you going to bid?”
Her gaze slid away from his. “Not worth it.”
Molly’s reply actually hurt this time, and there wasn’t any reason that it should. Well, none that he cared to examine. Best friend, he reminded himself—friend zone to infinity. Do not pass go into other territories.
“Bid too high already?” he asked, giving them both a way out.
“Yeah.” She smiled brightly, a little too brightly as she searched the room. “Too rich for my blood. Oooh. Looks like Feather and Fowl catered tonight.”
What had he been thinking by saying any of that?
He watched as she started toward the food without him.
Nothing she wanted to hear about, apparently.
Chapter 4
Molly tapped her pen against the open notebook on the table as the mayor droned on. Usually, she wouldn’t care how long Faye wanted to talk about Star Falls' upcoming fall festival. It was a huge event that drew thousands to their small town. And those thousands spent a lot of money.
The fall festival had saved her bottom line quite a few times in the past three years when she was still a relatively new business. Now, the fall festival simply boosted her bottom line and provided leads that would pay off later in the form of birthday parties, book clubs, and more diners at lunch.
Only the thrill was gone.
Well, maybe not gone, but rather her excitement was dampened by the fact that she hadn’t spoken to Archer in a week—in person anyway. Yes, she knew his schedule was demanding but he’d always made it a priority to stop by her shop to grab something to satisfy his constant sweet tooth.
Ugh.
Maybe she shouldn’t have been so weird over his teasing during Casino Night. After all he’d only been joking, flirting even, and while that was mostly out of character for them, she couldn’t claim that he’d never flirted with her or treated her as more than a friend. There had been New Year’s Eve—two years ago… nope, not going there. She’d tucked that away, supposedly forever.
Double Ugh.
Wait, not double ugh. Nothing happening was a good thing. It was the right thing for them.
No matter how amazing that midnight kiss had been—
Her heart slammed against her chest as Archer walked in the community meeting room. His piercing gaze found hers and her cheeks grew hot. She had to look away, look at anything and anyone who wasn’t him, landing on his younger brother.
Gunner smirked.
Archer cleared his throat, drawing her attention back to him.
Her cheeks flamed hotter as his gaze narrowed.
What was wrong with her?
And what was wrong with him?
“Sheriff. What a nice surprise,” Faye said. “Was there something you wanted to add?”
Although Faye smiled, a grey brow arched dramatically as Archer began to answer a question that clearly should have been met with a silent apology. Their mayor loved order as much as input, but one could not exist without the other during a meeting.
“No, ma’am. Just allergies.” He crossed his arms over his chest, then leaned against the wall. His utility belt hitting the sheetrock behind him. He winced and readjusted his stance.
“Maybe Molly can fix you up with one of her herbal teas,” Faye replied, then went back to business. “We’re expecting a larger than usual crowd this year. Thanks to the Sheriff’s department in conjunction with Star Fall’s finest, they will block off two extra streets to keep everyone moving. And with that, this meeting is adjourned. See everyone in two weeks.”
Molly packed up the few items she’d brought to the meeting, keeping an eye on Archer as he continued to stand near the door. He smiled and spoke to the committee members as they left.
Always the charmer and always on duty, she thought.
“This meeting lasted longer than the past two, and I didn’t think that was possible,” Gunner said as he entered her line of vision. “Then again, I underestimated the variations on best practices for the pumpkin carving contest.”
She laughed. “You should’ve been on the committee last year—we hammered our best bobbing for apple practices for two weeks straight.”
Gunner’s eyes widened. “You met every night.”
“She let us have Wednesday nights, Fridays, and Sundays off. Didn’t want out meetings to interfere with football games, bingo, or church.” Molly bit back a grin as his expression turned horrified. “I’m joking. We didn’t meet every night. It was a lot of emails and long monthly meetings—sometimes, we’d get supper brought in.”
“Speaking of supper—why don’t we go grab a bite to—"
“Yeah, let’s all go,” Archer broke in, nearly making Molly jump. She hadn’t