A Moment on the Lips (A Whistle Stop Romance, #3) (29 page)

She recalled the pain and anger in his eyes. There had been no room there for understanding and forgiveness. Nor did she expect there to be. She would probably have acted even worse than he had if the roles had been reversed and he’d destroyed her bakery.

Piper took a sip of tea, wetting her mouth. “I’d seen sketches of the coffeehouse that Joe had done up. It was a very basic layout without an area for people to mingle or hang out while enjoying their coffee. I thought he should create a homier atmosphere, but he disagreed. He wanted to stay within his budget, and he was certain his layout would work.”

“People in Whistle Stop do like to chat—a lot. It was something I had to get used to after coming from New York City, where most of the time I didn’t know a soul in a coffeehouse except the barista. And that was only because I mainlined caffeine while working at my father’s company.”

Piper leaned back in her chair. “Whistle Stop is a lot different than the big city. A lot more laid-back, and it moves at its own pace. That’s what I was trying to explain to Joe. I know he was born here, but he was gone for a long time. I thought maybe he’d forgotten the ways of Whistle Stop.”

“So you decided to show him?”

Piper nodded. “While he was out of town giving Holden a hand at his ranch, I had time on my hands.” As she realized that she hadn’t told anyone, including her close group of friends, about how close she’d gotten with Joe, the heat rose to her cheeks. “We’d, uh, been spending a lot of time together recently.”

“And I’m assuming it wasn’t all about the festival.”

Piper worried her bottom lip. Memories of Joe’s gentle touches and whispered sweet nothings in her ear made the hole in her heart ache even more. “No. He stopped by—”

“Hey, Lexi!” Cord’s voice boomed through the house.

Alexis waved away the interruption. “Don’t mind him. I’m sure he misplaced something, but he’ll find it. Now, what were you saying?”

Piper glanced toward the doorway, but she didn’t see any sign of Cord. She turned back to Alexis. “Joe stopped by my apartment one evening. He wanted to tell me that he’d been able to get a friend of his to provide hot air balloon rides at the festival. He knew I was really excited about the idea. Anyway, he saw that I was making the bunting to dress up the game booths for the festival and—”

“Lexi, didn’t you hear me?” Cord strode into the kitchen.

Both women turned toward him, and he got a worried look on his face. Piper glanced Alexis’s way to find she was glaring at him. The man looked as though he’d just stepped on a land mine and wasn’t sure which way to move, so he stayed still.

Alexis sighed. “What did you lose?”

His gaze moved from his fiancée to Piper and then back again. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“Well, now that you have, and just when we were getting to the good part, you might as well tell me what you need.”

His brows furrowed together as though he was trying to decide if Alexis was serious. At last, he said, “Do you remember when I bought those new nuts and bolts?” When she nodded, he added, “Well, I can’t find them anywhere. They were in that little bag, and I swear I slipped it in my jacket pocket, but they’re not there now.”

Alexis glanced her way. “Sorry. I’ll be right back.”

Piper didn’t mind. In fact, she enjoyed watching Alexis and Cord together. They were cute. And no matter how gruff Alexis tried to act, Piper knew she really wasn’t mad at Cord. In fact, she’d be willing to guess they were sneaking a kiss now. If only things were that way with her and Joe. At one point, she’d thought they might be happy like Alexis and Cord, but then she’d gone and messed it up. Now she was left only with regrets, which was nothing compared to what Joe had to deal with because of her hasty actions.

A few minutes later, Alexis rushed back into the kitchen. Her cheeks and lips were rosy. And a tell-tale smile pulled at her lips. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem. Did you find everything?”

“Um...yes.” The color in her cheeks deepened. “Now, what were you saying? Oh yes, we were talking about bunting.”

Alexis might not be the only one blushing after this conversation. “Well, he found out the quilting club wasn’t able to help me with the bunting and that I was doing it on my own each night—”

“Why didn’t you say something? I would have helped. So would have the rest of the group.”

“Because it was my fault. I’d promised Joe something that I didn’t know if I could provide. Anyway, he offered to help.”

“Ah, that was sweet. I know most guys aren’t into craft projects, so that was big for him. I knew there was something I liked about that guy, besides his taste in women.”

“Things had been amazing since that night. Until I got the terrible idea to stage his coffee shop.”

“I...I don’t think it was a terrible idea.”

“But you think it was overstepping, and you’d be right. What was I thinking?”

“You were thinking that you wanted to help him. You just got excited, is all.”

Piper wished that was the case, but she knew it was something else. “The fact is, I meddled in his life, even when he asked me not to.” And then the horrifying truth hit her all over again. “I’ve turned into my mother.”

“You’ve what?”

“My mother always thinks she knows what’s best for me. She never listens to what I have to say. She is always right. And now I’ve done that with Joe. Oh no.” She pressed a hand to her mouth.

How many times in life had she told herself she would be different than her mother when she grew up? She’d promised herself she wouldn’t be so pushy and unbending. And now she’d done just that, and it had cost Joe dearly. She had to make it up to him.

Alexis reached out to her and gave her arm a squeeze. “It’ll all be okay.”

“No, it won’t. I’ve ruined everything. His business. His dreams. Our chance for happiness.”

“Whoa. Slow down. Take a breath.”

Piper blinked repeatedly, trying to keep her emotions at bay. “I...I never meant to hurt him.”

“He knows that—”

“No, he thinks I did it on purpose. He thinks I’m mad because he bought that storefront before I had a chance.”

“Piper, stop. He was acting out of shock. I’m sure now that he’s calmed down, he sees things differently. The important question is, do you love him?”

Her bruised and aching heart thumped out the answer, but stubborn pride refused to let her admit it. “What does that matter?”

“Just answer the question.”

Piper sighed. “Yes.”

“Does he love you?”

She’d thought she knew that answer forty-eight hours ago, but now she wasn’t so sure. “I thought he did. But—”

“No buts. You have something to build on. I’m sure you’ll find your way through this situation. Just have faith in your love. It’s what Cord and I did. It’s how we ended up together.”

Piper wasn’t so sure her relationship with Joe was as strong as Alexis and Cord’s. Maybe it had been at one point, but not now. There was no getting around the fact that her actions had caused him to lose everything. There was only one way she could think of to try to make this up to him and, in the process, tell him how much she regretted what she’d done.

Tomorrow morning she’d head back to Whistle Stop and put the bakery up for sale. She didn’t know how hard it’d be to sell in the current economic climate, but she would try. She would give the money from the sale to Joe. It was the best she could do.

T
he sun had just set the following evening when Joe stepped outside.

He’d spent the last few days cooped up on the phone with insurance adjusters and contractors. It would take a lot of work and quite a bit of time, but it was possible to rebuild Fill-It-Up Joe. In the process, he’d finally worked up the courage to face Piper and apologize for his horrible behavior.

Mrs. Sanchez had lent him a small efficiency apartment over her house in town. He’d been hesitant at first because he’d heard that Piper had been staying with her, but when Mrs. Sanchez clarified that Piper was now able to return to her apartment over the bakery, he’d accepted the generous offer.

He didn’t know how everything had gone off the tracks. Maybe it was a sign that he didn’t belong with Piper. Perhaps he didn’t belong with anyone.

He neared the Poppin’ Fresh bakery. It’d been closed since the fire. And he knew he wasn’t the only person in town who missed the bakery. The sweet scents. The delicious pastries. And the tempting coffee.

It was then that he noticed something new in the window of the bakery. He came to a stop and stared.

A For Sale sign was taped to the middle of the window.

What in the world?

That sign hadn’t been there earlier. He would have noticed it for sure. This must mean that Piper was home. And it was time they talked.

He glanced up at the second floor to see a soft glow coming from her apartment. He wondered if she was finishing the bunting for the game booths by herself. The thought saddened him. But he realized it was for the best. They were just too different.

Piper needed someone who could put her needs first, someone who wasn’t so damaged, like he was. As he walked to the back of the building, the memories of the night of the fire came back to him. How could he have said those things to her when it was his fault the fire had started? The thought of what might have happened if he hadn’t returned home that night shook him to the core.

He let himself in through the back door and then took the wooden steps two at a time to the second floor. If he didn’t get this out right away, he was afraid he’d lose his nerve.

At last, he stood in front of her apartment door. He heard loud music through the door—country music. And then he heard Piper singing along. He imagined her dancing around and singing as she did her work. As he listened more closely, he realized it wasn’t a bouncy tune. It was a song about a lost love. A frown pulled at his lips.

Before he could examine what that might mean, he rapped his knuckles on the door. The music stopped, followed by rushed footsteps.

The door swung open. Piper’s eyes opened wide when she saw him standing there. “Joe, um...hi. Um...do you want to come in?”

“Thanks. I would. It won’t take long.”

Her hair was swept back in a messy ponytail, and her face looked washed free of all makeup. He never had thought she needed anything on her face. Piper had a natural glow that needed no enhancement. She was dressed in a pink tank top that dipped low in the front and hugged the swell of her breasts. He swallowed hard.

His gaze kept moving downward. He soon found a pair of pink boxers with navy blue crisscross stripes. The word HOT in big bold letters trailed down the side. Oh yes, it was definitely getting hot in here. Very warm indeed.

She stepped back and opened the door wide open. He passed by her, catching the slightest hint of her floral perfume, or was it her body lotion? She’d told him once, but he couldn’t remember. Not that it would matter much after this. He doubted they’d see much of each other except to pass along the sidewalk.

As he moved farther into the room, he noticed that she did indeed have the sewing machine hooked up and the material for the bunting scattered about. Guilt assailed him. If he hadn’t let everything get out of control, he would be here helping her instead of her having to do all of this work on her own.

He cleared his throat and turned to her. “Piper, I came here to apologize—”

“For what?” She closed the door. “I’m the one that’s sorry. I was meddling and...and I really messed up.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “I’m so sorry.”

His chest tightened. He knew the level of guilt she’d been carrying around. “You were meddling, but that’s not what started the fire. Not really.”

Her chin lifted, and their gazes met. “I don’t understand.”

His chest tightened. He knew she would be so hurt, so angry all over again, when she realized that he’d falsely accused her of torching his place. “I tried to call you, but I kept getting your voice mail.”

“I was out of town for a bit, visiting with friends. They don’t have good reception at the ranch. What did you want?”

He knew she hadn’t gone visiting for fun. She’d left town because of him, and that made him feel awful. He’d only wanted to make her happy, and instead, he’d made her miserable. And now he was going to compound things between them even more—not that there was any coming back from what had already happened between them.

He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I wanted to tell you that there has been an investigation, and they found that faulty wiring, not an overloaded outlet, was the cause of the fire.”

She looked at him like she didn’t understand the significance of this finding. How was he supposed to say the rest without her hating him even more?

“I was so focused on the bottom line that I...I took the lowest bid on the project. The electrician I hired, well, he took shortcuts. Dangerous shortcuts.”

Piper stepped back as though the impact of his words had slammed into her. “Are you saying the fire...wasn’t my fault?”

“Yes. The breaker should have been tripped and shut everything down. When I think of what could have happened, how you were in such danger...”

Her eyes darkened. “But you blamed me. In front of my friends, in front of the whole town.”

“And I am so sorry. I know it’s no excuse, but I wasn’t thinking clearly.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I was—heck, I don’t know what was going through my mind.”

“Everyone thinks I caused the fire that destroyed your business. It’s why I’ve...” As though she realized she’d said too much, she pressed her lips together.

“You what? Put the bakery up for sale?”

She nodded. “I...I was going to give you the money so that you could rebuild the coffee shop. I know how important it is to you.”

“Well, you can take down the sign. I wouldn’t have taken the money anyway. I know that the Poppin’ Fresh means as much to you as the coffee shop does to me.”

“I suppose so. At least we have that in common.”

“We have a lot in common.” Didn’t they? Their love of running. Their draw to Whistle Stop. Coffee. Pastries. Pizza. Dogs. The list went on.