A Moment on the Lips (A Whistle Stop Romance, #3) (28 page)

“Now, now. Don’t go getting all worked up. I told you everything will work out. It just might take some time. Cheer up, girl. These people are here because they care about you.”

Piper’s gaze moved back to the eager faces of people she’d known her whole life. “But I don’t know how to thank them all.”

“There’s plenty of time for that later. Right now, there’s work to be done. We’ll have you back in business in no time.”

Piper knew all too well that it wouldn’t be that easy to reopen. There would be bureaucratic red tape to cut through. “I’ll need to be inspected and—”

“Stop worrying. I’ll be placing more phone calls while you oversee the cleaning process. We’ll have you up and running before the Autumn Fest. Just you wait and see.”

If anyone else had made that statement, she wouldn’t have believed them. But she’d witnessed more than one or twice how Mrs. Sanchez was able to work miracles. She didn’t know how or why she had someone so special in her life, but Piper was immensely grateful—even if she didn’t feel deserving.

She turned to her friend and gave the woman a big hug. “Thank you so much for everything. You are an amazing woman.”

Mrs. Sanchez hugged her back. After a moment, they pulled apart. The woman’s eyes were red and puffy. “Now see what you went and did?”

Piper couldn’t believe it, but a smile tugged at her lips. Just a little one, but it was a smile nonetheless. “Thought you were just telling me not to get misty.”

“It’s your fault. We better get moving before we both end up teary-eyed.”

They’d started across the street when a well-dressed man stepped out of a gray sedan. “Excuse me. Are one of you Ms., uh”—he glanced down at the clipboard in his hand—“Ms. Noble?”

“I am,” Piper said. “What can I do for you?”

“Your insurance agent called in the fire this morning. And it looks like I’m here just in time.”

Her muscles stiffened. Please don’t let there be another problem. “In time for what?”

“I need to document the damage in order to process the claim.”

“The claim?”

He nodded. “It’s all part of your policy. I’d say that I would send out a cleanup crew, but it looks like you have that all in hand.”

“Will this take long?”

He shook his head. “I just need to take some pictures and document a few things. Then you’re welcome to start cleaning up. However, if you want a professional crew, that can be arranged.”

Piper looked around at the anxious faces of neighbors and friends. She’d never felt more love than she did at that moment. “I think we have it under control. Thank you.” She was just about to go unlock the door when she thought to ask, “Do you know about the damage to the business next door?”

“No, I don’t. Our company doesn’t insure it.”

She showed him inside, and true to his word, he made short work of getting the information he needed for his report. Then the building filled up with so many helpful people that Piper wondered if they’d exceed the fire code. But she highly doubted anyone would say a word, since the fire chief and assistant chief were among those helping to put the bakery and her apartment to rights.

Any other time, she might have felt invaded with all of these people in her personal space, seeing the dirty dishes in her sink and the laundry heaped up over the top of her laundry basket, but she was so overwhelmed by the outpouring of kindness that she just let it all wash over her. Now if only she could do the same for Joe.

W
here did he even begin?

Dressed in his clothes from the day before, Joe swallowed the last of the coffee his mother had poured for him. He didn’t have time to waste. There were phone calls to make. Forms to fill out. But first, he had to see the building in the daylight.

The events of the fire came to him in bits and pieces. The parts he could recall were fuzzy and awful—more than that, they were horrid. If his mother hadn’t slipped him some painkillers with a sleep aid, he might never have slept last night. He thanked his mother this morning. The sleep was exactly what he’d needed. It gave him clarity. And all he could see now was how poorly he’d treated Piper.

He turned to his mother. “I need to go see what’s left of the place.”

“Are you sure you don’t want something to eat? It might do you good.”

He shook his head. He had absolutely no appetite. He’d started out the back door when there was a knock at the front door. Who could that be? His mother didn’t have many friends. It was sad but true. Even with his father gone, his mother was still prone to keeping to herself.

He turned to his mother. “Are you expecting anyone?”

“No. No one.”

“I’ll get it.” He strode to the front door and swung it open. A man he’d never seen before stood there. “Hi. Can I help you?”

The man’s inquisitive gaze met his. “Are you Joseph Montoya?”

“Yes, I am. What can I do for you?”

The man introduced himself as the county fire marshal. His reason for the visit was to give Joe the findings of his report. He told Joe it wasn’t customary to deliver these reports in person, but the fire chief, Tony Granger, was a personal friend. Tony thought that Joe needed to hear the results as soon as possible.

This information only piqued Joe’s curiosity even more. “What did you find?”

“I saw from the permits you secured for the renovation that you hired an out-of-town electrician.”

“Yes, he came at a great price, and I was trying to keep costs as low as possible. There’s a lot of overhead when starting up a new business.”

The marshal lifted his ball cap and rubbed his brow before settling the cap back on his head. “The problem is that, in order for the electrician to give you that great price, he cut corners. The job he did was substandard, and normally that would have been caught by the electrical inspector, but I see he wasn’t scheduled to go over the coffee shop until tomorrow.”

“Wait. What you’re saying is that the fire could have been started by anyone plugging anything in at any time?”

The marshal nodded. “Afraid so. It was like a time bomb waiting to go off with just the right combination of usage.”

“And the fuse box?”

The marshal shook his head. “The man used the wrong size breakers. That, along with the substandard wiring he did, made a real mess of things. If you decide to move forward with the project, you need to hire a good electrician to fix the wiring.”

“So what you're saying is even I could've started that fire?”

The marshal nodded. “You’re just lucky no one was hurt. If I were you, I’d find other ways to cut your expenses next time.”

Joe thanked the man and shook his hand.

Guilt riddled Joe. On his walk to the town square, he went over and over the fire inspector’s words. The ones that struck him the hardest indicated that he, Joe Montoya, was responsible for that blaze. It had nothing to do with Piper, and it had almost cost her life. The thought made his stomach lurch.

How could he have thought that offering a contract to a cut-rate electrician was a good idea? Piper was right. He was too worried about the bottom line. He needed to worry more about what he was getting for his money, whether it was for the festival or the coffeehouse.

His hands balled at his sides as he recalled how he’d readily blamed Piper for the fire. He didn’t recall everything that had gone down last night, but the tears in her eyes stood out in his memory. He’d been so certain it was all her fault, and here the fire could have just as easily been started by him.

He came up the alleyway behind his building, but as he approached the door, he couldn’t help but notice the buzz of activity at Piper’s place. The sight of Whistle Stop’s residents taking time out of their busy days to help her only compounded his guilt. Why did he have to be the one person to dump on her when she’d been scared of losing everything? Why couldn’t he have been there to support her instead of blaming her? What was wrong with him? Did he have too much of his father in him?

Then Piper stepped outside. Her back was to him. He should move before she saw him. He wasn’t ready to face her, not yet. But his feet wouldn’t cooperate. As though she could sense him standing there, staring at her, she turned, and their gazes met.

His heart pounded in his chest. Was it possible to miss someone who was standing right there in front of you? Because right now, he felt more alone than he had in his whole life. And he’d give anything to have his best friend back.

But he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Her face was pale, her expression unreadable. He should go to her and beg her forgiveness, but he continued to hesitate. In the back of his mind, a little voice kept repeating, What if you say the wrong thing again?

He knew he was being foolish. He wasn’t in shock. He wasn’t reacting in the moment. This time, he would think before he spoke. And there was only one thing on his mind, and that was apologizing. He inhaled a deep, steadying breath and took a step toward her.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

At that moment, Piper’s mother stepped out of the bakery and drew Piper’s attention. Immediately, he stopped. Talking to her in front of her mother would be a disaster waiting to happen. And they’d both had enough tragedy in the last twenty-four hours to last a good long time.

With great regret, he turned on his heels. He approached the yellow caution tape covering his back door. He wasn’t in the mood to be cautious. He had to get inside. He had to see if there was any hope for his dream.

When Joe at last stood inside the charred, smoky remains of his coffee shop, he wasn’t prepared for the sight facing him. It was worse than his nightmares. The coffee his mother had given him before he left the house churned in his stomach.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the cringe-worthy images. This couldn’t be happening. How in the world had his life turned upside down in a matter of twenty-four hours?

Everything that he’d cherished was now lost to him...

His new beginning.

His business.

The love of his life...

I
t was amazing what people could do when they pulled together.

Piper was touched beyond words at how the citizens of Whistle Stop had dropped everything to help her. Even her own mother had broken out a pair of yellow kitchen gloves to protect her manicured nails and helped scrub down the bakery. But, in the end, their kindness had only compounded her guilt over what she’d done to Joe.

She’d stolen away his dream. He’d lost everything he owned. And it was all her fault. She didn’t deserve to have her life put back together, not after she’d torched Joe’s dreams. It just wasn’t right.

Horrified that her innocent gesture had resulted in such devastation, she didn’t talk about it with anyone. She kept stuffing her guilt down inside her, until it made her sick to her stomach.

Even though the bakery was now clean and about to be inspected, she wasn’t up to reopening right away. Still shaken by what she’d done to Joe, she’d handed the keys to the bakery over to Hannah and asked her to accompany the inspector. Piper was taking some time off—she had some big decisions to make.

And she’d known just where to go, the Brazen H Ranch. It was just far enough out of town that, other than Alexis and Cord, she wouldn’t have to worry about running into people who might have heard about the fire.

Alexis had extended an invitation to visit and help plan the wedding, and that was exactly what Piper intended to do. With wedding dresses, party favors, and shoes to pick out, hopefully she wouldn’t have time to think about her own problems—at least not for a while.

Now, sitting at Alexis’s kitchen table, Piper glanced over at her friend as she put the last lunch dish in the dishwasher. “Are you sure Cord doesn’t mind that I’m staying here?”

“I’m positive. He’s already tired of hearing about the wedding. He’s thrilled to have someone else listen to me.”

Piper didn’t believe her for one second. “Cord is crazy about you. I’m certain he’s just as excited for this wedding as you are.”

Alexis smiled. “I suppose so. I think he just grumbles and groans out of jest. But still, talking to a guy about dresses and colors, well, it just doesn’t work so well. Especially when the guy is a cowboy who is more comfortable in jeans and a chambray shirt than a tux and bow tie.”

“I get your point. But to be honest, I’m not exactly into high fashion either.” Piper glanced down at her mint green and blue striped blouse and faded jeans. “I don’t think I’m going to be much help.”

“You’re wonderful help.” Alexis dried her hands and made her way across the expansive kitchen. “But that’s enough about me. I want to know what you’re doing here. And please don’t tell me it’s about the wedding. I can see the worry in your eyes. Is this about Joe?”

Leave it to Alexis to grab the bull by the horns. Piper nodded. “I feel awful.”

“You have to know that he didn’t mean anything he said to you that night. He was in shock, and he took his frustration out on the person closest to him.”

“He was right to be angry. The fire was my fault.”

“You were only trying to help him.”

Piper ran her finger over the condensation on her glass of sweet tea. “The truth is, I was meddling. I thought I knew how to help him with his business, but he was so stubborn trying to do things his way that he never gave my ideas a chance. So I decided to show him what I had in mind. Why, oh, why did I have to think I was right?”

Alexis squeezed a wedge of lemon into her tea and gave it a stir. “What was your idea?”

Piper shook her head. “You don’t want to hear about it. Obviously, it was a miserable failure. And now I have to make it up to him. Somehow.”

“Slow down. You obviously need to talk with someone, and since you aren’t quite ready to face Joe, let me fill in.”

Piper sighed. What would it hurt to tell Alexis? She had a great head on her shoulders and she had experience in the romance department. Maybe she’d have some advice that Piper hadn’t thought of so far. But in all honesty, Piper really did think that all hope was lost for her relationship with Joe.