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

“I’m putting in a coffee shop. Fill-It-Up Joe.”

The light in Piper’s eyes dimmed. “Oh.”

“Listen, I know you’re disappointed. But the property had been up for sale for a long time. In fact, it’d been for sale for so long that the owner lowered the price twice to try to draw in a buyer.” What she didn’t know, and what he wasn’t going to share, was that he’d risked every last cent on his plan to make the coffee shop a success. It was a chance to reinvent himself while looking after his aging mother.

A long silence ensued.

“You’re...right. This town could use a coffee shop,” she offered, but her voice lacked enthusiasm. “And I do like the name. It’s catchy.”

“Thanks.” It was time he made a hasty exit. I’m sure we’ll see each other from time to time.”

He’d just gripped the door handle when she said, “Wait.”

He didn’t want to. His gut told him that things were about to get even bumpier between them. Still, he found himself turning around. “I really do have a meeting—”

“Sell me the shop, and I’ll help you get a location closer to the interstate. It’d really boost your business.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t buy the place just to turn around and sell it. And as for the location, I like being in the heart of this town, in the center of the activity.”

“What center of activity? You’ve been away a long time, so you probably don’t know that Whistle Stop is dying. People are moving away to look for work. Even the town square is a mess. Does that sound like the kind of place where you want to start a new business?”

He couldn’t help but smile at her level of determination. “Do you really think I didn’t do my homework before firming up my plans? I know all about Whistle Stop’s revitalization project.”

Her eyes narrowed as her pink lips pressed into a firm line. So it was possible to leave her speechless. That bit of information he tucked away for future reference.

The disappointment reflected in her eyes told him just how determined she was to buy his property. In a blink, the glint of disappointment turned to desperation. He inwardly groaned. This was not going to end well.

♥♥♥

S
he wasn’t a quitter.

As the middle child with an older brother and younger sister, Piper had learned at an early age not to give up. If something was important enough, you had to fight for it.

She eyed up Joe. He struck her as a reasonable person, if not a bit stubborn. His faded jeans and scuffed cowboy boots told her he was conservative—not one to easily part with his hard-earned cash. Perhaps she could make that bit of information work to her advantage.

“Your building needs a lot of repairs and updating.” This was the reason she’d waited on making an offer. She’d needed to secure more funds for the renovations. “I know you went to a lot of trouble and expense to buy the place, but you’ll soon find out it’ll be more bother than it’s worth.”

His dark brows lifted as his eyes studied her. “Seems to me it’d be the same amount of trouble for you as it will be for me.”

She softened her voice. “How about if I sweeten the deal?”

His gaze moved slowly up and down her. “What do you have in mind?”

What exactly was he expecting her to offer? One heated night in exchange for his agreement to sell? The breath stuck in her throat. Was it wrong that for a moment she found the idea tempting? He was definitely quite a package: hot, single, and there was a guarded look in his eyes that made her all the more curious about him.

“I can offer you a bonus. Something to cover your time and trouble.”

A look of relief settled over his tired features.

She gave herself a mental shake. Obviously, she’d read way too much into his expression. He wasn’t interested in her. She swept aside the ridiculous idea. It wasn’t like she was the type to turn men’s heads. And she was okay with that.

And though she hated to admit it, her mother had been right about one thing. She was twenty pounds...more like 26.5 pounds overweight. But why be exact? She preferred to round her numbers...downward.

Joe cleared his throat. “If you’re so interested in the property, why didn’t you bid on it before now?”

How much did she tell him? He was the man she intended to do business with. If she revealed too much to him, it’d hurt her bargaining position. But if she didn’t reveal enough, then she wouldn’t have a chance to change his mind.

“When the building first went up for sale, I was still working on getting Poppin’ Fresh Bakery on solid financial ground.”

He crossed his arms. “Are you trying to tell me that it wasn’t until today that you were able to come up with the funding?”

This conversation was headed into dangerous territory. She’d have to be careful with what she said, as this man was very astute. And she didn’t want him looking at her with sympathy, or something worse. “By the time I had the money, my life plans had changed, and I no longer needed the extra space.”

There, she’d said it without going into the messy details of her disastrous engagement. She was rather proud of the way she’d dodged telling the whole truth. There was no reason for him to know that when she’d become engaged, her fiancé had insisted she sell her business, and she’d foolishly given up on her dream to expand the business.

Joe arched a skeptical brow. “Let me guess. Your life plans have changed again?”

She wasn’t sure she cared for the sarcasm interlaced in his deep voice. What had happened to the charming stranger who’d paid her lovely compliments? Since he held the key to her future, she let his comment slide. “Yes, my plans have reverted back. That’s why I’m willing to pay you more than the selling price. And you won’t have to do a thing but sign some papers.”

His phone buzzed. “I’m sorry. I have to take this.” After a few clipped sentences, he disconnected the call. “Sorry about that.”

“Do you have to go?”

“Um, no. My meeting has been rescheduled.” He slipped the phone back in his pocket. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did you plan to do with the property?”

“I planned to expand the bakery.”

“You mean to tell me there’s that much need in Whistle Stop for baked goods?”

She resisted the urge to glare at him. “If you’d try them, you’d find out why they’re in demand.”

The doubt in his eyes said he didn’t believe her.

She stifled an exasperated rant. It would only make matters worse. Actions would serve better than words. “Let me get us some coffee.”

“That’s okay. I don’t want to take you away from your work.”

“It’s no problem.” She stepped over to the kitchen door and propped it open. Inside, her assistant, Hannah, stood with her back to Piper while mixing up some purple frosting. “Hannah, I’m going to take a coffee break. Do you need anything first?”

Hannah shook her blond head covered with a hair net. “No. I’m just finishing up this order.”

Piper turned back to Joe. “See? Everything is under control. Now why don’t you sit down? I’ll join you as soon as I get the coffee.”

She gestured to the half-dozen white tea garden tables with glass tabletops strategically placed in front of the display cases. She’d searched high and low to find just the right furnishings to evoke a garden atmosphere. Although, when she’d been picking them out with the smallish matching chairs, she hadn’t imagined they’d one day be holding someone as large as Joe.

He had to be six-foot-five or -six. His chest was broad. He could definitely be a force to be reckoned with. Not that any of that would intimidate her. Her father had been a big man, and it’d never stopped her from saying her piece.

She rushed behind the counter and retrieved two cups. “Do you take anything in yours?”

After a slight hesitation, he said, “Just black.”

A man of simple tastes. She could respect that, even though she preferred to fancy things up. She’d always found that beauty was in the small details, whether it was furnishing a room or decorating a cake.

With two hot coffees in hand, she rounded the counter in record time. She frowned upon finding he hadn’t taken a seat. She held out his cup to him. Their fingers brushed, and a shiver trailed over her skin.

Ignoring her body’s reaction to him, she moved to a nearby table and pulled out a chair. She sat down, hoping he’d do the same. The blow of the train whistle filled the awkward silence. It gave her a moment to gather her thoughts. She didn’t plan to let him out that door until she got him to agree to the sale, or at least agree to give her offer serious consideration.

“So the train still runs through town.” He finally sat down across from her.

“It does just like clockwork at six, ten, two, and six. You’ll get used to it and hardly notice it.”

“I guess it’s a good way to keep track of time.”

She nodded, no longer wanting to talk about the train. She had more important matters on her mind. “So, about my expansion—”

He held up a hand, stopping her before she launched into her speech. “Why invest in more property? You have much more economical ways to increase your productivity right here.”

“There simply isn’t enough room for what I have in mind.”

He smiled as though he’d just solved the problems of the world. “The answer’s simple. Just take out these tables. There’s a lot of wasted space here. You could easily expand your kitchen.”

Her grip on her cup tightened. “Then where would my customers sit and socialize?”

“This is a bakery, not a restaurant.”

Piper sighed in frustration. “I thought that being a businessman, you’d understand the value of connecting with your customers and not rushing them out the door. People like to take their time, read the newspaper, and shoot the breeze. Others order catered tea parties.”

He finished off his coffee. “You have parties in here?”

Her shoulders straightened, proud of one of her more successful ventures. “They have to be small, but yes, I cater them. In fact, they’ve been growing in popularity. Both young and old find them a lot of fun.”

His eyes lit up as an impressed look filtered across his face. “I had no idea a bakery could be the hub for so much social interaction.”

At last she was beginning to get through to him. “Now do you understand why I plan to expand?”

“The coffee,” he said, pushing the empty mug to the center of the table, “it’s good. Do you sell a lot of it?”

She nodded.

He frowned. “I should be going.” He got to his feet. “I have a lot to do.”

He couldn’t leave. Not yet. They hadn’t ironed out this deal. With it being September, she wanted to get moving on her plans as soon as possible, before the holiday season kicked in. The extra space would allow her to host bigger parties, increase her output, and explore her other idea of offering extreme cake decorating.

Joe moved to the door.

“Will you at least consider selling?” she blurted out.

He drew his shoulders back and turned. “No. I’m sorry, but I have no intention of selling to you or anyone. Not even for twice the asking price.”

“But it’d be easy money.” Who in the world turned down an easy buck in this tough economy? “And there are other spaces available around town.”

As though he was done talking about the possibility of a sale, he changed the subject. “I almost forgot the other reason I stopped by. The workers are going to start the renovations first thing in the morning, and I wanted to apologize in advance for the noise.”

Joe was a frustrating mix of manners and stubbornness. There had to be some way to reason with him. But she didn’t have a clue where to go from here.

Not that it mattered, because he strode out the door before she could utter another word. Piper knew she’d pressed too hard, but everything was on the line. And she’d blown it.

She needed to think.

She needed a new plan, to show her mother and this town that she was more than the pitiful, overweight girl who couldn’t hold on to a guy. Her jaw tightened as anxiety churned within her. It felt as though her world was spinning out of control. She desperately wanted to put things right, but at the moment, she was at a loss for how to accomplish it.

She needed the sweet, creaminess of a frosted cupcake.

And there was one waiting for her behind the counter.

Tomorrow she’d worry about dieting. She needed that cupcake. She’d earned it after her morning.

She picked up the cupcake and peeled back the liner. Her mouth watered. Her lips wrapped around the edge of the little piece of fluff. Her teeth easily glided through the frosting and the velvet cake. A murmur of appreciation swelled in her throat.

Tomorrow would be better.

Tomorrow she’d have everything under control.

T
he following day, Joe stood in the service alley behind his soon-to-be coffee shop. He pressed his cell phone to his ear. Only hours into this renovation project, and so far he’d run into one problem after another.

“Just make sure you get the right lumber here this afternoon.” Joe spoke into his phone, hoping the salesman understood that he’d escalate this problem further up the chain if he had to. “I don’t care if it is lunchtime. I’m not going to pay my guys to stand around and wait for you.”

He ended the call and rotated his shoulders, attempting to work the kinks out of his tense muscles. He couldn’t believe his lumber order had been completely wrong. How hard was it to read an invoice and load a truck? Now, every minute that passed cost him money, money that was in very short supply.

His ex-wife had walked away from their divorce with the bulk of their investments. Of course, she’d pleaded with the judge, saying that there had been a downturn in business at the three coffee houses they’d owned in Albuquerque. But he knew better. She and his once-upon-a-time friend/manager had quietly moved the funds into some untraceable account. The problem was, he didn’t have any way to prove it, or the money to hire a forensic accountant.

Joe gave his head a shake. What was done, was done. Whistle Stop represented his new lease on life. So long as he kept control over everything, he’d be fine. No one could shortchange him or pull a fast one on him again. He’d learned a costly lesson—the only person he could count on was himself.