Sweet but Sexy Boxed Set (100 page)

“
That so.”

“
Yes, ma’am.”

She didn
’t know how to respond to that, but he was continuing with his little rant anyway.

“
Now, please go before I blow my top. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

And at the moment, that was her intent. She reached under the table, grabbed her purse, and gave one last pause looking at Jim before she spun, humiliated, and raced away from the table.

And right into the chest of the Assistant Superintendent.

“
Oh. Gosh. Sorry.” She looked up into his face, wondering if he’d just witnessed that whole scene. The look he gave her said that, yeah, he probably had.

Jim was suddenly at her side.

Now, she thought, was probably a good time to ask for that transfer, seeing that she had just embarrassed herself to no end here with the elementary school folks. In fact this was probably the best time in the world since it seemed neither man right now was very happy with her and likely wanted her out of their hair.

“
Mr. Porter. I know this isn’t the best timing in the world, but on Monday morning, I want to speak with you about a transfer out of Legend Elementary. Perhaps you have something, um, out in the country? I know those schools are difficult to staff.”

He still glared, then shifted his gaze to Jim, and back again.
“Sorry, your request for transfer has been denied, Ms. Baker.”

She was confused. But what was new, lately?
“I don’t understand.”

He shrugged.
“Talk to your principal. He asked me to deny your transfer request a couple of days ago. So consider yourself denied. You have two options, either stay at Legend Elementary, or quit. And given the conduct I’ve seen from you tonight, I am personally hoping you will consider the latter.”

Nothing, nothing, in her professional career had hurt so much. And hearing that Jim had asked to have her request denied—two days ago!—well, nothing had ever hurt her heart quite as much either.

She couldn’t look either man in the face…and fled the scene.

Chapter Nine

“
All right Ms. Sour Puss. It’s been over a week. Aren’t you over this yet?”

Patti watched the swirls the creamer made in her coffee and felt like she was diving down into those swirly depths of dark herself.
“I’m fine.”

“
Like hell you are.”

Peeking up over her cup, she caught Kate
’s stare, then looked back down again. “Look,” she said finally, “if the reason you asked me to coffee this morning is to verbally beat the crap out of me over this entire incident, well, you can stop now, because I assure you I have beaten my own self up enough for the two of us.”

Kate responded with an outstretched hand placed over hers on the table.
“Patti, look at me.”

It took her a moment, but she did look up and connect with Kate.
“What.”

Kate sighed.
“Forget it all. You have your job; that is the important thing.”

“
Well, only because Jim refuses to let me out of my contract in the middle of the year, and only because there are no positions open anywhere else in the district. He’s stuck; so I stay.”

“
I don’t think that’s the only reason.”

Patti huffed.
“You don’t? Well, I have news for you. That man wants nothing to do with me.”

“
I wouldn’t be so sure. Give it some time. Perhaps things could work out.”

“
No. No amount of time…” Her words trailed off, and she really didn’t want to think or talk about this anymore. Her stomach hurt.

“
Well…”

“
Well, well, well! Hey girls, what are you doing up so early in the morning?”

Both Patti and Kate lifted their heads toward the voice. A bright and smiling Suzie Matthews approached their table.
“Fancy seeing you two here early this morning at
Coffee High
! Have you tried Sydney’s latest scone? Oh, man…”

“
We just had one. They rock.” There wasn’t one iota of enthusiasm in Patti’s voice.

Suzie shrugged and stepped closer.
“Patti, I’m really glad I caught you. Wear the black dress. If you don’t want to come to dinner, just come to the after-dinner party in the suite at the Lodge. It will be so much fun, and I’m sure you will enjoy getting to know this new guy I want to introduce you to.”

Shit. She had forgotten all about that. Looking to Kate, she said,
“Is today New Year’s Eve?”

Kate nodded.

Where have my days gone?

Patti shook her head.
“I’m really not feeling up to it, Suzie.”

A huge frown crossed the woman
’s face. “You’re not backing out on me.”

Had I ever really confirmed?
She couldn’t remember.

Suzie started in again.
“You do have the dress, right?”

“
I do, but…”

“
No excuses.” She leaned over to peer into her face. “Don’t make me get ugly, Patti Jo. My reputation is at stake. I have not failed in my matchmaking attempts, and I’ll be damned if I am going to let you wallow around in self-indulgent, self-pity while my skills are on the line. Now, I’ll forgive the dinner, but I want you knocking on the door to the Black Bear suite at eight o’clock sharp. Have you got that?”

It was very difficult to ignore the intensity of Suzie
’s stare. Even more, Kate’s gaze was trained straight on her as well.

“
Oh, Hell’s Christmas Bells. All right.”

****

Mistake. With a capital M. That’s what this was.

Jim paced the living room of the Black Bear suite. He
’d arrived at a quarter before eight as Suzie had suggested. He knew what was coming down, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for it.

But he was going to do it because some things had to be settled between him and Patti.

Perhaps Suzie was right, and this was the best way.

Element of surprise and all.

Still, he wasn’t so sure.

He had a lot of talking to do, and he just wasn
’t convinced that Patti Jo Baker would stick around long enough to listen.

There. A small rap on the door.

Show time.

With a deep inhale, followed by a cleansing, lengthy exhale, he crossed the room and wrapped his hand around the cold doorknob.

****

The door swung open and the first thing Patti registered was the lack of sound. She had expected a party but there was no party clatter happening in the background.

Almost simultaneously, she realized that it was Jim holding open the door.

A hand went to her throat.
“Jim? Oh, God…”

He grasped her hand and tugged a little.
“It’s all right, Patti. Come on in.”

Not sure this is a good idea
, her brain screamed.

Move it, sister,
her heart said.

Before she realized it, she was inside, the door was closed, and Jim was leading her into the living room.
“Let’s have a seat,” he said. She sat, looking up at him, and wondered why in the world she was behaving like a submissive little girl who had just been scolded.

Perhaps, she thought, because that
’s what this felt like, and well, he was the principal and well, he was her superior and well, there was almost something sort of naughty about the thought of all that.

“
So are you going to spank me, Mr. Hamilton, for my actions? Or do you have other forms of punishment you would like to explore with me?”

Shit.
Shit!
Why she blurted that out was beyond her!

Jim simply stood and looked down at her, a mite uncomfortable with the thought, it seemed, by his reddened face.
“I am going to ignore that, young lady.”

Oh, that was way too much of an opening for her to ignore.

“I didn’t mean to be bad, Mr. Hamilton. I just thought giving away my kisses was for a good cause. You know. The hospital germ fund at all. I didn’t realize it would get you upset, Sir.”

Her insides twittered. Where this was coming from, she hadn
’t a clue. But she sort of liked the way that it made her twinge a little, you know, in excitement. Did she dare continue?

Still standing, he took a step closer, hands on hips, and stared down into her face.
“Your kisses are not yours to give away.”

“
Oh. I didn’t realize that. I thought that since you felt it within your power to deny my transfer request, that my giving away kisses was none of your concern.”

“
You didn’t know that at the time, Miss Baker. Stop screwing with the sequence of events.”

“
Why did you deny my request, Sir?”

He took a deep breath.
“Because I don’t want you to leave. I can’t stand the thought of you not teaching in my school, of you giving up something you love, because of me. So, you see, I’ve made other arrangements. I’ve asked for a temporary transfer to the high school. The principal there is on maternity leave.”

“
I think it is you who is screwing with the sequence of events, Mister.” Patti stood. This was all well and good, but where was it going to get her? Them? “You really transferred?”

Jim looked straight into her eyes.
“Yes.”

“
Why?”

“
So I could perhaps salvage a little bit of us. Give us some time.”

Patti blinked.
“There is an ‘us’?”

“
I’m hoping so. What do you think?”

She looked off, and as she did so, his arms went around her shoulders, and he drew her closer.
“Patti, look at me.”

She did.

“I know things have gotten out of whack. None of it was intentional, and all of it was because we are both trying to figure out what is happening, after all these years, between the two of us. It’s new and it’s foreign and it’s scary as hell. But I can tell you this. I’m tired of being alone. I’m tired of not having a partner to share my life. And I’m tired of watching you day in, and day out, flounce down the halls of my school, watching your backside taunt me. I’m tired of all that. I want a chance with you, and I want a chance at your kisses. Every day. Every morning. And for the rest of my life.”

He paused and searched her face.
“That is, if you will consent to sharing those hard candy kisses with only me. Or at least, giving me half a chance to claim them for my very own?”

Patti
’s chest heaved up and down with each word Jim said. A chance. He wanted a chance? To share a life? To wake up every morning with kisses? To be her man? Isn’t that all she ever wanted, anyway? Someone just exactly like Jim? And all this time, he was right under her nose.

“
I will give my kisses only to you, Jim Hamilton, on one condition.”

His brow arched.
“And what is that?”

“
That if I ever do have to be punished, you will spank me thoroughly and often.”

Jim just about choked on that comeback.

As he took her into his arms, and his determined mouth met with and explored hers, Patti knew that she’d finally found her man.

THE END

Dear Readers…

Hard Candy Kisses
is the last book in the Matchmaking Chef series. I like for my Legend characters to make appearances in all of my books, if possible, and I realized that Kate and Mike, and Patti Jo Baker and Jim Hamilton, had not appeared in any other books besides
Murder on the Mountain
. This meant that I had to hook Jim and Patti Jo up, and I hope that I did their story justice!

I love writing quirky and fun characters like Patti Jo and pairing them with unlikely subjects.
Hard Candy Kisses
was a fun write for me, and I really hope you enjoyed their story—and the series!

If you have only visited Legend through the Matchmaking Chef series, be sure to look for my other books set in Legend, Tennessee, along with books by my friends and fellow authors who write about Legend—Janet Eaves, Jan Scarbrough, and Magdalena Scott. You can visit us at
www.legendtennessee.com

Suzie is likely going to retire from matchmaking soon, after all, there are only so many single people in the town of Legend, but be on the lookout for a cozy mystery featuring Suzie.
Deadly Scoop
will be available in 2015. Who knew that a simple scoop of ice cream could be a murder weapon?

In case you have missed any of the other Matchmaking Chef books, here they are, in order!

Perfectly Matched
, Book One (FREE at all retailers!)

Suzie Matthews is hard at work on her new cookbook,
Perfectly Matched
, when she asks the local “wallflower” to help her with a project. Mary Lou Picketts dreams of falling in love with country music star, Nash Rhodes, but is ready to settle for Thurman Phillips down the street. But she doesn’t want to. Not really. When Nash comes to Legend for a music benefit and stays at the lodge, Suzie wonders if she can
perfectly match
this miss-matched couple.

Hot Crossed Buns
, Book Two

Wild Katie Long, she
’ll never settle down. But Chris Marks has had his eye on her for a long time. When Chris hires Suzie to set him up with a romantic dinner for two, Suzie does all she can to set the mood. Thing is, Katie isn’t about to be wooed and she’s hotter than hot crossed buns when she figures out what Chris is up to. Then Suzie turns the tables by supplying Chris with a couple of items that just might tame Katie after all—handcuffs and a leather riding crop.

Dates Du Jour
, Book Three

Speed dating? Speed eating is more like it. When Suzie sets up lunch date after lunch date for puppy nanny Lyssa Larkin, Legend
’s homegrown homecoming queen of 1997, she knows she’s bit off more than she can chew. Lyssa rejects dates in two bites and sends them on their way. Suzie wonders if she really wants to date or just eat two lunches, and worries that soon Lyssa’s hips won’t fit on her dainty chairs. That is, until Suzie takes a risk with a man that Lyssa knows, but doesn’t really, and who is falling for her hard and fast.

Side Dish
, Book Four

Becca North doesn
’t want a boyfriend but her best friend Nora certainly does. Becca is so off men. But when Nora, owner of Nora’s Novel Niche, meets Suzie the Matchmaking Chef during a booksigning at her store, she finagles her way into a romantic picnic date lunch for her—and a blind date—on Suzie’s television show. Nora drags Becca along all the way from Pigeon Forge for moral support and to check out her date. Thing is, Nora’s date would rather check out Becca, instead.

Mate to Order
, Book Five

When Suzie
’s success as a matchmaker hits the national scene about the same time as her debut cooking show on the Food Channel, her new producer comes to her with a list of requirements—not for Suzie’s job, but for a husband. Patricia Plum has a specific list and if Suzie really wants to make it big in New York City, she’ll make every attempt to deliver Patricia’s
Mate to Order.

Romancing the Scone
, Book Six

High tea or sweet tea? As long as there are scones, it doesn
’t matter. In fact, Suzie’s cousin Sydney Schul, owner of
Sydney’s Sugar High Coffee Stop and Bakery,
makes the best damned scones east of the Mississippi and south of the Mason Dixon, and there was an article written in
Southern’s Best
magazine to prove it. All is well and life in Legend is good, until a mysterious male stranger comes to town, stalking Sydney’s scones, and attempting to romance her out of her famous recipe.

Better than Chocolate, Book Seven

When Scott Matthews escapes to Legend to visit his brother, Brad and his wife Suzie, he has only one request—he wants nothing to do with chocolate. Or to discuss getting fired as master chocolate taster from world-renowned
Bianchi Chocolates
. What Jillian Bass wants is to make it in Legend. This Manhattan transplant wants to make it big here real bad. Forget New York. She’s starting over with her small chocolate shop,
Bittersweets
, and setting out to impress the locals. She doesn’t want them to know that she’s inherited her grandmother’s famous chocolate business—
Jeaneva Chocolates
. And all is fine until she smacks straight into Scott, and he takes one small whiff of her Belgian truffle….

Hard Candy Kisses, Book Eight

New Year
’s Eve is just around the corner and Legend Elementary teacher Patti Jo Baker has tried every trick in the book to land a date for the annual New Year’s Eve Bash at The Lodge. This includes setting up a kissing booth at the Legend Elementary Winter Carnival—a booth which Principal Jim Hamilton promptly shuts down. Because if Patty Jo Baker is passing out kisses, any kind of kisses, he wants to be both first, and last, in line—and he definitely doesn’t want to sample them in front of the student body.