by Beth Ciotta
What the hell was her type? Sam was former military. A successful independent furniture maker. A great dad and, like she said, a really nice guy. Good-looking, too, if you asked just about any female in town. And he baked freaking awesome cupcakes! How could she not be attracted to Luke’s cousin? Unless … Oh, hell. Was Rachel gay? Not that there was anything wrong with that. It’s just … Wow. That would explain a lot. Unless, she wasn’t. Maybe there was no spark because Sam was radiating an I’m-looking-for-a-mother-for-my-children vibe or a Let-me-save-you vibe rather than an I’m-looking-to-get-off-with-a-hot-chick, let-me-rock-your-world vibe. Maybe Rachel was more interested in sex than commitment. One of those shy women who, once in bed, morphed into wildcat. Maybe if Sam were more aggressive …
“So about my schedule,” Rachel prodded.
“Right.” Luke cleared his throat, tapped his finger to the calendar. “How about Tuesday through Saturday? Night shift except on Thursday.”
“Because of the weekly Cupcake Lovers meeting?”
“I may not belong to the club, but I support and believe in the cause.”
“You’re a good man, Luke.”
“Not as good as Sam.” Way to sound confident, Monroe. But it had slipped out and he’d meant it. Sam deserved Rachel’s praise, not Luke.
“Tomorrow then.” She stood looking as though she couldn’t escape fast enough. “Thanks for the beer.”
She’d barely touched it. “Sure.” He stood as well, wishing he knew more about her. The more he knew, the more he could help Sam. “About your uniform—”
“I supply the black pants and white shirt. You supply the apron.”
“Right. As for your hair—”
“A ponytail or bun, I assume. As long as it’s off of my face, away from the food.”
“Yeah. And, not that I’m recommending you going for slutty, but a formfitting top might invite bigger tips from the male customers. Smiling is good, too. For both genders.”
“Not to mention good service.”
Well, damn. “Absolutely.” Luke stuffed his hands in his pockets, rocked back on his heels. “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”
“No, you’re not. But I’ll see you Tuesday anyway.”
Luke blinked as the door shut between them. He’d never felt so inept with a woman in his life.
CHAPTER TWENTY
“Well, that was embarrassing.” Rocky buckled herself into Jayce’s car, then pushed back the hood of her rain jacket and slaked water from her face. She didn’t need to look in the visor mirror to know her cheeks burned red. Being irritated with the man when he was doing her a favor by driving her to Pixley to get her license, in a sleet storm no less, was beyond petty, but dammit, he’d rattled her chains big-time.
“Just wanted to meet the guys working on your house.”
“Meeting is one thing; scrutinizing is another.” Rocky glared as Jayce raked wet hair from his obnoxiously gorgeous face. She cursed her fluttering heart. Sap. “Surprised you didn’t ask them for character references.”
“Didn’t have to,” he said, tweaking the windshield wipers as he pulled onto the road. “I got their names. The Internet will do the rest.”
“You’re going to poke into their lives?”
“Just peek around the fringes.”
“There’s something smarmy about invading someone’s privacy.”
“Not if it’s for the greater good.”
“So when you did that background check on Chloe … that was for the greater good?”
“It was meant to protect family, so, yeah.”
Chilled from the icy rain, Rocky reached over and cranked the heat a notch, telling herself to let that particular incident drop. Dev had had his reasons for asking Jayce to pry, and Chloe had forgiven them both. Dredging up old dirt was definitely petty. “Sorry. I know some people deserve to have their privacy invaded, especially those with wicked intent, like the cyber bullies you mentioned last night. But snooping into the lives of harmless folk—”
“There are plenty of people who appear innocuous yet, in private or on the sly, commit devious or sinister acts.”
“That’s pretty cynical.”
“Life as I know it.”
She thought back to when he’d pointed out the crime rate in Central Park—rapes, muggings, and murders. “Is that why you left the NYPD? Because of all the ugly stuff you saw?”
His lip twitched. “‘Ugly stuff’ covers a lot of ground, Dash. Saw plenty of ugly as a PI.”
An opportune moment to gain insight on Jayce’s life. The question she’d never asked. At least not directly. “Why did you leave the force, Jayce?”
“Too much out of my control.”
An answer that blindsided. Control was Rocky’s thing, not that she seemed to have much of it anymore. “Can you elaborate?”
He flexed his hands on the wheels and, for a moment, she thought he was going to refuse. Instead, he shrugged. “I hated being restricted by regulations and laws when it came to righting wrongs.”
“If there’s any truth to what’s portrayed in television shows and movies, cops bend the rules all the time.”
“Fine line between bending and breaking.”
“So you threw up your hands and quit the game? Doesn’t sound like you.”
“You mean it doesn’t sound like your romanticized version of me.”
She focused on the windshield, the steady thwacking of the wipers. The slow thudding of her heart. All those years of secretly crushing on the man followed by thirteen years of pushing him away. Did she really know Jayce at all?
“Bottom line, I wasn’t happy on the force, so I moved on. Tried to make a difference in my own way. Which worked okay for a while.” He paused, gaining Rocky’s full attention, then cut her an intense glance. “But then I wanted more.”
Holy smokin’ hell. The sexual vibes rolling off of the golden Adonis nearly melted Rocky into a puddle of raw desire. She wanted to jump his bones. She wanted to kiss him blind. Lethal moves considering he was navigating an icy mountain road.
Rattled, Rocky redirected the conversation. “Saturday night, when I was driving home from the airfield, Billy Burke pulled me over for a broken taillight. He gave me a ticket, warned me to watch my ass because he was.”
“Son of a bitch.”
“I thought it was just one of his stupid power plays, and maybe it was. I don’t know that it was Billy lurking outside the Red Clover. I don’t know that it was anyone. But my gut says I have nothing to fear from the men working their butts off to resurrect my B and B.”
Jayce reached over and squeezed her hand. “That your way of telling me to snoop in another direction?”
His touch amped her physical awareness. Like her libido needed a boost. “Yeah. I guess it is.”
Jayce continued to hold her hand, driving one-handed into the pelting rain. He stroked a thumb over her knuckles while seemingly deep in thought.
Rocky squirmed in the tense silence, her mind racing with erotic thoughts about Jayce rather than working the puzzle of her stalker. If she had a stalker.
“Billy’s a spoiled rich kid,” Jayce said matter-of-factly. “An insecure prick.”
“I know.”
“He’s always been a prick.”
“I know.”
“Chances are this was just another case of him being a douche.”
Now Rocky smiled. “I know.” She interlaced her fingers with Jayce’s. She’d never been big on holding hands. For the life of her, she couldn’t understand why. Holding hands was intimate, intense. Squeezing her tingling thighs together, Rocky focused on the conversation. “Soon after Chloe moved to town, Billy pulled her and Gram over for reckless driving. Billy got fresh with Chloe during a frisk and Gram ratted him out to Sherriff Stone. Even though Stone didn’t believe Gram, I’m pretty sure Billy holds a grudge. Also, Dev’s trying to renovate and expand J.T.’s, which amplifies the power struggles between the Monroes and Burkes. Then there’s Tasha.”
/> “What about her?”
“Billy seems to dote on her. A lot of men do. She’s like a walking sex magnet.”
“Except most men lose interest when they get to know her.”
“Her husband’s still attentive.”
“Randall Burke’s self-absorbed and power hungry. Two peas in a pod.”
“What if there are three peas in the pod?” Rocky voiced an ugly suspicion. “Chloe thinks Billy’s sniffing after Tasha.”
“That could get fifty shades of ugly.”
“Tasha wouldn’t fall for a cheating weasel like Billy. She wouldn’t risk her high-profile marriage. But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t bask in Billy’s adoration and that he wouldn’t try to impress her by hassling her nemesis.”
“You.”
“Tasha and I have never gotten along. Ever. Plus, I pretty much got her demoted as president of Cupcake Lovers. She hates me for that. What if Billy’s trying to get on her good side by hassling me, spooking me?”
“What if Tasha asked him to?”
Rocky crinkled her brow. She hadn’t thought of that. “I suppose it’s possible. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised. Tasha’s not above a little warped revenge. Except … if that’s the case then last night will be the end of it.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Her phone call this morning. The film crew. She called an end to any drama. Called a truce between us.” Rocky rolled back her shoulders and smiled. Relief cut through the gloomy weather like a bolt of sunshine. “I feel so much better. I can’t believe how freaked out I was last night over a prank. By Billy-the-Dickhead Burke, no less.”
Jayce smiled, too, although the tender gesture failed to reach his eyes. “You’re probably dead-on in your scenario, Dash.”
“It’s totally logical.”
“Nevertheless, be aware of your surroundings and call me if you’re troubled by anything at all.”
“Maybe you should move in and be my private bodyguard,” she teased. Only her voice was husky rather than sarcastic, making the jest sound more like an invitation. Crap.
“About that promise I made to you over the phone,” he said, skating over her flub. “I don’t mind trying to reason with Dev about Daisy and Vince. Avoiding a stink while that film crew’s in town aside, I actually think Vince is good for your grandma. But, just so you know, I’ll be bringing Dev up to speed on us as well.”
Rocky squirmed. “Meaning?”
“I’m not willing to lie low for a test run.”
Rocky got the reference and she flushed head to toe. Less than a month ago, Adam Brody had been her secret sex partner, although it wasn’t much of a secret now since she’d spilled her guts to Chloe, Monica, Luke, and Dev. And, in a drunken moment, Jayce. She didn’t feel guilty about Adam. Adam was a great guy; he just wasn’t for her. Jayce was for her. He had always been for her. Now that he was within reach, she panicked. “So, what?” she asked with a nervous snort. “You wanna be my boyfriend?”
He felled her with a look that sent her heart flying from her chest. “It’s a start.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
By the time four o’clock rolled around and Rocky rolled her Jeep into a parking space across from Moose-a-lotta, she was in an insanely sunny mood even though the weather had been dismal all day. Instead of bursting into the café like a freaking fireball of joy, she relaxed against the seat and took a calming breath.
Yes, she’d spent an amazing afternoon antiquing with Jayce, getting a feel for his personal taste, and, yes, she’d been over the moon charmed when he’d stopped by an animal rescue shelter in Pixley to make a donation and to visit with the dogs. One mutt in particular, Brewster, had stolen Rocky’s heart, and she’d instantly understood why Jayce donated his time and money to homeless animals. But the highlight of the afternoon was when Jayce had veered off into a wooded area where they’d made out in his car like two horny teenagers. What a ridiculous rush!
Still flushed from the spontaneous interlude, Rocky told herself to get a grip. She needed to ratchet her enthusiasm down a notch. She needed to relay this new development to Chloe and Monica in a nonchalant manner. Rocky was already on shaky ground with Chloe, and Monica was on shaky ground with Leo. Clearly it wasn’t the best time for Rocky to tell her friends she was not only having amazing sex with the man of her dreams but that he’d also romanced her off her feet. Clearly it wasn’t the time to gush. But she did have to break the news to them before they heard it from someone else. Jayce had made it clear: He wanted to date her—openly. He wanted to be her freaking boyfriend. Every time she thought about it she wanted to giggle or sigh or both. “Definite sap.”
Just then she noticed Chloe flipping the sign on the door to Closed.
No more stalling.
Tossing her newly made keys into her new purse alongside her new wallet containing her new license and the replacement credit card that had come today in the mail, Rocky left her Jeep and crossed the puddled street. At least it had stopped raining.
Nearing Moose-a-lotta, she admired Gram and Chloe’s new storefront. The green-and-yellow-striped awning, the custom logo painted on the sparkling plate-glass window. That cartoonish moose with its cat-eye glasses and chef’s hat—a reflection of the owners’ personalities—made Rocky smile every time. Gram and Chloe had transformed the takeaway confectionery, previously Gemma’s Bakery, into an inviting hangout fairly quickly. Dev had offered support and advice on the business end. Rocky had recommended local eclectic shops and decorating advice. Luke and Sam had installed shelves, wall hangings, and such. But Gram and Chloe had been the idea people and had worked tirelessly pulling everything together. Prime location, cozy atmosphere, gourmet treats, flavored coffees, and the only public hang that offered wireless Internet access. Knowing Sugar Creek—the locals and tourists—Rocky had no doubt Moose-a-lotta would be a raging success. A popular and profitable business like the Sugar Shack and J. T. Monroe’s Department Store.
The exact opposite of the Red Clover.
Shoving away that dismal thought, Rocky tapped on the glass.
Chloe peeked through the drawn blind, then opened the door and waved Rocky inside. “You’re early.”
“Hope you don’t mind. I wanted a few minutes alone with you and Monica before the other members started trickling in. Thanks again for letting us meet here tonight.”
“Seemed the easy solution given the short notice. That way no one had to clean their house in a frenzy. My pleasure.”
Rocky skimmed the moderate-sized café—so unique—while reveling in the delectable scents. She’d seen Moose-a-lotta in progress, but the finished product was truly spectacular. “So you’ve been superbusy, huh?”
“Steady, but not overwhelmed—yet. In the high seasons, I fully expect to be hustling nonstop.” Smiling now, Chloe unknotted her apron. “We definitely have to hire a couple of full-timers. Pretty sure Connie’s coming on board. I can’t impose on Monica to keep filling in when she’s already got a part-time job, although she swears she doesn’t mind.”
“Where is Monica anyway?”
“In the back freshening up. Just as we were closing she bobbled a carton of chocolate milk. Her apron took the biggest hit. Still.” Chloe shook her head. “Between the library and Moose-a-lotta she’s taking on too many hours, but she said she needs time away from Leo.” Chloe glanced toward the back hall. “Trying for a baby should bring two people closer together, not push them apart.”
Rocky agreed. Also, it was not like Monica and Leo had been trying for all that long. Rocky didn’t fully understand the strife between them, so she felt awkward commenting. “They’ll work it out.”
Eyes on the closed bathroom door, Chloe sighed. “I hope so.”
“As long as we’re alone…,” Rocky said, shrugging out of her coat. “Are you and I okay? Last night was awkward.”
“I’ll say.”
“I’m sorry if I seemed cagey. It wasn’t calculated. I just … everything’s moving so fast
. It’s—”
“Scary?”
“A little.”
“I understand.”
“You do?”
Chloe nodded, sighed. “I overreacted last night. I’ve been stressed about the café, among other things. Hard to be objective when your wits are out of whack. Anyway, I can see where you’d want to tread lightly where Jayce is concerned. It’s complicated.”
Rocky nearly wilted with relief. “I’ve decided to go for it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?”
“Now that’s exciting news. Speaking of…” Chloe quirked a small smile. “Your brother asked me to move in with him.”
Wow. Big honking step for Dev. “Did you say yes?”
“Not before dragging my feet a little. You’re not the only one worried about things moving too fast.”
“But you’re going for it?”
Chloe smiled in earnest. “Life is short.”
Just then a door clicked open. Rocky glanced to the bathroom. “Monica knows Jayce moved back, right?”
“Everyone knows. Apparently Jayce is a hometown hero of sorts.”
“The onetime golden boy of Sugar Creek. A superjock in high school who was also supernice.”
“A man of few words but huge gestures, Dev told me. Always looking out for others.”
Rocky nodded; her pulse raced. Selfless and honorable. “Few were surprised when he moved away to fight big-city crime.”
“Welcome home!” Monica called to Rocky from the back of the café. “Can you believe this bit about a video shoot?” she asked, smile wavering as she neared. “Am I interrupting something?”
“No,” Rocky said. “I’m glad you’re here. I just hope I can get this out before anyone else shows.” She nabbed both women’s hands and tugged them down alongside her on a love seat and chair. “About Jayce … Three weeks ago I dumped my private misery on you two and Luke in a moment of deranged weakness.”
“You weren’t deranged,” Chloe said. “More like tortured.”
“A lot tortured,” Monica said.
“I want you to know I’m sensitive to the fact that I’ve made you my partners in crime, so to speak. Begging your confidence wasn’t fair. I apologize.”