No Good Deed: A Small-Town Romantic Suspense Novel

10. On Good Terms

Over the next few days, Troy and Piper fell into a routine. They spent the early morning wandering the town and area, then ate breakfast at the No Fail Diner. He enjoyed watching her make it a point to learn the names of the locals. She chatted with anyone who approached their table with ideas. He didn’t think she was naturally outgoing because she never initiated contact, but she was friendly with everyone.

After breakfast, he walked her back to his place so she could work on her plans. After she and Oreo were secure inside the house, he opened Phail General.

They either ate their evening meal at the BB or heated something from the diner. But tonight, Piper said she was ready to talk to him about her ideas, and he wanted something different from take-away. When Marcus was in the back office and able to watch over the store, Troy popped over to Phail Phoods and picked up what he’d need for a pasta dinner. When he returned, Marcus handed Nico Rivera a package that had come in for him that morning. Nico was a former FBI profiler, another of the Midnight Lake team.

“Any more incidents with Piper or her vehicle?” Nico asked.

Troy shook his head. “Nothing. We’ve got her car in my garage, out of sight. And we’ve been careful, so she’s never alone outside.”

Nico frowned. “That sucks for her. How’s she coping?”

Troy shrugged. “Pretty well. She’s excited about the job, and plans to share some of her ideas with me tonight.”

Nico nodded. “Keep your eyes open. If this guy followed her from Chicago, he’s not giving up easily. We’d have noticed any strangers hanging around, so he’s smart enough to lie low. Probably monitoring things from a distance somehow. Did you sweep her car for a tracking device?”

“Marcus found one and disabled it. I figure the jackass is waiting for her to be alone before he tries something else.”

“So, we make sure she’s never alone.”

Troy leaned against the counter and frowned at his friend. “She’s been working at my house during the day with all the security in place. I thought she’d be safe there, but besides her dog, she is alone.”

Marcus frowned. “Your place is as secure as Midnight Lake, and it’s only a few minutes away. But we all know that shit happens despite our best precautions.”

Nico nodded again. “It sure as hell does.”

The team at Midnight Lake had all been through nightmares in the past year. Even the best security had vulnerabilities in the face of a determined criminal. “I wish we could figure out what this guy wants. That would make things a whole lot easier.”

Nico agreed. “Has she gone through her computer files? If she has as little as you’ve seen, it’s possible it’s information she knows or has that this guy thinks is dangerous.”

“She said she did a few times. She doesn’t keep much on her laptop.” He didn’t say it out loud, but her laptop was old and likely didn’t have much storage.

The landline in the deputy’s office rang, so Marcus headed out. “Let me know if I can help.”

Nico tapped the package he’d picked up. “What about her friends from Chicago? Has anyone been contacting her more than normal? Any of them seem tense or asking if she’s returning?”

Troy grinned. “Handy having a profiler as a friend. I haven’t asked any of those questions. She’s never talked with or texted anyone while with me.”

Nico smiled back. “Which is a lot of the time. How’s that going?”

Troy bit back a sigh. “She’s only here temporarily.”

Nico grinned. “Are you sure? I know a few people who only planned on being here temporarily, including me. Turn up the charm, Epic.”

It was no longer weird hearing his army nickname from Nico. He’d worked with the team from Midnight Lake often enough. They’d heard it from Marcus and picked it up. With a last name like Phail, he could have had a lot worse call signs. Although when people put epic fail together, it was good for a few laughs.

Which reminded him to send yet another email to his other Army buddies. He’d been caught up with Piper and the town stuff, but that was no excuse to stop pestering them to come to Phail.

When there was a lull in the store, he sent a text to Sean Falcone. Hey Falcon. Why don’t you head up this way and stay for a few weeks? It’s closing in on Christmas and I have plenty of room.

Well, that was an exaggeration. He had one spare room, and it was currently occupied. He’d prefer if Piper moved into his room, but they hadn’t taken things that far. They’d shared several spectacular kisses, but not a lot more.

At first, it felt weird, like an employee and employer thing. But they’d become friends. Good friends. They’d spent a ton of time together since she’d arrived and Troy knew he wanted more. A long-term more.

But he wouldn’t push her if she felt weird about him paying her. They were more than halfway through her planned time here. It was a challenge to keep his hands off her when she looked at him with desire flaming right back at him.

He’d never felt this kind of connection with a woman, and the more he got to know Piper, the more he wanted her, in a forever kind of way.

Unable to stop himself, he closed the store an hour earlier than usual. He put the Closed sign in the window asking customers to text him if they needed something before morning. People rarely did, but if someone needed a plunger, he was only a few blocks away.

Then he grabbed the food he’d bought and headed home.

To Piper.

* * *

Piper was equal parts nervous and excited. She had an overabundance of ideas for Phail and she wanted to lay them out in the best manner. Several were large long-term projects, but there were many that wouldn’t cost too much. She hoped Troy would approve of at least some of them.

She’d created a presentation with the best ideas and had others on various notes. She’d backed everything up on one of her USBs and would use that when she did the presentation. When she’d been laid off, she’d had to hand in her work computer. Her personal laptop was ancient. She’d used it way back in school. The laptop’s memory was almost non-existent, so the USBs were a must. Once she had a permanent job, she’d treat herself to a new one.

If she ever got a full-time job again, she thought. “Its hard to get a new job if you’re not looking, Oreo.” Since she’d arrived in Phail, she hadn’t looked at a single job listing. Instead she’d been spinning fantasies of staying in Phail with Troy.

Since they were her fantasies, she was staying in Troy’s bed and in his life. The man was a sweetheart with a healthy side serving of warrior. Charming in public and in private. A gentleman who cared about others and made them a priority. Everyone in town appeared to like and respect him. They looked to him as a leader.

Added to all that, he was sexy as hell, and the chemistry between them was incredible. He wasn’t due home for another hour, but she was already looking at the clock. She’d brushed her teeth and changed into a fresh shirt as if she was doing a formal presentation.

Her mom would have been laughing. You’ve got it bad, girl. It had been years since her parents had died, but the pang of grief still stabbed her heart. Debbie Keenan had been a true romantic. She would have loved Troy and encouraged Piper to make her dreams a reality.

Piper, pipe dreams are the best dreams. Why do you think we chose your name? You were our dream.

Her parents had been married for a dozen years before they’d conceived. They’d been thrilled, and had been everything to her. Piper wondered if she’d ever get over the guilt she felt that they’d been killed in a highway crash on the way to her graduation from the Master’s program.

As if sensing her sad memories, Oreo bounced up from where he was curled up in a sunbeam and stretched before trotting over to her and waiting for her to pet him. “Hello, my friend. Good timing. My parents would have liked you too.”

She knew she should be hoping that the dog’s family would appear, but she couldn’t imagine how devastated she would be if they took her new friend away. “I’ll have to find a pet friendly place to live.”

Troy’s place is pet-friendly.

Piper smiled at her inner voice. Her body and brain were on board with finding a way to stay in Phail. But to do that, she’d need to figure out a job she could do in this town. A town that didn’t have enough money to hire her, even for two weeks.

Her phone buzzed with a text. She didn’t get many, so it didn’t surprise her when she saw Troy’s name. I’ll be home in about a minute. Didn’t want to scare you.

She grinned down at Oreo. “Thoughtful too. He really is perfect.” She responded with a smiley face and in seconds, she heard the door open, and then the beeps told her he’d reengaged the alarm.

He popped his head into the living room. “Hey.”

She rose from the floor where she’d been sitting. “Hey, yourself. You’re home early.” And didn’t they sound like a domestic couple?

He smiled and held up a bulging cloth bag. “Thought we could have a homemade meal tonight. That sound okay?”

Definitely domestic. “That sounds amazing. What do you have?”

“Just the basics for pasta with marinara sauce and a salad.”

Piper laughed. “Those basics are mostly beyond me unless the sauce comes in a jar.”

He rolled his eyes as he headed to the kitchen. “A marinara sauce is easy.”

“Doubtful. But I can handle making a salad.”

“Watch and learn.”

For the first time since her parents had died, Piper had fun making a meal in the kitchen. Troy had her peeling garlic, chopping onions and fresh herbs. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen parsley and the rest except in jars. They smell much better this way.”

“Taste better, too.”

“We’ll see. With me as your sous-chef, I wouldn’t make any promises.”

It was easy and fun. And had her feeling like they were a real couple. At first, it felt weird to be so attracted to him because Troy had hired her. But she wasn’t really an employee. She was a consultant. A colleague.

Sleeping with her boss would be creepy. Sleeping with a co-consultant or colleague sounded okay. Especially if the man was Troy Phail. They touched often as they worked together making the food, and Piper found herself anticipating much more than the meal.

When the sauce simmered on the stove, the scent filled the air. “This smells amazing. Learning to cook might not be so bad after all.” Not if Troy was the one showing her how to do things.

“Fiona had some fresh pasta made, so I picked up that as well. You’re going to love it. She’s a great cook.”

“Homemade pasta? Wow. I don’t think my aspirations go quite that far, but I can’t wait to taste everything.”

Eyes full of mischief, Troy grabbed a spoon, dipped it into the sauce, then blew on it and held it out to her. “Give it a try.”

Maintaining eye contact, she moved closer. Troy didn’t reach the spoon out to her, instead raising an eyebrow until she moved in close enough that they were toe to toe.

“Have a taste.” His voice rumbled across her skin.

Shivers covered her while she tilted her head up and smiled. “I’d love a taste.”

Troy ran the spoon along her lips slowly, and warmth spread throughout her. She opened her mouth, and he caressed the new space with the tip of the spoon. Then he tipped the spoon inside and the spicy sauce tasted like heaven.

But that wasn’t what she wanted to taste.

Troy slid the spoon slowly out of her mouth and rested it on the counter. “How’s it taste?”

Piper slid her hands up the t-shirt he wore. “Why don’t you come here and find out?” Then she tugged on his shirt until he leaned down to cover her lips.

The kiss didn’t start out tentatively. Instead, it blasted to high heat in moments. His arms wrapped around her butt, and he boosted her to sit on the island without once taking his mouth off hers.

She laughed into the kiss. “Very smooth.”

“Thanks for noticing.” His big hands squeezed her hips, and when she widened her legs to make room for him, he tugged her forward until they were touching.

They both groaned at the contact, although hers was more of a whimper, and his a growl.

Then their mouths crashed together again. Everything inside Piper melted into a pool of desire. She ran her hands up the front of his shirt and over his muscles, thrilled to his flinch in reaction to her touch.

She’d had enough anticipating. Time to get to the main course.