A Moment on the Lips (A Whistle Stop Romance, #3) (21 page)

“You mean as in rides?” Ella reached for another chip. When Piper nodded, Ella added, “Just wait until the kids find out. They’ll be raiding their piggy banks.”

“Is there anything you need us to do?” Alexis asked.

Piper thought of the bunting she had to finish. The quilting circle had declined to help, as they’d had a prior commitment. Piper couldn’t bring herself to pawn it off on her friends. They were all so busy. Ana had the Cantina and was caring for her ill father. Alexis was handling the ranch solo. And Ella was settling into a new home, as well as adjusting to being a parent to a nine-year-old.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ve got everything under control.” Liar. Liar. Piper couldn’t quite meet their gazes. “As long as you all show up to man your booths, we should be in good shape.”

Once their entrees were served, Alexis spoke up. “While you are busy enjoying all of that delicious food, I thought I’d tell you why I called you together. I want all of you to be in my wedding. Will you be my bridesmaids?”

A loud round of yeses made Alexis smile.

After being a bridesmaid in Ella’s wedding, Piper had the feeling she was to always be a bridesmaid and never a bride. Not that she wasn’t happy for her friends—truly, she was very happy for them. But being single sometimes got lonely with no one to share with at the end of the day.

Piper used her fork to move around the cheese enchilada smothered in green chili sauce. “When’s the big day?”

Alexis set aside her chicken taco. “We don’t want to wait too long, but I want some time to plan something very special, so we settled on April.”

Everyone started chattering at once about locations for the ceremony and the reception.

Piper got caught up in the conversation. Alexis and Cord were going to make a perfect bride and groom.

“Whatever you need me to do, just let me know,” Piper offered, fully expecting a request for a cake.

“Thanks. I’m sure I’m going to need lots of help.” Pink tinged Alexis’s face. “I want this wedding to be unique.”

“Well, I’m intrigued,” Ella said. “I can’t wait to hear what you come up with.”

Ana grabbed a chip. “We all have experience with weddings. Some to a lesser extent, like me. But I’ve been in a couple now. So I’ll volunteer to do the hard part—the bachelorette party.”

A roar of laughter went up.

“In all seriousness,” Alexis said, still smiling, “if any of you have some time to help me with the details, I’d be eternally grateful. Cord’s absolutely no help with this. He’d be just as happy to get married in the middle of the paddock with nothing but the horses for witnesses. So if any of you want to visit me at the ranch, let me know. We can make it a girls’ night.”

Piper glanced around at the smiling crowd, eagerly devouring their delicious entrees. She couldn’t blame them. This was hands-down her favorite restaurant. Ana had definitely turned things around since taking over the restaurant after her father became ill.

Piper spotted a strawberry blonde moving toward the counter. It had to be Bella, her soon-to-be sister-in-law. “Hey, Bella.” The cacophony of voices in the restaurant was too loud for her to be heard without yelling. “Bella!”

That did it. Bella turned, searching the crowd for who’d called out her name. When her gaze made it to Piper’s table, Piper waved her over.

“Hi.” Bella’s gaze moved around the large table. A hesitant smile lit up her face. “I just stopped by to pick up a to-go-order.”

“A late night at Miss Mabel’s?” It was Whistle Stop’s only remaining dress shop.

Bella nodded. “We just got in a new shipment of winter clothes, and Miss Mabel wants the remaining summer inventory marked for a clearance sale.”

“Well, join us for a bit.” Piper slid over, making room for her. “We’re glad to see you.”

Everyone chimed in with their agreement.

“Okay, but I can’t stay long.”

“I’m sure you’re anxious to get home to Mason,” Alexis chimed in.

The smile slipped from Bella’s face. “He probably isn’t there. He’s been working a lot of overtime lately.”

“He’s probably just eager to get things in order for the wedding,” Piper said, hoping to reassure her. Her brother loved Bella. That was evident any time he looked Bella’s way.

“We were just talking about weddings.” Ana snatched up another chip. “It seems next year, we’re going to have lots of weddings.”

“And soon it’ll be baby showers,” Piper tossed out.

Alexis shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m just getting my Internet business launched. Between that and Cord, I have my hands full.”

All heads turned to Bella, whose face filled with color. “I...I’m not having kids.”

This was news to Piper. She wondered if her brother knew. Well, of course Mason knew. After all, they were getting married in a matter of months. To each his own, but Bella didn’t look at ease about the decision. It was more like the thought of kids made her scared. But why? She’d be a great mom. Maybe someday she’d change her mind.

“Enough about weddings and babies,” Ana said. “What I want to know is how things are going with Joe?” Her eyes twinkled with interest as she stared at Piper.

He was the last person she wanted to discuss, but everyone was staring at her, waiting for a response. Piper inwardly groaned. “He’s been a lot of help with the festival—”

“Oh no, we’re not talking about the festival. I think his interest in spending time with you is far more personal.” Ana stared at her as though she knew something, something scandalous.

Oh no. What does she know?

“Well, tell us.” Ella leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.

Alexis frowned. “Obviously, I’ve been spending far too much time at the ranch. Okay, Piper, we want all of the juicy details.”

“Yeah,” Ella chimed in. “And don’t leave out any of the good parts.”

Piper willed herself not to blush. It’d just give all the more credence to whatever Ana thought she had on her. But that didn’t stop the heat from swirling in her chest and rushing up to her cheeks. Now she must really look guilty of the unspoken charge.

“Don’t look at me.” Piper pointed at Ana. “Ask her. I don’t know what she’s talking about.”

“Are you saying that kiss Joe laid on you in the park wasn’t worth remembering?”

“Oh, that.” Boy, was it getting warm. Piper reached for her glass of ice water and took a big gulp.

“Yes, that.” Ana smiled. “When were you planning to fill us in?”

Everyone peppered her with questions. They were acting like she and Joe were a couple. Nothing could be further from the truth. She had to set them straight.

“There’s nothing to fill you in on. Nothing’s going on.” When her friends started rolling their eyes and acting like they didn’t believe her, she decided to lay it all out for them. “I’m serious. Every time I think there might be a chance for something more, he withdraws. It’s like there’s an imaginary line between us, and if I try to cross it, all of his defenses go up.”

Ana swirled the straw around in her glass. “If I recall right, he lit out of Whistle Stop right before his graduation day. No one ever knew why. There were lots of rumors and opinions. I always thought if I had a father like his that I would have left long before graduation. His father always gave me the willies. There was just something off about that man.”

Piper wanted to tell them what a monster Joe’s father had been, but it wasn’t her place. Joe had told her about his past in confidence. If he wanted anyone else to know, he’d tell them.

“Sounds like he has his fair share of baggage,” Alexis said. “I know a lot about that. Between Cord and I, we could fill the cargo section of a jumbo jet with our baggage.”

This piqued Piper’s interest. “How did you move past it?”

“Well, as you’ve all probably figured out by now, I’m stubborn. When I realized how much Cord meant to me, I knew I had to fight to keep him in my life.”

“Even if he kept pushing you away?” Piper didn’t think she could take that much rejection.

“Ah, but is he continually pushing you away? Or is he pulling you close one moment before freaking out the next moment over the intensity of your connection? Sometimes it takes guys a while for their heads to catch up with their hearts.” Alexis winked at her as though she’d just revealed the secret to men.

Ella leaned over. “What she’s saying is, most men are afraid of the C-word, so they find every excuse to keep their distance.”

“So if they’re afraid of commitment, what changes their mind?” Piper realized she had oh-so-much to learn.

“Time,” they all said at once.

Was that the answer? Was she pushing too hard, too fast for something to happen?

Considering her past and her broken engagement, she obviously had a lot to learn about men. She continued to ponder this as the conversation spiraled off onto the subject of Ella’s dreamy island honeymoon.

By the time they were ready to call it a night, they were the last ones in the restaurant. It suited Piper just fine. She didn’t have anyone waiting for her at home, not even so much as a dog.

Speaking of dogs, she wondered if Java had made it home and stayed there this time. Not that she planned to stop by Joe’s on the way home to inquire. No way. No matter how much she missed him.

She was giving him time. But how much time would it take? She wasn’t known for her patience.

A
phone call would do.

But it was so impersonal.

And Joe longed to see Piper’s face light up when he told her the news. He knew that he’d been too firm with her when she’d offered to help decorate his coffee shop. Why couldn’t she understand that he wanted to do it on his own? Was there something wrong with that?

She’d gone so far as to switch her running time in the morning, so they’d missed each other. And now that the plans for the festival were finalized, there was no need for them to meet each day. It didn’t help that his building was near completion, allowing him to work there—no need for his table at the Poppin’ Fresh Bakery. He’d been out of excuses to see Piper—until now.

Once she heard his news, it would put that glowing smile back on her face. Convinced this was a good idea, he decided to put his plan into action before he talked himself out of it. He didn’t even know if she was home. He checked his watch. It was past closing time for the bakery, so she might be at her apartment.

As he let himself in the back door of Piper’s building, he realized that in all of the time he’d known her that he’d never been up to her home. Nothing like the present to change that circumstance. He had to admit that he was curious to see her place.

After seeing what she’d done with the bakery by turning it into a sunny garden area, he had no doubt that her apartment would have lots of personality. Would it be black and white modern? He didn’t think so. Maybe a colorful chic décor? Or it could be more earthy tones, as in a country classic appearance?

He climbed the wooden steps that creaked just a bit with each step. At the top of the landing, he found not one, but three doors. It didn’t take much guesswork to figure out that the bright red door with a sunflower wreath had to be Piper’s. The other doors were just a basic gray that matched the trim.

He approached the colorful door, not exactly sure what he would say to her. Luckily, he was pretty good at thinking on his feet—most of the time. He clenched his hand and rapped on the door.

Moments passed, and he didn’t hear anything. Then there was a shuffling sound. He knocked again, just to be sure that she’d heard him.

“Coming.”

That was definitely Piper’s voice, but suddenly he wondered if she was alone. Why hadn’t he thought of that before? She might have company—male company. The thought didn’t sit well, not at all. But he didn’t have any claim over her. In fact, if someone else was interested in her, it would be a good thing. Wouldn’t it?

At last, the door swung open. Her eyes widened. “Joe, what are you doing here?”

“Is this a bad time?” He glanced past her to see if there was anyone in her apartment. He didn’t see anyone.

“Um, no. What did you need?”

Okay. She was acting odd. “Aren’t you even going to invite me in? I promise I have good news.”

She sighed and swung the door wide open. “Come on in.”

He stepped inside and immediately found they were, in fact, alone. He knew that it shouldn’t be such a relief to him, but it was. Because no matter how much he fought it, Piper meant a lot to him.

But could he trust her? So many people in his life had let him down. He just couldn’t afford to let someone else do that to him. But Piper was different. She was kind and thoughtful. She listened to him and didn’t judge him. Maybe this time could be different, if only he could convince her to give him another chance.

Piper closed the door. “What’s the good news?”

He didn’t want to jump straight into that discussion, not quite yet. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”

“Thanks. I like lots of color.”

“I noticed.” The only bland color in the room was the white paint on the walls. The couch was a deep royal blue with colorful, flowered pillows. The print on the curtains was brilliant pink, orange, and purple flowers. The room breathed energy, which reminded him of Piper. “Maybe I’ll have to get some decorating tips from you when I get around to redoing my apartment.”

“Sure, um, no problem.” She kept fidgeting with a bit of red material. “What did you want to tell me?”

What was going on? She’d never so blatantly tried to get rid of him before. His curiosity grew exponentially. Perhaps he’d been wrong and she was hiding someone in her bedroom. A frown pulled at his lips. “If I’m keeping you from something...or someone, I’ll go.”

“Sorry.” She sent him a small smile. “There’s no one here. It’s just that, oh, never mind. Why don’t you sit down?”

He perched on the edge of the couch as she curled up in the matching armchair. “I wanted to tell you that I spoke with my friend, and he’s willing to donate his balloon and time for the festival.”

A big smile lit up her face. “That’s wonderful. It’ll be a huge draw. I just know it. In fact, we’ll have to get some new flyers printed up with the information.”