Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
S cott waited outside the newspaper office. Amy’s earlier nervousness about their spy-like operation made him want to get off the sidewalk where someone might see him. And that was ridiculous. Anyone who saw him here would assume he was dating Amy.
Not that he’d mind that. He had to keep reminding himself that a vacation romance wasn’t what he wanted. Amy deserved better than that.
She ran around the corner toward him. “Sorry I’m late! The interview with Cassie took longer than I expected.” She unlocked the door.
Once she’d closed it behind them, he asked, “Do you think Cassie suspected anything?”
Amy grabbed his arm, bouncing on her feet.
Scott grinned at her contagious excitement and joy.
“I’m sure she didn’t. And she gave me the answers we needed. I have flavors, colors, and approval of the dress and wedding photo ideas!” She glanced toward the front window and motioned him over to his desk. “I think we’re in the clear for the cupcake handoff to Greg.” Amy glanced back at the door. “I wonder if I should lock that first so no one will walk in on us.”
Scott fought laughter because she was completely serious. “Since I’ve only seen a few people walk in here, I’m sure we’re fine.” He didn’t mention that the window would still be uncovered, anyway.
Amy opened the big side drawer on the old desk. Two clear plastic containers with four cupcakes each sat inside. She stood. “I just realized that I don’t have anything for you to carry them in.”
“What did you carry them in earlier? I’ll use that.”
Amy pointed to a fabric bag on her desk. “I don’t think you want to carry this pink flowered tote.”
He grimaced. “Not a lot of men of my acquaintance would.”
“We also cannot have you going to Greg openly carrying the same cupcakes. That could blow this whole thing wide open.”
Scott glanced around the room. “I guess I could wrap them in newspaper, but that would look strange too.” Then his gaze landed on the pile of boxes. “Amy, could you unpack one of the smallest boxes? Then it would look like I was giving something to Greg. When we get to his car, I could casually put it in the trunk. We’ll drive to someplace outside of the town to eat cupcakes.”
Amy grinned, and a dimple appeared in her cheek.
Adorable.
Get that thought out of your head!
She’d had her heart broken by Logan. He didn’t want to add even more heartache when he left. They had to be friends but no more.
He helped her move the boxes around to reach one that might work. She cut through the tape on a box and started unloading it, stacking the books on the pile of boxes beside her. “This project is getting more and more complicated, isn’t it?”
“It’s a good thing you chose a date with only three weeks’ notice. I can’t imagine six months of this.”
“I agree. Cassie works on weddings sometimes a year or more in advance.” Amy shuddered. “I wouldn’t want to think about all these details for that long.”
She paused with a book halfway to the pile. “Wow.”
“Why wow ?”
Amy blushed. “I didn’t realize I’d said that out loud.” She set the book down and continued her work without giving an answer. A moment later, she said, “Empty,” as she picked up the box and handed it to him. He set the cupcakes in the box, but they only filled about a tenth of it. He’d have to be careful to keep the box upright and the cupcakes intact. Each one had been beautifully decorated.
Amy continued, still seeming to avoid his question. “I used to think a wedding was the most romantic thing in the world. That the longer I could plan it and the more involved it was, the better. But after living here in wedding town and now being part of Cassie’s wedding myself, I think I’m all for a small wedding or eloping.”
“I agree. I wouldn’t want to do this for my own wedding.” An image of him proposing to Amy came to mind, but he knew that had to be because he’d already done that twice. “To whoever that is in the far, far future.”
When she tensed up and didn’t smile at his comment, he wondered if he’d put his foot in it again. She was very sensitive about the subject of weddings and marriage. “Not that there’s anything wrong with wedding planning. I think it’s more of a girl thing than a guy thing.”
Amy’s shoulders relaxed. “Very true. I hate to admit it, but I even subscribed to a couple of bridal magazines. Whoever moved into my apartment is probably getting those now because I didn’t forward them here.”
That guy really had been a jerk to her. Scott would never treat a woman that way. Especially not Amy. She deserved better. Scott went over to the stack of books from the box and flipped through them. “You have quite a variety just in this one box. I see a couple of romance novels. A few mysteries. Here’s a motivational book and one about . . .” He looked up at her with a book about the perfect wedding on a budget in his hand.
“What?” She peered over his shoulder to look at the title. Then she grabbed it and threw it in the trash with a vengeance.
“Are you sure you want to get rid of a book about weddings in a town that loves them? I’ll bet you could find someone who would pay for that.”
She glared at the trash can, then with a sigh, she reached in and pulled the book out. “You may be right. No dents or scratches.” She set it down gently on the stack and walked away, giving it one last glare as she did.
Scott chuckled at her expression. As soon as he did, he forced a serious expression. “Sorry. It’s kind of funny.”
Amy looked at the book and the trash can. Then she smiled, and he felt as if he’d been saved. “That’s what made me say, wow. I thought I’d pitched all of those books. It was a stupid knee-jerk reaction.” She focused on the box. “You’d better get out of here with these cupcakes. I wouldn’t want you to miss Greg today because I doubt they’ll taste as good tomorrow. Although I have had some of Simone’s day-old baked goods, and they’re still pretty fabulous.”
She glanced over at her tote bag. “In fact, I have leftovers from today in there that I may be munching on tomorrow.” Amy looked into the box he’d packed. She scurried away and returned with forks and napkins from the backroom. Finally, she grabbed a newspaper off a stack, crumpled it up, and stuffed it around the plastic containers. “Much better.” He loved how she did everything with purpose and care.
“Maybe you should get coffee to go from Dinah’s. These will be extra sweet if you don’t have anything to drink between each flavor. Greg has to take at least one bite of all four. Don’t let him gobble up the first one and ignore the others. I had to rein Cassie in.”
“I have been known to eat a few donuts in one sitting, and I did have two slices of pie at Dinah’s one day because I couldn’t bring myself to choose. But this is a lot of cupcake.”
She grinned. “Are you saying four cupcakes are doable for you or that you’re going to have leftovers?”
“Definitely leftovers. Do you want to tell me which ones Cassie favored?”
Amy chewed on her lip for a moment. “I don’t think I should. Don’t you think that would skew his answer?”
“Knowing Greg as well as I do, I think he’ll support whatever Cassie chooses for this wedding. He just wants to marry her.”
“I want Greg to give his honest opinion so that he’s represented at the wedding, but you’re right.” She pushed the newspaper in the box to the side so he could see the containers. “They’re labeled on top. The two lemon raspberry ones were similar, but there was a clear winner with Cassie. The one with the lemon curd in the middle.” She pointed. “She couldn’t pick between the chocolate cupcakes. If Greg favors one of those, we can narrow it down that way. She also suggested the addition of a plain white one with sprinkles for kids.” Amy shrugged. “Maybe we’ll just have a bunch of cupcake flavors. I don’t know if that’s a hassle for Simone or it’s just another day in the office.”
Scott picked up the box. “I think this is probably the easiest wedding Simone has ever done. The bride isn’t involved. The mother of the bride isn’t directing anything. That alone sounds like a big win to me from everything I hear.”
“I met her once and have to agree. She is a little intense.”
Scott hesitated for a moment. He should just leave, but as foolish as it was with his short timeline here, he didn’t want to walk away without plans for the next time he’d see her. “Are you doing anything special for dinner tonight?”
Amy stared up at him, this time without the deer-in-the-headlights expression. She seemed pleased by the offer. “I’m not. And I’ll need something with a lot of protein in it to counteract all the sugar I consumed today. Maybe with some healthy veggies and fiber thrown in. I seem to have had cupcakes for lunch.”
He grinned. “What if I stop by about five o’clock? We can head out to get a bite to eat?” He held his breath as he waited for her reply.
She seemed to be considering his offer. “I know I’d wanted to avoid even a hint of us being a couple—” She paused, and he wondered what she was thinking. “Now that we’re working together on the wedding, and you’re the go-between, there’s a solid reason for our friends to see us together.”
Did that mean she wanted to spend time with him, or was it only tied to the wedding? He waited, hoping she’d say more. As much as he’d thought he didn’t want a relationship here, he knew he really did.
She added, “Dinner is a great idea. Let’s make the connection obvious so no one suspects we’re working on something together.”
And his excitement faded. Amy wasn’t willing to eat with him because she was interested in dating him. She was doing this to strengthen their cover story.
Scott walked into the small sheriff’s department office with the box in his arms. He’d tucked the coffee from Dinah’s inside with newspaper keeping it upright. Right now, he felt like a fool. He belonged behind a computer, not in a spy thriller.
He found Greg seated at his desk. The clerk tried to stop him, but Greg waved him back.
“He’s okay, Maryanne.”
Scott hovered next to Greg with the box, searching for a place to set it down on a desk filled with paperwork and files, not finding one. “I thought maybe you’d be going out for a drive around town before you ended your work day.”
Greg looked at him with a confused expression. “I did earlier. What’s in the box?”
This wasn’t going well. “It has stuff from the newspaper office.”
Scott could see the wheels turning in his friend’s mind. Finally, everything clicked into place. Greg stood. “You’re right. I should do another round through town. Let’s put that in the trunk. And since you’re here, do you want to ride around with me? It’s been a while.”
Scott hid a smile. They’d hung out together yesterday. “Let’s do that.”
When they got to the car, Greg motioned toward the back seat. “Would this box be good here?”
“It may be better there than the trunk.” At least they could easily access it then.
They drove away from the office together. Thirty seconds into the trip, Greg asked, “What’s in there?” He gestured toward the back seat.
“I brought you cupcake samples for the wedding.”
Greg nodded slowly. “You aren’t putting this completely on me, are you?” The big bad cop had terror written all over his face.
Scott laughed. “Don’t worry. The ladies are smart enough not to ask you to make major decisions. You’d be riddled with guilt if you chose something Cassie disliked. Your fiancée has already tasted the cupcakes and put in her vote. They want your vote too.”
“Cupcakes plural? I like that idea. I grabbed a sandwich at the diner hours ago, so I’m ready for a snack.”
“Four cupcakes.”
“It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.” Greg took a left, and they curved around the lake, passing Paige and CJ’s pink house and continuing around the lake, the water occasionally peeking through dense brush and trees.
It felt like they were miles from town instead of a block or two. “I’ve never been out here.”
“Long before I was born, this was a popular area. There’s an old inn around the bend. No one comes out here now.”
Greg slowed the car, and they turned into a barely passable driveway. He wound along what was little more than a wide path at this point, with limbs brushing the sides of his car, and stopped. “Bring out the samples. I wish I’d known to grab some coffee to go with it.” Greg said.
“Amy thought of it. I went to Dinah’s on the way to your office.”
“Smart woman.”
“She is that and more.”
Greg turned to him with a smirk.
“Don’t start. I’ve just been impressed by her. And before you add a comment, I’m leaving town soon.” Scott leaned over the backseat and reached into the box, pulling out the items one by one and passing them to Greg.
“Forks and napkins too. Your Amy is amazing.”
“Don’t start,” Scott warned again.
When Greg chuckled, Scott rolled his eyes.
“She said to begin with the raspberry lemon cupcakes and leave the chocolate for last. She didn’t want to overwhelm our taste buds early on.”
Greg scooped out a forkful of the assigned cupcake. “I doubt that my taste buds care, but we’ll do this as instructed.”
Scott did his best to not make comments before Greg did to influence him, even though it was hard not to sigh with happiness at the first bite.
After the first cupcake, Greg said, “This is amazing. Plus, every time Simone makes something with lemon and raspberry, Cassie says it’s wonderful.” He leaned down to inhale the scent of the next one. “This also smells like raspberry.” He dug his fork in.
“Wow. Even better. Definitely a keeper for the wedding.”
Scott checked the label. “That’s the one Cassie chose.”
“Excellent. We’re on the right track.”
They tried the two chocolate ones.
“Now, these are hard to choose between.”
Scott laughed. “It’s my understanding that Cassie couldn’t. She picked the one with the lemon filling and said either of the two chocolates would work. She also suggested a plain white one for kids. Do you agree?”
“One hundred percent. Got to love that woman.”
Scott grinned. “We get to keep the rest of these to snack on later.”
Greg stared at the baked goods in front of him. “The problem is that I can’t take them back to the office, and I can’t leave them in the car in case Cassie sees them. I’d better eat what I want now.”
Scott hadn’t considered that. “I can’t take mine to your mother’s house, either, because Cassie visits so often. I’d have to hope she wasn’t there. I think I’m in the same boat as you. Let’s eat.”
After a few minutes of silent cupcake consumption, Greg asked, “So, what’s going on with you and Amy?”
Scott inhaled cupcake. Coughing, he reached for the cup of coffee beside him. “What do you mean?”
Greg turned toward Scott with an expression he couldn’t figure out. “I know we’re guys, and we don’t do this touchy-feely, warm-and-fuzzy kind of thing, but you have an expression that reminds me of myself with Cassie when we first met.”
Scott shook his head. “I think you’re reading this wrong. Amy and I have become friends. I’m the male courier in this weird espionage game we seem to be playing about your wedding.”
“You’re at her office almost every day. Why?”
Scott didn’t want to say anything bad about Greg’s mother.
“I know that Mom has you scheduled within an inch of your life, and you’re running from that.”
Scott turned to Greg and raised an eyebrow.
“She’s been my mother for decades. I know how she is. But she means well. She wants you to have the best experience possible in Two Hearts.”
“I know that. I’m just not used to having anyone control my schedule. And beyond that, she keeps wanting me to do things with the wedding stuff in this town.”
Greg laughed. “The disgust in your voice at wedding stuff says it all, doesn’t it? But seriously, are you sure there isn’t more between you and Amy? I noticed the two of you driving out of town together the other day.”
He was just starting to admit to himself that he might want more. Did he want to admit it to somebody else? “Maybe I’m interested in her beyond friendship.”
“Aha! I thought so. I’m going to give you one small piece of advice, and then we can go back to being two guys sitting in a car stuffing ourselves with cupcakes with no more deep discussions of romance.”
“That’s a hard-to-pass-up deal,” Scott said with a grin. “What’s your advice?”
“If it starts to feel serious, do something about it. Don’t let her get away.”
“I’m stuck right now proposing to the woman over and over.”
Greg chuckled. “That has to be the funniest thing I’ve heard. You had no interest in dating her, but you had to propose.”
“You should have seen her when the goat butted her from behind, and she flew through the air at the last one.” Scott chuckled.
“Are there pictures of this? And the real question—is she going to publish them?”
“There are, but I’m not sure if she’ll put any of them in the newspaper.”
They continued eating cupcakes for another ten minutes in silence, just as Greg had promised. Unfortunately, the silence gave Scott time to think about what they’d discussed. He was interested in Amy. But she was still hung up on that loser she’d been dating before she moved here. Throwing that book in the trash earlier today had brought that point home.