The Pepper in the Gumbo (Men of Cane River #1)(71)

He turned to the back of the building and went up the narrow stairs. He hesitated for a moment at his door. Looking down the hallway, he fought to control the urge to walk down there, knock on her door, and invite her for dinner.

But BWK was more useful to Alice. She wouldn’t accept Paul’s help like she might accept BWK’s, so it was better if he just stayed away. He turned the handle and went inside, his heart sinking at the thought.

“Finally,” Andy exclaimed. “I was ready to eat my hand.”

“Here, sweetie,” his mama said. “Let me help you.” She reached for the bags and opened them. “Mmmm, Round’emup has the best ribs.” She opened the other bag. “And you got some slaw, beans and biscuits. That’s my boy.”

“Look, I even changed.” Andy showed off his T-shirt, all black with the seraph logo in deep red. “If I drop barbecue sauce on it, it won’t even show.”

“Funny,” Paul said, dropping onto a stool in the kitchen. He fiddled with the knob on the kitchen drawer. It was always loose. Maybe he could find a screwdriver.

“Uh oh.” His mama paused in the act of putting some ribs on a plate. “Mais, what happened?”

“Nothing. Why?” Paul straightened up.

“You have that sparkly vampire thing going on again.” Andy pulled an exaggerated sad face.

“Everything is fine.” He looked at the plates. “Probably just hungry. And I ran into Alice’s old boyfriend in the café.”

“The guy you punched in the face?” Andy asked.

“The who you did what to?” His mama looked from Paul to Andy, half-smiling. She looked as if she expected them to start laughing and explain that no, Paul hadn’t ever punched anyone in the face.

“It’s a long story.” Paul shot Andy a look that said he should be afraid to sleep because he was going to pay for that comment. Andy responded with an apologetic grimace.

“Alice is the gal we met at church, right? The one you were… dancing with?” She’d completely forgotten about the ribs now. “The one who supposedly hates you?”

Paul sighed. “Yes. The one who just filed a petition with the city to stop our store from opening. The one who is suing for personal hardship because my ugly building will cause her property values to drop.”

His mama put down the bag and headed for the door, her mouth a thin line.

“Wait! What are you doing? Don’t go over there and yell at her.” Paul jumped off the stool and tried to beat her to the door.

“Oh, honey, I would never do that.” His mama stepped into the hallway. “I’m fixin’ to invite her for dinner.”





Chapter Twenty-One


The ‘Net is a waste of time and that’s exactly

what’s right about it. ― William Gibson





She set off, heels clacking down the hallway. Paul stood there, immobilized.

“Well, this should be interesting,” said Andy. He dragged a bag closer and looked inside. “I’ll just get a biscuit while we wait.”

Paul shook his head. “I don’t want her to… It’s not about…”

“You’re not even forming complete sentences,” Andy said through a mouthful.

Paul looked down at himself and smoothed the wrinkles in his shirt. He didn’t shave that morning and his five-o’clock shadow was closer to an eighteen-hour one. Ducking into his bedroom, he stripped off his shirt, applied fresh deodorant, and grabbed something with a collar. Slipping it on, he buttoned it up as fast as he could. There was nothing he could do about shaving, but he ducked into the bathroom, splashed water on his face, brushed his teeth and combed his hair in record time.

Paul turned to leave and nearly jumped out of his skin. Andy was standing in the doorway, shaking his head.

“This is bad news. I don’t see this ending well.”

Paul ignored him, brushing past and heading for the kitchen. His mama wasn’t back yet, and she might not even be able to convince Alice to come, but at least he was presentable.

“Buddy, are you hearing me? Whatever is going on, it needs to stop. Romeo and Juliet isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.” Andy perched on a stool and bit into another biscuit. “Why can’t you chase supermodels like all the other billionaires?”

Paul paced the kitchen, feeling his palms sweat. “Shut up.”

Andy grinned. “That’s more like it.”

The sound of voices came down the hallway and they both froze, watching the open door. Seconds later, Mrs. Olivier appeared, leading Alice into the living room. “Come on in and make yourself comfortable. We’re just going to warm up the ribs.”

Alice looked nervous and a little wary, but she smiled brightly. She lifted a hand. “Hi, Andy. Hey, Paul.” Her cheeks were pinker than usual, but maybe that was because his mother had just pulled her from her apartment and down the hall to dinner. She’d already changed from her work clothes, now in a comfortable-looking pink T-shirt and jeans.

Paul tried to lean against the counter in a nonchalant way and put his elbow squarely onto a plate of ribs. He jerked it back, grabbing a napkin to wipe off the sauce now covering his shirt. Andy started to laugh and choked on his biscuit, almost tumbling off the stool.