1. Not my type
2. Tall
3. Hot
4. From Bliss
5. Rudy loved him
6. Can bake (probably)
7. Business owner
8. Pie shop

1. Grumpy.

---

Ava looked up as Parker Blake came through the swinging door that separated the front of his diner from the kitchen. She underlined tall on her list. He was about six-four and that meant she could wear any of the heels in her wardrobe when with him without a problem. That was definitely in his favor.

He carried a coffeepot to the only other occupied table in the diner. She watched him, noting the way his jeans fit across his ass, then forced herself to note the way he interacted with his customers instead. That was far more important to her plan. She needed Parker, but the fit of his blue jeans had nothing to do with it. Probably.

He leaned in and picked up the plate in front of one of the men at the table.

“Hey! Come on!” the guy called after him as Parker pivoted and headed for the kitchen.

“You don’t put ketchup on steak. And you snuck that ketchup in here.” Parker didn’t even look back.

“It was for my fries!” the man protested. “It must have oozed over onto the steak.”

Parker stopped and turned. He stabbed the steak with the fork that was balanced on the plate and held the piece of meat up. “That’s a lot of oozing,” he said.

The man sighed. “It’s just ketchup.”

“You don’t like how I make steak, eat somewhere else,” Parker told him. Then he stomped into the kitchen with the plate.

Ava knew her eyes shouldn’t be as wide as they were. She’d seen him take a glass of iced tea away from someone who’d added sugar to it and a plate of nachos away from someone who had dared scrape off the sour cream. But it never failed to amaze her. He not only did this stuff, but he got away with it. She didn’t know the customer’s name, but she’d seen him in here before and she knew he’d be back. They always came back. “They” being the entire town of Bliss, Kansas and a huge surrounding area.

She looked down at her list and underlined grumpy twice.

The problem was, it was the only con she could come up with, and she wasn’t entirely sure it was that much of a problem. She needed to date him. She didn’t need to like him.

But she did like things about him. What you saw was what you got with Parker Blake. He didn’t like people lingering in his diner. He grumped about it all the time. He also had very specific views about food. If you ordered the jalapeno burger, you’d better, by God, eat the jalapenos. You didn’t eat a steak with ketchup on it, apparently. Potatoes, of some kind, came with everything. No, you couldn’t ask to hold them.

It was no secret that he felt that the diner was a very straightforward setup. He was there to serve food to hungry people in exchange for money. The food he was willing to serve was clearly spelled out on the menu, as was the price for that food. If you ordered a burger and fries, that’s what you were going to get. There were no substitutions. There was no “on the side”. The menu said burger and fries, so you would get a burger and fries. Period. And after the customer had eaten, he figured they were no longer hungry, and could move on.

Ava had to admit this was something that fascinated her about the guy. It was an odd way to do business. On one hand, it seemed logical to placate the customers and make them happy by giving them what they wanted. Especially if it was something simple like not serving them fries or letting them put ketchup on their steak. On the other, his methods saved him a lot of headaches, and it honestly kept the entire interaction simple.

And people here put up with it. Because it was the only restaurant in town. No, she did not consider her pie shop a restaurant. It served pie. And coffee. Period. Which should also be straightforward and simple, now that she thought about it. Yet it seemed to have complicated her life more than any merger or new contract for Carmichael Enterprises ever had.

Parker stayed in business in spite of his clear the-customer-is-not-always-right stance because his food was really good and the diner had been a mainstay in town for over a decade. And because Parker’s rules had always been in place. When you walked through the doors, you knew what you were getting.

She was actually envious of that. She was a master negotiator, with a well-deserved reputation as being fair but tough in her business dealings. But she never went into a meeting knowing exactly what was going to happen. Everything was a negotiation, and she had to give to take. It was why she took control of everything else in her life as firmly as she could. The company was the core of her family’s security so she did what she had to do to keep it going. But the sometimes-winning-sometimes-losing thing caused her to grab onto schedules and lists and plans whenever she could with both hands. She liked control. So, yes, she envied Parker Blake being able to say “this is how it is, take it or leave it” with his business. And succeed.

Ava studied the other pros and cons list in her notebook. There was another guy on her page.

Noah

PROS:

1. Not my type
2. Tall (enough)
3. Hot
4. From Bliss
5. Rudy loved him
6. Business owner

She added NOT grumpy to Noah’s list. Then she sighed. She still had only seven to

Parker’s eight pros. And then there was Noah’s one con.

CONS:

1. Brynn.

Ava drew a heart next to her sister’s name. Brynn and Noah were close, and Ava didn’t know for sure if their relationship was romantic or friends-only, but they had a way of making a girl feel like a third wheel when they were together. Ava didn’t get it, but there was a connection there, and it made her feel a little weird about considering dating Noah.

Still, she had to date someone. Someone from Bliss, Kansas. For six months. There was twelve and a half billion dollars riding on it.

Well, kind of. Her father’s company was worth twelve and a half billion, and her chance to take over the position of CEO depended on her dating someone here for six months. Along with a few other stipulations her father had put in his will. Like living here for a year and running the pie shop next door with her sisters.

Ava colored in the little heart she’d drawn as she thought about her options.

It was crazy. Of course. Who found out he had cancer and decided to use his will to influence his daughters’ love lives? But Rudy Carmichael had never been a conventional father. And he’d known Ava would do anything to be in charge of Carmichael Enterprises. It was all she’d ever aspired to. It was the only thing she was good at. And it was the only way for her to take care of her mom and sisters. The philanthropist who took care of everyone from abused women to the local libraries, the free spirit who made everyone smile and feel a little lighter, and the genius scientist who was working to rid the world of disease. Ava’s job enabled the three of them to make the world a better place without worry about money or security. It was her way of making the world a better place. Indirectly.

She’d thought it was a given. She’d already been acting CEO of Carmichael Enterprises for the past five years, ever since her father had decided to move to BFE, Kansas. When she’d found out that her father had passed away, she’d mourned, then taken a deep breath, quelled the butterflies in her stomach, and headed to the meeting with the lawyer. Only to find out that she had hoops to jump through before she could officially etch her name into the glass next to the CEO’s office door.

So many hoops.

But the craziest part of all? She understood where her father had been coming from.

Not at first, of course. At first, she’d been confused and pissed off and hurt. She’d worked her ass off for the company. Even her social life had to do with work nine out of ten times. Okay, ten out of ten times. She could make any event into a networking opportunity. She’d always dated men who were very much like her father. Men who understood that she did, and always would, put the company first. That she’d be late for dinner more times than not. That she would take phone calls in the middle of conversations. That she would be traveling and gone for days, sometimes even weeks, at a time. She was, first and foremost, married to the company, and she had been dating men that would understand that. And who had important business connections to bring to the relationship.

Had it been romantic? No. Had it been sexy and exciting? No. And she was good with that. She liked predictable. She liked things spelled out ahead of time. She liked knowing what she was getting into and what was expected of her.

“You can’t even eat an entire salad?”

She looked up at the sound of Parker’s deep voice. And quickly covered her notebook page with her hand. “Um, I’m still working on it.”

He lifted a brow and reached for her plate. He turned the plate over and emptied the rest of her salad into a take-out box. She’d been expecting that. Parker didn’t like people lingering. The diner was for eating. Not talking on the phone, not reading, not working on your computer. And not making pros and cons lists. You came in, you ate, you paid, and you got out. Everyone knew that was how Parker’s diner operated. And you either ate everything on your plate, or you took it home with you. The only thing that wasn’t good at the diner was the coffee. And that was on purpose. It was supposed to curtail the lingering. It didn’t work, but that was what it was supposed to do.

“Hey, I didn’t even smuggle in any contraband condiments,” she said. “You can search me.”

From where he was standing, he could see her entire right side, and as his gaze tracked over her from head to heels, she felt tingles all along that path.

“I’m not worried. There’s nowhere in those little skirts you wear to hide anything.”

Ava felt her body warm. She loved her pencil skirts and yes, they were fitted. But she knew that Parker was just trying to fluster her. And she didn’t fluster easily. In fact, Parker Blake was the first man in a very long time to get her even close to ruffled. Which should probably go on the con list, come to think of it. But there was one very important pro that should be added as well.

Parker Blake was a great choice for a six-month Bliss boyfriend in spite of the items on the con list, because they’d already spent three months together. Kind of. That meant she’d only have to put in three more to get to her six-month dating quota. Sure, the past three months had involved going back and forth from each other’s business kitchens—when she came over to borrow butter and eggs, and he came to her kitchen to bitch about it, for instance. But they’d also had a few game nights with her sisters and his two best friends, Noah and Evan. That might be stretching the “date” definition—especially considering she’d been supposedly dating Evan…but that was a long story—but it was still socializing unlike any she’d had with the men in New York. It had to count. She was not starting over on the six-month time frame stipulated in the will if she could help it.

Besides, there was a chemistry between her and Parker. And that made the idea of spending a few months with him on a “personal” basis, a lot more appealing.

“So what’s with the take-out box?” she asked, resisting the urge to cross and uncross her legs under the table. The legs his gaze stayed on for an extra few seconds.

He set the box on the table along with her bill. “It’s one o’clock,” he told her.

Right. Closing time for the diner. Parker was open for breakfast from six a.m. to nine a.m., closed from nine to eleven, open again for lunch from eleven to one, and then closed again until four when dinner started. The dinner shift was from four to six. And heaven help you if you tried to order eggs after nine or a BLT after four. There was a specific breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu, and Parker was God when it came to deciding what people should be eating for each of those meals. But again, if you came in for lunch, you just knew that waffles were not an option.

“It’s actually one eleven,” she told him. “And I came in close to closing time because I was hoping to talk to you about something in private.”

Something flickered in his expression. Surprise? Curiosity? More likely irritation.

“But I close at one.”

He didn’t. Yes, the sign on his door said he did, but people were always in the diner until at least one thirty. For all of his grumping and strictness, the one thing he didn’t do was throw people out if they were lingering. It was weird. And fascinating. Ava found herself wondering about Parker Blake and his habits far more than she should.

“I’m not the only one still here,” she said, looking pointedly at the still occupied other table.

“But you’re finished.”

Well, her salad was in a box now. But she’d discovered that the diner food was pretty good even left over, so she would, in fact, take it home and eat it later. “Yes, I’m finished eating,” she said.

He looked at her for a moment, clearly waiting for her to go on.

Ava fought a smile as she added, “I just have a few more things to go over on this…report.” Or list of why you’re the perfect man for me, she thought. For the next three months, she thought quickly. Because of the will, she added. Even if it was just to herself, she had to be careful about thinking of Parker as anything other than…Parker. The guy who could get her through the stipulations in her father’s will and into the CEO’s office in New York City. “So it’s no problem for me to wait until everyone leaves so we can talk.” She fought a smile, knowing he would hate the idea of her just hanging out.

“So the diner closing at one doesn’t matter to you?”

“Of course it does. It’s the perfect time to talk to you without anyone else around.”

“There’s a reason I close at one o’clock,” he said.

“And what is that?” she asked. She actually really wanted to know. Some of the time between meal shifts he spent in preparation for the next, of course. But he left the building between nine and about ten in the morning and then again between two and three. And, in spite of herself, she was curious about where he went and what he did. She didn’t know why she was curious. It really didn’t matter to her at all. But he was such a regimented guy, that she assumed his patterns and schedules had a purpose.

She liked that in another person.

There were things about Parker she didn’t like, of course. How he was completely rude to her every time she came over here to borrow eggs. How he called her “Boss” in a really sarcastic tone of voice. The way he seemed to think that her being a dismal failure in the kitchen was pretty funny. And the way that whenever he looked at her, he seemed to know more than she wanted him to.

Oh, and the way her face got hot whenever she happened to catch him bending over in his kitchen. The man had an effect on her libido that she was still unaccustomed to. She dated handsome men, men who knew how to dress and always smelled good. Which made her reaction to a guy who wore blue jeans and T-shirts that were often covered in food of various types, who shaved every third day or so, and who smelled like bacon and pancake syrup very strange. But she couldn’t deny that there was something about this man that kicked her pulse up a few beats per minute.

And she liked that he had never once complimented her.

She almost frowned as that thought went through her mind. That sounded strange. But it was true. She was used to compliments from men. Those she dated and those she did business with. But she never fully trusted them. There were reasons for those men to compliment her that went far beyond simple courtesy or even to make her feel good. They all wanted to be on her good side.

Parker didn’t care about her good side. And he’d never said anything nice to her.

And she trusted him because of it.

“I have a life outside of this diner,” Parker said, in answer to her question about how he spent his time between shifts. “I have things to do.”

“Things like what?”

He frowned at her. “Why don’t you just tell me what you think we need to discuss?” he asked.

“Fine. We need to talk about your employment at Blissfully Baked.” She barely resisted wincing as she said the name of her pie shop. She didn’t care what anyone said, it sounded like a place to buy pot.

“You can’t fire me, Boss,” Parker said. “And you know it.”

She did. The employment agreement he’d signed with Rudy said that the only way for Parker to be removed from the Blissfully Baked payroll was for him to quit, die, or go to prison. He’d been put into place to help with the time in between Rudy’s death and the girls getting to Bliss, but the intention was also for him to take the shop over after the girls met their twelve-month obligation and, supposedly, returned to New York.

“Oh, well, I don’t want to fire you,” she said. In fact, if he did quit, her whole plan would go to hell. “The opposite actually.”

“What’s that mean?” He looked highly suspicious.

“I want you to step up and actually do the job.”

He glanced at the other table, then back to her. “I’ve got customers. Can’t talk about whatever this is right now.”

Ava glanced at the other table as well, then back up at Parker. “What are the chances of me taking that weak excuse and leaving you alone, do you suppose?”

He sighed. He did that a lot around her. “Poor.”

“Exactly.” She slid out of the booth and stood. She smoothed her skirt and stepped around him.

“What are you doing?” he asked. He didn’t try to stop her, but he looked wary and curious.

Ava bit back a smile. “Helping.”

---

Parker watched Ava approach the table where the Wilsons sat, finishing their lunch, her heels clicking over his tile floor. Those damned shoes made him crazy. And not just the three-inch black ones she wore today. The shoes she wore every damned day. She had heels on no matter what she was doing. And not a single pair was practical in the least for anything anyone did in Bliss, Kansas. Except for drawing attention. And that they did very well.

But he didn’t want her to take them off.

Damn, he’d never been a shoe guy before. He was fairly certain he’d never noticed what his dates wore on their feet. But with Ava Carmichael, her heels were as much a part of her as the long blonde hair and the I’m-out-of-your-league attitude.

“Hello,” she greeted the Wilsons, giving them a smile. “I’m Ava. I own the pie shop next door.”

Parker had no idea what she was up to. “Helping” was pretty vague and definitely made him suspicious. But he didn’t move to stop her. He had a feeling he wanted to see this. And she wanted him to step up and do his job at the pie shop next door? Yeah, he was going to hear her out about that too. And not just because there wasn’t a chance in hell that she was going to let it go. He was curious about what, exactly, she thought his job over there was.

“Of course. Hello,” Cindy Wilson said. “We’ve been meaning to stop in.”

Uh-huh. Not a lot of people in Bliss were stopping over at the pie shop. The girls had hosted a great public event just two weeks ago to introduce themselves, and their pie, to the town. The turnout had been decent. But the Carmichael triplets were new to town and they were redoing the pie shop, and one thing people in Bliss didn’t get excited about was change.

“That would be lovely,” Ava told her graciously. “Ask for me and I’ll give you a discount on your first slice.”

“That’s very nice,” Cindy said, glancing at her husband, Brandon, and their son, Kyle, who was now steak-less.

“I look forward to seeing you,” Ava said to them all. “But right now, I need to ask you to leave.”

Parker felt his eyebrows rise and he crossed his arms, waiting to see how this would play out.

“I’m…sorry?” Cindy gave her a puzzled look.

“It’s after one p.m.,” Ava said, looking pointedly at her watch. “The diner closes for the afternoon from one until four. And while Parker has always been very lenient about that rule, I’m going to have to insist it’s more closely observed since he’s now going to be working for me at the pie shop during those hours.”

Parker resisted the urge to laugh at that. Well, that was one way of filling him in on her plan. And making it so he couldn’t yell at her right away.

She didn’t even glance in his direction.

“Oh. He is?” Cindy asked. She did look over at Parker.

“I’m sure you’ve heard that baking isn’t my forte,” Ava said with a surprisingly self-deprecating smile. And the Wilsons all smiled with her. Parker rolled his eyes. She could be charming, he’d give her that.

“So, I desperately need help,” Ava went on. “And it’s going to be his pie shop soon.”

Well, that’s what Rudy’s trust said. But Parker had been wondering what was going to happen with the pie shop now that Ava’s sister Cori had fallen in love with Evan and had decided to stay in Bliss. Ava was an utter failure in the kitchen—and he had a number of theories about why—but Cori was magical with an oven. If she wanted to bake pies for a living, she’d be amazing at it.

“So we’re going to use his recipes and techniques, we’re going to update the menu, and really give it Parker’s touch,” Ava was explaining.

“Well, then we’ll get out of your way.” Cindy looked up at Parker. “You’re so sweet to let us take our time, but you have work to do.”

“Unlike how I usually spend my days,” he muttered. He knew Ava was the only one to hear him.

The Wilsons all slid out of the booth, and Kyle headed for the register to pay.

Parker joined him there, not giving Ava the satisfaction of any reaction to her announcement about his new duties next door.

“Didn’t know you knew about pie,” Kyle said as he tucked his wallet back into his pocket.

“That pie shop has been one surprise after another for everyone,” Parker replied, shutting the register drawer.

Kyle nodded. “Looking forward to what you’re going to do over there.”

“Are you?” Parker was surprised at that.

“Sure. You’ve never done dessert, but you’re a hell of a cook. Guessing your pies will be awesome.”

Huh. He was fantastic at pies, as a matter of fact. But no one but his mother knew that.

Ava followed the Wilsons to the door and as it bumped shut she turned the lock, then flipped the sign to CLOSED.