The Pepper in the Gumbo (Men of Cane River #1)(34)

Paul waved a hand around the room. “This is it. Nice, right? Let’s sign the lease and get stuff moved in.” He was already starting toward the door when Andy answered.

“Wait a sec. Does it have cable? Wi-Fi?” He stared around at the exposed brick walls and the carved fireplace mantel. “Looks like a museum. I can’t believe you grew up like this.”

He snorted. “Like this? My friend, in a few days I’ll take you to the little shack where I spent my youth. We can play ‘spot the cockroach’ and ‘watch those bedbugs’ and ‘no hot water for you today’. Unless they bulldozed it, of course.”

“Oh, um, wow.” Andy grimaced. “When you said you had a rough childhood, I thought you meant that you got teased for being a geek.”

“That, too. The only thing worse than being a poor kid is a poor nerdy kid that everybody thinks is crazy because he spends all his time playing video games and pretending he’s going to rule the world someday.” Paul held the door open. “Run go look at the bedrooms and see if you can survive it here for a month or two. I think this is the best we’re gonna get.”

Andy crossed the room and stepped into the hallway, opening one door and then the other. “I can survive. I took that trip to the Himalayas last year, remember? As long as I don’t have to eat eyeball soup, I’ll be fine.”

“Definitely no eyeball soup, but we do have a few regional dishes you might want to avoid.” Paul shook his head. “I’d tell you but I’m afraid you’d get right back on the jet.”

“Right. I don’t want to know.” Andy crossed through the front door and Paul followed, turning to lock the door again. “You bullied me into coming with you to this Cajun backwater and if I resist now, you’ll just feed me to the gators.”

Paul chuckled and was starting to reply when a woman’s voice cut in. “Mr. Olivier, I’d prefer you find another way to dispose of your homesick friend. We wouldn’t want our poor alligators to get indigestion.”

Paul turned, wishing with all his might it was anyone other than Alice. He couldn’t seem to avoid offending her, as hard as he tried. Her voice was light but she wasn’t smiling.

Andy held out his hand, introducing himself. “Do you live across the hall? I guess that makes us neighbors.”

Alice took his hand, her eyes still a little red from crying, and smiled sweetly. “No, it makes me your landlady.”

“Ah. Even better,” Andy said. “Then you’re the one to okay the service order to install high speed cable.” He gestured to Paul. “He’s got party plans on the brain but we’ve got to rig up our gaming system first thing. It’s a working vacation.”

Paul elbowed Andy in the ribs hoping that he would get the hint as he turned to Alice. “Did you have enough time for lunch? I’m sorry that I interrupted,” Paul said.

She slid a glance at him. “I did, thank you. A peanut butter and pickle sandwich hit the spot. It’s a comfort-food kind of day.”

He tried to think of something to say but his brain seemed to have stalled on the peanut butter and pickle.

Andy said, “We can call up the cable company, if you’d like. It would save you the hassle. Of course, they’d probably still need your okay since you own the building and they’ll need to drill holes to run the cable.”

Alice’s eyes narrowed. “I’m not sure if this building can be updated like that. It’s on the historic register. There are only so many changes we can make.”

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Paul here got the board to agree to let us build our new store right in the middle of the historic district and a lot of people told us we couldn’t do that, either,” Andy said. “Ow!” He turned and glared at Paul, who had nudged him a little too hard that time.

“He did? That’s strange since I’m on the board and I never approved that plan.” Alice’s voice was like steel. She seemed to be doing her best not to lose her cool. She closed her eyes for a moment. “I’ll check into the cable issue and let you know. Nice to meet you, Andy.”

And then she was gone, the red polka dot dress looking even better from behind, her high heels sounding on each step down the wooden stairs.

Paul sagged against the door frame. He kept his voice low. “Why did you have to bring that up right now?”

“What? If she’s the landlady then she’d be the one to―”

“I know. It’s just… we got off to a rough start,” Paul said. “She’s not really happy about the new store.”

Andy peered down the stairs and then whispered, “Then win her over. Or give me the job. I thought landladies were supposed to be old, cranky, and have a hundred cats. She’s gorgeous. Those eyes, that mouth, that―” he moved his hands in an hourglass shape and whistled.

“Well, she’s got the cranky and the cats part down.” Paul didn’t want to discuss Alice’s best features. “Look, we need to tread lightly here. She’s one of those old guard types, protecting the city from ruinous newcomers.”

“Then put on the charm. You’re the local boy. Can’t you impress her somehow?”

Paul gazed at the stairway Alice had just descended. He’d never been known for his charm and the Southern accent only worked on New Yorkers. Around here, it was standard fare. “I’m sure gonna try.”