Standing in line at the Belle Bean at the end of the lunch rush was like being an extra in a Hallmark movie. There was a table of gray haired men and women in the corner, table filled with Trish’s brightly colored coffee mugs, small plates filled with pastries in various states of completion. Near the window was a young couple so in love, they kept their hands clasped while they enjoyed the orgasmic white chocolate-filled treats that had taken the town by storm. Everything was so idyllic that it was hard to be in a bad mood in this town.

I tried it once, and ended up with twelve pies and five casseroles in my kitchen. Mags was such a shitty cook I was considering frowning a little bit just to get a few more casserole dishes for the fridge. But I was here on a mission that had nothing to do with my bare cabinet or the curvy little blond beaming a smile at the pair of old men flirting with her at the counter.

I was on a very specific mission, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t stop to admire Trish in a tank top that molded against her big tits deliciously. It was a step up from the shapeless t-shirts she favored and I couldn’t wait to get to the counter and see her legs in whatever skirt she had on today.

“It’s almost like he doesn’t notice anyone or anything else.” I knew that voice, knew the laughing husky tone and the accompanying soft giggle.

I turned to see Vivi doing a terrible stage whisper to Maddie, whose eyes lit up with glee. “Good afternoon ladies. It sounds like you both have been spending too much time with my sister.”

The eruption of laughter between the two women drew a few stares, but only for a quick minute before everyone went back to their sweet treats, because no one was stupid enough to leave them unattended for long. Vivi dropped a hand on Maddie’s shoulder with a conspiratorial grin.

“Or maybe we like her because she’s so much like us.”

“Don’t try to change the subject,” Maddie insisted, eyes so full of mischief I took a step back. “We saw you eying up Trish.”

“I was not!” I knew how to deal with nosy women. Deny, deny, deny. There was no way in hell either of them saw me checking her, out so there was no way in hell I would admit as much.

“Liar. We saw you,” Vivi insisted. “And I saw you lick your lips just before that whisper of a smile played along the edges of your mouth.”

Dammit. Busted.

“If you were a boob man, you’d totally understand.” If I’d been expecting contrition I would have been sorely disappointed because Vivi and Maddie both lit up like jack-o-lanterns.

“Pay up, sucker. I knew he liked her.” Vivi’s wide grin was downright devilish as Maddie pulled a twenty from her purse and smacked it in her friend’s hand.

“You bet on me? I’m not sure if I should be insulted or impressed.” The truth was that I was starting to see exactly what Nash and Zeke meant about good girls. They weren’t all that good.

“Not just you, Mason. We bet on you and Trish.”

“Devils, both of you.” I turned back towards the counter at the sound of their laughter, noticing that now there was just one person ahead of me in line. My smile lit up when the young woman ahead of me walked away with a wave for Trish, but it didn’t last long.

Neither did Trish’s smile when she saw me, which may have stung a bit, but I was a big boy. I could handle it. “What can I get for you today, Mason?”

I took a deep breath and rattled off the coffee orders first, and then the pastry orders, mostly from memory, but Mags had written it all down just to be sure. “I think that’s it.”

Trish frowned, her blue eyes so narrow it was hard to tell exactly what color they were. Her ponytail hung crooked as proof of her long day and she looked at me with suspicion. “Seriously? This isn’t some kind of joke?”

Was that really what she thought of me? I thought we’d gotten past all this, but clearly I was wrong. “I wouldn’t do that, Cupcake.”

She nodded with easy acceptance, but it didn’t make me feel better. Had I been that much of an ass to her that she thought I would prank her by wasting her product? “Having a party?”

“You could say that, but you should call it more of a tea party,” I told her and pinched the bridge of my nose just thinking about it. “A few of the senior women in town, including Aunt Mae, are interested in body modification and they thought coffee and pastries would help them decide.”

Her lips twitched as she fought a laugh, but that fair skin hid nothing and the red stain creeping up her face told me just how funny she thought the whole situation was. “And you were the designated gopher?”

“Hell no, I volunteered. Those women are terrifying in packs.” For that I was rewarded with an outright laugh. One of those full-bodied laughs that was husky and full of life.

“Big bad Mason terrified of the Casserole Brigade?”

My brows shot up. “They have a name…like a gang? Yeah, that’s not terrifying at all.”

She laughed again as she packed the sea green box and taped the edge before moving to the coffee orders. “It sounds like you have an interesting day ahead of you.”

“That’s one way to look at it,” I told her, my gaze once again diverted to her magnificent tits, only now they were tipped with rock hard nipples.

“What?”

I shrugged at her confusion. “Just noticing how great your new shirt looks.”

She looked down with a blush and whispered a quick, “Thanks,” before turning to get lids for the half a dozen coffee cups.

“Have you chosen a cake yet, because if not my taste buds are yours if you need them again.” Just mentioning taste buds had my mouth watering, just thinking about the taste of her and the way she looked while she rode my tongue. The way she took her own pleasure and I could tell by her expression, that she was thinking the same thing.

“Damn! Something definitely happened,” Vivi said again, doing another bad imitation of a stage whisper.

“Yep,” Maddie agreed, “but what? Did they do the naked tango or just hand and mouth stuff?”

Trish choked on a laugh and shook her head, ignoring the way her skin heated from her chest to her scalp. Finally, she let her gaze slide to mine again. “You’ll have to wait until the reception just like everyone else, Mason.”

“I’m basically a sous chef now, Cupcake. You can tell me.” I leaned against the counter with a conspiratorial smile, gifting her a wink. “You know you want to.”

Trish licked her lips seductively, before she realized that most of the eyes in Belle Bean were on her, well more accurately, us. “If that’s true, I expect you to put in a few hours to help put the finishing touches on the cake before the wedding.”

“Name the time and place and I’ll be there, Cupcake.”

She narrowed her gaze. “Don’t call me that.”

Instead of responding, I just laughed and slid the money across the counter. “See you around, Cupcake.”

“You forgot your change!”

“Keep it. You earned it today.” After that exchange I felt a hell of a lot better facing the Casserole Brigade.