She Loves Me

by Foster, Melissa

  At least she wasn’t alone tonight. She had Jiggs, and while his boy might not be a great wingman, he was a superb companion. He’d seen his pooch slink into Piper’s truck when they were arguing, and he’d thought about calling him back. But then he’d figured Jiggs had sensed that Piper needed him tonight more than Harley did. Jiggs was smart like that. His heart was always in the right place. Harley had expected Piper to turn around and drop Jiggs off right away, which would have given him a chance to apologize, but three hours later, he was still sitting alone on the stoop at Dutch’s, typing messages to Piper, then deleting them.

  He pushed to his feet and headed for his truck, but the thought of going home without her to sleep in a bed that would smell like her and feel too empty, or on the couch where she tucked her feet beneath her and rested her head on his shoulder was too much to bear. He turned around and headed back into the pub. The couch in his office would have to do.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  WHERE THE HELL are you, Willow, and why the frick don’t I have a key for emergencies? Piper tried for the third time to pick the lock on the back door of the bakery. Jiggs went paws-up beside her, sticking his nose between her and the door.

  “Stop, Jiggsy.” She wiggled the piece of metal she was using to pick the lock, and it broke off. “Fucker.”

  She was in no mood for this shit. It was almost four in the morning, and she hadn’t slept a wink. Jiggs had only made it worse. He kept crawling over to Harley’s side of the bed and whining. As if Piper didn’t already miss Harley enough? Every time she’d closed her eyes she’d seen the joy in Harley’s eyes when he’d gotten down on his stupid knee, and the confusion when she’d gotten mad. Confusion! As if he’d lost his freaking mind and forgotten who she was and what she didn’t want.

  Damn him.

  She stalked to her truck, ignoring the sharp pebbles cutting into her bare feet, and rummaged through her tools, cursing herself for forgetting shoes . . . and pants. She’d gone to bed wearing one of Harley’s T-shirts because she’d wanted to feel closer to him, but she’d gotten frustrated at herself for lying there sad and angry, listening to Jiggs whimper. She’d pulled on one of Harley’s sweatshirts and rolled the sleeves up because it was made for giants. She’d grabbed her keys and her trusty stowaway sidekick, and then she’d bolted, desperately needing to drown her sorrows in sugar.

  She snagged a crowbar and stalked back to the door.

  Putting one foot against the doorframe, she wedged the crowbar between the lock and the frame and jimmied it with all her might. The sucker was stubborn.

  Where was her sledgehammer when she needed it?

  Images of Willow’s delicious doughnuts, Loverboys, and cake flew into her mind. Oh yes, cake! With renewed motivation, she forced more pressure, feeling the wood give. She was going to eat every frigging thing Willow had in the display cases and the refrigerator. And anywhere else she might have sugar, because Piper needed enough sweets to put her out of her misery. She pushed with all her might again. She could see the hardware. She squeezed her eyes shut, jimmying as she threw her body against the door. It flew open, sending her sprawling into a counter. Her hip slammed against the edge, and she dropped the crowbar right on her bare foot. She cried out. Tears burned her eyes as she hopped on one foot, holding the other.

  Jiggs ran around her, barking and whining.

  “Shitshitshit!” She glowered at the offending crowbar, sucking in gasps of air to keep from sobbing.

  She let go of her foot, but when she put weight on it, pain radiated all the way up to her ankle. She cried out again, sending Jiggs into another flurry of whining and barking. Piper dropped to her knees, gritting her teeth against the pain in her foot as she crawled to—and through—the doors that led from the kitchen into the bakery.

  Jiggs licked her face.

  “Bet you somehow planned that injury, too, right? Just to get me down to your level.”

  He licked her face again.

  “That wasn’t fair. I know. Sorry. I’ll give you some goodies, but no chocolate. But if you knock into my foot, I’ll have to kill you.” Using the counter, she pulled herself up on one foot and hopped a few feet to the basket by the register, which was filled with bags of yesterday’s goodies. She sank down on the floor with the basket in her lap and tore open the bags, shoving doughnuts, croissants, and muffins into her mouth as quickly as she could fill her cheeks. She closed her eyes, reveling in the deliciousness as sugary goodness exploded in her mouth. She tore off a piece of a glazed doughnut and handed it to Jiggs.

  “Don’t tell your daddy.” The words made her chest ache. She shoved a chocolate doughnut in her mouth, and ate it in three bites, crumbs falling like rain on her clothes and legs.

  Jiggs scarfed down the entire glazed doughnut and shoved his nose into a bag.

  “Hey, now.” She took his face between her hands, remembering how Jiggs had jumped on Harley the first afternoon when she’d brought him home from the hospital and how Harley had loved him up despite his pain. Tears filled her eyes, and she touched her forehead to Jiggs’s. “What have I done, Jiggs? What is wrong with me?”

  Jiggs licked her mouth, which brought more tears. She didn’t think it was possible to feel this bad or for a heart to actually hurt. She gave Jiggs a croissant and shoved another doughnut into her mouth. But no matter how much she ate, the pain in her chest persisted. She put a Loverboy in each hand, eating them ravenously. But she still felt empty inside. She knee-walked to the display cabinet and took out the cake box she’d spied on her way to grab the basket. She sat down with the box in her lap and lifted the top, hoping the green-frosted cake would do the trick.

  She pulled off a hunk with her fingers to see if there was any chocolate in it. Jiggs pushed his nose toward the cake, blocking her view.

  “Give me a second, Mr. Big Head.” She peered around his noggin and saw that the cake was vanilla. “Okay, you’re good, but you’re probably going to shit like a monkey after eating this, so don’t do it in here.” She tore off the top of the box, used her fingers to cut the cake in half, and put Jiggs’s half in the box top beside her.

  “Go for it, Jiggsy.”

  Jiggs shoved his face in the cake, smacking his lips as he ate. Piper ate with her hands, enjoying every second of her sugar rush, when she heard a siren. She froze, eyes wide, fingers full of frosting, mouth full of cake. Jiggs lifted his head, ears perked up, frosting and cake all over his snout.

  “Piper!” Willow hollered, panic evident in her shrill tone. “Are you okay? Who broke in?” She flew through the kitchen door in her pajamas and slippers, her hair askew, and skidded to a stop at the edge of the counter. Her eyes bugged out. “Holy . . . Are you okay? What’s going on?”

  Zane peered around her and chuckled. “I think Piper had a rough night.”

  Two policemen appeared behind them.

  Great.

  Piper had gone to school with Teddy Mercer, the brown-haired policeman trying not to laugh, and Ben had gone to school with the blond guy, Phil Sanders, who looked awfully confused.

  “Piper?” Phil said quizzically. “Was there trouble here tonight?”

  “Yeah. I didn’t have a key and needed sugar.” She shoved a handful of cake in her mouth and said, “It’s okay, Jiggs. You can eat. Unless my sister is going to have us arrested?”

  “What? Nobody’s getting arrested, but what happened?” Willow crouched beside Piper, her gaze sailing over her. “And what are you wearing?”

  Piper glanced down at her clothing, which was covered in crumbs and smeared with icing, as were the floor and Jiggs. She shoved a hunk of cake into her mouth, speaking accusingly around the food. “When did you get an alarm system?”

  “When Mason told me to,” Willow said. “I mentioned it to you. You said it was a good idea.”

  “Well, it wasn’t. You shouldn’t listen to me.” She dug into the cake with her fingers and put more in her mouth. “This is good. What is it, anyway?”

 
Willow looked at the demolished cake and sighed. “It was Mrs. Larson’s daughter’s birthday cake.”

  Piper mumbled, “Sorry.” She looked at Jiggs and mouthed, Oops. “I’ll pay for the damages to the door and all the food, and I’ll hire cleaners.”

  “You know the convenience mart is open twenty-four-seven and has doughnuts, right?” Teddy asked, earning a laugh from Zane.

  Willow glared at him.

  Zane mumbled an apology and ushered the police toward the back door, reassuring them everything was cool.

  “Sorry about your door,” Piper said. “And your food. But . . .” Tears sprang from her eyes and she cried, “Harley proposed.” Her words came out strangled, and cake fell from her lips as she threw her arms around her sister and cried on her shoulder.

  “Piper! That’s wonderful! I’ve never seen you cry happy tears! I know you’re excited, but couldn’t you have waited to celebrate with me instead of breaking down my door?”

  “Happy?” She cried louder. “You know I don’t want to get married!”

  “Oh no, no, no. Piper, breathe, honey.” Willow sat right down on the mess and held her, rubbing her hand down her back. “Harley loves you.”

  “And I love him,” she whined. She pulled back and used the bottom of her sweatshirt to wipe her tears.

  “Then why are you doing this?” Willow petted Jiggs and said, “And why did you steal his dog?”

  Piper choked out a laugh. “I didn’t steal him. He hid in my truck when Harley and I were fighting. And I’m doing this because I didn’t know what else to do. You should have given me a key!”

  “I did, when you renovated. Remember?”

  “Shoot.” She exhaled loudly and picked up a piece of a muffin. “Sorry. I’ll fix everything.”

  Jiggs ate the muffin out of her fingers.

  “Glutton,” Piper said.

  Jiggs cocked his head to the side.

  “I think Jiggs shares your eating habits,” Willow said.

  “What am I going to do, Willow? He got down on one knee and I couldn’t breathe.”

  “Then maybe you do want to get married.”

  “You wish. I panic at the thought of marriage. My hands sweat and my throat swells. It’s not pretty. But he wants the ring, forever, the whole deal.”

  Willow moved Piper’s hair away from her face and said, “And what do you want?”

  “Him! Forever. But no contract. I know that’s my own hang-up, and you and the rest of the world think I’m crazy. But it is what it is, and it’s not going to change.”

  “It’s a little weird, Pipe,” she said softly.

  “That’s okay. So am I. Willow, he wants to get married. I can’t hold him back from what he wants, but I love him too much to walk away.” She leaned back against the cabinets and said, “What should I do? And don’t say walk away, because I couldn’t bear to see him with another woman. I’d have to move away from Sweetwater and become a cat lady, because I’d have no friends, no job, no family, and I’d never be able to have a dog without thinking of Jiggs and Harley. And you know how much I hate cats. I don’t want to move away from him, but he probably hates me because I was a freak and bitchy. I don’t want him to hate me!” She threw her arms around Willow again, sobbing. “I want him to love me!”

  Willow gasped. “I’ve got it!”

  Piper sat back, her heart racing.

  “Negotiate the terms, just like you do for work,” Willow said excitedly. “A client brings you a contract, and you go back with a counterproposal. Give Harley a counteroffer, on your terms. The worst that can happen is he’ll say no, and then you’ll eat more sugar and we’ll figure out how to survive losing the man you love.”

  “Oh God!” Piper’s chin fell to her chest.

  Jiggs licked her cheek.

  “You could hold Jiggs hostage until he agrees,” Willow said. “But Harley loves you, and you love him. You guys will find a way to make it work.”

  “He wants a ring and the whole nine yards.” An idea formed in Piper’s mind. “Oh my God. I know what I have to do!” She jumped to her feet, sending pain searing through her foot, and collapsed to the floor with a wail.

  “What?” Willow asked frantically.

  “You need to help me. I hurt my foot.” She put her arm around Willow’s neck and hopped toward the kitchen. “Come on, Jiggsy!”

  Jiggs trotted behind them as they walked into the kitchen.

  Zane came through the back door, took one look at them, and said, “You’re on the move. Is that good or bad? What’s happening?”

  “I think we’re closing the bakery for the day,” Willow said. “Can you handle this?”

  “I’m borrowing your wife!” Piper snapped. “Do not tell anyone you saw me here or I won’t bring her back. Walk faster, Willow!” As they hobbled out the door, she said, “I’ll call Kase to fix the door!”

  Tuesday morning Harley was exhausted, worried, and stressed out beyond belief. He’d finally given in and texted Piper at six thirty, but she’d never responded. He’d driven by her house, but her truck was gone. He’d gone inside to get Jiggs, but Jiggs was gone, too. He’d driven by her siblings’ houses, thinking maybe she’d stayed with one of them, but her truck wasn’t there, either. He’d gone to the Mad House, and when there was no sign of her there, he’d headed to her job site, but Kase said nobody had heard from her, either. He’d run out of time and had finally gone to meet Marshall at Delaney’s.

  Marshall was waiting on his bike in front of Delaney’s house when he arrived. As Harley climbed from the truck, Marshall closed in on him with a concerned look in his eyes.

  “Oh man, Har. You look like hell.”

  “Rough night, but I’m here.” When I really want to be trying to figure out where the hell Piper is.

  “I need to tell you something, and I hope you’re not going to get pissed.”

  “No promises. I’m in a shit mood. Piper and I got into a fight last night.”

  “I know. I saw her speed past the church last night and followed her home. She was a mess.”

  “You saw her? I’ve been looking for her all morning. Do you know where she is?”

  He shook his head. “No. I was only there a few minutes, and when I left she was sitting on the porch with Jiggs. She told me you proposed.”

  “I was an idiot. She told me she’d never get married, and I got carried away. If I lose her, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

  “She loves you, Harley. I know she does. This is all my fault, and I’m sorry. I knew I hurt her in high school, but I had no idea how badly. I thought she’d just written me off as an asshole and moved on. She never wallowed around giving me nasty looks in the halls like most chicks did when they got burned. But I don’t think she ever wrote me off. I think she just changed who she was, got tougher, and threw away the notion of marriage and forever. That’s on me, man, and I’ve been up all night wishing I could fix it.”

  “It’s not on you,” Harley said with a heavy heart. “You might have been the start, but a lot of the guys she’s gone out with have wanted her to change in some way. Now I’m on that damn list, too. Let’s get this over with so I can find Piper.”

  “You can go, Harley. I can do this.”

  “No way. I always honor my wo—Damn it. I always try to honor my word.”

  “Okay, thank you. What did Delaney and Mom say when you talked to them?”

  “They both wanted to know everything, but I felt like that’s your story to tell. I told them you were back, hopefully for good, and that you wanted to see them. I apologized to them for not trying harder with you and not giving you the benefit of the doubt, and I warned them about your black eye and my bruised cheek to spare them the shock of it.”

  “Probably a good plan. Thanks. I appreciate you doing this with me.”

  “No problem. Delaney didn’t mention that you were staying with Ike.”

  “She’d have no way of knowing. A Dark Knight’s business never leaves the group unless
it’s requested by the member,” Marshall explained. “You should think about prospecting to become a member.”

  “No thanks, brother. I’m glad you’re doing it. But I’m a lover, not a biker.”

  Marshall clapped a hand on Harley’s shoulder with a tease in his eyes and said, “Yeah, you’re probably not cool enough anyway.”

  The front door opened, and Delaney and their mother stepped onto the porch.

  Harley lowered his voice and said, “Don’t say anything to them about Piper. They have enough to deal with.”

  Their mother’s eyes filled with tears as she descended the steps. “Marshall,” she said as she embraced him. She put one hand on the back of his head, like she used to do when they were little. “I’ve missed you.”

  Delaney sidled up to Harley and said, “You okay? You don’t look so good.”

  “Yeah, just tired.”

  “Did you hear about Willow’s bakery? Mom went by this morning to get Marshall’s favorite muffins and it was closed, but Zane was there. He said someone broke in last night and told her he was sending everyone to the bakery here in town. Luckily no one was at Willow’s when it happened. Did you hear anything about it?”

  “No, but I’m glad Willow wasn’t there when it happened.”

  Marshall glanced over, and Delaney said, “My turn! But don’t hug me too tight. I’m still a little sore.”

  She hurried over to Marshall, and their mother joined Harley. She touched his bruised cheek and tsked. “A little bird told me it’s going to be a good day for all of us.”

  Harley wasn’t so sure.

  Marshall touched Delaney’s wrist. “I see you got my gift.”

  “It’s from you? There was no card. How did you know about my surgery?”

  Marshall glanced at Harley and said, “My buddy lives here, and he’s part of a club I’m in. I’ll explain when we go inside.”

  “I love the bracelet. Thank you. Let’s go in,” Delaney said. “Nice shiner, and I like your wheels.” She touched Marshall’s arm as they went inside and said, “One of those tats had better be in my honor.”