Part 17 (1/2)

”No.”

Rose sighed and headed for the living room. When she returned, she was carrying a sc.r.a.pbook. ”Here. This will give you a clearer picture of who my son really is. You make yourself breakfast and take your time looking through this. That is, if you're interested.” She patted the book. ”There are things in here that might shock you, but there is more good in here than bad. Anytime the percents are up, a parent should count their blessings. It's a tough world out there, and only the strong make it. I'm proud to say I have two strong children. My husband, Carl, used to say, 'Rose, don't you worry none about those two kids of ours. We grew 'um tough.'”

Kristen was bent over, offering Manard Nelson-a local customer with a round belly and thick gla.s.ses-her advice on spices, when she heard the doorbell ring. She glanced up to greet her next customer and her heart stopped. Blu was coming through the front door. There was no way she could disappear before he saw her, no way to avoid him at all since Rose had slipped upstairs with Amanda for a fifteen-minute break.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was three o'clock. The store would close by five, and she'd planned it so she would have just enough time to make it to the bus station by seven.

Manard was saying something. Kristen didn't hear, nor could she move-Blu had spied her and their eyes locked. For a moment she couldn't look away, then she had to. She realized she knew too much about this man, too much and not enough.

”Miss? I said, I'll take the jambalaya seasonin'. The five ounce, please. I'm gonna be usin' it on shrimp and my homemade smoked sausage.”

”Good choice, Manard.” Blu stepped forward, plucked the spice off the shelf and limped to the cash register. Manard's wrapped fish sat on the counter, and Kristen watched as Blu got busy ringing up the two purchases. She watched his hands, a mix of emotions flooding her thoughts.

”That'll be nine dollars and sixteen cents, Manard.”

The older man had waddled to the register. Squintingatthe cash register's highlighted numbers, he said, ”Don't that seem high?”

”You don't want the spice.” Blu reached for thespice and hauled it back, then shoved the fish toward Manard. ”Six dollars and forty-ninecents.”

”Now wait a minute, Blu.”

”Either you want the fish or the spice, Manard. Me,I'd take the fish. That is, unless you enjoy spicy toast.”

”Toast. h.e.l.l, I gotta have more than toast for supper. But Pearl said I should pick up seasonin' for her shrimp.”

Kristen watched Blu shove the spice forward to join thewrapped fish. ”That'll benine dollars andsixteen cents, Manard.”

The older manscrewed uphis face, looked at the register's highlighted numbers once more, then mumbled somethingabout the high cost of living. Secondslater he dug deep in his pocket and pulled out the correct amount. Blu tossed the money in the till, then came around the counter. He stuck the spice in Manard's s.h.i.+rt pocket, then tossed him the wrapped fish. Manard was still juggling his.p.a.ckage as Blu gripped his arm and propelled him out the door and into the street. ”Thanks, Manard.”

Before the mancould reply, Blu shutthe door in his face, flipped the Open sign around, then locked the door.

”You can't close,” Kristen insisted. ”The sign says Open Until Five.”

”When you're in business for yourself you can do any d.a.m.n thing you want. Look at me, Ihaven'tworked for over a week.”

His confession reminded Kristen as to why that was, and she raised her chin. ”Go back to work, Blu Devil. There's no reason not to anymore.”

He studied her a minute. Finally he said, ”You didn't have to leave.”

”Yes, I did.” Kristen wasn't going to get into it. She'd lied to him and he'd walked out because of it. They both had their reasons for doing what they'd done. And that's how she intended to view Blu's ”other job,” too. He must have had a reason for becoming theBlu Devil.She didn't understand it, but one thing she was sure of was that deep in this man's soul he was a good person.

”I want you back on the boat.”

Kristen blinked out of hermusing. ”How did you know I was here? Did your mother call you?”

”No. I've been going door todoor. Arnie Lennon down at the liquor store told me he saw you in here yesterday afternoon. Go tell Ma I'm taking you for aboat ride, then out to supper.”

”No, I can't. Blu? Blu!”

Kristen raced after him as he headed for the stairs. He took them three at a time and was inside the apartmentbefore she could stop him.

”Ma!”

”Blu, is that you?”

”Da...”

Kristen had reached the door. Blu was already in the kitchen. Rose was holding Amanda in the rocking chair in the living room. With all eyes on Amanda, they watched as she wiggled off Rose's lap, and with a wide grin, trotted eagerly to Blu. More amazing was watching him hunker down and wrap his big hands around her as she began to climb up onto his knee.

”Hey, Mandy, how's my girl?”

Giggling, her little hands squeezed Blu's cheeks, which made his lips pucker, then she kissed him. He made as if he was going to bite her neck after that, and she giggled louder.

For amoment Rose and Kristen watched withoutsaying a word, thenfinally Kristen found her voice. ”I'm sorry, Mrs. duFray, but Blu put the Closed sign out and locked the door. I tried to tell him-”

”Blu, how am I suppose to pay my bills if I close early without any warning?”

He looked up as if he'd forgotten that anyone else was in the room-his entire attention had been fixed

on Amanda. ”You never close early, Ma. Once in a while won't hurt. And as far as your bills go, you pay them as regular as you visit the toilet.”

”Blu! The baby's ears.”

Kristen watched as Blu bent down and scooped a stuffed rabbit up off the floor. ”You kept this old thing?”

”I kept all your stuffed animals.” She glanced at Kristen. ”He loved stuffed animals so much that he slept with them all piled up on hisbed.He was still doing that at ageeleven.”

”Thanks for sharing that, Ma, but I don't think anyone cares.”

Kristen watched as his cheeks deepened incolor.The Blu Devil was blus.h.i.+ng? Who would have thought that was possible?

After a minute pa.s.sed he said, ”I'm taking Kristen for a boat ride, Ma. You mind keeping an eye on

Mandy while we're gone?”

”Not at all.” Rose stepped forward and for a moment it didn't look as if Amanda was going to willingly let go of Blu's neck.

Kristen knew the feeling. She had felt that very same way the night he had made love to her. And even now, knowing certain things, her feelings for Blu hadn't changed. She still loved him.