone she could tell the whole story to and ask advice. But there was no one like that, not even close. She felt as if she were on the edge of losing everything she’d ever loved again, and there was no one for her to go to for help.

A light tap on the door jerked her upright. Maybe it was June Latraye needing her to sign the lease. She could leave it downstairs, if nobody was home.

“Miss Augustine? Are you there?” The deep voice outside made Alice stifle a groan.

She didn’t answer, hoping Paul would just go away and leave her be. She couldn’t possible have anything he needed.

He kept talking as if he knew she was there. “Miss Augustine, I’m afraid June forgot the key. She’s gone back to her office to get it but we don’t have much time. We have somewhere to be in thirty minutes. I hate to bother you.”

Alice didn’t breathe. He couldn’t know she was there.

“I’m holding a first edition, signed portfolio of Arthur Rackham prints that cost more than a small house. If you don’t have mercy on me and my schedule, think of me carrying them all over town, exposed to the sun and the humidity.” She could hear the faint smile in his voice. “I’m appealing to the book lover in you.”

She heaved herself off the floor and opened the door. At the sight of her face, Paul’s smile froze and then disappeared altogether.

Alice dragged a sleeve over her eyes. “This has nothing to do with you,” she said fiercely.

“Of course not. You’ve just broken up with your boyfriend. I’d expect any normal person to want to cry about it.” He looked extremely uncomfortable.

“Oh, I did, didn’t I?” Alice started to giggle and couldn’t seem to stop. “Sorry. I’m not crazy, I promise.”

He didn’t look convinced.

“You see… I never remembered him. Not ever. It was like… he didn’t exist,” she said, laughing through her words.

“I can’t see how you’d ever forget him. He’s so annoying that I’d never get used to having him around.”

“Oh, you should hear him laugh!” She paused, trying to get control over herself. “He sounds like a horse. Like this,” she said, and did her best imitation of Eric’s whinny, putting in a few snorts for good measure.

Paul’s expression made her laugh even harder. She clutched the door frame with one hand and her stomach with the other.

“You must be a saint to ever have given him the time of day,” he said.

“I’m no catch, myself.” Alice wiped her face once more. “You can imagine that there aren’t a lot of guys willing to take a chance on…” She looked up at him and gave a wry smile. “A technologically-backwards woman who runs a failing bookstore and owns too many cats.”

He didn’t laugh. “About that, I really didn’t mean―”

She waved a hand. “Doesn’t matter.” Alice took a deep breath. “Look at me, telling you my boyfriend woes while you’re politely waiting for a key.” She turned and crossed the living room, her bare feet making soft sounds against the wood floor. Reaching up onto the carved mantel above the fireplace, she felt around for the spare key.