Page 20 of Love Me Sweet

CHAPTERSIX

Sylvie smiled when Josie skidded to a stop and gave the painting of a wild-eyed buffalo hanging on the wall of the Museum of Wildlife Art a second look.

She had to admit there was something creepy—yet compelling--about the bison’s intense stare.

Josie’s gaze shifted back to Sylvie. “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You were once engaged to the delectable Dr. Andrew O’Shea.”

Keeping the animal in her peripheral vision, Sylvie nodded.

“You broke up with him. I don’t understand that but hey, your business, and moved here. He’s making you spend the next three weeks with him so he can…” Josie’s voice trailed off. “This is where you lost me.”

“Andrew is convinced that the more he’s around me, the more he’ll discover he doesn’t like me.” Sylvie tried not to show how much the thought hurt. “I think he’s secretly hoping he’ll grow to hate me.”

“Ah, the picture is coming into better focus.” Josie spoke in a melodramatic tone worthy of a world-class fortune teller. All she needed to complete the picture was a crystal ball between her fingers. “The man still has the hots for you.”

“No, he—” Sylvie paused, then reluctantly admitted, “We always had chemistry.”

“Do you still?”

“Ah, we can talk about that later.”

“I want to talk about it now.”

“Later.” Sylvie ignored the pleading look in her friend’s eyes. She didn’t want to get into all that. Not now. Not here. “We’re running low on the baked meringues.”

Josie’s hands that had been clasped together, dropped to her sides. She expelled a resigned sigh and glanced at the table. “I thought you’d brought more than enough for the number they were expecting.”

The linen-clad table held several varieties of petit fours. While these types of desserts didn’t particularly refill Sylvie’s creative well, they helped pay the bills.

Tonight, the Sweet Adeline’s organization was hosting an open house for prospective members. They’d rented out the museum to add a little pizzazz to their annual recruitment event.

A baby grand piano had been brought into the main room and several members stood harmonizing around the glossy black surface. One of them was Kathy Randall, Mayor Tripp Randall’s mother.

Kathy was the one who’d contacted Sylvie about catering the event. Sylvie hadn’t expected Josie to volunteer to help her. Especially not with the wedding less than a month away. But Josie had insisted and Sylvie had to admit having her friend with her tonight had made the evening more enjoyable.

Josie’s hand swept the room. “These women are like a swarm of locusts.”

“Shhh.” Sylvie elbowed her friend, but had to agree. The pastries were being consumed at an alarming rate. “I’m hoping once the singing really gets going, they’ll forget chowing down and concentrate on music.”

Josie shot her a pitying glance as they headed into the kitchen where extra desserts waited. “Now, what I want to know is, since you’ve agreed to move into the house Andrew is renting in Spring Gulch, does that mean you’re going to sleep with him?”

“Josie.”

“I believe it’s a valid question.”

Sylvie knew she couldn’t put Josie off for long, but she bought herself a little more time by filling a silver tray with several dozen baked meringues in various colors. “He’s not renting the house. It belongs to a friend.”

Josie followed her back into the main room. “If you think you can sidetrack me that easily, you must have had more than club soda tonight. The question on the table is, are you going to sleep with him?”

Sylvie carefully arranged the tiny bits of meringue. “Not in the plans.”

“It never is,” Josie’s eyes took on a distant look and a little smile lifted her lips. “The last person in this whole town I planned to sleep with was Noah Anson. You see where that ended up. I can’t keep my hands off him.”

“And I can’t keep mine off you.”

The deep voice had both of them turning.

Josie giggled like a teenager surprised by her boyfriend.

---