The Pepper In The Gumbo: A Cane River Romance (21 page)

Adding sound to movies would be
like putting lipstick on

the Venus De Milo. ― Mary
Pickford

            Alice
tried to read the papers in front of her but all she could think about was the
man sitting just across the store. Paul must have some sort of meeting because
he was wearing navy slacks, a blue button-up shirt, and nice leather shoes with
thick soles. He was freshly shaved and looked well-rested. Nothing like what
Alice felt, and what was confirmed when she looked into the mirror across from
her desk. She looked old and haggard, with dark circles under her eyes.

            She
took a sip of coffee and grimaced. Cold. But she didn’t want to get up and
rewarm it. Plus, she should have offered Paul some as soon as he came in the
store. After they’d invited her over for lunch, she couldn’t even seem to
remember to offer him a beverage. She had been so sure he was there because of
the papers she’d filed, but he didn’t seem to know yet.

            What
would he say when he found out? She tried to take a deep breath and almost
choked. After a few loud coughs, she managed to get control. She sat lower in
her chair. This was torture. She felt as if every movement was magnified,
echoing through the small space. What if she sneezed? Or worse? She could feel
her face get hot just thinking about it.

            Mrs.
Gaskell crossed to her desk and wrapped herself around Alice’s feet. “Did you
come to keep me company?” she whispered, lifting the kitty to her lap. Van
Winkle wasn’t much of a cuddler and Alice appreciated visits from the more
affectionate kitties.

            Van
Winkle didn’t even bat an ear when Mrs. Gaskell stepped off Alice’s lap and
onto the desk, where she nosed around the papers. It was fine. Alice wasn’t
getting any work done anyway. All she could do was sit here and pray Bix
arrived within the next few minutes. As it was, it felt like two warring
countries in a ceasefire.

            Alice
closed her eyes. She had no idea why she thought it was a good idea to flirt,
even a little bit, with Paul. She wasn’t the type of girl who could pull off
that sort of sassy comment. And he’d turned it right back on her, leaving her
red-faced and humiliated.
I think I can tell the difference. Not always, but
every now and then it’s pretty clear.
Well, not humiliated. More like… shyly
reliving everything that was wonderful about that moment and hoping there would
be another round somewhere in her near future.

            Mrs.
Gaskell jumped from the desk to the floor with a light thump. Alice wondered
what Paul was doing. She hadn’t seen him pick out a book. Maybe he was reading
on that machine or checking his phone. She desperately wanted to peer over the little
bookshelf and check. He seemed so quiet. She sat back in her chair,
considering. It was rare to find a person who could sit in silence. Most people
needed their technology. They couldn’t face themselves, alone, and see what
might surface. It was a lost art to be at peace in the middle of the hustle and
bustle of the day. She had to admire him for that.

            She
reached for her cup and remembered the coffee was cold. Maybe she should offer
him a cup now. She sat up straight, lifting her head until she could almost see
over the short shelve between them. Then she slumped down again. That would
look horrible if he caught her peeking at him. She should just stand up and
walk to the coffee pot, then turn and ask if he wanted a cup, almost as an
afterthought.

            Alice
swallowed hard. Her knees felt shaky and she wiped sweat from her forehead. It
wasn’t so hard. Just get up.
Get up!
She forced herself to her feet,
stepped out from behind her desk and headed for the coffee pot. She could
almost feel his eyes on her. She wondered if her skirt was wrinkled in the back
and how out of control her hair looked. Resisting the urge to smooth it back,
she made it to the coffee pot and poured a cup, accidentally splashing the hot
liquid onto the hand that held the mug.

            Grabbing
a napkin and pressing it to her burning skin, she tried not to hiss in
frustration and pain. If she poured him a mug and brought it over, she just
might trip and spill it on him, the luck she was having. But if she carried her
mug back to her desk, he might think she was rude. Alice stood there, debating
for what seemed like hours, all the while feeling Paul’s gaze on her.

            Taking
a breath, she fixed a smile to her face and turned around. “Would you like―”
She broke off as she caught a glimpse of him in the chair. His head was leaned
all the way back, eyes closed, hands resting in his lap. He was completely
motionless. Alice frowned, wondering if he was meditating. Was he okay? She
crept forward, intent on his face. When she got to less than a foot away, she
could see his chest rising and falling. A faint sound issued from his throat.

            Alice
stood still, holding the mug in both hands, smiling. She couldn’t imagine
falling asleep anywhere but her bed. She wasn’t the kind of person who could
nap, even while traveling. Forget about sleeping in public, where anybody could
see you, where you were completely vulnerable. She couldn’t fathom having that
particular talent.

            It
occurred to her that she’d been agonizing over him while he slept peacefully. One
more confirmation that Paul Olivier wasn’t like her. He was an extrovert that
dealt with fans, crowds, and legions of interested females. She, meanwhile,
lost a night of sleep over one kiss.

            Now
that he was asleep, she could finally get a good look at him without feeling
awkward. She could see his mother’s features, but also the strong jaw and nose
that must have come from his father. His dark, angled, brows made him look a
little angry, even though he was completely at rest. It made her realize that
some of his expressions might be less irritated than she’d perceived. His
lashes were thick and full, true to the Creole genes. She’d thought his hair
was straight but now she could see it curling a little at the temples. His legs
were stretched out and she thought of how tall he was, at least six feet, but
his mother was more Alice’s height. She wondered if Paul had any contact with
his father.

            A
sound outside the glass door caught her attention and she looked up. Bix was
coming through the door. She barely had time to step away from Paul as the
little brass bell rang.

            “Hello,
Miss Alice,” Bix said. It sounded like a shout in the quiet room.

            She
waved him closer and pointed to Paul, who hadn’t moved a muscle. “He’s asleep,”
she whispered.

            Bix
stepped close and leaned forward until he was just inches away. Alice covered
her eyes with one hand, knowing Paul would wake up and have the scare of his
life finding Bix at close range. “That he is, Miss Alice, that he is. How did
you manage it?”

            “I
didn’t manage anything. I just offered him a seat.” She could feel her face
flaming. “He was waiting for you.”

            “For
me?” Bix rubbed his chin. “Well, what do we do now? Looks like the poor fella
needs his rest, wouldn’t you say?”

            Alice
said nothing. She didn’t know anybody who slept that deeply. Maybe he was
faking it. Maybe it was a joke and they were being filmed as a prank. She
glanced around nervously.

            “Hi,
guys!” Charlie burst through the door and almost fell flat when she saw Paul in
the chair, head back, and eyes closed. “What on earth did you do?” She had on a
black T-shirt that read ‘I Could Be Gaining Levels Right Now’ in bright yellow.
Her blue eyes, ringed with heavy eyeliner, opened wide at the scene in front of
her.

            “Shhh,”
Alice said. She needed to get away from the area before anyone else came in and
decided to join in on the store’s new spectator sport. “And why do y’all think
I did something? Do you both think I’m so crazy I’m just going to run around
drugging people?”

            Neither
of them answered, but they both gave a “well, you know” expression.

            “Fine,”
Alice hissed. “I may be a little bit crazy but I would never hurt anyone. He
sat down and fell asleep, I promise.” She frowned. “But he hasn’t moved at all.”

            “You
should wake him up. I gots to know why he wanted to talk to me.” Bix took off
his hat and started unbuttoning his coat.

            “Why
me?” Alice lifted the mug in her hand. “I can’t. I’m holding―”

            “Here.”
Charlie took the mug from her hand and stepped back. “Now you can.”

            Alice
shot her a look and then leaned over Paul. “Hey,” she said softly. There was no
response.

            Charlie
giggled and took a sip of the coffee.

            “This
isn’t funny,” Alice whispered. She crouched down next to the chair while Bix
hovered on one side and Charlie lurked on the other. For just a moment, she saw
how silly the situation was, and a laugh bubbled up inside. She forced it back
down, trying to keep her face straight. A second later, the laugh emerged as a
guffaw. Alice clapped a hand over her mouth but the dam had been breached.
After just a few seconds, her shoulders were shaking and tears blurred her
vision.

            Charlie
started to laugh just as hard, mouth open wide, one arm around her middle. It
was contagious.

            Alice
turned to ask Bix for help, but he was shaking his head, chuckling. “Now you
done it,” he said. “Once you start a-laughin’ at a time like this, it’s like
the church chuckles. You just can’t stop.”

           
Church
chuckles.
Bix’s description of the infectious, unstoppable laughter that
happened in the pew made Alice laugh even harder. She braced herself against
the chair, letting one hand fall on Paul’s knee. She wasn’t even making much
sound anymore, just a slight wheezing with each spasm.

            Paul
bolted upright. “Are you okay?” He gripped Alice’s shoulders and pulled her
forward, looking into her face. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she waved a
hand, still unable to talk.

            “You
want some coffee?” Charlie managed to get out some words, most of it lost in
giggles.

            Paul
looked from Charlie, to Bix, to Alice and cocked his head. “You drew something
on my face, didn’t you?”

            Alice
took a second to digest that comment and collapsed against the chair, shaking
her head, her smile stretched in a silent rictus of laughter.

            “I
had a roommate in college that did that every single time I fell asleep.” Paul
sounded a little irritated, but mostly amused. “He shaved my eyebrows, wrote
words on my forehead with a Sharpie, took pictures of me drooling. I started
thinking it would be safer to sleep in the local bus terminal.”

            “No…
no, we didn’t touch you.” She took several breaths that ended in giggles but
the worst was over. “We would never do that. You fell asleep and I was trying to
wake you up, and it just struck me as funny how we’re all crowded around you
and what a shock it would be when you woke up surrounded by this group.” She
looked up and met his eyes. He was grinning now.

            “Well,
you should have taken your chance while you had it. I’m a deep sleeper. I
always have been. I grew up in a house about forty feet from the train tracks.
I learned to tune it all out.” He stretched his hands over his head. “Sorry
about the impromptu nap, but at least y’all got some entertainment out of it.”

            Alice
stood up, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “I don’t know how you can sleep
like that in public. I’d be afraid to ever shut my eyes.”

            He
stood, holding the box in one hand. “I don’t usually. It was just so peaceful
in here and this chair is heavenly.” He smiled. “I was up late talking to a
friend.”

            As
soon as the words left his mouth, Alice felt a sharp stab of jealousy. She turned
to hide her expression as the words registered. It didn’t matter who he was
talking to, friend or girlfriend. She shouldn’t even care.

            “Bix,
let Paul show you what he brought.” She kept her voice carefully cheery.

            As
Paul opened the box and turned on the e-reader, Alice went back to her desk.
She felt totally exhausted, as if she’d run several miles. The conversation in
the store barely reached her as she dropped into her chair. She’d just laughed
until she cried, but now all she wanted to do was cry. Whether from stress or
lack of sleep, her emotions were too close to the surface.

            She
reached up to cradle her parents’ rings in her hand, but didn’t find them. She
felt her body go cold. She stood up, reaching around her neck, frantically
feeling for the chain. It was gone.

            She
jumped from behind the desk and crouched down, peering at the area underneath.
It had to be here somewhere. She leaped up, turning in a circle, scouring the
store for a hint of gold.

            “Just
press here to adjust the font and―” Paul broke off as she paced the
floor. “Alice?”