The Pepper in the Gumbo (Men of Cane River #1)(93)

Andy played bad cop and pulled him toward the door, not sparing a glance for the disappointed fans who waved posters and games.

“Popular as ever,” Andy said as they got through the front door.

Paul shrugged. He’d never loved this part of the opening. He liked a party, but much smaller and a lot less noise. “Everything’s on schedule. Jared Darren flew in a few hours ago. He should walk on to perform right at midnight. We’ll open the doors in ten minutes.”

They’d been at the store all day, meeting with performers and directing the setup of the stage and displays. They had a great team in place, plus the two they’d flown in from Houston. But both he and Andy liked to be hands-on before the openings. If you want it done right, do it yourself they said. Usually the excitement was like a quadruple espresso shot, keeping him awake through the night.

Andy put a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s get this done and then we’ll get out of here. Straight to the jet.”

Paul nodded. “Sounds good to me.” The words didn’t set well and his stomach twisted with the lie. No part of that sounded good, but he didn’t really have any reason to stay in Natchitoches. He’d teased Andy about spending a month on the river and making a Southern boy out of him, but he couldn’t imagine running into Alice again and again. He didn’t want to go back to New York City and live as if he’d never met her, never fallen in love with her, but he didn’t have a lot of choice.

***

“Alice?”

She turned at the sound of her name and saw Mrs. Olivier walking down the sidewalk. Paul’s mother gave her a long look, then turned to Charlie. “You must be Aalyea, the dragon queen.”

Charlie flipped her blond braid over her shoulder and beamed. “Yes! It took me all week to sew this dress.” The shimmery silver gown crossed in front and then tied around the back, the skirt falling straight to the ground. Alice thought she looked more like a Greek goddess than a dragon queen, but then again, she’d never seen either one.

“And who are you cosplaying, Alice?”

She cleared her throat. “Elizabeth Barrett Browning.” She smoothed down the brown folds of her gown and straightened her lace cuffs. Charlie had borrowed a black velvet coat with lots of small, brass buttons from a friend who’d been the Headless Horseman one Halloween. It was snug on her, but over the brown dress, she did look quite a bit like a nineteenth century poetess. It took a while to get the hairdo right, parted in the middle, combed flat, and falling in ringlets. It wasn’t particularly flattering, but Alice thought it had to be better than an orc costume.

Charlie rolled her eyes. “I tried to explain to her that you’re supposed to dress like someone from the game, some character.”

Mrs. Olivia looked at Alice for a long time, the smile that touched her lips growing wider and wider. “Do you have plans for tonight, Alice?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I want to― I’m not sure how―”

Taking her hand, Mrs. Olivier nodded. “I understand. Let’s see what we can come up with together.” And she led them down the sidewalk, joining the packed crowds that surrounded the store. Alice glimpsed Mayor Cointreau getting out of his car.

“Hi, Mrs. Olivier,” a man said, standing at the end of the line, dressed in the black pants and ScreenStop T-shirt uniform of one of the security crew.

“Could you walk us inside?” She grabbed onto Charlie and Alice. “Hold on, girls. We’re going around the line.”

Charlie let out a squeal of glee and Alice glanced around. They were already attracting attention as they jumped forward, the security guard ushering them beyond the ropes. There was a bright red ribbon stretching across the front of the store, just waiting for Paul and Andy to cut it.

“Must be performing.”

“Weirdest costume ever.”

“Who is that?”

“I think it’s Lady Gaga! She wears crazy stuff. Remember that meat dress?”

Alice tried to get Mrs. Olivier’s attention. “I don’t want special treatment. I just wanted...”

“To see Paul? We’re going to have to come up with something to get his attention. These things are a real madhouse.” Mrs. Olivier laughed over her shoulder as they moved to the side of the building. The security guard flashed a badge, and two men waved them through the open, double doors leading into the main area of the store.

“You don’t mind missing the ribbon-cutting, right? We’ve got to get you set up somewhere.” Mrs. Olivier glanced around.

“Set up?” Alice swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’m not trying to ambush him. I just thought it would be nice if I came to the party.” She scanned the room, sure that Paul was going to be only a feet away. The interior looked like something from a movie. The lights were dimmed, except for spotlights shining on stacks of equipment around the perimeter. There was a stage set up in the middle of the store. Glass and steel gleamed with the reflection of multi-colored laser beams roaming the space above the first floor. There were black-shirted workers standing at the ready, their stations marked by red and black balloons.

“Of course, dear.” Mrs. Olivier squinted toward a counter. “I think you need to be a shopper who needs help. I’ll tell him it’s a friend of mine.”

“Mrs. Olivier, please.” Alice felt panic grip her. “I don’t want to lie to him just to get him to talk to me.”