He brushed his thumb over her mouth. “Don’t be. Nobody knows but us. And now that you’ve had dessert, it’s time for the check.”
“Maybe I’ve had dessert, but you haven’t.” She smiled at him then. “Hurry up so it can be your turn.”
In that instant, Sam knew he was falling for this woman and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do to stop it.
As the art festival and the weekend approached, Serendipity grew more crowded with people Sam didn’t know or recognize. Mike put more cops on foot patrol and Sam was grateful he’d made detective or he’d be working even longer hours. He hadn’t seen Nicole since spending the night at her house after their date. He did, however, have enough memories to keep him going.
They hadn’t slept much and he discovered that despite the occasional shyness, she was a match for him in bed as well as out. She’d made him breakfast, the best egg and cheese omelet he’d ever eaten, and sent him home with cookies she’d obviously baked the day before and had ready for him when it was time for him to head home to shower and go to work.
He’d never slept at a woman’s place nor had one stay over at his for obvious reasons, yet doing it with Nicole felt right. Despite the fact that he was feeling uncomfortably domesticated, he couldn’t get her out of his head. He called her that day and again during the week, and damned if hearing her voice didn’t add something to his long day. Even when working, he found his mind drifting, her blue eyes and the sounds she made when he was deep inside her staying with him wherever he went.
She and Aunt Lulu had taken a booth at the art festival, and Sam headed home to change so he could attend the big event downtown. Normally he wouldn’t go near an art festival, but like everything else when it came to Nicole, he was drawn there and he planned to be one of her first customers.
Things moved fast in a small town because people were willing to work on faith and trust. The bakery itself was in pristine condition, the equipment fairly new. Having a partner to share the workload helped. Aunt Lulu had all the information about inspectors and licenses and had agreed to handle the business end of things. Meanwhile, Nicole called Kelly Barron, a paralegal in town, to discuss having partnership papers drawn up, while the bank manager assured them their loan would be approved sometime next week, and the landlord had allowed them into the shop in advance of papers being signed.
With a few phone calls, they had the electricity and water turned on and Nicole spent the day Friday baking for Saturday’s art festival. She hoped to give the good people of Serendipity a taste of what was to come when their bakery opened. Aunt Lulu would bring pies and cakes to their booth, and she posted signs around town.
As she readied for what she considered her debut, Nicole was finally starting to feel like she belonged somewhere. Other than Tyler still hanging around, calling and stopping by, all of which she blatantly ignored, praying he’d get the message, life was looking up.
Tyler met Macy at her family’s restaurant, and together they planned to go to the art festival. He had to admit she was a good sport about being his sidekick, considering she believed his main goal was to win back Nicole. What Macy didn’t know was that Tyler knew a losing battle when he fought one. He understood Nicole was serious about living her own life. He even got that she was involved with another man. Hell, she didn’t return his calls and he’d be a fool to think otherwise.
“Earth to Tyler.” Macy waved a hand in front of his face. “You alive?”
“Just thinking,” he told her.
She hopped onto the stool next to him. “About what?”
He glanced over and met her gaze. Honestly interested blue eyes stared back at him. She was so different looking from Nicole, less exotic, her pale face making her large eyes stand out. But it was her genuine concern for him that made him feel something different than ever before.
“Have you ever been torn between doing what’s right and family loyalty or expectations?” he asked.
She propped her chin on her hand. “Not the way you probably mean. Family comes first, but we’re all so strong-willed, we always clash when it comes to what we want. Like Aunt Lulu got all upset last year and quit here to go work for a supermarket. Then she got hurt and my family circled the wagons and took her back immediately.” She shrugged. “But I’m thinking whatever’s bothering you is bigger than that.”
“What makes you think something’s bothering me?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Do you really think I’m buying this whole Nicole-and-I-are-meant-for-each-other thing? One look at you and I get the sense that it’s killing you to chase after a woman who isn’t interest
ed.”
With her insight, the anxiety that had been riding him since he’d arrived in town eased somewhat. “You got that, huh?” He leaned in closer.
She didn’t pull away.
“Yeah, I did. So why are you doing it? What kind of family would have you sacrificing yourself and your dignity?”
She was so close, he wanted to lean in and kiss her. More than that, he wanted to explain his motives, but doing so would put her in danger and he already had one woman to look out for. He couldn’t drag another into his problems.
“Let’s just say that the rich are different, and I don’t mean that in any insulting way.” With regret, he forced himself to straighten up and pull away.
Disappointment flickered in her eyes. “Sucks for you,” she said in her blunt way, looking at him with pity.
And making him feel uncomfortable in his own skin.
She sighed. “I’d rather just make ends meet than suffer with that kind of obligation.”
“Me too,” he said, surprising himself.
He must have shocked her too, because she smiled at that.