Cooking Up Trouble (9 page)

Grams shook her head. “Safe doesn't even describe it. You could grow mold by the time you did anything exciting.”

Tessa scowled, so Grams let it go.

After they closed up shop, Tessa had an hour before Jed came for her. She changed into a red, form-fitting top. Usually, red didn't compliment copperheads, as Grams called her, but this shade did. She added more foundation and blush, and even a new layer of lip gloss. More bother than she'd gone to for a while.

Jed looked her up and down when she came to the door. “You look pretty.”

“Thanks.” It had been a while since she'd fiddled with makeup. The response had been good.

He motioned her to his pickup truck. He didn't hold the door or help her with the high, step-up into his cab. He got behind the wheel and said, “Boy, I'm hungry. Can't wait for a burger.”

They went to the bar on the edge of Mill Pond. Motorcycles lined its front parking spaces. Pickups filled the lot. Jed walked ahead of her to lead her inside. He nodded at Chase Carlton, the owner and bartender, and took a seat at the bar.

Chase trotted to take their orders. In his early thirties, Chase sported blond hair and stubble. He looked Tessa up and down. “Hey, farmer girl, you're lookin' good tonight.”

She shook her head. “I didn't expect this place to be so busy.” “It's always busy on Saturdays, darlin'. You just wouldn't know because you don't come in here to make my night.”

Jed laughed. “Like you need that. You never walk out of here alone, do you?”

Chase looked hurt. “Is it my fault ladies need someone to lift their spirits?”

The band started playing, and his words were drowned by noise. Tessa glanced at the family room on the far side of the building. The music didn't blast as loud there. She might be able to hear someone if they talked. Which Jed didn't. They ordered, they ate, and he paid. Then, he looked at her. “Ready for mini-golf?”

Not really, but she smiled. She'd grown up in the country club. She'd taken golf lessons, tennis lessons, and was on the swim team. Mini-golf was for amateurs. She could probably kick Jed's ass, but this wasn't a competition, right? It was supposed to be fun.

As they stood to leave, Chase gave her a wide grin and a wink. “Come anytime, and I'll throw in a free drink.”

Well, there you go. Who could resist that?

Jed drove to the local range with a windmill on the first course, a stream on the second, and other hurdles to the last hole. Jed insisted that she start first. She whipped through the windmill barriers in short time.

Jed hit his ball, and it reflected off the far side. He hit again, and it reflected back toward the beginning. Five hits later, he'd made it past the spinning blades of the windmill. Five more hits, and he sank his first ball.

Tessa bit the inside of her cheek and groaned. She'd never played with anyone this bad. On the second course, she whizzed through the obstacles and finished early. Jed's ball went in the water. He got it out and knocked it out of the course. He started again, and ended up in the water . . . again. Tessa thought she'd grab her hair and scream, but forced herself to stay calm, to smile. Eight hits over, Jed finally sank his putt.

Were the heavens mocking her? Were they laughing at her attempt to get into the dating scene again? By the last tee, she had to force herself not to take Jed's club and beat him with it.

Jed grew grumpier the longer they played. By the time he finished, he was none too friendly. “When I come here with friends, I usually win.”

“You're kidding. How often do you come?”

“A few times a summer.”

“That explains it.”

He looked at Tessa. “You know, you seemed like a nice girl, pretty easygoing.”

“Did I?” She squinted at him.
Bring it on.
She'd taken martial arts. She could kick his rear end from one side of Mill Pond to the other.

“You didn't tell me you were a damned golf pro.”

She tried to keep the edge out of her voice. “You didn't tell me you'd never played before.”

“I have,” Jed said.

“Not enough.” Was he mad at her because she'd won?

“I came here two weeks ago. I got first place.”

“Were all of your friends drunk?”

He glared. “You're sort of a know-it-all, aren't you?”

She glared back. “Not really, but golf might not have been the right pick for us.”

He shrugged and led her to his truck. Didn't open her door . . . again. On the way back to her place, he said, “I like your pies enough, I thought you might be worth marrying. Word is, you're a good cook. But I don't think we'd get along.”

“Are we breaking up?” She wouldn't laugh. It wouldn't be kind.

“I'm sorry, Tessa. You're nice enough, but I can tell you're not from around here. You came from a big city. It shows.”

She gave a grim nod, waited for him to drop her at her house, and then heaved a sigh of relief when he left. Then, she couldn't help it. She doubled over with laughter. There was a reason she preferred being single.

T
he first Sunday in May started too early. Normally, Tessa slept in on Sundays. Grams gave her grief about that. Grams was a regular at the little church in town. Tessa read the newspaper, drank an entire pot of coffee by herself, and enjoyed not doing anything. Today, though, she had to be at Grams' church by eleven-thirty.

“Doll up a little,” Grams told her. “This is about having fun.”

Tessa stood in front of her closet and sighed. The best she could do was a flirty, summer skirt and a cute, white blouse with tiny buttons that ran its entire length. She pulled her hair back with a white ribbon, slipped gold earrings in her ears, and stepped into a pair of sandals with a small heel. She looked in the mirror and grimaced. It was as good as she got.

She gathered her four pie carriers—three for the dessert table and one for Garth Roarke. She knew he'd be at the social. A bachelor, Garth came to every food event in Mill Pond. She loaded the pies on the front seat of her pickup, and off she went.

Grams waved to her the minute Tessa stepped onto the front lawn of the church. “Over here!”

Tessa took the three pies to Hilda Svenson, who gave her an approving nod. A white-haired friend of Grams, Hilda had a sweet smile, a soft voice, and a will of iron. She was always in charge of the social, and she expected Tessa to show up with pies. Tessa wasn't brave enough to disappoint her.

That duty done, Tessa crossed the yard to Grams. Miguel Rodriquez stood, chatting with her. Tessa knew from experience that Grams and Miguel could spend entire afternoons debating which strawberry plants produced the most fruit and which dahlias bloomed best. They both had a passion for landscaping. So did she, but she didn't want to talk about plants and gardens all day.

“Hi, kid!” Grams eyes glowed with excitement. “Miguel was telling me about a new species of climbing roses that won Most Hardy in his horticulture magazines this spring.”

“Really?” Tessa braced herself for an afternoon of high-octane entertainment—Not. She zeroed in to listen when someone grabbed her elbow and gave it a squeeze. Turning, she saw Keavin Neeley, one of her old, childhood buddies when she came to Mill Pond to stay with Grams and Gramps every summer.

He smiled from ear to ear when she turned to him. “Look who grew up.”

Her heart melted at the sight of him. How long had it been? Since they both graduated from high school and went their separate ways. Damn, he looked as warm and friendly as always. The same height she was and slightly overweight, he reminded her of a cuddly teddy bear, but there was a thick streak of orneriness in there somewhere. “You still look like trouble.”

He laughed and pulled her to him for a hug. She was laughing, too, when she looked over his shoulder and saw Ian and Lily walking toward a half-empty table. Ian's face looked like a storm ready to happen. His gaze shot darts at her.
What the hell?

“Looks like I'm making your boyfriend jealous,” Keavin teased.

“Not my boyfriend. Engaged. I'd guess he's had an argument with Lily.”

Tessa waved as Darinda and David moved down a seat to make room for Ian and his fiancé. The minute they were seated, people wandered over to greet them. With one last scowl her way, Ian turned, and his ready smile lit his face.

Keavin watched, amused. “No, that look was meant for you. You've pissed him off royally, but if I remember right, you were good at that.”

“Not fair! I'm a true and loyal friend.”

Keavin chuckled and pushed her away. His crooked grin turned into a goofy smile. “I always knew you were going to turn into a real beauty when you grew up.”

Tessa rolled her eyes. “You haven't gotten any smarter with age.”

“Didn't need to. I was plenty smart to begin with.” He put an arm around her shoulders and tugged her toward the grills, filled with hot dogs. “I'm claiming her, Grams!” he called. “You see her all the time.”

Grams waved them off and returned her attention to Miguel.

Lily's voice drifted to them as Ian introduced her to Evan Meyers and his wife. “You raise goats? I flew here from Mexico. They eat goats there.”

Evan's brows rose, and he looked surprised. “We raise them for milk and cheese.”

“Evan's farm is listed on a foodie tour for the area,” Darinda said, and the conversation flowed to area attractions.

Tessa tuned out Lily and leaned into Keavin in comfortable companionship. “What have you been up to since you left Mill Pond for college?”

“A little bit of everything. I took journalism, like I planned, and then I traveled a lot. Now, I write for businesses and magazines.”

“That was always your dream.”

Keavin looked at her, smiling. A strand of copper hair escaped her ribbon, and he smoothed it back behind her ear. “I'm thinking of coming back to the Midwest to work for a newspaper in one of the cities.”

“Because you missed the cows and corn?”

He laughed. “No, because Dad's been diagnosed with cancer. Mom's not handling it too well, and I'm getting married in a few weeks. Chelsea doesn't want to raise our kids in a big city.”

Lily's voice carried to them again. “Your lake's beautiful, but it can't compare with the Caribbean. The water's so perfect.”

Tessa glanced over her shoulder to see Grams and Miguel, talking with Lily. The whole town was making an effort to make her feel welcome. Tessa reached to hug Keavin. “I'm sorry about your dad, but I'm happy you've found someone. You'll make a great husband and dad.”

“Yeah, keep telling me that. I might believe it. I don't know how I tricked Chelsea into falling for me.” He looked at her. “And you? How are you and Gary?”

“We didn't last. I'm not in any hurry to find someone new.”

He frowned, studying her. “You know what? I'm not worried. Some guy's going to swoop down and carry you away someday. And you're going to like it.”

“If you say so.” As they stood in line to get hotdogs and potato salad, she heard Lily again.

“I just spent an entire week in Greece. Mediterranean cuisine is heaven.”

Keavin raised an eyebrow. “That girl should put on a slide show. Then we'd all know what a jet-setter she is.”

“She's not too bad. I think she's just nervous.” They got their food and went to find a table. They found an empty one and sat down.

Everyone came to say hello. People hadn't seen Keavin in a long time. They all had stories to tell about how rambunctious he was as a kid.

Between hotdogs and desserts, people traded tables, trying to make the rounds. When Keavin and Tessa searched for a place to sit, David waved them over.

Darinda stood to give Keavin a hug. “Long time, no see.”

Before Keavin could respond, Gianni and Luigi charged to the table, licking cones filled with strawberry ice cream. “Taste it, Tessa! It's homemade,” Gianni said. He pushed it toward her, smooshing ice cream on the tip of her nose. “It has real strawberries. We got to crank the handle.”

Tessa took a lick and reached for his cone. “Delicious.”

Giggling, Gianni pulled it back, guarding it for himself.

“Are these yours?” Keavin wiped the ice cream off Tessa's nose with his napkin.

Tessa laughed. “Silly question. Just look at them!” Both boys had their mother's tight, black curls.

“David and I have to claim them. They look like us.” Darinda motioned toward Ian and Lily to introduce them. “Ian bought Sam Draper's place, and he's making it into a resort.”

Keavin held out a hand for a quick shake. “That's a perfect spot for something like that.” And the talk turned to what Ian was doing on his property.

Tessa listened to the ebb and flow of the conversation, only half concentrating. It was a beautiful day. Big, puffy clouds dotted a blue sky. A slight breeze made things comfortable. Laughter filtered to them, and Tessa took a deep breath of contentment.

“Right, Tess?” Keavin turned to her. She blinked, and he laughed. “Just like always, wool gathering.” He put a hand under her chin and rubbed his knuckles over the top of her head. “A noogie for not paying attention.”

She gave an absent smile, remembering their childhood antics. She'd gotten many a noogie in her time.

“You're too old for that,” Darinda protested.

“I'll never be too old to pester Tess.” Keavin wrapped his arm around her shoulders again.

Ian's expression turned murderous. What was his problem?

Darinda grimaced. “You two!”

Ian's eyes narrowed, and Lily turned to look at him, a thoughtful expression on her face. Just then, Tessa spotted Garth and Leona walking to a table.

Tessa pulled on Keavin's shirt. “Come on. I see Garth. I brought him a pie.”

“What kind of a pie?” Keavin's tone was plaintive.

“Oh, stop! I'll bake you one. Your favorite—pumpkin.”

He let her pull him to his feet to go see Garth. By the time they returned, Ian grinned up at her, relaxed. Lord, he was moody today.

Darinda looked smug. What the hell had happened while she was gone? Tessa looked from one person to the other as she and Keavin took their seats.

Darinda locked gazes with her as she told Keavin, “Ian was asking about your line of work.”

Tessa frowned, confused. Subtleties were ebbing and flowing around her, and she didn't have a clue what they meant.

Keavin leaned forward, always ready to talk shop. “Are you interested in journalism?”

Ian smiled. “No, sorry, I'd just never heard anyone mention you before. In this town, everyone seems to know everyone else. It surprised me that your name hadn't come up.”

“This is the first time I've been back in a while,” Keavin told him. “Thought I'd catch up on old times and pick the brain of a fellow writer.” He bumped Tessa's shoulder. “The girl's made a name for herself, and I could use a few pointers.”

Ian's glare returned. “She's famous?”

“She's no Nora Roberts, but she's doing okay for herself.” Keavin laughed. “I wouldn't mind selling like she does.”

“Are you thinking of writing a book?” Tessa asked him.

“It's crossed my mind.”

Tessa lit up. There were few things in life she enjoyed as much as talking to a fellow writer.

“Oh, no.” Darinda groaned. “She's going into writing mode. We might as well disappear.” She stood and started gathering their plates and napkins. David rose, too, to help her.

“Is it that bad?” Ian asked.

“You might as well be invisible. Trust me. These two will have their heads together for another hour.”

Lily tugged on Ian's arm. “You promised to show me around the town.”

“Is there anything here that would interest you? We can't compete with Greece or the Caribbean.”

She gave a cute moue. “I went a little overboard, didn't I?”

“A little?”

She tugged at him again. “You promised.”

“I did, didn't I?” He looked up and down the town square. “We can window shop, but a lot of the shops are closed on Sundays.”

“Why?” Lily stared.

“It's a Midwest thing.” Ian crooked his elbow for her, and they set off to look at the shops. When they returned an hour later, Tessa was saying goodbye to Keavin and gathering her pie carriers to load in her truck. Almost everyone else had gone.

Lily grabbed Ian's hand and followed Tessa to her pickup. “Why don't you go help those poor men carry the last folding tables into the church?” she told Ian.

He hurried to help them.

Lily turned to Tessa. “People seem really nice here,” she said.

Tessa dropped the plastic carriers on her front seat. “Every town has a squirrely person or two, but Mill Pond is a friendly community, as a whole.”

“People seem pretty open-minded, too.” Lily's blue eyes sparkled. Tessa nodded. What was she maneuvering toward? “We're pretty middle-of-the-road. Not too conservative, not too liberal.”

Lily's lips curved into a smile. “Good, because I've been a little worried about my Ian. I travel a lot, and I don't want him to get lonely.”

“He's made lots of friends here,” Tessa assured her.

“I'm sure he has, but that's not the same, is it?”

“The same as what?”

“Ian's really fond of you, I can tell. If you two would ever like to spend more time together”—Lily hesitated—“to enjoy each other's company, it wouldn't bother me.”

Tessa stared. Was she suggesting what she thought she was suggesting? She felt a blush burn to her hairline. “I couldn't do that.”

“He's one of the good ones. If you change your mind, I'm fine with it.”

Tessa glanced across the yard at Ian. “I don't think he'd be okay with it either.”

“I'll talk to him,” Lily said.

“No, don't. I really . . . couldn't.”

Lily smiled. “If you say so, but I thought I'd offer.”

“Well, um, thanks.” Tessa didn't know what else to say. Ian finished with the chairs and started toward them. He caught her expression and hesitated. Before he could return to them, she jumped inside her pickup and sped away.