The Pepper in the Gumbo (Men of Cane River #1)(33)
Can I ask what happens when someone buys one of your favorite books? In a rare bookshop, you can’t just order another. Do you give it a sending away party? Do you worry about its new home?
BWK
Ok, so he was technically fishing, but he was curious about the Rackham portfolio. She’d definitely been reluctant to let it go. Grateful, but also a little wary. And then when she’d found out who he was… He shrugged off the memory at the sound of another email hitting his inbox.
Dear BWK,
Fine! Mr. Pope knows best that “to be angry is to revenge the faults of others on ourselves.” I’m only giving myself a headache by thinking about this person.
Funny you should ask about letting go of rare books. Today I waved goodbye to a very rare item I have loved from the first moment I stepped into the store. It was difficult, I won’t lie. The buyer (that same customer who used Mr. Pope against me) assured me that the recipient of this gift will treat it well, but I can’t shake that little whisper of worry. It’s one of only twenty like it in the entire world. I feel an obligation to protect it from harm. I feel like my heart is wandering around in the world, closed up in a box. It will probably be set carelessly on a shelf, soon to be forgotten.
But denying books to people doesn’t work, either.
I don’t know the answer. Maybe I wasn’t meant to own a bookstore after all.
Alice
He felt her words drop like stones into his heart. He knew exactly what had prompted her doubt.
Dear Alice,
On the other hand, “on wrongs swift vengeance waits.” Perhaps your customer felt remorse soon after. I know that I often speak before thinking. It’s my worst fault.
It must be a glorious and terrible moment, sending a beloved book out into the world. I don’t have children but I wonder if it’s like sending a half-grown child to college. My mother was cheerful and supportive when I went off to school, but recently she confessed that she cried every day. She was terrified that I would be treated badly, then come back to her damaged and disillusioned. She was brave outwardly and I never knew.
I think you are the best kind of bookstore owner.
Your BWK
He rubbed his forehead. It was weird to talk to her as if they’d never met. He stared off at the river, wondering if she was upstairs in the same spot, looking at the same view. Before he thought it through, he added another few lines.
P.S. I’ll be in Natchitoches this weekend. I’m going to the Zydeco festival this Saturday. Perhaps we’ll run into each other? “Those who move easiest have learned to dance.”
He pushed send and then stood up, feeling a thrilling combination of anxiety and happiness surge through him. Was he really thinking of telling Alice his secret? Only Andy knew about his involvement but he was completely trustworthy and his best friend.
His pulse pounded in his temples. He must have lost his mind. She’d just vowed to do everything she could to keep his company from opening in her town.
On the other hand, this might help his case. He could prove he wasn’t all bad, no matter how it looked from the outside. The phone dinged and he jabbed the icon.
Dear BWK,
I love the zydeco festival. I was intending to go, even though I don’t like big, noisy crowds. I make an exception for our Creole music. (Your Pope quote is about learning to write well, but I like it anyway.)
When you said you’d have a friend come for your book, did you actually mean yourself? Is this an unexpected trip? Have you been to Natchitoches before?
I’m sorry to ask so many questions but I’m curious now. Most of all, aren’t you supposed to keep that fedora on? If we meet, I’ll know what you look like and I could splash your picture all over those rabid message boards.
You don’t have to answer. Everyone loves a mystery. It probably draws people to your books. It’s good marketing. Plus, Mr. Pope says, “And, after all, what is a lie? Tis but truth in masquerade.”
Alice
He grinned. If he’d approached most any member of the fan boards and offered to meet them, they would have been thrilled. Alice didn’t seem to harbor the same obsession with celebrities that most people did.
Dear Alice,
Yes, I’m supposed to be anonymous, but it’s not so that I can bring in readers. I think the litigious types are less likely to file a suit if they can’t find a legal name to attach to their complaint. The only thing I hide is my name and my profession.
As for running to the fan boards… It’s true, you could.
But you wouldn’t.
BWK
Seconds later her reply came and it was only one line. He read it twice, wondering if she was angry or just curious again.
How do you know?
He paced the length of the living room before responding. He’d claimed to know what kind of person she was only hours earlier, pointing out personal items and drawing his own conclusions about her life. And he’d hurt her. He didn’t want to do that again.
He chose his words carefully.
Because you would have asked me where to meet you, instead of reminding me to keep my fedora on.
The door flew open and Andy ran through. “I’m here!” He looked disheveled and sweaty. His tie was askew and the front of his shirt was wrinkled. “This place doesn’t really have any taxis, does it? I just jogged six blocks because all I saw was a horse-drawn carriage and a whole lotta tourists.”