Her Perfect Mismatch (A Town Named Eden Book 2) (2 page)

“Do you suffer from some sort of eating disorder? Is that it?”

Her hands dropped down. “Absolutely not.”

“That’s a hearty protest. Are you sure? You look... excessively trim.”

Trim... The fact he’d noticed made her even more determined to shake off the look fashioned by her calorie counting, portion obsessed boyfriend—

She lifted her chin. “My pride... my entire future is on the line. I need to do this for me.”

He looked down at her plate. “And that donut is the key?”

She gave a small nod.

“So what’s stopping you?” He studied her, holding her gaze as if trying to see deep inside her.

Yes, she was afraid.

“How about I take a bite. Show you it’s harmless—”

“No!”

“All right. Let’s calm down. Take a deep breath. No one’s going to take your Puff Doughnut away from you.” He sighed, looked around the café, and then he settled his bright eyes on her again. “I don’t want to pressure you, but if you don’t do this, Joyce is never going to pull up her polka dot socks and get my breakfast.”

In hindsight, Elizabeth wished she’d asked for a take out bag. She could’ve been sitting in the privacy of her car, enjoying the moment without any distractions. She’d already made her decision, now she only wanted to focus her attention on the experience. To savor every second of it.

“Why don’t we start with your name?”

She swallowed past the tightness in her throat. “Elizabeth... Charles.” She wondered if he worked for the local law enforcement. He sounded as if he had experience talking desperate people off ledges. Or maybe he was a horse whisperer...

“Do you need some water, Elizabeth?”

“I’m fine.” She took a sip. “Just give me a moment.”

“Take your time. Focus on what you want.”

She nodded and scooped in a big breath.

This was it...

Her fingertips grazed the edge of the donut. Pushing out a quivery breath, she lifted the pastry and drew it toward her mouth. Her lips trembled. Her eyes watered. She tensed against the need to look over her shoulder. Andrew was a continent away on his business trip. Yet the compulsion to check and make sure he wasn’t hovering nearby ready to snatch the donut away from her—

Elizabeth sunk her teeth in and tore off a mouthful.

Not a dainty bite, but rather enough to fill her entire mouth with layers of crisp croissant like pastry and lemony cream and, oooh... chocolate. A symphony sprung up in her mouth, the music resonating throughout her body as she began chewing, the pastry releasing a powerful surge of—

“Take it easy. You don’t want to rush it.”

Oh yes, she did. Focusing on swallowing, she closed her eyes and would swear she saw lights dancing behind her eyelids, sparkling brighter and brighter...

Something was happening. Her skin tingled, her stomach quivered.

“You should have some water now.”

She shook her head. “Coffee would be good.”

She kept her eyes closed. A moment later, her nose tingled as the aroma of freshly ground coffee wafted around her.

“Sugar?”

“Yes, please.” Gauging her body’s response, she decided she could handle some more. This time, she took a more sensible bite.

“How many lumps?”

She nodded three times.

Feeling something warm touch her lips, she knew he was holding a cup up to her mouth. Elizabeth took a sip. And moaned. “Oh, that’s good.”

Somehow, she managed to open her eyes. He was smiling at her. Not with his mouth, but rather with his eyes.

“Why are you doing this?”

He shrugged. “I have a certain skill set and Joyce knows how to exploit it. She wanted a quick solution, and like I said, I just want my breakfast.”

“Thank you. I’d shake your hand but I’m all sticky.” She slid the tip of her tongue along her lip. Oh, God. She could still taste the combination of chocolate and lemon... She dropped her gaze to his lips.

“No, there’s no need for that.” He pushed back his chair and surged to his feet. “I guess I’ve done my job. Here comes my breakfast. Try to take it easy and enjoy the rest of your stay in Eden.”

Don’t call us, we’ll call you?

One sweep of her eyes and she’d gone from demented, sugar deprived public nuisance to floozy. The man had his children in tow... Did he honestly think...

She wouldn’t beat herself up about it.

Whatever magic Joyce had employed to persuade Mitch Faydon into intervening had clearly lost its fizz.

Elizabeth looked down at her half eaten Puff Doughnut.

Maybe another bite, she thought. This had only been the first step. Now she had to face the rest...

Chapter Two

“We shouldn’t cave in to pressure. We already decided it was easier to ditch breakfast.” Mitch folded his arms across his chest and stood toe to toe with his brother Matthew.

While their sister Eddie had lived at the pub, she’d been able to step in whenever the regular cook called in sick. Then she’d met Theo Kendrick. It had taken some doing but he’d eventually managed to talk Eddie into marrying him. Bottom line, he wasn’t going anywhere unless she went with him. They still hadn’t set a date for the wedding because they had overseas guests to organize, but it was a done deal. Meanwhile, Eddie had moved out and had set up house with him. Leaving the pub short of one Jill of all trades. Since their cook, who was already responsible for lunch and dinner, couldn’t be relied on to be there every morning, it had been easier to take breakfast off the menu—

Matthew shook his head. “We can’t keep sending our guests over to Joyce. She’s making threats. This morning she waved her fist at me.”

“Wave your own fist back at her.”

“That would be wrong, and you know it.”

“Then talk to Eddie. She still has a stake in the pub and she listens to you.”

Markus, the oldest Faydon brother, strode into the bar and sunk into his favorite armchair by the fireplace. “You two can quit going at each other’s throats. I’ve hired someone. She starts in a couple of days.”

Mitch growled under his breath. “You hired someone? Without consulting us? No way. Wait a minute. Did you say she’s a she? That’s asking for trouble—”

Matthew laughed in his face. “Swearing off women is making you weird. Get over it, Mitch.”

“You don’t care that Markus went over our heads and—”

Matthew shrugged. “One less thing for me to worry about.”

Mitch swung away. “I’m out of here. You two can deal with... Hang on, what’s her name? Not that I care, because I have sworn off women.” Especially women with sugar cravings and sultry eyes. He scowled at the floor. He couldn’t remember noticing Elizabeth Charles’s eyes. It was probably his imagination. Or maybe he was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Yeah, that had to be it. While he hadn’t managed to steer completely clear off all women, he was under control and keeping his hands to himself. And he aimed to keep it that way. “And,” he added as an afterthought, “If either of you see me stray, feel free to stop me by whatever means.”

“Are you finished now?” Markus asked, and not waiting for an answer said, “Her name’s Hannah Melville. And I won’t have to warn you off her because she’ll do a good job of it herself.”

“The name sounds familiar.” Mitch ran it through his mental archives. Had he slept with her? “Hey, isn’t she a guest here? The ice wouldn’t melt in her mouth blonde?”

“That’s the one.” Markus nodded. “She complained that her room booking had included breakfast. I ignored her and walked away. She followed me, all the while complaining and threatening, so I showed her the kitchen.”

Mitch slumped against the bar. “And she didn’t scratch your eyes out?”

“Nope.”

“Tell me she at least threw a punch at you.”

“She cooked the best damned omelet I’ve ever eaten. I offered her the job. She named her terms. We shook on it.” Markus scratched his chin. “Problem solved.”

“That’s what you think. Is she even qualified or experienced?”

“We’ll find out soon enough. Like I said, she starts in a couple of days.”

Mitch looked at Matthew. “Make sure our public liability insurance is up to date. What if she poisons us?” Hearing his cell phone beeping, Mitch dug inside his back pocket and retrieved it. “It’s Eddie. She wants me to bring Wilbur over.”

All three brothers looked up at the boar mounted over the fireplace. Several years before, their grandmother had driven into town from her cottage in the hills complaining a wild boar was digging up her vegetable garden. Eddie had taken matters into her own hands, and armed with a double barrel shotgun, had hunted down the boar. She hadn’t known it at the time, but Mitch and his brothers had hovered nearby ready to bail her out if she ran into any trouble. It had been Matthew’s idea to haul the beast to a taxidermist.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the place won’t be the same without it,” Markus said.

Matthew shook his head. “I’m going to miss it.”

Mitch agreed with a nod. “I’ll give you two girls a moment to collect yourselves while I get the step ladder.”

* * *

Seconds after peeling her eyes open, Elizabeth stretched her arms over her head. She hadn’t felt this good since—

She frowned and easing her hand down, she sent it skating across the bed.

Feeling only emptiness, she relaxed.

Finding a stranger lying next to her would have been overkill. Besides, that only happened in movies and steamy novels. Then again, she’d taken a major step in her life, so anything could have been possible.

Yesterday hadn’t been a dream.

She’d broken her shackles and now she was...

Relishing her moment of glory.

A sweet, buzzy sensation still coursed through her body. She could feel it right down to the tips of her toes.

It had to be a sugar hangover.

After her triumphant breakthrough with the Puff Doughnut, she’d moved on to the next phase, and had found a place to stay, giving herself one week to get her bearings before she knuckled down to the business of creating her new life.

Meanwhile…

She needed one day to rebel. To let her hair down and draw in a breath without feeling the need to measure it.

Showered and dressed in a comfortable tawny skirt and floral blouse, she gathered her hair into the usual neat—

The bobby pins fell away from her hands.

For as long as she could remember she’d worn her hair gathered into a neat grandmother’s bun, keeping it…

“Imprisoned.” Elizabeth didn’t linger over the observation. Instead, she searched her cosmetics bag for a clip. Finding a black ribbon, she tied it around her unruly locks and before she could change her mind, she slipped her feet into her walking loafers, grabbed her handbag, and strode out of her room.

No sighing or moaning!

“It’s called progress by leaps and bounds,” Elizabeth said as she went out the front door.

Joyce had recommended Rosebud Cottage, a bed and breakfast just outside of town. It satisfied on all levels, offering peace and quiet with a picturesque view of the surrounding countryside and mountains. Glenda Stephens, the owner, waved to her from the winding path leading up to the veranda.

“You missed breakfast,” she called out, “But if you’d like, I could fix you something.”

“That’s kind of you. I think I’ll drive back into town. I’d like to stretch my legs and do some more exploring.” She’d actually walked around the town a few times the day before, familiarizing herself with the lay of the land. But at the time she’d been under the spell of a sugar rush, so she wasn’t sure she could trust her first impressions.

Her mind switched on to practical matters. She had enough money to keep her going for a while, but at some point, she’d have to think about doing something to earn a living.

Driving into town, she thought about calling her friend Tash Knightly, but what would she say? It had been a while since they’d drifted apart. Not because of some falling out or disagreement...

There had been a sense of insight...

Tash hadn’t liked Andrew, and he, in turn, had disapproved of her. Probably because he’d known Tash could see right through him.

Guilt tightened around Elizabeth like barbed wire. Tash had never mentioned her suspicions about Andrew. She’d never interfered. And if she had… Elizabeth wondered if she would have listened. She wanted to believe she was the type of person who would wake up to reality. In hindsight—

She shook her head and decided to leave hindsight alone.

A short while later, Elizabeth stood outside an antique store admiring the window display and thinking it wouldn’t hurt to take the first step toward rebuilding bridges. With a firm nod of self-encouragement, she drew out her cell phone and searched for her friend’s number. It rang but the call wasn’t picked up, so she left a message.

“I’m surprised you had the gall to show your face in town again.”

Recognizing the voice, she swirled around and lifted her gaze to meet Mitch Faydon’s smiling eyes.

“W-what... what did I do?” Parts of yesterday remained a blur, but she couldn’t have done something entirely out of character...

The previous day’s encounter with him filled her mind. When he’d stood up to leave... right after she’d let her gaze linger over his mouth for longer than was socially acceptable—

Never mind that, Elizabeth.

She drew in a shaky breath. She couldn’t ignore everything about their first encounter. If she had to be honest with herself, watching him leave had left her feeling... bereft. Understandable, considering she’d been wobbling on shaky ground, uncertain about her next move, not quite sure if she’d made the right decision, cutting her loses... coming to Eden.

He leaned in, his gaze fixed on her eyes. “Hazel with splashes of green.”

She frowned. “B-blue with... specks of gold.” And chocolate brown hair, cut short at the back. She shook her head. “Now that we’ve established the color of our eyes, can you please tell me if I should run and hide, or cut my loses and leave town now.”

He chuckled. “Joyce is actually singing your praises. She could not have asked for better advertising for her Puff Doughnuts.”

“Oh... I...” She hated having to explain herself.

“Relax. I was only pulling your ponytail. New look?”

She curled her fingers around her handbag to stop herself from fidgeting with her hair.

“It suits you.” He smiled. “Are you going to be a daredevil and let your hair hang loose tomorrow?”

“Why would you say that?” In fact, why was he even talking to her? Yesterday, it had looked as if he’d been forced to pacify the mad woman...

His shoulder lifted into a small shrug. “You look... orderly. I take it yesterday was about experiencing some sort of temporary lapse. You know, trying something you wouldn’t normally do. Now that you’ve conquered the Puff Doughnut, you’ve pulled yourself together.”

She laughed. “I wouldn’t jump to conclusions. I haven’t had breakfast yet,” she said trying to keep her eyes locked with his instead of letting them trail along his body.

“Are you suggesting it could happen again?”

She smiled. “I’ll see how I go at brunch.”

“Sounds like you’re on a journey of self-discovery.”

She nodded. “First, I’ll need to apologize to Joyce. I can’t help feeling guilty. I’d hate to think my episode had a negative impact on her business.”

“Don’t worry about it. She’s quite a spin-doctor. The news this morning is that a certain strawberry blonde could barely contain her emotions over how good the Puff Doughnuts tasted. Joyce is now taking pre-orders.”

“Glad to have been of help... I think.” She waited for him to make a move and leave. When he didn’t, she nudged her head toward the antique store. “Can you tell me why that man is scowling at me?”

He chuckled. “That’s Bradford. He owns Brilliant Baubles and he scowls at everyone.”

“I remember going into his store yesterday.”

“He doesn’t like people doing that.”

“Maybe I did something else I wasn’t supposed to...”

“Don’t worry about him. You’ll do your head in trying to figure him out.”

She looked around her, bit her lip, and tried to douse what was fast becoming a burning question. But it didn’t work. “No children in tow today?”

He chuckled again. “They’re back with their mother.”

That meant he was either divorced, or separated, or...

It really wasn’t any of her business. She scratched her left ring finger. Taking the engagement ring off had made her stomach tighten with apprehension, hearing it rattle when she’d dropped it in the key tray by the hallway table of the swanky apartment she’d... inhabited, had made her aware of her own sense of self-worth. She deserved to have a ring given in love.

“How are you enjoying your stay in Eden?”

“I’m loving it. I’m glad I didn’t ruin my chances of staying on.”

“Oh, so you’re not just a tourist.”

Elizabeth smiled. In her mind, she had burned her bridges and had come here to stay.

“I owe you a welcome.”

“Thank you.” She tried to put her feet into gear and move, but instead she sighed. “Well, I can’t stand the suspense. I tried, but it seems yesterday’s escapade has made my willpower redundant. I have to ask... Why are you pulling a billy cart with a pig’s head in it?”

He gave her an easy smile. “This is Wilbur and he’s... or rather, he was a boar.”

“Something tells me I should simply nod and walk away.”

“If you do that, you’ll miss all the fun.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask...”