The Pepper in the Gumbo (Men of Cane River #1)(31)

“Just so you know, I was kidding about the portfolio. I wouldn’t haul it all over the city,” Paul said.

“Good.” Alice came back and handed him the key. She wondered if sixty thousand dollars even meant anything to a guy like Paul. “And just so you know, not all my cats are named after romances.”

His neck went red. “That was rude of me.”

“It’s funny now, actually. But I wasn’t angling for another apology.” She pointed to the box. “The fat one who sleeps on my desk and never moves is named for a little-known picture Mr. Rackham drew of…” She smiled. “I shouldn’t tell you. You’ll have to figure it out.”

Paul opened his mouth, then abruptly closed it again. “No, don’t tell me. I’ll have to look through these and maybe Google a bit. Give me some time and I’ll figure it out.”

They stood there smiling at each other until Alice remembered that she’d just been weeping out of frustration over this man and all the trouble he’d brought into her life. “I should probably make some lunch and get back downstairs. Go ahead and let yourselves in. Give the key back to June or leave it in my mail slot downstairs. Let me know if you need anything else.”

He nodded and stepped out of the doorway. “Will do, Miss Augustine.” Then he turned. “This is probably the wrong time to mention it, but…”

She waited. It would never be a good time, really.

“Can I ask what security measures you have on the building?”

“Oh, I see. Personal safety must be a real issue, as famous as you are.” She didn’t mention the wealth part. It was obvious he must deal with threats and stalkers fairly often. “Maybe we can add some extra locks or an outer door to the back side of the building, where the apartment stairs exit to the alley.”

“No, actually, I meant for the bookstore.” He looked down at his portfolio. “I was surprised to see such valuable manuscripts and no security. If you don’t mind my saying, I think you should have a security system in place.”

Alice wanted to say no, she really didn’t need anything like that. It was for city folks who relied on electronics instead of their neighbors. But maybe was foolish to leave the inventory unprotected. She wished she could ask Mr. Perrault for advice. The locks had been good enough for him and Mrs. Perrault. “Okay. I suppose I can look in the yellow pages and call around.”

“I know a great company, actually. I think they have a store in Natchitoches, too. If you’d like, I can have them come do a walk through.”

She nodded, but inside Alice wasn’t sure she wanted to commit to an expensive alarm system she might not know how to turn on and off. And when the experts came in, of course they’d recommend the biggest, most elaborate set up. She sighed. Some days she felt as if she was in completely over her head, in every area.

“Have a good lunch.” He seemed as if he wanted to say something else, but turned and walked down the hallway.

Alice closed the door more softly this time and leaned her ear against it, waiting until his footsteps faded away before she let out a long breath.

She could do this. It was only a matter of separating the man from the business. It wasn’t personal. Successful business people did it all the time.

Alice closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the door. Unfortunately, she had never been very good at making any kind of decisions without her heart. Anybody looking at her group of stray cats would be able to see that. She would have to see Paul Olivier not as the handsome-but-slightly-awkward hometown boy who seemed to know her better than anyone else. She would have to see him as a corporate entity. And to do that, it was probably best if she didn’t see him at all. From here on out, she would avoid Paul Olivier no matter the cost.





Chapter Ten


I just invent, then wait until man comes around to needing what I’ve invented.

―R Buckminster Fuller





Paul couldn’t help grinning as he made his way down the hallway. He knew exactly which Rackham picture inspired that cat’s name. Some might say the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, but Paul immediately thought of Rackham’s sketch of Rip Van Winkle. He wondered if Alice or the previous owner had named him,. He paused, key in hand, trying to remember the man’s name. The way Alice talked about him explained a lot about her devotion to the store. This place wasn’t just a book store, it was her heart. But that was never a good way to run a business.

He turned the key in the brass lock and let the door swing open. The apartment was similar to Alice’s, with pine floors and a grand fireplace in the large living room. The long brick wall that the two apartments shared was bare of anything, even shelves. He peeked into the large but outdated kitchen, then the two bedrooms. It would do, unless Andy really objected, which wasn’t likely. He wasn’t pretentious.

As soon as Andy arrived, he’d call for the luggage and the scanner to be brought from the plane. And then he’d have to give the place a tech overhaul.

His cell phone rang and he answered it without checking the screen. “Andy, are you even close? Maybe we should meet at the building site in ten minutes.”

A girlish giggle sounded in his ear. “Sweetie, it’s me. Holly.”

Paul was momentarily speechless. If he’d had to pick the top one hundred people who might be on the other end of that phone call, his long-forgotten, ex-girlfriend wouldn’t have been on the list. “Oh, hey. How are you? I’m not actually in town, so…” He left the rest of the sentence unfinished.