A Moment on the Lips (A Whistle Stop Romance, #3) (8 page)

What was it about this guy that got to her?

Try as she might, she didn’t have any answers. Whatever it was, she had to get past it. They were obviously not compatible, for starters. And secondly, she wasn’t interested in putting her tattered heart back on the line, especially not for someone who was so stubborn.

What she needed to do was stay focused on her work. And with the addition of planning the fundraiser, she wouldn’t have time to daydream about her new neighbor. It’d be even better if she could figure out a way to get Joe to bow out of co-chairing this event with her.

Now that the morning rush had tapered off, Piper moved around the bakery as though in a daze. Her mind conjured up every conceivable way to take control of the situation, but none would work. Her stomach knotted up. She was stuck running her ideas past a man who could be stubborn and nonsensical.

However, he had tried to make some sort of peace with her the prior evening after the town hall meeting. If he could put on a good front, so could she. It wasn’t like she was difficult to get along with. He could ask anyone in town. She always offered a helping hand.

Besides, Whistle Stop had to come before their petty disagreements. The town square and the train depot were both in desperate need of help. The square held fond childhood memories of Easter egg hunts, farmers markets, and meeting up with friends. And the train depot used to bring relatives for the holidays. Oh, how she missed those days.

She wondered about Joe’s motivation to help to revitalize the town. Whatever it was, she supposed it didn’t matter as long as he didn’t intend to upstage her.

Deciding that her sour mood wouldn’t help the situation, Piper grabbed a bear claw from the display case. She hadn’t had a bite to eat yet today. Adding some caffeine would boost her lagging energy. She grabbed the pot of steaming coffee and filled a mug.

Once she moved to a table, she smothered a moan of pleasure when she bit into the cinnamon pastry. It was so moist and tender. She’d like to think it was this tasty every day, but it seemed especially good today for some reason.

Then she realized that this was the perfect way to butter up Joe. She’d serve him a fresh bear claw and hot coffee. Didn’t they say the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach? Not that she wanted anything to do with his heart, but making friends would be a good start to this project.

When she spied him through the big storefront window walking in her direction, she glanced down at the remaining big bite of pastry. Not about to waste it, she stuffed it in her mouth, chewed quickly, and swallowed.

After grabbing another bear claw and a coffee for Joe, she met him at one of the tables. “Here. They’re on the house.”

He smiled, and her stomach somersaulted. “Thanks for the coffee, but I’ll pass on the pastry.”

She thought he was just trying to be modest or polite or some such thing. “Really, you have to try it.” She glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “If you repeat this, I’ll deny it, but that batch came out better than normal. I just wish I knew what was different about it.”

“I’m certain everything you bake is delicious.” He pointed to the glaze. “I’m sorry, but it’s too sweet with the maple frosting. I try to watch what I eat.” He patted his flat abs.

She frowned. He reminded her of her mother. Not good. Not at all.

Joe picked up the coffee she’d placed in front of him and took a healthy swig. She willed her mouth to remain closed instead of opening it and inserting her size-six foot. Still, his rejection of her pastry hurt. She wasn’t sure what to say next.

She liked to think of herself as a lover, not a fighter. She inwardly groaned at her poor choice of words. Luckily for her, Joe couldn’t read minds. Still, she found herself taking in his impressive height and trim physique. She realized that using the term
lover
under any circumstances could be a big mistake. Her gaze slipped to his mouth. A very big mistake.

She licked her dry lips and realized that he wasn’t paying her any attention as he flipped through a couple of pages on a pad of lined paper. She scooped up the bear claw and headed for the kitchen. If his only complaint was the glaze, she could fix that. She grabbed a knife and scraped the sugary coating into the garbage.

She accepted that he was trying to get their co-chairing duties started on a good note, but she had to wonder why everything with him had to be so difficult. Even a piece of pastry was a bone of contention. Was he truly opposed to the maple frosting? It was so good. She dabbed a finger in the frosting on the knife and licked. Delicious.

Why was she letting his likes and dislikes get to her? He was her neighbor. That was all. Well, thanks to Mrs. Sanchez, he was a little more than a neighbor now. Piper sighed, realizing she was overreacting. When she returned to the table, she’d start by apologizing for the way she’d gone on about having him sell her the storefront next door. She’d do her best to welcome him to Whistle Stop with open arms. Well, maybe she shouldn’t go that far.

Piper returned to the table to find a computer printout waiting at her place. He’d really gone home last night and worked on a strategy for the fundraiser. She was quite impressed.

She placed the pastry in front of him, and his brow arched. His question-filled gaze moved to her.

“What?” she sputtered. “You said you didn’t like frosting, so I fixed it. Enjoy.”

She didn’t know if he’d give it a try or not, but standing there waiting and wondering wouldn’t get her anywhere. She rushed back behind the counter to grab her own notes for the fundraiser. They weren’t on a fancy computer printout, nor did she have an extra copy for him, but they’d have to do.

When she turned around to find Joe sampling her frosting-free pastry, she couldn’t help but smile. And when he took a second, even bigger, bite, she grinned. The man might be contrary at times, but he certainly had good taste. Maybe there was hope for them after all—as co-workers, of course.

She took the seat across the table from him. “You know, we should meet every day if we’re going to throw this event together in the next month. Why don’t we use my bakery as the fundraising headquarters? We can meet here every morning at nine o’clock.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

She sat back in her chair. “Why not? I have the room, and it’s right next door to your worksite. Not to mention, I have coffee and food. It couldn’t be more convenient.”

A muscle in his tanned cheek flexed. She had him, and he knew it.

“Face it,” she continued, to nail home her brilliant idea, “your shop is still under construction, and by working from here, you can manage the fundraising project while supervising the construction. It’s a win-win arrangement. Don’t you agree?”

He grudgingly nodded. “But don’t think this puts you in charge. We’re still equals.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now let me refill our mugs, and we’ll get to work.”

He seemed to relax as he finished off the bear claw. Maybe this arrangement wouldn’t be so bad. It was a huge job for one person to undertake, but with the two of them splitting the workload, they’d both have time for their respective businesses. After all, she hadn’t given up on growing her business. It’d just take a bit more ingenuity.

♥♥♥

W
hat exactly had he agreed to?

Joe raked his fingers through his hair. Why had he agreed to work closely with the one woman in this town who one moment reminded him of all he was missing in life and in the next moment drove him up a wall with her stubbornness?

Even though she’d made a really good point about her bakery being an ideal location to organize the fundraiser, he couldn’t stop from thinking this was a mistake. A big mistake. But for the life of him, he couldn’t put his finger on the exact reason for his reservations.

Piper returned to the table and slid his refilled mug over to him. She took her seat and glanced down at his ideas. “You were thoughtful to type up your ideas and print them out. I’m afraid I didn’t think of that. All I have are some notes that I wrote up in bed last night. Why don’t you read over them while I go over yours?”

His gaze slipped down to her lips, which were done up with a frosty pink gloss. They looked as sweet as one of those strawberry cupcakes in the display case. Was it possible for a kiss to taste so sweet? He longed to find out.

When her brows arched, and a knowing look reflected in her eyes, the heat of embarrassment steamed up his face. He wasn’t here to ogle her. She was trouble. With a capital T. Then again, that should be TROUBLE, in all caps.

Joe accepted the pad of paper she offered him. He was impressed by her easy-to-read handwriting. If his was half as legible as hers, he probably wouldn’t have done everything on his laptop.

As his gaze slid down over the long list of ideas for the festival, he was blown away by Piper’s extravagance. It would cost a small fortune to bring in carnival rides, including a Ferris wheel, a petting zoo, and clowns. What had she been thinking when she wrote up this list?

Suddenly, he was reminded of Denise. When he’d first had the idea to quit his high-paying yet high-stress job with a mortgage company, she hadn’t wanted anything to do with his idea to open a coffeehouse. She told him he was being foolish. When he proceeded to show her the plans for the interior design, hoping to win her over, she’d told him he was being cheap and that nothing he did would stand up to the big-name chains.

He’d reluctantly taken her advice and upgraded his plans. The first shop didn’t take off as expected. In fact, he’d almost lost his shirt and shoes as well as everything in between. But when all looked lost, business finally picked up. One coffee shop led to two and then three, spread across the neighborhoods in Albuquerque.

When his ex joined the business full time, the first thing she did was have all three coffeehouses professionally redecorated with extravagant furnishings and trendy art, which necessitated a rise in prices for the customers. Denise bulldozed right over his philosophy to keep it simple and cost efficient. The business started to sink again.

He wouldn’t let that happen with this fundraiser. He wouldn’t let extravagance prevail. He would get Piper to listen to reason.

Joe tapped his pen on the tablet. “About these things you’d like to have at the festival, they aren’t going to be cheap.”

“And you think being a penny pincher is the way to go?”

“At least the town will receive most of the proceeds. You won’t be handing it out to a bunch of carnies who don’t even live here.”

Her fine brows scrunched together, and her glossy lips pursed. The urge to chuckle at her puckered face bubbled up inside him, but he resisted, knowing it’d only infuriate her. They had more important things to haggle about at the moment.

He cleared his throat. “The point of this whole thing is to make money for the town square, right?”

The frown on her face didn’t ease. She merely nodded.

“Then we have to stick with practical, economical ways to raise the funds we need. If we spend everything we take in, then we won’t get ahead.”

“While the goal is to raise money for the revitalization, we can’t be so focused on the financials that we lose sight of the other purpose of the festival.”

He sat back and crossed his arms over his broad chest. “And that would be?”

She smiled. “It’s simple. This should be the family event of the year. Your idea of having raffle tickets, bingo, and food isn’t going to be enough for a community festival.”

“But those items will bring in decent revenues with nominal overhead.”

“You’re really serious? You think the residents are going to come spend their hard-earned money on raffle tickets and a hot dog?” When he nodded, she continued. “Even if they came out, they wouldn’t spend much.”

“Why wouldn’t they? They’d know it is for a good cause. I thought you’d want to get the most bang for your buck.”

Piper shook her head in disbelief. “Haven’t you ever heard of having fun?”

He shrugged. “It’s overrated.”

“If you’re planning to run your business like you want to plan the festival, you aren’t going to have many customers.”

He refused to consider that she had a valid point. His coffee shops in Albuquerque had done okay before his ex’s redecorating. “What do people care about the décor of a coffee shop as long as the coffee is the best they’ve ever tasted?”

She expelled an exasperated sigh. “You know what? Do whatever you want with your business, but when it comes to the festival, we’re going to have to compromise.”

He didn’t like it, but she was right. He had to relinquish control to her—at least some of it. His gut tightened. That was a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a couple of years. And it made him extremely uncomfortable to rely on someone else for their input. Even if they were as pretty and generous as Piper.

Since the day more than a year ago when he’d walked in on his ex, Denise, with George, his friend/business manager, Joe had been making all of his own decisions. Even when it came to selling the family ranch, his mother had deferred to him. He didn’t want to partner up and have someone question his decisions. He didn’t want to rely on anyone but himself. This co-chair position was going to take a lot of getting used to.

“So we’ll go over each other’s ideas and meet tomorrow to make the final decision on what activities we keep and what we scratch.” Piper’s pointed gaze met his. “Does that work?”

“Yes, but I think we need some parameters.”

“Such as?”

“How many games and activities do you think we should have, you know, to draw in a nice crowd?”

Piper paused as though to give the question due consideration. “I’d say at least thirty—”

“Thirty? Why so many?”

She shrugged. “It would offer everyone something to do, some way to contribute.”

“That’s an awful lot of planning, not to mention expense. Would you be willing to cut it back to something like twenty activities, not including food?”

Her lips pressed into a firm line. Oh no. So much for the peace they’d established. If she thought she was going to bully him into submission—