was not the first time since discovering the affair that Lexi had been unsure of what ingredients would work best. Not a good sign for her future as a Michelin-starred chef hopeful.
“Bought some of those last week. Biggest mistake of my life.”
Lexi turned and found Nora Kincaid, current treasurer of the Daughters of the Prohibition and a big enough busybody to give ChiChi a run for her money, hunched over her shopping cart, her teeth bared in what appeared to be a smile.
“Why’s that?” Lexi asked, even though she knew better. But she was having a crisis of the culinary kind and needed help.
“Bitter, I tell you. Made me salivate until my Harvey though I’d gone rabid.” Nora grabbed the orange and set it back in the barrel with a disgusted tut, and Lexi wasn’t so sure it was the salivation that had led Harvey to that conclusion. “If you ask me, things here have been going downhill ever since Marilee started selling produce from Chile.”
Nora shot a glance at Marilee, who was standing behind the cash register, and dropped her voice. “I hear it’s because Biff told her that real Americans didn’t sell foreign wares and he would have nothing to do with it. She told him that real men don’t need so many little blue pills to make it happen down there and then started importing things from all over.”
Nora leaned in closer. “My Harvey never needed any of those blue pills. His plumbing works just fine, and I do my job as a wife.”
“Um, congratulations,” Lexi said, looking around, not sure what she was supposed to say.
“Oh my. This is awkward, isn’t it? I didn’t mean to imply—” Nora glanced down at Lexi’s bare ring finger, and before Lexi could defend herself against the nonimplication, Nora changed the subject. “Nonetheless, I’m glad I ran into you.”
Lexi wasn’t sure she could return the sentiment.
“Your grandmother signed on to provide all the pastries for the Book Walk this Saturday.”
“I saw it on her calendar.” The Book Walk was run by the Community Action Committee and helped the library raise funds for new books. Pricilla had been the food vendor of choice ever since Lexi could remember.
“Last month we advertised her being there, and she only showed up with enough pastries to feed a handful of people,” Nora sniffed. “So unless you can promise me provisions for half the town, I’m going to have to give her contract to someone else.”
“What?” Lexi stammered. “No, my grandma loves that event.” She had no idea what the real story was, but if Pricilla was shorting her customers, then it wasn’t good. “There’ll be more than enough for everyone. I promise.”
“Good, because my grandson Grayson is taking you to BoVine Thursday night, and he doesn’t like flaky women.” The woman gave Lexi a slow and thorough once-over. The wag of her head told Lexi she’d come up short. “He’s also never needed a blue pill. But just to be safe, try dressing to inspire, dear.”
Lexi looked down at her dress. It was fun, cute, and showed just enough cleavage to be flirty. She set her basket down and tugged at the neckline of her dress. Still not satisfied, she gave another tug.
“Any lower and Mr. Craver might just fall over the counter.”
She looked up. Nora was gone and—
Great.
Marc leaned against the display housing cucumbers and zucchini. Dressed in a pair of cargo shorts, a gray shirt that hugged his muscular chest, and a navy baseball cap, he held a bag of beef jerky, a power drink, and enough raw testosterone to make what should have been vineyard casual look ruggedly sexy—and extremely inspiring.
“It’s the hair,” he said, and she agreed. He had really great hair. Even though it was only peeking out the back of the cap, she knew it was dark and thick, and she understood why women would want to run their fingers through it—other women, that is, not her.
She’d given in to lust with Jeffery, and look where that had gotten her. Nope, not a cycle she was interested in repeating anytime soon.
“I meant your hair,” he said, reaching up and taking out the elastic band she was wearing. Her hair came loose and tumbled down her back.
When he ran his fingers through it a few times and then pulled it forward over her shoulder, his hand grazing her bare skin, her body started to tingle. And when he murmured, “Hair like yours should never be pulled back,” that annoying