Cooking Up Trouble

by Judi Lynn

  Neither did Tessa. If she had Ian, she wouldn’t share. But Tessa didn’t want to think about that. She waved the whole idea away. “Maybe it was a test, to see if either of us would take her up on it.”

  He scowled. “Lily likes her freedom. She travels from place to place, and she spent time with a lot of different men before she met me. When we started getting serious, we argued about that, and I was ready to walk.”

  “So she changed?”

  “I can do the dating scene or the monogamous. But I’m not into monogamous with free passes on the side. Lily thought you might tempt me enough to rethink that.”

  Tessa frowned. “She still wants other guys on the side? That’s still her preference?”

  “Yeah, makes me sound special, doesn’t it?”

  “And you’re okay with that?”

  “Hell, no. She knows if she sees someone else, I’m done. She swears I’m worth hanging onto, but that doesn’t mean she’s above trying to maneuver things to get her own way.”

  Tessa’s thoughts whirled in a jumble. At least Gary didn’t want to have both her and Sadie. Why didn’t it bother Ian that he wasn’t enough, on his own, to satisfy Lily?

  He shrugged. “I’m not thrilled with it, okay? But so far, Lily’s kept her end of the bargain, and the longer we’re together, the more I think she’s going to settle down. I gave her the option of calling things off, and she started crying.” He winced. “I’m the one who wanted to get serious, and she’s trying. I have to give her that.”

  “But you’re going to marry her? That’s long term.”

  “I know.” He rubbed his forehead, as though trying to massage away a headache. “So does Lily.”

  Tessa wasn’t so sure. “I trusted Gary, and it was a mistake. But maybe you’re right. Lily’s flying in to see you every weekend. She wants to make things work with you.”

  He sighed. “That’s what makes it so hard.”

  “Makes what so hard?” Tessa wasn’t following him.

  “It doesn’t matter.” Ian’s expression turned serious. “I’m sorry she put you through that. It had to make you feel . . . weird.”

  “Weird.” She tasted the word. “That’s a good way to describe it.”

  “Well, I’m sorry it happened.” He looked around the kitchen, sniffed the air. “What are you making?” It was obvious he wanted to move to a different topic.

  She explained about making cookie and pie dough ahead for days when she was too busy during the summer.

  “Need some help?” He grinned. “I used to love helping my mom in the kitchen.”

  “I’m going to be here all day. You don’t have anything you need to do?”

  “There’s always something to do. You run a business. You know how it goes, but I feel like playing hooky.”

  A helping hand would make the work go faster. She handed him the right-sized, ice cream scoop. “Why not?”

  She stirred walnuts and chocolate chips into the first batch of cookie dough, then showed him how to scoop it onto the parchment-covered baking sheets. Once they finished that batch of cookies, she put them in the oven. When the cookies cooled, she’d freeze them. Then she filled a plastic baggie with sugar and cinnamon. When she dropped a ball of the snickerdoodle dough into the bag, she looked up and caught Ian scraping his finger around the inside of the first, empty bowl.

  He shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a professional bowl licker.”

  “I can see that.” No wonder he helped his mother. But then, when she was little, she stole whole chunks of dough before Grandma could bake her cookies.

  After Ian had gotten every bit of dough he could, he helped her with the snickerdoodles. She didn’t bake those. She froze the individual balls of dough instead. Later, she’d put them in a big freezer bag, when they wouldn’t stick together. For the chocolate crinkle cookies, she scooped all of the dough into a large bag and sealed it before putting it in the freezer. The dough was too messy to handle unless it was ice-cold.

  Ian dutifully licked every bowl and spoon. Then they washed all the utensils and started again. By the time they finished, Tessa had frozen peanut butter, date pinwheel, and oatmeal raisin cookies. Ian had forced himself to sample one of each—for quality control—and approved them all. Tessa now had frozen pie shells and frozen pie dough, too. It had been a long day, but she was happy with what she’d gotten done. More, she’d discovered once she plugged into work mode, Ian didn’t tempt her. Either that, or she didn’t fall for guys in granny aprons and beach towels.

  Ian glanced at the clock on the stove. “Boy, baking takes a lot more time than I thought. It’s almost five.” He patted his apron-clad stomach. “I’m starving.”

  Tessa bit her bottom lip. “Sorry, we should have stopped for lunch. When I start baking, I forget sometimes.”

  He laughed. “I ate so much dough, I didn’t miss lunch, but my body’s getting hungry for real food.”

  They did a final clean of the kitchen, and Ian slipped behind the empty ovens. He pulled on his dry T-shirt, mostly dry jeans, and then stepped into his shoes. Doggone it. The man looked almost as good dressed as he did mostly naked. The rain still pattered outside, so on the walk to the house, Tessa handed him her umbrella. They both huddled under it, jostling against each other. He felt good, too—all muscle and maleness.

  “Lily’s not flying in this coming weekend,” he told her. “My brother’s going to spend a few days with me so that I can show him around.”

  “You own a lodge. Isn’t there enough space for both of them?”

  “Brody and Lily don’t get along.”

  Maybe Ian’s brother wasn’t a fan of bed-hopping. Good for him.

  They dashed in the kitchen door of her house, and she frowned at him. “How are the guest rooms at your place? Almost finished?”

  He followed her to the refrigerator and smiled when she took out a thick slice of ham. “Every room’s painted. I bought king-sized beds for each room on the third floor; two, double beds for each room on the second. The chests of drawers are set up with flat-screen TVs over them. I wanted Lily to help me pick out comforters and decorations, but she doesn’t like shopping for stuff like that.” He looked at Tessa hopefully.

  She shrugged. “We can probably find them online and have them delivered.”

  “Perfect.” He helped her quarter potatoes and drop them in a pan of cold water. “What else?”

  “I’ll make the cole slaw if you cook the ham.” She hauled a grill pan out of a bottom cupboard and placed it on two burners.

  They worked in comfortable silence and then carried their plates to the three-season room to eat. A cool breeze blew through the open windows. Ian stretched his long legs and sighed. “This is nice.”

  When they finished eating, he rinsed and stacked their plates in the sink, while Tessa placed her laptop on the kitchen table. Ian drew up a chair, and they flipped through online pages to find the right comforters, towels, and throw pillows for his guest rooms.

  “This is what I have, so far.” He pulled out his cell phone and showed her a picture he’d taken of a room. The headboard and drawers looked like antique, white pieces. “I thought that would go with anything. I want each room to be unique.”

  They chose different colors and patterns for each room, then even hit art sites to look for paintings and posters. By the time Ian dashed out the door to his Mustang, he’d ordered all of the basics to finish the rooms.

  Tessa stood on the front porch and watched him drive away. She gazed after him until his tail lights disappeared. She had to admit that she’d enjoyed his company a little too much today. Grams might be right, that she’d been alone a little too long. Maybe it was time to start circulating again, to start making herself available.

  Chapter 14

  The rest of the week flew by. Tessa planted snap peas, green beans, squash of every kind, eggplants, and more. By the time Grams came on Thursday, almost every garden bed was full.

  “My mom never planted se
eds until after Mother’s Day,” Grams said. “And she always went by the Farmer’s Almanac.”

  Tessa nodded. She’d heard this lecture over and over again. “I felt lucky this spring. Thought I’d take a chance.”

  Grams shook a finger. “You get antsy and plant too soon every year.” Then she smiled. “But it’s worked so far, so why not?”

  Tessa waited for Grams to sprinkle flour on the granite counter to roll out pie dough before asking, “So, did you order the rose bushes Miguel was telling you about?”

  “I didn’t need to.” Grams gave a small smile. “Miguel gave me two of them.”

  “He never gave you roses before.”

  “There’s always a first time.” Grams studied the recipe for banana cream pie. She’d made it a million times and knew it by heart.

  Tessa narrowed her eyes. “What’s the deal?”

  “Miguel’s taking me to the city for supper tonight.”

  “To the city?”

  Grams nodded. “Two Q-tips on the town. Should be fun.”

  “Q-tips?”

  “Oldsters with white hair.”

  Tessa stopped what she was doing to study her grandmother. Gramps had been gone a long time. Tessa had moved into the farmhouse when Grams moved into town. That was six years ago, and Gramps had died a couple years before that. She reached across the counter to pat her grandma’s hand. “Have fun tonight.”

  “Thanks, hon. I was hoping you’d understand.”

  Tessa flipped on her stereo system, and she and Grams listened to big-band tunes while they baked. When they finished, and Grams was ready to leave, Tessa said, “Don’t stay out too late. I can’t handle the shop alone tomorrow morning.”

  “I’ll tell Miguel to set his alarm.” When Tessa’s jaw dropped, Grams laughed.

  Tessa locked up and walked to her house to find Ian sitting on the front porch, rocking in one of the wicker chairs.

  “Brody’s coming tomorrow afternoon,” he told her as he followed her inside. “I can’t wait for him to see the lodge.”

  “Did the comforters come?” The site had promised two-day shipping.

  Ian nodded. “The rooms look great. I’ll be open for business soon.” He showed her a few more pictures on his phone. The wooden floors were dotted with rag rugs. Lace curtains hung at each window. Old-fashioned blinds with fringed hems shaded them. The rooms looked homey and welcoming.

  Ian fidgeted through supper. He reminded her of Darinda’s boys, too antsy to eat. She fidgeted, too. She needed to tell him about Ned and the vandalism, but she couldn’t think of the right words. He wolfed down his bowl of chili, slopped up more with cornbread, and was ready to take off the minute they finished eating.

  “I need to tell you something before you go.” She’d tried to work up her courage over and over again, but hadn’t managed. She didn’t want to wait until his brother was here, so she squared her shoulders and the words spilled out. When she finished, she said, “Ned’s a decent guy. He won’t bother you again.”

  Ian narrowed his eyes and studied her. “You like him.”

  “He was one of my grandpa’s close friends.”

  Ian shrugged. “Then we’re good.”

  “Just like that?” She didn’t expect Ned to get off so easy.

  “You’ve done more than enough favors for me. I can do this for you.”

  She blinked, feeling a rush of emotions she didn’t want to explore. “Thank you.”

  He grinned. “That’s what neighbors are for. You keep telling me that.”

  She grinned, too. He was right.

  He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and took off.

  The peace and quiet felt good. Tessa put her feet up and flipped on the TV. She’d watch a few shows to relax.

  She woke in the morning, feeling stiff and sore. She’d fallen asleep on the couch and she had to rush to shower and dress for work. No time for makeup. The damp ends of her hair dried fuzzy, even though she’d pulled her hair up to shower. She wasn’t going to win any beauty prizes today. She dashed inside the bakery just before the first customer arrived.

  Grams laughed at her. “And you were worried about me.”

  “Sorry, I fell asleep on the couch.” She glanced outside the door when a couple entered the shop. “Luther must have given up on me, but Kayla’s already busy at the farm stand. And Luther’s on the tractor, mowing. Guess they don’t need me anymore.”

  Grams laid a hand on her shoulder. “That boy will always need you. Be good to him.”

  “No worries there.”

  The only worry for the rest of the day was trying to keep the line of people moving who came in and out of the shop. When the last customer left at five, she went to turn the sign in the door to CLOSED, but waited when Ian’s Mustang pulled into the lot. She opened the door wider as he climbed out of his car and led his brother toward her. With a smile for both her and Grams, he said, “This is my older brother, Brody. He’s staying at the lodge this weekend.”

  “Oh, lordy.” Grams wiped her hands on the white apron that circled her waist.

  Brody glowered down at her. Ian’s brother was as tall as he was, but instead of an athletic build, he stood solid and strong. Like a bear. All bulging muscles. And instead of an easy smile, his expression looked forbidding—a warning to beware.

  Grams was rarely at a loss for words, so Tessa stepped forward and held out a hand. “Welcome to Mill Pond.”

  Brody’s smoky-gray eyes narrowed on her. “You must be Tessa. Ian said you were pretty. You are.”

  Tessa blinked. It sounded more like an affirmation of Ian’s opinion than a compliment. “Thank you. How long are you staying?”

  Brody glanced at his brother. “Only five days. I couldn’t get away from work any longer than that.”

  Tessa tried to remember if Ian had mentioned what Brody did.

  Brody supplied the answer. “I own a construction company. Spring and summer are our busy seasons.”

  Tessa nodded and looked to Ian. “Have you shown him the lodge?”

  “He likes everything I’ve done.” Ian’s grin spread from ear-to-ear. “He came with me to look it over before I put in an offer and he approves of all the changes.”

  “That’s because you helped him,” Brody said. “I saw the chandeliers Lily picked out. Frilly for a lodge. You’ve made everything work.”

  Tessa tried to deflect the compliment. “That’s because Ian and I like a lot of the same things. It made it easy.”

  Brody’s frown made Tessa worry she’d said the wrong thing. She glanced to Ian for help, but he shook his head. “Brody and Lily don’t get along. They usually avoid each other. I think you two are going to hit it off, though.”

  “Aaah!” She motioned to the empty cases. “I’d send you home with a cake or pie, but we sold out.”

  “Are all the cookies gone, too?” Ian sounded disappointed.

  Tessa tilted her head toward the kitchen. “I have the frozen cookies we baked.”

  “Ian baked with you?” Brody crossed his arms over his chest.

  Ian shrugged. “It was a rainy day. I didn’t have anything else to do. Tessa let me lick the bowls.”

  “You run a business. There’s always something to do.”

  “Nothing as important as licking bowls.”

  A smile softened Brody’s expression. “Mom used to let us do that.”

  Ian raised his eyebrows at his brother. “If you’re nice to Tessa, she might let you bake with her.”

  Brody’s gray gaze turned on her. He studied her long enough that Tessa squirmed. Then he smiled. “I’d like that.”

  Oh, lordy. But Tessa dug deep to make him feel welcome. “I take it you like cookie dough, too?”

  His whole face lit up. “Mom used to leave extra dough in the bowls for me. I was her favorite son.”

  “Were not!” Ian laughed. “But I’ll take you up on the frozen cookies, Tessa.”

  She led them to the back of the barn and the kitchen. Gra
ms quietly followed. What was up with her? Gramps always said that Grams would chat up the devil if he popped into her kitchen.

  Ian halted at the granite-topped island and stared at the coffee cake, waiting there.

  Tessa dug a bag of frozen, chocolate chip cookies out of the freezer and scooted both the bag and the coffee cake toward him.

  “I couldn’t.” But he didn’t sound very sincere.

  “I baked it for you and Brody. I thought you might like it tomorrow morning.”

  Ian reached for it. “You sent a coffee cake home with me when I first moved here. Is this the same kind?”

  She stared. “I don’t remember what I gave you. I took it out of the freezer. This is a sour cream with streusel.”

  “I love streusel.”

  She smiled. “I know.”

  Brody tossed Ian a dark look. When Ian looked at him and said, “What?” Brody only shook his head.

  Ian sighed. “Well, I think Brody’s had all the fun he can stand. I’m going to drag him home.”

  She and Grams walked them to the shop door and watched them leave. The minute they were gone, Grams turned to Tessa. “I want one.”

  “He might be a little young for you.”

  “Then you have to marry him so I can look at him.” Grams started cleaning the glass case.

  Tessa grabbed the broom to sweep. “He’s scary,” she said. “Too intense for me.”

  Grams put away her dishrag and sighed. “When men like that soften up for a woman, it’s like watching a flower bloom.”

  Tessa stared at her. “What did you do with my real grandma? She doesn’t wax rhapsodic.”

  Laughing, Grams hung her apron on a peg and started for the door. “Talking about blooms, I have two, new roses, and Miguel is bringing supper to my place tonight, something he cooked.”

  “You’re seeing him two nights in a row?”

  “For enchiladas, I’d give him a foot massage,” Grams said. “Maybe more. See ya, kid.” And she was gone.

  Tessa shook her head. Who knew Grams was such a wild child? She took her time finishing up before she locked the barn and started to her house. Tomorrow was Sunday. Her day of rest. And then she remembered. Darinda and David were doing the carry-in to welcome Ian to Mill Pond. She’d already made the dessert, so all she had to do was show up and enjoy herself. But Brody would be there. And she’d feel like she had to be on her best manners.