The Pepper in the Gumbo (Men of Cane River #1)(63)

The lines of his mouth had gone tight. He inhaled slowly. “Okay, so we’ll search all the way from here to there.” He looked around. “Bix, why don’t we-- No, actually, Alice could use you better here. Charlie, do you want to walk with me to city hall? We’ll look along the boardwalk while y’all search the store.”

“Sure!” Charlie jumped at the chance, her face lit up with eagerness.

“I have a meeting at four,” Paul said, turning to Alice. “But we’ll search as long as we can and then we’ll regroup back here.”

Alice nodded, a feeling of disbelief washing over her. That wasn’t the reaction she was expecting. Not a single comment about the papers. Maybe he was so confident that he didn’t feel threatened at all, but his expression said differently.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Paul nodded. “Come on, Charlie,” he said. They walked out of the store, scanning the ground as they went. Or Paul scanned the ground while Charlie walked next to him, clearly in awe of getting to walk around town with her hero.

There was a minute of silence and then Bix cleared his throat. “That’s a good man, right there. I know you two have your troubles.”

Alice nodded, her throat closing around the words she wanted to say. Maybe she’d made a mistake. Maybe Paul wasn’t an arrogant, ruthless, business man trying to take over the city. But then again, sometimes people were personally very nice while running cut-throat companies. Except he was more than very nice. He was patient, kind, and faithful. Everything he had done showed his character to be noble, just like the heroes in all her favorite books.

Bix seemed to understand she couldn’t even begin to discuss what was happening with Paul. “Well, let’s start at this end of the store and then work our way upstairs.” Bix gripped the counter and slowly lowered himself to a kneeling position on the hard tile.

“Oh, don’t get on the ground, Bix.” Alice rushed forward to heave him up, but he waved a hand.

“Sha, you know my eyesight. I’ll have to go inch by inch. And don’t you think twice about it. I know how much those rings mean to you.” He was already sweeping his hands back and forth, creeping toward the desk.

Alice choked back a sudden wave of emotion. She didn’t deserve any of these people. She was petty and stubborn. She’d rather alienate someone who had made only a positive difference in their lives than admit she was wrong. Lord, I’ve gone so far down this path I don’t know how to turn around.

She got to her knees, feeling the cold bite of the tile against her skin. She skimmed her palms along the floor, blinking back tears, just as blind as Bix.





Chapter Nineteen


Tweeting is like sending out cool telegrams to

your friends once a week.—Tom Hanks



“I can’t believe Miss Alice is trying to stop your store from opening. It’s totally unfair,” Charlie said. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her face was like thunder. “I just want you to know that even though I work there, I don’t agree with her at all. She’s totally obsessed with keeping technology away, like her lifestyle is more pure, or something.”

Paul stopped walking and scanned the sidewalk. When Alice lost her necklace, it would have fallen inside her shirt, and then down, maybe bouncing off her leg as she walked. Or maybe it was outside her shirt and it fell directly to the sidewalk. He clenched his fists in frustration. How could two people find something so small in all this space? Charlie’s words filtered into his thoughts and he raised his head.

“Don’t be too harsh on her. I get her point, in a way,” he said.

“What? But you know that computers are the best thing ever!”

“No, not really.” He turned, scanning the other direction. He could use a metal detector for the grassy areas. And more people. If Alice didn’t find it in the store, there would only be four of them out here looking. Bix’s eyesight was too poor, but he could get Andy to help. And his mother. Maybe they could put up flyers and offer a reward. “Computers aren’t the best thing ever. They’re a tool. And games are simply entertainment.”

She made a sound of pure disbelief.

“Listen,” he said, turning to face her. “I spent five hours a day playing Atari at my friend’s house when I was a teenager. I played more than that every day when I went to college. I was such a techno geek I worked three jobs so I could get the latest controllers and games and equipment. My dream vacation is a big comfy couch with a giant screen and a couple hot new releases of some game I didn’t design because knowing the cheats isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.” He paused for breath. Pedestrians wandered by, sending curious glances at the two of them. “But technology is a tool and this stuff is just entertainment. What I do isn’t saving the world. Having a few million Twitter followers doesn’t really mean anybody likes me.”

“But we do!” Charlie shook her head. “You’re the very coolest guy ever!”

“I mean,” he said, trying to find a way through to the teen girl, “you like who you think I am. You like what is presented to you, what you’ve been given as marketing.”

She frowned at him. “So, you’re not like that at all? Going to Comic-Cons and cosplaying with fans and everything?”