The next day, Jessa whistled happily as she strolled down the cracked sidewalk.
Ever since she first arrived in town, she’d been dying to visit some of the charming little shops that made up the town square. Now that Lisa and Mary were able to handle the food truck on their own during a busy lunch rush, Jessa simply couldn’t pass up a chance to do so.
She’d already hit the farmers’ market this morning and told her workers that it would probably be several hours before she returned. Then she walked the quarter of a mile into town. Since her bicycle was sitting outside of Logan’s bar and her employees were manning the truck, she hadn’t really had much of a choice.
It didn’t matter though. The walk would do her good, and she enjoyed the gorgeous fall weather they were having right now. The bright sun was high in the sky, but a cold front had blown through sometime during the night, leaving behind a light cool breeze that kept her from breaking a sweat.
The town square was centrally located in the small downtown area of Granite and seemed to be the true heart and soul of this great community. It reminded her of a quaint little village since it was home to a host of curio shops and specialty boutiques with old wooden awnings.
It was amazing how all the residents supported their local businesses. People milled about, shopping and chatting, while some waved to familiar, friendly faces from across the way. Most of which she recognized as her customers.
At one merchant’s store, a scruffy black dog greeted her at the entrance. She scratched his floppy ear and waved to his elderly owner behind the counter in passing. Then Jessa moved from one aisle to another while perusing their handmade goods. Bird houses in all shapes, sizes, and color. Seashell wind chimes that spiraled downward. Colored glass bottles. Metal yard sculptures. And just about everything in between.
But Jessa wasn’t really much of a trinket gal. So she moved to a wall display and picked out a small rosemary-scented candle that was much more her sort of thing. Then she headed for the counter to pay for her purchase.
As she waited for the cashier to ring her up, she spotted a miniature tape measure key chain that reminded her of Max. She smiled and, on a whim, went ahead and bought it for him. He would probably think it was a silly gift, but she didn’t care. It reminded her of how they met, and she cherished the memory regardless.
With her purchases bagged up, Jessa headed off for the next store. But as she strolled down the sidewalk, someone yelled her name. She turned to see Valerie and Logan standing outside the popular Sweets n’ Treats bakery. “Hey.”
“Hi,” Valerie said, eyeing her bag. “Doing some shopping?”
“A little. What are you guys doing?”
“Nothing much. We’re just meeting up with some friends for coffee. Do you have a few minutes to spare? Maybe you could join us.”
Jessa shook her head. “Oh, that’s okay. I don’t want to intrude.”
“Not at all. It’s fine. We’d love to have you.” Valerie glanced up at Logan. “Wouldn’t we, Logan?”
“Of course,” he agreed, nodding.
“All right. Sounds good.”
Jessa followed them into the bakery, and the scent of cinnamon and warm caramelized sugar filled her nostrils. She inhaled deeply, breathing in the heavenly aroma, as she followed Valerie and Logan over to a corner table where two people sat drinking coffee. She immediately recognized Sam, who was sitting with a pretty brunette who had the most gorgeous green eyes she’d ever seen.
Valerie cleared her throat to get their attention. “Hey, guys. Sorry we’re a few minutes late. Someone didn’t want to get out of bed today,” she said, tossing a telling look over her shoulder at Logan.
Sam shook his head. “Lazy bastard.”
Logan grinned. “Actually, there was nothing lazy about it. I worked up quite a sweat in that bed.” He nodded to his fiancée. “And don’t let Val fool you with that innocent act. I’m not the one who started it.”
Valerie giggled. “I didn’t hear you complaining at the time.”
“Nope,” Logan said, shaking his head. “And you won’t hear me complaining now either.”
Sam laughed and then turned his attention on Jessa. “Hey, Jess. Nice to see you again. Have you met my wife, Leah?” He motioned to the lovely green-eyed woman sitting next to him who was smiling politely at her.
“Oh, sorry,” Valerie cut in, cringing. “I was thinking everyone had already met.”
“It’s okay,” Jessa said with a smile. She hadn’t known it at the time, but she had actually met Sam’s wife in person before. Well, sort of. “You were mostly right.” She turned her gaze onto Leah. “You’re the turkey melt with the spicy avocado sauce. Extra toasty, right?”
Leah’s brows rose. “Holy crap. I can’t believe you remember that. I ordered that last week.”
Jessa laughed at her shocked expression. “Well, unfortunately, I can’t remember what everyone orders, but yours stood out to me for some reason. Probably because of the extra toasty part.”
“Do you remember what I order?” Logan asked curiously.
That was an easy one. “Of course. You’re the fried oyster sandwich with Fresno peppers and the chipotle drizzle.”
Valerie quirked a brow. “What about me? I bet you don’t remember mine.”
“Well, that’s because you change your order all the time. But yesterday you got the savory sausage roll and a side of jalapeño cheddar fries.”
“Valerie!” Leah shrieked. “You aren’t supposed to be eating that. You said you would go on a diet with me.”
Valerie laughed and shook her head adamantly. “No, what I said was that I would think about going on a diet with you. But I decided I don’t need to diet any more than you do. Life’s too short to go without cheese fries. And, holy hell, that sausage was good.”
Leah rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Actually, it’s my brother who’s ridiculous. He loves Jessa’s take on bacon mac n’ cheese so much that he asked me to sneak into the kitchen at the bar and see if I could steal her recipe.” Valerie’s gaze flew back to Jessa. “I refused to do it, of course.”
She laughed. “I don’t mind giving you the recipe. It’s a pretty easy one to follow. I use three kinds of shredded cheese: goat cheese, mozzarella, and Muenster. He’ll need butter, heavy cream, and a touch of garlic to mix in, along with his cooked pasta, and then add some chopped, pan-seared prosciutto before throwing it all in the oven until it’s bubbly hot. Remind me later, and I’ll write it down for him.”
“Oh, Lord, don’t do that. Then he’s going to want me to make it. My brother can’t cook. Hell, he can barely make himself a bowl of cereal. I’d rather him just order it straight from you. That way you make the money off of it, and it saves me the headache. Win-win, if you ask me.”
Jessa grinned. “Well, okay. But the offer still stands if you change your mind.”
The bakery door chimed as someone entered behind her, but she didn’t get a chance to turn around because Sam grinned at her and said, “Okay, since you’re doing everyone else, now you have to do me.”
A growl rose from behind her, and a very husky male voice asked, “What did you just say to her?”
Jessa spun around, her eyes widening, to see Max standing behind her. He glared at Sam with intensity and something that looked a little bit like…rage? Apparently, he’d caught the tail end of Sam’s comment and hadn’t liked what he’d heard.
“Oh, um…hi,” she said, walking toward him and then stretching onto her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips.
It was just a quick, friendly kiss, and she hadn’t thought twice about doing it, but Max’s entire body stiffened and his mouth instantly became rigid against hers.
For a second, she thought maybe she’d caught him off guard or something since he’d never shied away from her like that before. If anything, Max would normally have slid his arms around her waist, pulled her even closer, and deepened the kiss. But not this time. Instead, he seemed almost shocked that she’d offered him any sort of a public display of affection.
And as strange as it was, everyone else in the room looked just as surprised as Max. All of their mouths had fallen open, and they each had a wide-eyed stare pointed in her direction.
Why had kissing Max caused such a weird reaction? It wasn’t like she’d tried to slip him some tongue or something. Jeez. Lighten up, people.
Though she hated to admit it, Max’s reaction to the kiss troubled her the most. She found his underwhelming response to be lacking any enthusiasm, and he hadn’t kissed her back at all. Then she remembered what Max had said about not wanting anyone at city hall to find out about the two of them.
Was that it? Was he worried about losing his job? Or maybe he was just more of a private person than most and didn’t want anyone else to know his business. Either way, it would certainly explain his obvious level of discomfort and why a simple kiss had thrown him into a broodingly silent state.
She hadn’t meant to embarrass him. And she hated to think that she’d unwittingly caused him to worry about them being seen together in public as a couple. But they’d been sharing the same bed for the past four nights now…and doing a hell of a lot more than sleeping. Or kissing for that matter.
“Well, this is a new development,” Valerie said, still blinking at them. “Jess, I didn’t even know you had met Max, much less that there was something going on between you two. Was Max the guy you were talking about last week?”
Jessa’s face burned hot. Crap. What was she supposed to tell her? “Oh, no. I was talking about…someone else. Max and I know each other, but, um…it’s not like that.”
One of Valerie’s eyebrows arched higher. “Really?”
Jessa glanced back at Max and noted how red his face had suddenly become. Damn. She must’ve embarrassed him again. “Sure. Max and I are…just friends, that’s all.”
“Uh-huh,” Valerie said, her sardonic tone making it clear that she wasn’t buying a word of it. “Do you go around kissing all of your male friends on the lips like that?”
“No, of course not,” Jessa said, shaking her head furiously. Beside her, Max expelled a hard breath, as if he were relieved she hadn’t said yes. He knew as well as she did that Valerie’s own fiancé was one of those male friends of hers. So Jessa did the only thing she could and added, “Only the single ones.”
“The fuck you do,” Max blurted out, his words filled with aggravation.
What the hell is he doing? “No, uh, really. Max, you know I do. You aren’t the only guy I kiss on the lips.”
His eyes narrowed. “If you don’t stop saying that, I’m going to prove you wrong.”
She blinked at him. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
Jessa didn’t know what Max was talking about, but his friends seemed to. They were all grinning like crazy as they watched the weird exchange between Jessa and Max. But she couldn’t very well back down now without looking like a liar to all of them…which actually would’ve been a fairly accurate description of her at the moment. So she said, “Max, stop being silly. You know you aren’t the only guy I kiss on the lips like that. There are lots of others.”
Reaching for her, he threaded his fingers into her hair and tilted her jaw up until her lips were a breath away from his. “Last warning, Jess. Tell them the truth.”
The way he had grasped her and was now looking at her was wickedly sexy, but she was even more confused about what she was supposed to say. So she stuck to her guns. “That kiss…meant…nothing.”
“Wrong answer,” he growled out before crushing his mouth to hers.
Her hands flew to his bulky shoulders to push him away, but touching this man was like touching a live wire. Her hands seized up, and she couldn’t get them to work properly. His warm lips took hers, molding and shaping her mouth with his, as his tongue caressed its way inside, leaving a trail of burning desire. Before she knew it, instead of pushing him away, she began pulling him closer, as if she couldn’t get enough of the exquisite sparks he shot through her.
The moment her demeanor changed, so did his. His firm grasp on her loosened, and the passionate kiss turned into more of a lazy, unhurried exploration of her mouth. It reminded her of the way Max made love, and need and want pooled low and deep in her belly.
Jessa couldn’t help herself. She desperately wanted to get even closer to him and tried to climb the man like a tree. But he wouldn’t allow it. Max broke the kiss off and slowly backed away, and she tried to follow. He chuckled softly and caressed her cheek, setting her back in her own place to keep her from pursuing more pleasure and enticing him to kiss her again.
God, she wanted him. Right now. Later. Forever. Always. Her body was relaxed, her lips swollen, her panties wet, and she wanted the man to take her up against the nearest flat…
She glanced around and saw Sam, Leah, Valerie, and Logan staring at them with open mouths and wide eyes, as if they were weirdly fascinated by what just happened. Shit.
The kiss had been indecent. Something two lovers did when they were alone in a bed, tangled between sweat-soaked sheets, and straining their naked bodies together. Not while standing in a bakery surrounded by other couples.
Valerie fanned herself. “Um, Logan, I think we can officially mark orgy off our list. That was close enough to one for me.”
Leah blinked. “Jesus. It wasn’t even on our list, and I’m mentally marking it off.”
Jessa didn’t know what any of that meant, but Sam and Logan seemed to and they both just shook their heads and laughed.
This whole thing was really awkward, and she felt like she needed to say something. “I…um…”
But Max beat her to it. “We’re dating, in case you guys haven’t already figured that out by now.”
Sam nodded. “I’d say you’re probably doing a hell of a lot more than just dating after what we just witnessed.”
Heat flooded Jessa’s cheeks again, and she glanced up at Max. “Sorry. I thought you didn’t want anyone to know about us.”
“No, that’s not it. You just caught me off guard. Actually, I think you caught all of us off guard,” he said with a chuckle. “But they’re my friends, Jess. I’d much rather them know about us than for you to make them think you’re out kissing a bunch of other men.” He shook his head. “If you thought I was going to go along with that, then you’re crazy. I wasn’t going to let you look bad, and they all know damn well that I don’t share.”
His possessive words sent tingles through her. “Good. Because I don’t share either.” She grinned as the others laughed. Max wasn’t the only one who could stake a claim on someone.
Thankfully, everyone seemed to recover from their initial shock, and things quickly went back to normal. Well, mostly.
Sam cleared his throat. “So, Jessa, you never answered my original question before this Neanderthal decided to make you eat your words.”
Jessa laughed. “Oh, yes, that. You always order the grilled shrimp tacos with slaw and green tomatillo sauce. Is that right?”
He nodded. “Yep, you nailed it. Damn, you’ve got a good memory. And the shrimp tacos are killer, by the way.”
“Thanks.”
Max rubbed at the back of his neck. “So…uh, what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at work?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Lisa and Mary have the truck covered for now, so I took a few hours off to do a little shopping. Speaking of which, I bought you a little something.” Everybody watched curiously as she dug into her small bag, pulled out the miniature tape measure on a key chain, and held it up for him to see. “Ya know, in case you need to measure my tires again,” she said, giggling.
He reached for it and smirked. “It’s a little small, don’t you think?”
Sam chuckled. “You could always use it to measure your dick,” he said, making the others laugh.
Max rolled his eyes at his buddy’s remark and then gazed back at Jessa. “Thanks for the gift,” he said softly. “That was really thoughtful of you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Valerie headed toward the coffeepot. “Anyone want some coffee?”
Logan nodded. “I’ll take some. You know how I like it.”
His words came out so sexually charged that Jessa wasn’t sure he was even talking about the coffee anymore. And since Valerie giggled, apparently she was correct about that.
“I’ll take some,” Max said. “Black, please.”
Valerie gazed at Jessa. “What about you, Jess? Coffee?”
Jessa shook her head. “No, thank you. I’ll need to get going soon.”
“I can put it in a to-go cup for you.”
“Okay. Well, in that case, I’d love some. With cream and sugar, if you don’t mind.”
Max and Logan grabbed four chairs from the surrounding tables and scooted them over next to Sam and Leah. Everyone took a seat and waited for Valerie to join them. She did so a minute later, carrying a tray with three mugs and one to-go cup of coffee.
“I brought the cream and sugar over since I wasn’t sure how much you wanted, Jess.”
“Thanks,” she said, reaching for one at a time and adding both to her cup.
Max lifted his steaming mug of black coffee to his lips and sipped carefully as he watched her prepare her coffee. With as much cream and sugar as she added, it could probably be classified as more of a dessert. But that’s how she liked it.
Although he never said a word, she occasionally caught him eyeing her light-colored coffee. A fit guy like him probably accounted for every calorie he’d ever consumed so he could work it off in the gym. Well, hell if she was going to go to that extreme. She had better things to do.
“How’s the food truck business going?” Leah asked. “You seem to stay pretty busy over there at lunchtime.”
“It’s been going really well,” Jessa told her. “And look who’s talking. Every morning when I ride my bicycle past here on the way to the kitchen, you have a line out the door of your bakery. Seems you stay pretty busy as well.”
Leah nodded. “We’re slammed in the mornings when everyone is coming in to get bagels, doughnuts, and coffee, but it usually winds down around eleven. That’s why we sometimes meet for coffee around this time. I’m just too busy in the mornings to sit still for long.”
“I hear you. This is actually my busiest time, but since I have Lisa and Mary working, I was able to leave. I won’t be able to do it all the time, but it’s nice to take a short break.” She glanced at her watch. “Speaking of which, I probably should be getting back just in case the girls need any help.” She rose from her chair. “Sorry I can’t stay longer.”
“Well, what are you doing tonight?” Valerie asked. “We’re all going to hang out at Bottoms Up and have a few drinks. Why don’t you come over and sit with us after you get off work?”
Jessa shifted her eyes to Max. “Are you okay with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” He brought his coffee mug to his lips.
“Well, other people would see us out together, and then they’ll know I’m dating the health inspector.”
Max immediately began choking on his coffee, coughing violently as his eyes darted around to his friends, as if he wanted one of them to save him. But Jessa was the closest one to him, so she patted him on the back, hoping it would help.
Leah handed Max a napkin as she tilted her head toward Jessa. “You’re dating the health inspector?”
Jessa nodded but squinted at her. What an odd question for Leah to ask. Hadn’t she been paying attention a few minutes ago? Because she was pretty damn sure they’d already made it perfectly clear that she and Max were indeed dating. “Yes, that’s what he just told you guys.”
Valerie looked as lost as Leah did. “Who told us that?”
“Max just did,” Jessa said, motioning to him. His coughing finally seemed to be subsiding, but his eyes darted to Logan and they exchanged a strange look. “Are you okay?”
“I’m, um…fine,” he said, his voice sounding a bit strained.
“Wait, so who are you dating again?” Sam asked her. “I think we’re all confused as to what’s going on here.”
Jessa sighed. It wasn’t all that hard to understand, so she wasn’t sure why she would need to explain it…again. “I’m dating Max.”
“And the inspector?” Leah asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.
“Well, yes. I mean that is what Max—”
“Don’t you have to get going?” Logan asked, cutting her words off. “You said you were running late.”
“Oh, crap. Yeah, I do need to go. I’ve been gone for quite a while. But I would love to join you guys tonight. Any certain time I should be there?”
Valerie still looked confused as ever but shrugged. “Just come on over when you get off work. We’ll already be there by then. Leah goes to bed early. Bakery hours,” she explained.
“Okay, sounds good.” She leaned over and kissed Max quickly on the cheek. “I’m hoping I can convince the inspector to give me a ride home afterward.”
Everyone’s eyes widened.
Sam shook his head at Max. “Dude, I thought you said you didn’t share? Looks like you’re sharing whether you want to or not.”
Now it was Jessa’s turn to be confused. “Huh? Why is everyone looking at me like you guys don’t understand what I’m saying?” Had they all been hitting the sauce a little early or what?
Logan cleared his throat. “It’s okay, Jess. I think they’re just a little dense today. Don’t worry. I’ll explain everything,” he said, his attention directing back to Max. “In the meantime, you should probably walk her out so she can get back to work.”
“Good idea,” Max said, practically leaping out of his chair and dragging Jessa toward the door of the bakery.
“Um, okay,” Jessa said, heading out the door with a wave. “I’ll see you all tonight.”
Because after this weird conversation, she definitely needed a stiff drink. Maybe even several.
* * *
The moment she vacated the bakery, Max had sighed with relief. After spending a moment chatting with Jessa outside, he’d finally kissed her and sent her on her way, considering he still had to return inside to face the music.
He hated knowing he would have to explain to his friends why he’d been pretending to be the health inspector. Besides Logan, none of them had any idea about it. And no way were any of them going to let him off the hook. But after he’d narrowly avoided Jessa finding out the truth in just the few minutes she’d spent with them all, he didn’t have much of a choice.
Tonight, they’d be hanging out in a group for probably several hours, and there was no way he would be able to avoid the subject all night long. He just couldn’t take the chance. He had to tell them the truth or risk getting found out…which was something he didn’t want to do. But maybe by confessing to his friends, it would make it easier for him to figure out a way to tell Jessa the truth once and for all.
And hopefully keep her from hating his guts. Because the longer this went on, the more likely it would be that he wasn’t going to come out on the better side of any of this.
Max headed back inside the bakery and watched as each of his friends glared at him as he stepped back into the room. Apparently, Logan had talked fast and told them everything.
“Damn it, Max,” Valerie said. “I can’t believe what you’re doing to that poor girl. What kind of sick game are you playing with her?”
“It’s not a game, Val. It was more of an accidental thing that got out of hand. I never meant to take it this far. I’m trying to figure out a way to fix it.”
“Well, that’s easy enough. You have to tell her,” Leah said. “You’re only making things worse for yourself the longer you let this go on.”
He sighed. No shit. Time was running out, and his choice was a tough one. He could tell Jessa the truth about his lies and risk losing her forever. Or he could wait for her to figure it all out on her own and risk losing her forever anyway.
“I know. And I’m going to tell her the truth…tomorrow.”
Valerie cut her eyes over to him. “Max.”
“No, I’m serious.” He held his hands up in surrender. “I need one more night with Jess before I tell her the whole truth about me. I have a bad feeling that when I do, she’s not going to have anything else to do with me. So I’m taking one more night before that happens.”
“That isn’t fair to Jessa,” Sam said, shaking his head. “And what the hell, Max? It’s not like you at all to put your own needs before a woman. Stop being selfish and think of her.”
“Screw you, Sam. That’s easy to say when you’re married to the woman you care about. You know Leah’s not about to walk away from you. Unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury.”
“So you’re just going to get your jollies once more before you let her go, is that it?” Logan asked. “Because if so, I just lost a hell of a lot more respect for you.”
“Of course not. It has nothing to do with sex. I want to remind her how good we are together before I tell her something that is going to skew that perception. With any luck, she’ll try to understand why I did it and stay with me. It’s my only chance.”
Sam sighed. “That’s a desperate move on your part, buddy. You can’t hang on to her like that.”
“Maybe not. But don’t act like you got to the place you’re at with Leah without any mishaps on your part. I remember the look on Leah’s face when you dissed her on the dance floor the night you met her. I also recall what she said to you the night you found her in the bar. You hurt her…both times.”
Leah winced, which had Sam rising to his feet. He shoved Max. “You sonofabitch. Since when did whatever happened between Leah and me become any of your damn business?”
“The moment you started butting your nose into my relationship with Jessa. You aren’t perfect, so you might want to be a little more careful about who the hell you’re passing judgment on. My relationship with Jess is none of your—”
“What relationship?” Sam snarled. “Jessa doesn’t even know who she’s dating. Jesus, Max. She thinks you’re somebody you’re not.”
Max grasped Sam’s shirt with two hands and got into his face, nose to nose. “She may not know what I do for a living, but she knows me. Damn it, she knows what kind of man I am.”
“One who lies?”
Max tightened his grip on Sam’s shirt, but before he could say anything else, Logan spoke up. “All right, that’s enough,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “I hate to say it, but Max is right, Sam. You and I both made our own fair share of mistakes in our relationships. It isn’t right to judge Max for screwing up too.”
Max turned Sam loose and turned away from him. “At least someone fucking gets it.”
Logan nodded. “I do get it. But that’s why I’m going to make this real simple for you, Max.” He waited for Max to turn around and face him before continuing. “You have until tomorrow night to tell Jessa the truth. If you don’t do it by then, I’m going to. Trust me, it would be better coming from you.”
Thank God. “That’s all I wanted,” he said, relieved that he had one more night to show Jessa who he really was. At least on the inside. “I swear I’ll tell her tomorrow. You may not like me all that much, Logan, but there’s one thing you should know. I’m a man of my word.”
Well, he would be if he could stop lying to the woman he had fallen in love with.