“Okay.” Brynn bit her bottom lip and looked at his mouth. “I had a great time tonight.”
He couldn’t help his soft chuckle. “I know.” He gave her a wink.
And she blushed.
He pulled her close, hugged her tight, and whispered into her ear. “Me too, B. You have no idea.”
Then he walked her up to the porch, kissed her softly, and opened the door.
And then said the damnedest thing he’d ever said to anyone after a date. Or ever said to Brynn, period. “I’ll have Tanner call you about the party tomorrow.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
Then she went inside and he went home.
As if everything was fine, normal, and on plan. When absolutely none of that was true.
7
Brynn floated through the pie shop the next morning, refilling coffee cups with a huge smile. And no clue what people were saying to her.
The shop was only open from nine to noon on Sundays, providing coffee and a place for some conversation to the after-church crowd and pies for Sunday dinners. Granted, it had only been recently that they’d seen an uptick in business on Sundays, and they all knew that Parker, and the fact that he now had some influence over the pie shop kitchen, had a lot to do with that. But that was fair. The pie shop was going to be Parker and Cori’s in another six months or so.
Brynn didn’t mind working Sunday mornings. She loved seeing the pie shop getting busier and people sitting around and enjoying the shop and each other. Sometimes she’d just stop and look around and wonder what her dad would think.
At first it had been hard for her to picture him here. But as she’d gotten to know his friends, Hank, Walter, Ben, and Roger, it had become easier to imagine. She was surprised by it. The Rudy she’d known was nothing like the friendly, warm, laid-back, involved-in-the-entire-town men who had essentially made the pie shop a clubhouse. But as she’d seen the effects of living in Bliss and running the pie shop on her sisters, she couldn’t deny that her father had been right about bringing them here. Bliss had been very good for Cori and Ava. And she knew these men had been the ones to influence Rudy. She really loved them. So the fact that she had no idea what Ben had said to her two minutes ago and couldn’t remember what Walter had told her about putting coffee grounds around plants was unusual. And probably rude. But she couldn’t help it.
Noah. His kissing. His hand on her breast. His big, hard body against hers. That orgasm… She sighed. All of that was way more important to her than coffee grounds.
Sorry, Walter.
She was usually a fantastic listener. She preferred listening to talking, for sure. But today she wasn’t really hearing anyone. She was far too caught up in her own thoughts. And memories. Last night with Noah had been…amazing. But that didn’t feel like a strong enough word.
Yes, of course, the orgasm had been awesome. She hadn’t ever had one of those with another person involved. She never would have believed she could have one with her panties still on and his hands, and other things, on the outside of those panties. And maybe best of all? Her sisters were completely jealous that she’d had one that easily.
But there was so much more than the orgasm that had her floating and grinning like an idiot today as she poured coffee and handed out pies. They’d talked, they’d flirted, they’d socialized and survived it. Both of them.
She hadn’t fully realized it until Noah had mentioned throwing a party today, but he didn’t go out much. He spent time with Evan and Parker, of course. Evan was a guy who could make any gathering into a party and prided himself on being able to help anyone have a good time. That included Noah. But she knew that without Evan, Noah would be almost as antisocial as she was without Cori. He came to game night, but she knew that had to do with her more than anything. Now he’d gone speed dating and was throwing a party. Also because of her.
More than anyone, she respected an introvert’s desire to have alone time, but if she could bring Noah out of his shell a little too, she’d count that as a perk to her dad’s crazy plan for her.
“Good morning.”
She turned to find Mitch Anderson smiling down at her. Huh, he’d finally come into the pie shop.
“Hey, Mitch.”
“How are you?”
“I’m great.” She really was. “Can I get you some coffee?”
“I think I’ll hold out for a beer.”
She gave a little laugh. “Cori made some beer bread last week, but that’s about as close as I can get.” This crazy, quirky town didn’t even have a bar.
“Oh, I’d much rather have it down on the river bank with you in a bikini later on,” he said, giving her one of those slow grins that made her think flirting wasn’t so bad.
But Mitch wasn’t Noah.
“Actually, Tanner already asked me to the party,” she said. He’d called her about an hour ago.
“Yeah, I know.”
She looked at him in surprise. “You’re asking me to go with you anyway?”
“I’m not asking you to go with me. I’ll just see you there and we’ll have a beer together.”
Oh. He wasn’t asking her to go with him to the party. But he planned to see her there and spend time with her? She really might prefer speed dating where she knew the rules going in. Or maybe a beer at the river had nothing to do with dating. She knew even less about river parties than she did about dating in general. “Okay. I guess I’ll see you there.”
Mitch gave her a little wink. “And I’m not saying that you might not wish you were there with me instead.”
Flirting. That had to be flirting. Mitch was clearly confident, but he didn’t come off as a jerk. So he was flirting. But he wasn’t asking her out.
She sighed. She didn’t know if she would ever totally figure out everything about dating. Maybe he was just taking the easy way out. It was easier to talk to a girl that someone else had invited, she supposed. She could appreciate that. She was a fan of the easy way out, after all. All of this was the easy way out for her. A barbecue at the river? Where there would be lots of other people, including her sisters and Noah? She might be going with Tanner, but there was very little to get anxious about.
“Well, I’m not going to make any decisions about you until I see what you put on your burgers,” she told Mitch. “That says a lot about a person.”
He seemed mildly surprised that she was flirting back. Heck, so was she.
“I’ll bet you’re an American cheese and pickles girl, aren’t you, Brynn?” he asked.
She laughed. “I’m not giving you any hints.”
“But you will be checking out my buns,” he said with a grin.
She laughed again. “Yeah, I guess I will.”
“That’s only fair,” he said with a nod. “I intend to take a nice, long look at yours after all.”
She felt her cheeks flush, but she noted that there was no flipping in her stomach or tingles. Though in Mitch’s defense, it would really take a lot more than some flirting, winking, and grinning to outdo what Noah had done last night.
“I guess I’ll see you later then,” she said, as the door opened and MJ came in. Brynn frowned. She never came in on Sundays. And Brynn instantly forgot all about Mitch’s buns.
“Count on it,” Mitch called after her as she headed to meet MJ at the counter where MJ had sat the other day with Kayla.
Brynn gave him a little wave over her shoulder.
“Hey, MJ,” she greeted. “How are you?”
“Fine.” The older woman frowned as she slid up onto the stool.
“Are you sure? I don’t usually see you on Sundays.”
“That’s because Sunday is a day of rest,” MJ said, plopping a book down.
Brynn wasn’t sure that sitting in a pie shop, drinking coffee, and reading would count as work exactly, but MJ was clearly irritated about something. “What’s different today?” Brynn asked.
“A bunch of guys are banging around my house.”
“Guys you know, I
hope?” Brynn reached for a cup and poured coffee for her.
“Oh, I know them. But I didn’t think they’d be over today.”
“What are they doing?”
“Replacing my toilet.”
“Oh.” Brynn slid the cup to her. “Well, that’s nice.” She frowned. “Did you hire them or are they friends?”
MJ’s frown deepened. “I called to hire them.”
“But you weren’t expecting them today?”
“They never come.”
Brynn set the coffeepot down and leaned onto the counter. “I’m not following.”
“I call the guys to hire them. But then they always call this other guy—” MJ rolled her eyes. “And he comes instead. I figured he’d be there while I was at church and Bible study. He always comes when I’m not home. But he’s got something going on today, so he called these guys back. But they couldn’t do it until after church.”
Brynn shook her head. She thought she was following. “But it’s still getting done. That’s good right?”
She shrugged. “Yes. I just…this guy who usually comes…I’m a little worried about him. He never doesn’t come.”
“Can you call him?”
MJ shook her head. “No. We don’t talk.”
Brynn frowned. “But what—”
“Hi, MJ.”
They both looked up as Kayla slid up onto the stool next to MJ.
“Hi, honey,” MJ greeted. Then she gave Kayla a big smile.
Brynn blinked. She’d never seen MJ smile like that. Or smile much at all. The older woman just seemed a little sad all the time. But it was clear she was happy to see Kayla.
“Hi, Kayla. What’s going on? I don’t see you on Sundays either,” Brynn said.
“Hi, Brynn.” Kayla grinned at her. “Well, the other day when MJ and I sat together we got to talking.”
Brynn hid her smile at that. She was sure Kayla had gotten to talking anyway.
“And she suggested that I find something that Regan and I can do together,” Kayla said of her stepdaughter. “Something that she’d be really into. So we came up with making tutus. MJ is going to teach me how to make them.”
“You mean the little puffy, net skirt things?” Brynn asked. She looked at MJ. “You know how to make tutus?”
MJ nodded. “I know how to make a lot of things.”
Okay, that might be. But tutus did not seem like MJ. For some reason. She was…gruff. She came into the shop in T-shirts and jeans. Her salt and pepper hair was cut short, and she wore no makeup or jewelry. Tutus just seemed a little girly for MJ.
MJ was watching her as if she knew the thoughts going through Brynn’s head. The corner of her mouth curled. “I made some tutus for the school for their school play about two years ago. So, I know how. And I have the supplies. I thought Kayla could use them.”
“You’re a seamstress then?” Brynn asked, realizing she knew almost nothing about MJ.
“I can make almost anything if I have the right tools,” MJ said. “I can fix most things too. Like toilets,” she muttered.
“You could replace your toilet?” Brynn asked with a frown.
MJ shrugged. “Probably.”
“Why do you call these guys to do it then?”
“Because they call the other guy. And he likes doing it.”
But she didn’t even talk to him. Brynn shook her head. She didn’t understand this.
“Well, Regan is going to love it,” Kayla said. “And maybe she’ll think I’m not so bad. MJ, you’re the best.”
“Glad I can help.”
“Brynn! Can I get some cream?”
Hank pulled Brynn’s attention away from the two women. “Of course.” She grabbed the cream pitcher, gave the two women at the counter another look, and moved off.
The fact that MJ and Kayla had struck up a friendship was amazing. And if they hadn’t needed to sit at the coffee bar the other day, they might never have started talking. This was the most optimistic Brynn had seen Kayla about things with her stepdaughter. Brynn didn’t even know if MJ was a mom. But it was possible she had six daughters and had tons of advice for Kayla.
It was interesting that she’d seen Kayla and MJ both so often but didn’t really know that much about them. She knew about Kayla’s situation with Regan but not much else. She didn’t ask questions. That was the thing. She now knew that MJ had some guy that fixed stuff around her house and that she knew how to make tutus. And now she wanted to know more about this guy and to see Regan in the tutus. Was the guy someone that was in love with MJ and this was his way of courting her? And did she love him too and that’s why she let him do those things for her even though he apparently did it all when she wasn’t home? Brynn really needed more details.
She was busy for the rest of the morning though, and every time she looked over, Kayla was talking and MJ was listening. Brynn smiled. She didn’t know Kayla’s situation outside of the difficulties with Regan, again because she hadn’t really asked, but she loved the fact that Kayla had clearly found a willing sounding board.
With that thought, Brynn grabbed the squeeze bottle of caramel and made another stop at Walter and Hank’s table. They were also regulars—the most regular of the regulars—and they talked a lot too. But it occurred to her that she knew their opinions about a number of things and that she’d heard a lot of stories about her dad and that she’d gotten a lot of advice from them, yet she didn’t know that much about them.
“Hey, how many granddaughters do you have, Walter?”
He brightened immediately. “Four.”
“Any of them have tutus?” she asked.
“Tutus?”
“Little puffy skirts. Like ballerinas.”
“Oh, sure, Paige is a dancer. She takes lessons here in town.”
“How old is she?”
“Five.”
She was probably in class with Regan. Suddenly, Brynn wanted to have an event in the pie shop geared toward little girl dancers. Cori had come up with an idea for kiddie pies—individual pies that were peanut butter and jelly or mac and cheese or other kid-classics—that they could do some Saturday. Make it a party. That might be something Kayla and Regan could do together. “Walter, you’d bring your granddaughters in here for a pie party some Saturday, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course, sweetie. Would love to.”
“Awesome.” She gave him a smile and an extra swirl of caramel, then headed back to MJ and Kayla. “Kayla, what would you think of bringing Regan to a little party here at the pie shop next Saturday?”
Kayla shrugged. “Yeah, we could try.”
Okay, that wasn’t as enthusiastic as Brynn had hoped for. “We could do cupcakes or something other than pie if you think that would be better.”
“Sure. I can ask her. Whatever you want. She’d probably think that cocoa with all the sprinkles and syrup and stuff you have for the coffee would be fun.”
“Great. I’ll definitely include that.”
“Okay.”
Brynn tipped her head. “I was hoping you’d be more excited about it.”
Kayla smiled. “Sorry. It’s really a nice idea and I would definitely try to bring her. But…”
“What?”
Kayla turned more fully on her stool. “Okay, you want to do an event here that I would be super excited to come to? Do a ladies’ night out with wine and dessert. Women only. No kids.”
That was interesting.
“Even better?” Kayla continued. “Set up some kind of babysitting for the evening in case women can’t find sitters and their husbands aren’t home.”
Brynn felt her eyes widening as Kayla spoke.
“But off site,” Kayla added. “And maybe have a few designated drivers to get us home.”
Brynn waited a beat to be sure Kayla was done. Then she grinned. “Wow, Kayla, that’s an amazing idea.”
Kayla looked a little surprised. “Really?”
“Yes. Definitely. In fact, there are so many ways we cou
ld pair wine with pie.” Her mind was whirling now. She was sure she could research pairings, but honestly, it wasn’t rocket science. So many of the flavors in the wine and the pies would blend and complement each other.
“Okay, that I would show up for,” Kayla said. “And instead of dragging Regan in here against her will, I could bring three or four friends who would gladly come.”
“I’d come for that too,” MJ said with a nod.
“Really? You’re a wine drinker?” Brynn asked. She wouldn’t have guessed that. But then the more she got to know MJ, the more she realized she’d been pretty far off on a lot of things.
“Oh, no. I’m thinking bourbon. But you’d have to have a chocolate pie to go with it.”
Brynn smiled, feeling a streak of excitement go through her. “We could do that.” Cori could make anything.
This was a really good idea. Her sisters had been doing so much for the pie shop. Cori was the mastermind behind the menu they were slowly expanding and some of the fun themes they were going to try like kiddie pies, sweetie pies for date nights, and a whole line of ice cream pies like root beer float and banana split. Ava was the one who’d brought Parker on board and knocked the wall down between the restaurants. Brynn had been doing her part, but she hadn’t really added anything new. Now maybe she could. These were ideas that would cater to some new crowds. And as much as she really wanted to see these tutus, the ladies’ night out idea was the one really taking root.
She couldn’t wait to tell Ava and Cori that she was the one that thought they should make the pie shop even more social.
* * *
Noah watched Brynn across the stretch of sand and worked on just breathing.
It was Sunday, so she’d been at the shop and he’d been busy getting stuff ready for the party. He hadn’t seen her until she showed up at the river with her sisters.
She’d met Tanner here, and Noah applauded her not riding with him. That meant she didn’t have to leave with him. It might be a date, but that didn’t mean the guy had to pick her up and drop her off.
Though Noah could already tell Tanner was going to try to change her mind about that. He hadn’t left her side since she’d slid out of Elvira. Which was what a good date should do, of course. But Noah was sure it also had something to do with the short shorts and the bright green bikini top she was wearing.
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