now. If he had his way, he would be later. As he opened the door, Laurel saw him. She stopped what she was doing, which seemed to be frosting a cupcake, to speak with him.
“That looks amazing,” he commented. “You make the best chocolate cupcakes. I don’t know how you do it.”
“Don’t waste your breath buttering me up, Joe Masters,” Laurel said angrily. “I know!” And she waved the spatula at him for emphasis.
He leaned back. She couldn’t possibly. Could she? He watched as Laurel walked very purposefully over to the triple sink in the back. She grabbed the sprayer that dangled from the ceiling and pointed it in his direction with a wicked look on her face. Oh yeah. She definitely knew. He swallowed hard. “I’ll come back some other time?”
“Don’t bother. As the proprietor of this establishment, I reserve the right to refuse to serve anyone I want.” She folded her arms over her abundant bosom. It wasn’t just a threat, it was an edict.
He backed out of the café and turned. It was a gorgeous sunny day. Not only was he not having the chance to enjoy it like the couple throwing the Frisbee in the square or Marti eating cupcakes and reading in the gazebo, or the guy walking his dog… Wait! Marti was right over there! And he was dying to see her. He glanced back over his shoulder. Oh, what the hell? Laurel was already mad at him. What difference would this possibly make?
He crossed the road and headed straight for her. She was oblivious at the moment, completely lost in her book. There was a slight smile on her face like she was really enjoying what she was reading. The way the sun was filtered through the trees and hit the highlights in her hair was just…perfect. More than anything, he wished he could just walk over to her and slip his arms around her, haul her up against him, and kiss her like he hadn’t seen her in far too long. It felt like far too long.
As he closed the distance, he could tell it was some sappy romance novel. There was some half naked man on the cover looking all sexy. He smirked. Apparently women liked that. This was their porn. And with just three more steps, he was beside her.
“Hey, sexy,” he said in a voice that he hoped would stir up memories of the night before. He leaned close to look over her shoulder. “What are you reading?”
Lost in her book, Marti jumped at the sound of his voice. “What are you doing here?” In an instant she was a ball of conflicting emotions. She was thrilled to see him, but didn’t want to be. She was uncomfortable because she didn’t know how to act after the night before. And she had been so determined to stay away from him today and let her pride heal that she felt completely guilty about everything.
“I went to the café,” he said. And then his face turned serious.
“Bad meal?” She questioned.
“No meal,” he responded. “Laurel refused to serve me. She had already heard about last night.”
Well, that cinched it. She was mortified. Great. “I just bought a house and now I want to move.” She shook her head.
“Don’t worry about it.” He just looked at her.
“Oh, so this happens often?” She raised an eyebrow.
“What? Laurel refusing me service?” He thought a moment before answering. “Nope. I’ve lived in this town for a good three years and not until you moved here did she start refusing to feed me. She used to go out of her way to give me treats.” It appeared he was nearly salivating as he remembered the past. “She makes the best chocolate cupcakes.” He sighed.
Watching him, she took pity, just like so many women before her had. “Here.” She shoved a bag toward him. “You can have it.” And she knew that she wore a contrite look on her face. It was, after all, because of her that he had started having problems. This was his town and she had wrecked it for him.
“What’s this?” He asked as he peeked inside the pastry bag. “Yes! Thank you.” And without even thinking, he leaned over and kissed her on the lips. Must be he liked that one enough to do it again…because he did. In fact…he did it again and again. It was wonderful.
Her lips felt all tingly. It was a nice surprise. And in her mind she started