More to Love

by Alison Bliss

  With questions swimming through her mind, Jessa stared absently at the wall. She didn’t know how long she’d been doing so when a female voice registered in her ears. “Is it going to change colors?”

  “Huh?” Jessa twisted her neck to see Valerie coming through the inside door linking the kitchen with her bar, Bottoms Up.

  Valerie grinned wide, flashing her pearly whites. “The wall. Are you waiting for it to do something?”

  “Oh. No, sorry. I just…well, I guess I was lost in thought.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  Jessa shook her head. “Nothing. I was just wondering about something, that’s all.”

  “Maybe I can help?”

  “I doubt it. Unless you can tell me why some guy tipped me a hundred dollars.”

  Her eyes widened. “Damn, Jess. How much food did he order from you?”

  “Well, that’s the puzzling part. He didn’t order anything from me. He just slipped a hundred-dollar bill into the tip jar, and I can’t figure out why.” Jessa paused as what she said sank in. “Actually, now that I think about it, he’s never ordered anything from my truck. At least not while I’ve been there. And that seems to be the only time he shows up. Mary and Lisa would’ve mentioned it if he showed up during their shifts.”

  “Maybe he likes you.”

  Heat crept up Jessa’s neck and into her cheeks.

  Valerie smirked. “Judging by the way you just changed colors, I’m assuming he’s not the only one who has a little crush going on.”

  That only made Jessa blush more. “Well, we have been sort of flirting for the past week. But I wouldn’t think that would be the reason he’d drop money into my tip jar. That seems a little creepy and inappropriate. Especially since it’s not like I need the…” Her words trailed off as she remembered the conversation she had with Max earlier in the night. “Oh.”

  Valerie raised one eyebrow. “Oh? Oh, what? What does that mean?”

  “While we were talking earlier, I mentioned that I didn’t want to spend any more money this week. But that wasn’t because I couldn’t afford it. It was because I like to keep my food costs down for my customers. I think he might’ve taken what I said out of context.”

  “Ah, I see. So he thought he was helping you then?”

  “I guess so.” Max’s sweet gesture filled her with warmth, but the fuzzy feelings warred with the guilt of knowing she hadn’t deserved the money he had given her. “I’ll have to give it back to him. It was nice of him to do that, but it wasn’t necessary. I just hope he’ll take it back.”

  Valerie smiled. “Well, if he doesn’t, tell this guy to come hang out at the bar for a few hours. I’d love to serve him a thing or two.”

  Jessa giggled, but a man’s curt voice cut through the air. “Val, you better be talking about alcohol.”

  Both women glanced in the direction of the voice and spied Valerie’s fiancé, Logan, standing in the open doorway connected to the bar.

  Valerie laughed. “Of course I’m talking about serving him drinks. I’d love to have this guy as a customer.”

  Logan strolled farther into the room. “Who?”

  Jessa grinned. “A really big tipper.”

  “Hell, then send him my way. I like big tippers too.”

  Valerie shook her head. “From what Jess just told me, I don’t think you’re his type. Actually, I’m probably not either. It seems the guy likes cute redheads who can cook.”

  “So who is this mystery man?” Logan asked, leaning his hip against the counter.

  Jessa shrugged. “Just a guy in town that’s been a little flirty. I probably shouldn’t say who he is since there’s a conflict of interest where he’s concerned. I doubt it will lead to anything between us anyway.”

  Logan frowned. “He’s not married, is he?”

  “Logan!” Valerie’s eyes widened. “That’s none of your business.”

  He cringed at her words. “You’re right. It’s not.” Then he gazed back at Jessa. “That was rude of me to ask. I’m sorry.”

  Jessa smiled at him. “It’s okay. And the answer is no. As far as I know, he’s not married. It’s more of a work conflict, not a personal one.”

  He nodded. “Okay. Well, if you don’t want this guy hanging around, let me know, and I’ll have a talk with him. I don’t want you feeling like you’re in a tough spot and not able to get out of it.”

  “Thanks. I appreciate that,” Jessa said. “It’s nice knowing I have friends here who are willing to go out of their way to help me out. You two have already done so much for me. I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay you.”

  Valerie reached over and squeezed Jessa’s hand. “You don’t need to repay us for anything. We love having you here. I only hope things work out with the food truck so you’ll end up staying here. I would miss you terribly if you left. Even though it’s only been a few short weeks, I’ve already grown attached to you and am used to having you around.”

  “I second that,” Logan said, nodding.

  Jessa smiled at the adorable couple.

  It had taken months and months of careful planning for her idea to come to fruition. But now that it had, she couldn’t believe how well everything was going. For the past few weeks, she’d been testing out her signature menu items on the locals. Gourmet comfort food with low prices was a concept that was relatively unknown in this area. But her unique take on it had been well received. She’d created a buzz in this small community, one that was even bringing in new customers from the next town over.

  “No worries. I don’t see me going anywhere. Business has been booming since I got into town. If this keeps up, I’m going to have enough money to open my restaurant sooner than I thought.”

  Valerie squealed and gave her a hug. “That’s great news, Jess! I’m so excited for you.”

  “Congrats,” Logan told her. “I’m glad you’ve found a home here, Jess.”

  She truly had. Granite was different from any place she’d ever lived before. The only thing that would make this place even more perfect was if Jessa’s mother could’ve been here in person to see how well her daughter’s food truck business was doing and share in her joy. She would’ve loved that. “Thank you. Really, I mean that. You two letting me rent your commercial kitchen has been instrumental in making this happen for me.”

  Logan shook his head. “It was just good timing all around. If I hadn’t met you in the grocery store when I did, this kitchen would still be sitting here unused. I’m just glad we finally found something to do with the space.”

  Jessa knew Logan was just being kind. Not everyone would have gone out of their way to help out a stranger they’d just met. But he’d offered the kitchen to her as if they’d been friends for years. He hadn’t even considered charging her for the space until she refused to use it unless he accepted a monthly rent and allowed her to reimburse him for the licensing fees. Only then had he caved.

  Who knew she would have found such amazing friends so fast? And really, that was just the start of good things to come. She could feel it.

  So yeah, she wasn’t going anywhere. As far as Jessa was concerned, her moving days were over.

  * * *

  Max scoped out the food truck before he approached to make certain no one in line would recognize him. He knew he was taking another risk by showing up right before lunch rush, but he needed to try something different. So far, everything else he’d been doing hadn’t worked.

  Unfortunately, he was no closer to getting her to leave now than he had been the first day he’d met her. And that really frustrated the hell out of him.

  Never in his life had he met a more compliant, more detail-oriented, more eager-to-please woman than Jessa. And it was slowly driving him insane.

  But enough was enough. He couldn’t sit around dropping hints and subliminal messages anymore, hoping she’d point her truck out of town and hit the gas pedal.

  So if that meant showing up at her busiest time to hassle her and make things
more uncomfortable, then so be it. That was exactly what he was going to do. Because it was now or never. If this plan didn’t work, he didn’t have anything else that would get her to leave.

  He was almost to the truck when he caught sight of Jessa stepping outside in a pink tie-dye halter top, a pair of cut-off denim shorts, and white flip-flops. She was carrying a small tray of food in one hand and a soda in the other. But before he reached her, she began walking in the opposite direction.

  Max quickened his pace. “Hey, Jess.”

  She stopped and glanced back. “Hi. What are you doing here?”

  “Just came to check up on you.” And give you a hard time.

  “Again?” she said teasingly.

  Max just grinned.

  “Well, I’m taking my lunch break before we get too busy. Are you hungry? You could always grab something and come eat with me, if you want.” She gestured to a vacant picnic table a few yards away.

  He hated to sit out in the open in case someone recognized him and stopped by the table to talk, but it would probably be too obvious to ask her to eat her lunch in his truck. “That’s okay, I already ate. But I don’t mind keeping you company while you do.”

  “Great.”

  They walked together to the table and slid their legs under it. Jessa removed the cap on her bottle of soda while gazing over at him. “You never come by this early anymore. You usually show up at closing time.”

  He shrugged. “I have plans later.”

  “Oh.” She paused before taking a sip of her drink, and her forehead wrinkled. “You…uh, have a date or something?”

  Max recognized disappointment when he saw it, and for some strange reason, he wanted her to know that he wasn’t dating anyone. “No, it’s not a date. Just a work thing. But it’s going to keep me busy all evening long.” Which was his own fault since he’d gotten off work early just to come see her.

  Since she was technically on her lunch break, he was going to be a gentleman and give her a short reprieve. The last thing he wanted was for anyone else to overhear him pretending to be the health inspector. But the moment she was done eating and back to work, her stay of execution was over. He wasn’t exactly sure how, but he planned to antagonize the hell out of her in whatever way he could. He was sure he would think of something by the time she got back to work.

  “Sorry, but you’re going to have to do most of the talking. I skipped breakfast this morning, and I’m starving to death. But don’t worry, I’ll listen and nod in appropriate moments.” She giggled as she turned her attention to her tray.

  Max glanced down at her food and licked his dry lips. Damn, those tacos looked and smelled great. Pieces of cooked steak and colorful peppers were nestled inside a corn tortilla with some kind of sweet-smelling green sauce drizzled on top. The tacos looked so good, in fact, that they easily rivaled dishes he’d seen cooked by professional chefs on The Food Network channel. Impressive.

  Mouth watering, he watched as she pinched the two halves of one shell together and lifted the taco out of her paper boat. She leaned forward to take her first bite, and juices dripped from beneath her chin into the container below. Max’s stomach growled quietly. He didn’t know why he had agreed to this kind of torture.

  Once she swallowed, she hummed appreciatively. “I’m totally patting myself on the back right now, but these are so good, I could eat them all day long.”

  If they tasted as great as they smelled, Max really couldn’t blame her. But he sighed. “While I admire your commitment, you should probably rethink that decision. And you probably shouldn’t skip meals either. It’s not healthy.”

  She squinted at him. “Did you eat breakfast this morning?”

  “Of course. I had steel-cut oatmeal and fresh fruit.”

  Jessa giggled. “Would it be weird if I tell you that you eat like my grandmother?”

  He grinned. “Your grandma must like to stay healthy.”

  “Not anymore. She died when I was ten.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “It’s okay. It was a long time ago. And she did live well into her eighties.”

  “Must’ve been all those good-for-you breakfast foods she ate.” He winked to show her he was teasing.

  “Probably,” she said with a laugh. “So I take it you eat healthy a lot then?”

  “All the time.”

  “No way. No one eats healthy all the time.”

  He shrugged. “I do. And I work out at the gym a lot too.”

  “I figured you did. You have a lot of bulges.” She must’ve realized what she said because Jessa’s eyes widened. “Oh, wait. I didn’t mean that the way it came out. I just meant—”

  “It’s okay. I understood what you meant,” Max said, chuckling. “And trust me, I worked hard for these…bulges.”

  A quick pink blush settled into her cheeks, but she smiled. “Oh, believe me, I worked hard for my bulges too.” She snickered at herself. “Sorry, that was a fat-girl joke.”

  Max shook his head. “That wasn’t at all funny.”

  “It was to me.”

  “You really shouldn’t say things like that about yourself.”

  “Why not? It’s true.” She took another bite of her taco.

  “I don’t think so. You should be kinder to yourself. You’re beautiful and have an amazing figure.” When her eyes lifted to meet his, he smirked. “What? You think I didn’t notice?”

  Jessa swallowed and wiped her mouth with a paper napkin. “Well, I had a feeling.” She set her taco down and blotted the juice from her fingers. “The thing is, I know being plus-sized bothers some women, but it doesn’t really faze me at all. I’m a total foodie and enjoy eating what I want. If my size bothers someone else, then that’s on them. I’m happy the way I am.”

  “I wish more women had that attitude about their bodies. It’s a great one to have.”

  “Thanks,” she said, picking up her taco and finishing it off.

  Wait. Why was he being so nice when he was supposed to be waging war on the woman? Fuck. Okay, that was it. Amnesty hour was over as of right now.

  She glanced over at the food truck. “We’re getting busier already.”

  Damn it. The last thing he needed was someone to spot him sitting with her and then come over to talk to him. “Better hurry up with your other taco then.”

  Jessa nodded. “It’s okay. That’s only the first wave of customers. Lisa and Mary can handle them by themselves for a few more minutes.”

  Max glanced at the line and shook his head. There were so many of Pops’ old customers in that line. He just didn’t get it. “Why do so many people want to eat at a food truck anyway? Especially when they can go into a sit-down restaurant.”

  She shrugged. “Street food is…I don’t know, sexy and appealing.”

  Funny. He thought the same thing about her. “But it’s also very fattening.”

  “Not all of them are. There are plenty of trucks where you can get turkey wraps, salads, or veggie burgers. I’ve also seen trucks that juice fresh vegetables, make healthy smoothies, and serve cucumber water. So there are some healthier options.”

  “Not here, there aren’t.”

  “Hmm. That may be true for this area. But it isn’t like one higher-fat meal on occasion would ruin anyone’s diet anyway. It’s all about moderation.” She gestured to the chalkboard on the side of the truck. “Even I have some options that aren’t as high in fat and calories as others. I’m not saying they’re as low-cal as they could be, but they’re not all that bad for you. Maybe you should pick something off the menu and see what you think.”

  He didn’t even glance at the menu. “No thanks.”

  “Oh, come on. You could at least try something, Max. As much time as you spend around here, you should at least taste the food. In fact, it’ll be on the house. My treat,” she said with a smile.

  Max shook his head. “Thanks, but I’m not interested.”

  Her mouth was set in a grim line. She appare
ntly hadn’t expected him to refuse her offer of a free meal. Probably because most people wouldn’t have. But he wasn’t like most people.

  “All right. But would you at least try a bite of mine then?” She picked up the plastic fork on the side of her tray and stabbed a chunk of steak with it. Then she lifted it to his lips as she waited for him to open his mouth. “Just one taste.”

  The scent of the meat under his nose was rich and intoxicating, but it only made him feel like a raging alcoholic at a whiskey convention. One taste of that and he’d be hooked and fall right off the wagon. “No,” he said firmly.

  She frowned. “Why not? What’s it going to hurt to try it?”

  “My diet.” He crinkled his nose at the bite in front of him. “Sorry, but I just don’t eat crap like that.”

  Her body tensed, and her hand fisted on the table. “Crap? Seriously?” She shook her head in disbelief as the pitch of her voice rose higher. “Don’t you think that’s an unfair assessment of my food since you’ve never even tasted any of it?”

  Max wasn’t trying to offend her or insult her food. The comment had only slipped out because he never ate red meat. At least not anymore. But he was a little surprised by the amount of outrage showing on her face. Wide eyes. Pursed lips. Set jaw. Hell, if he had known she would’ve gotten this upset over something like that, he would’ve done it a week ago. He wanted to grin at the thought, but he was afraid he’d get punched in the nose if he did.

  Still, he felt a little bad about it. Even though he enjoyed seeing that lovely flash of fire shooting through her gorgeous blue eyes. He hadn’t known she had it in her, but it took his breath away and sent sparks of pleasure straight to his balls. Too bad she wasn’t on the menu…because Max would definitely have ordered some of that.