Page 29 of No Good Deed

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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.

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