A Moment on the Lips (A Whistle Stop Romance, #3) (11 page)

“What comments?” Realizing she’d raised her voice, she felt the heat of embarrassment warm her face. Making sure to soften her voice, she asked, “What are people saying?”

“That Joe really gets to you—”

“Of course he does,” Piper whispered. “He always has to be right. And he actually has an aversion to my cupcakes. I mean, who besides my mother could pass them up?”

Ella’s lips spread into a big smile before she broke out in a laugh. “Boy, you do have it bad.”

“For him?” She shook her head. “No way. We’re working together. That’s all.”

Ella nodded, but the twinkle of amusement in her eyes said she wasn’t convinced. “If you say so.”

Piper crossed her arms. “I do.”

“I won’t keep you. I just stopped in for a half dozen of your giant blueberry muffins. I’ve been missing those the whole time I was out of town. You have me spoiled.”

“I try.” Piper washed up her hands and then grabbed a white pastry box from behind the counter. “Do you need anything else?”

Ella’s gaze scanned the display case. “Could you add a half, no, make that a full dozen of chocolate-chip cookies for my new nephew?”

Piper was impressed with the way Ella had been willing to take on a ready-made family. Her new husband was in the process of adopting his orphaned nephew. It was proof that something good could come of a tragedy. “Are things going well with Johnny?”

“I think that escapade on Roca Mountain scared him straight. Other than skipping a couple of homework assignments, he’s been really good.”

Piper finished packaging the treats. “I’m so glad everything is working out for all of you.”

After they squared up the bill, Ella leaned over the counter. “Maybe lighten up on your partner. He’s probably just nervous.” Without any further explanation, Ella strolled out the door.

Nervous? What did he have to be nervous about? It wasn’t like this was some sort of date. Far from it. Still, Ella might have a point. Maybe if she lightened up on the details for the festival, he might follow her lead.

And she did have an idea for the bunting, but he’d shot her idea down so quickly that she hadn’t had a chance to share it with him.

She refilled their coffee mugs and moved back to the table. “Sorry about that. Ella just got back from her honeymoon.”

Without bothering to look up from his laptop, he said, “Ah, that explains the giggling.”

Giggling? Really? Well, if that’s all he’d heard, then she’d count her blessings. “You know, I was thinking some more about that bunting—”

“We already settled this.” His voice held a note of finality.

“No, we didn’t.” She struggled to keep the irritation out of her voice. “You shot down the idea without hearing me out.”

He paused from typing on his laptop and glanced at her. “Okay, I’m listening.”

“I’m going to ask the quilting circle to make the bunting. My mother’s a member, so it shouldn’t be too hard to get them to volunteer.”

Joe arched a dark brow. “And what are you going to do for materials?”

She hadn’t considered that, so she uttered the first thing that came to mind. “I’m going to buy them with my own money.”

His eyes widened. “You’re sure about this.”

She nodded. “It’ll be my donation.”

“In addition to the dunking booth?”

She shrugged. “I guess. It’s not like the materials can cost that much.”

He wasn’t so sure about that, but she’d know more about crafts than he would. “While you were getting the coffee, I was thinking that maybe you’re right—you know, about decorating.”

Had he just admitted that she was right? Well, he hadn’t exactly
admitted
it. He’d made sure to include a
maybe
in there. Still, it was progress. Perhaps there was hope for him after all.

“Tell you what”—his deep voice drew her from her thoughts—“let me know how much the materials for the bunting come to, and I’ll split it with you—”

“But you don’t have to.”

“I want to.”

She couldn’t help but smile at his generosity. Sometimes he surprised her with his kindness. He had a way of keeping her guessing.

Once they’d concluded everything on their agenda for the day, Joe gathered his papers. “I’ve got to go. I’ve got some calls to make.”

“Where exactly do you work since you don’t have an office yet? And it’d be far too noisy to do any work in your apartment with all of that hammering and sawing going on.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “Lately I’ve been making my phone calls back in the alley. And I’ve been checking my e-mail via my phone.”

If he could be generous today, so could she. “I have an idea. Since we’ve already claimed this table, why don’t you stay here and work? As you know, I have Wi-Fi, so you’d have Internet service.”

“I don’t know.” He glanced around at the empty dining area. “Are you sure I wouldn’t be in the way?”

“You’ll be fine here. And I’ve got unlimited coffee. Just let your foreman know you’ll be over here if he needs anything. That way you’ll be able to get some work done and still be close at hand for any questions your men might have for you.”

“You don’t have to be nice to me just because, well, because we’re co-chairing this project. And I don’t want to sit out here and chase away your customers. You’ve got quite a successful business going here.”

She liked that he respected her as a businesswoman. Warmth started in her chest, swirled around and rushed upward, bringing a smile to her face. “Thanks for being so thoughtful. But you don’t have to worry. The customers are super nice. No one will notice you’re working here.”

With that, she walked away, realizing that wasn’t quite accurate.
She
would notice. She wondered how in the world she would get any work done when there was a hunky man sitting in the front part of her bakery.

And when that bit of news made the rounds, every single female would be filing into the Poppin’ Fresh Bakery. They’d place an order for cookies and pastries that most likely wouldn’t fit into their diets just so they could flirt with Joe.

The thought had Piper frowning. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. She glanced back at Joe getting settled. It was too late to change her mind.

“N
eed more?”

Joe, totally lost in thought about the final plans for the coffee shop, glanced up. “What did you say?”

Piper held a coffee pot. “Do you want a refill?”

“Uh, sure.” Before he could move the cup, she was leaning over his shoulder to pour the steaming brew.

For a week now, he’d been making himself at home in the Poppin’ Fresh Bakery. He even had his own unofficial table that substituted for a desk. He was surprised by just how much business Piper got all morning long.

And the patrons were nice—real nice—to him. To say he was surprised was an understatement. Apparently, he should have listened to Piper. She knew what she was talking about. Some of the young ladies had even left him their number. He said he’d call when he started interviewing for positions at the coffee shop. That made them smile before Piper ushered them out the door.

“Sorry about that. I hope they weren’t bothering you.”

“No. Apparently, the word’s out that I’ll be interviewing soon.” He held up numerous strips of paper. “They keep leaving me their numbers.”

Piper rolled her eyes. “Please tell me you know better than that.”

Joe’s gaze moved from her to the papers and back to her again.
Oh no!
“You mean they’re interested in me?”

Piper smiled. “Now you’re catching on.”

“In that case, here.” He shoved the pieces of paper to the end of the table. “I’m not even sure they’re all out of school.” He shuddered. “Thanks for the save.”

“No problem.” Piper topped off his mug and straightened. “Are those your drawings for the coffeehouse?”

“Yes.” He didn’t like anyone looking at them except for the crew. He wanted to keep it under wraps...for now. He wanted to pique the residents’ curiosity and draw them in for a look. Still, it might help to know what Piper thought of his layout. He’d done the interior design all by himself. In his mind’s eye, he could envision Fill-It-Up Joe down to the tiniest detail.

“Looks like you...um, spent a lot of time on the drawings.” Her voice was stilted.

That certainly wasn’t the ringing endorsement he’d expected. Anxious to hear what had her so hesitant, he asked, “So what do you really think?”

He craned his neck so he could see her face. Color infused her cheeks, making him wonder if it was their closeness that had put the roses in her cheeks or if it had something to do with his drawings. He was hoping it was his presence that had her worked up.

“The layout...it’s, um, great if you’re going for a very simplistic look.”

“You act like there’s something wrong with a simple approach.”

She shook her head. “No. Not wrong. But...”

“Spit it out. What’s wrong with my shop?”

“It doesn’t exactly say,
Come on in, get comfortable, and enjoy your latte
.”

“You mean it isn’t anything like your bakery with these cutesy tables and frilly curtains.” Hurt flashed in her eyes, and he immediately regretted his thoughtless words. “Sorry. Your place is really nice. It’s just a little more feminine than what I want.”

The lines bracketing her lips and eyes smoothed. She looked around at her own creation, and pride reflected in her eyes. “I can see where you’d think that. And I wouldn’t expect you to do the same. But that doesn’t mean you have to make your décor stark and cold.”

Stark and cold. Ouch!
He looked at the sketches again. He thought they were sleek and functional. Was Piper right? Was his vision wrong? His gut churned. Every bit of his savings was riding on him getting this right.

Piper pulled out a chair and sat down. “If you want some ideas of how to warm things up, I could help. After all, I did the bakery all by myself.”

While he hesitated, figuring out what to do, she leaped into action. She pulled the sketches across the table so she could look over them. She hemmed and hawed. He didn’t have a clue how to interpret any of the sounds she made.

“You might consider adding a couch here.” Piper pointed to a spot on the drawing. “And a comfy chair there.”

Joe recalled how his ex-wife had initially scoffed at his plans for the coffeehouses. She thought for sure he’d lose his shirt. But as the business garnered her attention, she’d made a little change here and a bigger change there until there was nothing about the business that resembled his original dream. Right before his eyes, it had morphed into something unrecognizable—from the décor to the menu. He wasn’t about to let Piper do the same, whether her suggestions were well-intended or not.

Joe cleared his throat. “Thanks, but the drawings are exactly how I want them. I’m not planning to have people camp out at the tables. That’s one of the reasons I agreed to help revitalize the park. People can take their coffee and mill around over there.”

“What do you have against people hanging out in your coffeehouse? Your customers will be expecting to have space to read the paper or browse the Internet while enjoying their coffee before needing a refill. You don’t want to just shove them out the door, do you?”

He frowned. She had valid points, and he didn’t like it. But he needed to think this through—on his own. But he didn’t know how to gently push aside her help without angering her.

“What sort of business experience do you have?” Piper asked, her gaze narrowing in on him as he focused on the pen in his hand. “Running another coffee shop?”

He bobbed his head, not trusting himself to open his mouth. He still had so many emotions tangled up with what had happened with Denise and George. Not only had they both cheated on him and stolen his money, but most of all they’d stolen his dream. And what was a person without their dreams?

“What happened to your other coffee shop?”

His body tensed. No way was he going down that road—not with her. Not with anyone. He didn’t want Piper to look at him differently. In that moment, he recalled how his father had looked at him, as though he was weak and gullible.

The breath caught in Joe’s lungs. He hadn’t recalled those painful memories in ages. He thought he’d at last succeeded in banishing them. He’d been wrong.

His burning lungs insisted on air, no matter how uncomfortable it was for him. He let out the breath. All the while, he could feel Piper’s steady gaze studying him. Why did she have to be so inquisitive?

He couldn’t stomach having Piper look at him like his father had. This was his new beginning. He couldn’t mess it up. The past need not be revisited—none of it.

“I need to go have a word with the crew.” Joe got to his feet. “I’ll see you later.”

He didn’t wait for her to say anything as he scrounged up his stuff and headed for the door. Outside, with the sun on his face and a light breeze blowing, he was at last able to breathe in a full breath of air into his tightened chest.

He needed to be more careful around Piper. He wasn’t going to let her get too close, no matter how much she pleaded with those mysterious jade eyes. Nothing good would come of it.

♥♥♥

T
he bell above the door chimed.

“I’ll be right with you,” Piper called from the back of the bakery.

This was Hannah’s day off, and Alison had called in sick. Piper was left rushing back and forth covering the front counter, the kitchen, and the phone. Business had picked up so much that she could afford to hire a third person, but first she had to find time to write up the job description to run in the
Whistle Stop Telegraph
.

As the phone rang—again—she reconsidered her plan. She’d hire two more people. With the additional help, she could do what she really loved—designer cakes.

After taking an order for two dozen blue cupcakes decorated with a red, white, and blue superhero theme for little Billy Sanders to take to school the next day for his birthday, Piper rushed to the front counter. “Sorry about that, I’m short-handed today. I—” The words caught in the back of her mouth when she realized the identity of her customer.