Tangled Up (Bachelors of Buttermilk Falls #2)

by Robyn Neeley

  “Maybe I should consider moving back.” Christine smoothed her long brown hair. “Is he dating anyone yet?”

  Abby offered a half smile. Her friend could try all she wanted, but Brandon definitely would not give her the time of day. Even if it had only been sex between Brandon and her, Abby had to believe she was more his type than a woman who found her kicks crunching numbers.

  Brandon sauntered back over. “What can I get you?”

  “What do you recommend?” Christine asked coyly.

  “Brandon, this is my former classmate Christine Martin,” Abby interjected herself into the conversation.

  “It’s nice to meet you.” He took Christine’s hand in his and held it a little longer than Abby thought he needed to. “I haven’t seen you around.”

  “That’s because I’m visiting my parents. I live in Chicago but love visiting Buttermilk Falls this time of year with the leaves changing and all.”

  “I have just the ‘welcome home’ cocktail for you, Christine.” He reached behind him and grabbed a bottle of Bailey’s and something else Abby didn’t recognize. Shaking his mixer, he poured a creamy beige liquid into a martini glass.

  Christine took a sip and smiled. “Pumpkin?”

  “Hope this helps you enjoy the scenery.”

  She took another sip and batted her lashes. “It’s already working.”

  Abby watched the show going on next to her in silence. Taking in the fall foliage was the last thing on Christine’s mind right now . . . or Brandon’s. That much she was sure of. Brandon’s blatant flirting with another woman was a good sign. Although, Abby would have preferred he’d chosen to hit on someone besides her high school friend.

  She pushed off her barstool, reaching for her bag on the floor. It was time to test the spell out. “I should get going. I have an early day tomorrow. Christine, it was so nice seeing you.”

  “You too, Abby,” Christine chirped but didn’t take her eyes off Brandon.

  “I’ll see you later?” Abby directed her question to Brandon, trying to get his attention.

  “See you around, Abby.” He waved and then leaned in to continue his flirting.

  “See you,” she mumbled and could tell neither Brandon nor Christine noticed she was still in the bar. That realization caused her throat to tighten. She needed fresh air.

  Why was seeing him with another woman causing this unpleasant reaction? Wasn’t this what she wanted? Yes, but did he have to flirt in front of her?

  Of course he did. He was being his typical Brandon self.

  Unable to resist glancing behind her shoulder, she caught him touching Christine’s arm while she laughed at something he said.

  Abby bit down on her lower lip. All signs indicated that the spell had worked. Brandon was no longer interested in her. She should be doing cartwheels across the bar’s floor, and she would if she could recover from the overwhelming feeling she’d just been punched in the gut.

  * * *

  Brandon selected a window booth at the Star Lite diner, craving a BBB Burger. He’d worked up quite an appetite having spent much of the morning working on his deck expansion. It was a project he’d started last month, but for some reason couldn’t seem to finish.

  He knew why. He was looking for any excuse to avoid getting words on paper and working on his cottage seemed like as good of an excuse as any. When he moved to Buttermilk Falls, he promised himself it was because he’d finally start the novel he’d been itching to write.

  The problem: he hadn’t a clue what exactly he wanted to write about. He’d started and stopped more times than he could recall. Working a few evenings a week at the Buttermilk Tavern helped replenish his savings account while he waited for his muse to show up.

  “Hey, handsome.”

  He looked up and grinned at the town’s beloved waitress who gave him a toothy grin, her lips bright red. “Hey, Betty. How’s it going?”

  “It’s another beautiful fall day in Buttermilk Falls. I can’t complain.”

  That it was. The crisp October temperature was one of the many reasons he’d known he’d made the right choice to leave L.A. He had always loved the change of seasons growing up in Montana and was actually looking forward to the first snowfall hopefully later this year.

  “What can I get you?” Betty pulled open her notepad and clicked her pen.

  “I’ll take a BBB Burger?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

  He chuckled. “That’s probably not the response Mel would want you to give.”

  “One BBB Burger coming up. I’ll bring you your usual with it.”

  “Thanks.” He cocked his head, watching Betty scurry off. His usual. What did she mean by that? Sure he’d been in this place a number of times since he moved here, but he didn’t remember ordering the same thing. He liked to alternate between healthy choices and plain old artery-clogging burgers loaded with the works, depending on if he got a five-mile run in or not.

  He scrolled through his phone while he waited for his meal and smiled down at the last text. It was from Christine saying how much fun she’d had last night and hoped to see him again soon.

  He scratched the stubble on his chin, thinking back to the evening. It had been a good time. After his shift had ended, they had hung out on his dock and got to know each other over a six-pack, before moving to his bedroom.

  She was cute—a bit on the boring side, and her job was a major yawn—but he thought they could have some fun together.

  Then something strange happened. Even after some heavy making out, something had felt off . . . almost like he was doing something wrong, which was completely ridiculous since he’d been divorced for almost a year and hadn’t been seeing anyone since Caitlin. Not being able to shake the feeling that he was cheating, he asked Christine if she wouldn’t mind if he called it a night and drove her home.

  A total first for him, and he’d spent the morning wondering why he hadn’t been able to seal the deal. Maybe he’d call her later in the week to get together and try again.

  Betty came over and placed a large pink shake on the table. “One strawberry malt made with extra strawberries, just like you like it.”

  Brandon glanced down at the thick, pink drink. Since when had he started drinking milkshakes? Maybe Betty was mistaking him for another customer. Not wanting to hurt the old woman’s feelings, he took a sip and nodded. “Yummy.”

  “So, will we see you this Friday at Sugar and Spice Night?”

  “Sugar and Spice Night?” Brandon raised a curious eyebrow. “What’s that? A cooking class?”

  “Nope, but it does involve food. It’s similar to the Summer Fling auction that I’m sure Jason told you all about. Emma paid a pretty penny for him.”

  Brandon chuckled because Betty was right. The pretty, blonde baker had bid five thousand dollars on his best friend. Man, he wished he could have been there to see that, but he’d already gone back to L.A. “So, you want to auction me off this time?”

  “Not exactly. For this event, bachelors bid on a special date with a bachelorette.”

  “Really?” He leaned back in the booth, liking the sound of that. “Do tell.”

  “It’s a hoot seeing who gets paired.” She slid into the booth across from him. “Although, last year, Abby Stevens had a rather unfortunate date. We’re hoping she has better luck this year.”

  He couldn’t help but chuckle. Emma’s spitfire cousin was probably a handful for any man. “So, how does it work?”

  “It’s simple. You register a main course meal at the event and agree to make it that night for your date. That’s the spice portion. Then, you bid on the perfect dessert to go with your meal. The woman who made the dessert will be your date for the evening, but her name will only be revealed after you’ve won the bid. You cook for her and she brings—”

  “The sugar,” he completed her sentence. “And the date is the same night?”

  “Yes. We end right at 7 p.m. so couples can go off and have th
eir dinner.” She wiggled a finger at him. “But the date ends at 10 p.m. sharp. Ernie patrols in his cop car, checking on all the couples making sure everything is going okay and each of our bachelors is on his best behavior.”

  “Sounds like fun. I’ve been dying to try out my new grill.”

  She raised a skinny eyebrow. “Can we put you down to participate? We like to get a head count of how many bachelors will be bidding.”

  Brandon sat up. “This town sure is invested in the love lives of their residents.”

  “What can I say?” Betty stood and smoothed her apron. “We want everyone to find their happily ever after.” She winked. “Until Emma takes on more than one bachelor a week at Batter Up night, we have to create other events to help her out.” She turned to the food counter. “Ooooh. Looks like your BBB Burger is ready. Be right back.”

  Brandon took another sip of his strawberry malt that—he had to admit—was pretty damn good. Should he participate in Sugar & Spice Night? It’d been awhile since he’d been on a date and he wouldn’t mind having the opportunity to fire up his grill. Maybe this was the kick in the pants he needed to finish his deck this week.

  Betty returned with his burger and a plate full of french fries. “Enjoy.”

  “Thanks.” He pulled off his bun to see the blue cheese oozing under the bacon. God, he couldn’t wait to dig in, but first he had a few more questions. “Say, Betty. The Sugar and Spice Night sounds like fun. Where is it taking place?”

  “The Elks Lodge. Bidding starts at 5 p.m. sharp, so we ask our bachelors and bachelorettes to register by four thirty.”

  “And what is the money going toward?”

  “My, sugar, you ask a lot of questions.”

  He laughed, he probably did. “What can I say? Once a reporter, always a reporter.”

  “It’s going to the elementary school’s career exploration program that kicks off this month. The little tykes get to follow some of the grown-ups around and learn what they do.”

  “Does that cost money?”

  She nodded. “A little. Each student gets a journal, participant T-shirt, and books on their chosen subject.”

  Brandon gnawed on his fries, ready to devour his burger once Betty left. “Sounds like a great program.”

  “The kids really like it. So . . .what do you say? Can we count you in?”

  “Sure.” He paused, adding, “I mean, it’s for a good cause, and I do like dessert.”

  “Excellent!” She reached out and squeezed his cheek. “You’re going to make one of our bachelorette’s very happy.”

  While Betty scurried off to no doubt tell half the town that he was participating, Brandon dug into his hamburger. Chasing it with his malt, he wondered if it would be bad to order another strawberry one to go.

  The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of his participating in Sugar & Spice Night. He clapped his hands. He was single and ready to mingle.

  Chapter 4

  Abby drizzled caramel on the spongy cake and then stepped back to admire her work. “Magnificent!”

  “What’s magnificent?” Emma popped into the kitchen.

  “I just made the most amazing caramel strawberry shortcake.”

  “Oh, really?” Emma grabbed a fork. “Sounds like it’s break time.”

  “Not so fast.” Abby pushed her cousin’s hand away. “No. This scrumptious beauty is for Sugar and Spice Night. I made one for the auction and one for the actual date.”

  Emma’s eyes widened. “I totally forgot about that. So, you’re participating again?”

  “Sure am.”

  “Even after last year?”

  Emma was referring to the disastrous date Abby had been forced to go on with the town’s funeral director. He’d chosen her chocolate butterscotch mousse to go with the extremely rare steak he’d cooked for her. They’d spent the night talking about cadavers and ghosts. He’d only chosen her because he thought maybe she could conjure up his dead mother’s spirit. To say it had been creepy was an understatement.

  When Ernie cruised by in his squad car to check on them, she’d feigned a migraine and asked the town cop to drive her home.

  This time, she was getting a stud and not a dud. She’d asked Bridget to leak the news to the volunteer fire department that she was participating and that her dessert would be loaded with luscious strawberries and topped with fresh whipped cream. One of those hunky guys better bid on it.

  “So . . . ,” Emma started.

  “Yes?”

  “I haven’t wanted to pry, but you haven’t said a word. How did things go the other night with Brandon?”

  “Well, this is the first time we’ve worked together since Tuesday.” Abby whipped off her apron and hung it on a nearby hook. It was true that she hadn’t filled Emma in on what went down at the bar.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell her cousin what had happened—she told her everything. However, every time she went to reach for her phone or to stop by Emma’s cottage, that feeling that she’d been punched in the stomach returned.

  “And . . .”

  “It went exactly as planned.”

  “Really? So he ate the cupcake.”

  “Every last piece.” Abby nodded. “It completely worked. He didn’t invite me over to his place after his shift, and I even watched him flirt unabashedly with Christine Martin right in front of me.”

  “Christine Martin? She’s back in town?”

  “Just for a few days.” Abby began to wash her dirty dishes. “And by the way they were carrying on, I have no doubts that she got an invitation to Chez Swift. Probably a couple invitations by now.”

  Emma cocked an eyebrow. “And you’re okay with that?”

  “More than okay.” Abby reached for some dish soap, squeezing the liquid into her mixing bowl. “Brandon is only looking for a good time, and I’m ready for more. Now we both can move on, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do tonight.”

  “Well, let me help.” Emma opened the refrigerator and pulled out a container of strawberries. “I’ve been wanting to use these up. You can layer the plate with them when you get there and drizzle the caramel sauce all over it. I’ll pack extra for your date later tonight.”

  “Ooooh! Excellent idea.” She paused, needing to ask an important question. “You’re not going to tell Jason what I did, are you?”

  Emma blinked a couple times before responding. “I think we should. I mean . . . never mind I hate lying to my boyfriend, what if he slips up and asks Brandon about you?”

  Abby thought for a minute. Emma had a point. “Can you just assure him that the spell was one hundred percent safe?”

  “Other than his losing six weeks of memories?”

  “He’s fine. He probably thinks he’s experiencing a dry spell.”

  “Well, we can wait until Jason gets back to tell him, and then we’ll do it together.”

  “Okay.” That would give her a week, maybe two before she had to admit anything to Brandon’s best friend.

  Finishing her dishes, Abby decorated her two plates in strawberries and then spent a few minutes freshening up in the back office. She’d brought her favorite black top and dark slim jeans to change into along with gold hoop earrings and black tall boots. Pulling her hair into a pretty sleek ponytail, she gave her locks a light spritz of hairspray and then swiped her lips with a red matte lipstick.

  She hoped tonight went well. Even if she wasn’t matched with the man of her dreams, it would announce to all the bachelors in town that Abby Stevens was officially back on the market. Not that she was ever off the market, but she hadn’t been on one date since Carter left town and she began sleeping with Brandon.

  Flying through the kitchen, she grabbed her dessert and said a quick good-bye to Emma. The Elks Lodge was located just around the corner on the edge of Main Street. Since it was a short walk, she decided to leave her car at the Sugar Spoon. Besides, she’d have to come back to retrieve the second dessert for her date tonight
, which was now in the bakery’s refrigerator.

  The cool breeze tickled her skin, and she was glad she’d chosen jeans and not a dress that would have left her freezing. She took her time getting to the event. She loved this time of year: the red and yellow leaves scattered on the ground, the slight chill in the air, and Main Street shops decorated with pumpkins, scarecrows, and harvest cornstalks.

  Up ahead, a group of women all dressed for a night out headed into the lodge. Sugar & Spice Night was a popular event, second only to the Summer Fling auction. She laughed at the memory of Emma bidding on Jason.

  Her cousin had said she’d only done it to piss off her archrival, Caitlin Reynolds, but Abby knew Emma had the hots for the Miami Herald reporter the moment he strolled into town.

  If only he’d come alone and hadn’t brought his arrogant sidekick.

  “Enough.” She scolded herself while mentally dropkicking any thoughts of Brandon out of her mind. Reaching the lodge, she squared her shoulders. Tonight was the first night of her quest to find the man she was meant to be with forever.

  * * *

  Brandon clicked off his phone and headed down Main Street for the Elks Lodge. He couldn’t help but laugh at the conversation he just wrapped up with Jason’s editor, Tina. The Miami Herald wanted to do a follow-up piece to a story they did this summer on the bachelors of Buttermilk Falls, this time focusing on the bachelorettes.

  What they were proposing was downright funny, and it was more than a couple of blog posts. They wanted to follow him around for two weeks on a series of dates with the single women of Buttermilk Falls. They’d video the dates for a new “Single in America” blog series on their website. Apparently, the nation was smitten with this little town and the bachelors and bachelorettes in it.

  It wasn’t exactly a reality show where the women would compete for his affection, but Tina had explained that they hoped that after two weeks he’d be on his way to finding true love the way Jason had found it with Emma.