A Moment on the Lips (A Whistle Stop Romance, #3) (7 page)

“But before we can do any of that,” the mayor continued, “we need one of you fine citizens to step forward and take the lead on this very important project. Do we have any volunteers?”

Piper didn’t even hesitate. She stood, eager to get this project under way. This was her chance to redeem herself from the scurrilous gossip after her engagement ended. In the process, she hoped to be successful at bringing life back to the town square. Maybe they could reinstate movie night and band night. It’d be great!

“I’ll do it,” Piper said loudly enough for all in attendance to hear.

“Thank you, Piper, for stepping forward.” The mayor applauded her.

Piper’s gaze moved around the town hall, taking in the looks of approval. And then her gaze came to rest on Joe Montoya. His blue gaze met hers, sending her heart skidding into her chest.

He was the absolute last person she’d expected to see at a town meeting. And yet, he was sitting there, continuing to stare at her, as though he had something to say. Was it an apology for being so presumptuous?

The mayor cleared his throat. “Piper, did you hear me? I asked what you have in mind for Autumn Fest.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks as she realized she’d been utterly distracted by Joe. His eyes twinkled, as though he was amused by her flustered state. How was it possible this man could get to her every time? She swallowed hard and turned to the mayor. “I don’t have anything finalized, but I do have some tentative ideas.”

Although, at the moment, she could think of only one thing, erm, person. Joe. What was he doing here?

♥♥♥

S
he’d stolen the words right out of his mouth.

Joe settled back in his seat with a huff. After he’d finally made peace with what his mother and Mrs. Sanchez had told him about taking an active role in the community, he’d come here to do just that. No one had warned him that he might be upstaged.

Did Piper know what he’d been planning? Had she overheard the conversation with his mother and Mrs. Sanchez? Was this her way of getting back at him for not wanting to make any business dealings between them?

His back teeth ground together as he stared at her. As though she could sense him staring, she glanced his way. Was that a look of triumph on her face? She quickly glanced away, but he didn’t. He continued openly staring. He noticed that her hair was down. Her long, straight hair flowed over her shoulders and down to the middle of her back. He couldn’t miss her hourglass shape, enjoying how her small waist flared out for her shapely hips.

He jerked his thoughts to a stop. The woman was a walking powder keg of problems. Every time he was in the same room with her, something blew up in his face.

He folded his arms and sat there stewing while the mayor gushed over Piper’s selfless act of generosity. What was Joe supposed to do now? Jump up and push himself upon these unfamiliar people when they all seemed so happy to have Piper in charge? In actuality, she’d probably done him a favor. He’d find another way to engage Whistle Stop’s residents—one that was less of a time suck.

“I think we need to have a vote on it,” called out a strong, certain voice.

Joe turned to find Mrs. Sanchez standing on the other side of the room. Her gaze moved to him before returning to the mayor. The gleam in her eyes told him this interruption had to do with him. He inwardly groaned. He had a sinking feeling that Mrs. Sanchez’s proposal wouldn’t be well received.

“Mrs. Sanchez, I don’t see how voting is necessary,” the mayor said, looking a bit perplexed. “We only have one person who has kindly volunteered to chair the committee.”

“I’d like to nominate someone. That is still permitted, isn’t it?”

Mayor Ortiz shrugged. “It’s not necessary, but it’s permissible. Who do you have in mind?”

“I’d like to nominate Joe Montoya to be chair of the fundraising committee.”

“Who?” The mayor’s brows drew together as his forehead wrinkled with lines of confusion.

Mrs. Sanchez turned back to the crowd. Her eagle eyes immediately singled him out. “Joe, please stand so everyone can see you.”

He didn’t want to. But he also didn’t want to make a scene in front of his future customers. A tug-of-war ensued within him.

At last, he stood. He could sense Piper’s curious gaze on him. What was she thinking? Then again, it was probably best he didn’t know. It wouldn’t be good—not good at all. He might as well give up trying to strike up a friendship with her. It seemed as though the universe was set on them being adversaries.

“Everyone, this is Joe Montoya.” Mrs. Sanchez beamed as though he was a famous movie star. “He is a Whistle Stop native who headed off for the bright lights of the city. After becoming a business success, he eventually figured out that Whistle Stop is where he really wanted to be...”

This was just too much. It sounded to him like Mrs. Sanchez would make a good fiction writer. Him a business success? Well, yes, he had been at one point, before his marriage fell apart. After that, everything had disintegrated. And he hoped to once again be one.

Quietly, he stood by, letting the woman finish adlibbing.

“Joe, we’re glad to have you back,” the mayor said. “I’m looking forward to having a cup of joe soon.” The man chuckled as though he’d been witty with his
cup of joe
reference.

“Thank you, Mayor. I’m glad to be home.” Joe took his seat again, anxious to be out of the spotlight.

People started talking amongst themselves. The swell of voices rumbled through the room. Joe had no doubt the main topic was him. They were probably wondering what his story was and what exactly had brought him back to Whistle Stop. None of which he wanted to talk about with them or anyone.

The mayor banged his gavel. “Ladies and gentlemen, this meeting is still under way. We now have two fine candidates to head up this committee. We need to take a vote.”

And this is where Joe was certain he would lose. Piper appeared to be the town darling. And, most likely, the honorary title had been well earned. He’d witnessed her with the townspeople and how she’d been so generous with his work crew. She definitely had an amazing way at putting people at ease.

“Would you both stand?” the mayor asked.

Great
. When he lost this vote by a landslide, it’d make his humiliation even worse. Still, he didn’t have much choice but to do as instructed to avoid making a scene.

When he stood, his gaze met Piper’s determined stare. She wanted this nomination. She wanted it a lot. But why? She’d already established her place in Whistle Stop, and from what he could tell, everyone loved her. Why would she want to be bothered with a fundraiser?

It seemed there was a lot more to this beautiful baker than had first met his eye. And he couldn’t help wanting to know more about what made her tick.

Mayor Ortiz banged his gavel, quieting the murmur of voices. “Thank you. Now, could we have a show of hands for Joe?”

They were already voting, and he’d been so busy staring at the competition that he hadn’t noticed how many residents had voted for his beautiful opponent. But when hands started to rise for him, he was shocked. There weren’t just one or two pity votes either. There were quite a few. He might actually have a chance.

“Give us a moment here.” The mayor covered the microphone with his hand before turning to talk to the members of the council. A long, tense moment passed. “Folks, it looks like we’ve got us a tie here.”

A woman stood and ran a hand down over her flowered skirt before speaking. It took Joe a moment to place the face. It was Piper’s mother. He knew without a doubt whose side she’d be on, and he doubted he wanted to know what she had to say. The woman had a sharp tongue. He could take whatever she threw his way, but he didn’t understand how the woman could speak so harshly to her daughter. Which made every muscle in his body tense as he waited for her to speak.

“My daughter volunteered first. Therefore, the position should be hers. After all, the Nobles have always helped the community.”

Mrs. Sanchez got to her feet. “I don’t see why we have to choose one person over the other. We have two very capable people willing to help this town. I say we accept both of their generous offers. They can share the role and be co-chairs.”

What?
Joe’s gaze darted over to Piper. The surprise lighting up her eyes said that she hadn’t seen this coming either. And something told him she wasn’t any too thrilled about the idea of working closely together. That made two of them.

They barely coexisted as neighbors, what made anyone think they would make a good pair—um, good coworkers? This was the makings for a disaster. But he refused to concede. He didn’t want to leave the impression that when times got tough, he quit. He’d never been a quitter and he wasn’t about to start now. No way.

“Think about it.” Mrs. Sanchez’s voice jarred him from his disturbing memories. “With two of them heading up the committee, things will get done twice as fast. And seeing as they are both very busy entrepreneurs, it’ll be less of a strain on each of them.”

“I like the idea.” The mayor nodded in approval. “Let’s take a vote. All those in favor of Piper Noble and Joe Montoya co-chairing the fundraising committee, raise your hand.”

A sea of raised hands filled the hall.

“Great. That’s what I like to see.” The mayor smiled. “By an overwhelming majority, Piper and Joe will lead the endeavor to raise the necessary funds to repair both the town square and the train depot.”

A round of applause sealed their fates.

After shaking hands with the mayor and speaking to Mrs. Sanchez, Joe made his way toward the exit. He needed time to think about how to handle this most perplexing situation. Since he already knew he and Piper wouldn’t work well together, perhaps they could keep their distance by splitting up the duties.

He’d just reached the sidewalk when he heard his name called out. He stifled a sigh, recognizing Piper’s voice. Was it possible she was going to do the sensible thing and back out? He wouldn’t hold it against her. It would be best for all concerned. He glanced around until he spotted her making her way through the various clumps of loitering people.

She came to a stop in front of him. “I’m guessing you aren’t any more thrilled with this arrangement than I am.”

He shrugged, not willing to let on what he really thought. “It could be worse.” He wasn’t sure how, but he supposed it was possible—somehow. An amusing thought came to him. Deciding to try to smooth out their rocky relationship, he lowered his voice and shared his thought. “I could be working with Mrs. Sanchez.”

Piper’s eyes lit up, and they both laughed, breaking the tension. “When you put it that way, this arrangement isn’t so bad.”

“Thanks. I think.” He hitched his thumbs in the corners of his pockets. “You know, if you’d like to back out, I’d totally understand—”

“Me, back out?” She shook her head. “That is never going to happen. I thought you’d want out.”

“Me? No. I’m not going anywhere.” Surely there had to be a way to talk her out of this. Otherwise, they were doomed to fail if their past encounters were any indication. “You know, it’s going to take a lot of time, and you’ve got the bakery to run—”

“I can do both. What about you?” Her green eyes grew darker as she challenged him. “Are you sure you can get your coffee shop launched while helping to plan the festival?”

“Of course.”

“Then it looks like we’re stuck with each other.”

“Guess you’re right.”

If they had to work together, he needed to do everything he could to make it as non- stressful as possible.

Their gazes caught and held. Did she have any idea how mesmerizing her eyes were? They were captivating. And her long lashes only added to their alluring quality.

He didn’t understand how she was still single. Unless, of course, it was by choice. The idea raised a whole bunch of other questions—questions that were none of his business. And yet, he couldn’t still his mind.

“You know we only have two more months of warm weather left,” she said. “We’ll need to start planning immediately. It’ll have to be a priority. If you don’t have the time to spare, what with your renovations, I’d totally understand. I’d be willing to start on it by myself, and then you could jump in when you have time.”

Was she trying to gently push him aside? Or was she trying to be helpful?

He wanted to trust that she was being altruistic, but he’d been down that road before. It hadn’t ended well. He thought back to how Denise had taken over the coffeehouses while he dealt with the ranch after his father’s sudden death. He’d thought she did it out of the goodness of her heart. He’d been so wrong.

What he hadn’t known then was that his ex had been involved with his manager. Her act of kindness had been a veiled effort to skim as much profit from the business as she could in preparation for their divorce. He’d been so blind, so trusting. That wouldn’t happen again.

As much as he wanted to believe that Piper meant well, he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. He had to do what was best for his business, and that was honoring his pledge to the community to raise money to save their town square and make the train depot functional once more.

Joe straightened his shoulders. “Thanks for the offer, but I can handle both projects. In fact, I was planning to jot down some ideas as soon as I get home.”

Her eyes rounded with surprise, followed by a smile that tugged at her lush lips. “I’ll do the same. We can meet at the bakery tomorrow morning to compare notes. Say, nine o’clock, after the morning business slows down?”

“Sounds like a date...erm, a plan. See you then.”

What in the world had he been thinking? A date? Seriously.

If they were going to work together, he had to keep his thoughts centered...and not on her lush lips. This had to be business, pure and simple. But something told him that nothing was simple when it came to Piper. Nothing at all.

W
hy had Mrs. Sanchez suggested they co-chair this project?

And what was up with Joe joking around?

It was the next morning, and Piper still clearly recalled the smile that had eased the stress lines on Joe’s face. Her stomach had shivered when their gazes met. What was up with that? She’d never had that sort of reaction to David. He’d been polite and reliable. In hindsight, she realized that everything concerning their relationship had been too blah. He certainly didn’t get her blood racing like Joe could with just a look.