When we got inside, Adrian and I divided the list of people whose chickens were stolen for follow-up phone interviews. I finished first, so I had a few minutes to do a bit of research and text it to Adrian while he was finishing up. He glanced at his phone mid-sentence then looked at me with suspicious eyes. Too curious to wait, Adrian clicked on the message icon and saw the link to a farm with milking goats for sale. He flipped me off and kept talking.
There was no fucking way I’d let him live this one down. Everywhere he turned, he would see goats. I laughed in wicked delight, earning a double flip.
“GOOD AFTERNOON, CUPCAKES,”VANESSA SAID, breezing through the kitchen door in the rear of Books and Brew. Elijah ridiculously stood in line with our loyal patrons, but no one else with a close personal relationship with Milo or me did. There were only a few people I had a closer relationship with than Vanessa, and they were either blood relations or slept naked beside me every night. They didn’t eat or drink for free, but they slapped their money on the back counter and left without being seen by the hordes of people.
Milo and I looked up from refilling the cookie trays for the front display cases. The Blissville residents had been especially ravenous and caffeine-crazy, even for a Monday. I suspected their hunger and thirst was for information about Lyric’s sudden appearance in town rather than the items on the menu.
“Hey, Van,” we both said at once.
“I stopped by Curious Things to chat and Bonnie said I would find you here. What’s up? Did someone call in sick?” I normally helped Milo with Books and Brew for a few hours until my store opened at ten o’clock, so it was unusual to find me in the bakery after lunch. We employed three part-time employees to help with Books and Brew, and Bonnie worked part-time at Curious Things. Our businesses were growing at a startling rate, and if we wanted more personal time off, we’d need to hire additional staff.
“The busybodies are in full force today since Lyric returned to Blissville yesterday.”
“Saturday night,” Milo corrected. It was hard to keep the smile off my face when recalling what we learned about Memphis and Lyric’s first night together.
“Yes, he technically arrived at Memphis’s house late Saturday night,” I told Vanessa. “I had a chance to talk to him yesterday when we stopped by Memphis’s house after brunch and later at my parents’ barbecue.”
“Memphis missed brunch? Interesting.” She didn’t know the half of it, and she wouldn’t learn it from Milo or me either.
“What I find more interesting is the relaxed expression on your face,” Milo said, changing the subject. “If I didn’t know better, Mae, I’d say our sweet Vanessa recently got laid.” Vanessa’s expression didn’t give her away, but the telltale blush creeping up her neck did. “Aha! You did get laid. It must’ve been a really good time too.”
“Why don’t you shout it a little louder, Milo,” Vanessa hissed. “I don’t think my mother heard you four blocks away. I absolutely want her to know I had a glorious weekend of hot, sweaty, no-strings-attached sex with a virtual stranger.”
“Your mom is no prude,” I said. Of course, the virtual stranger part might alarm her.
“That isn’t why I don’t want her finding out,” Van said dryly. “She’d either take out an ad in the Blissville Daily News to celebrate the big event or get her hopes up I was finally settling down like the Miracle twins.”
“And you don’t think your weekend is a precursor to happily ever after?” Milo asked her.
One of our part-time baristas, Joe Thierney, poked his head around the door leading to the shop. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but are the cookies ready? I’m getting looks out here.”
“I’m so sorry, Joe.” I walked the tray of cookies over to him and bit my lip to keep from smiling at the way he couldn’t take his eyes off Vanessa. He was adorable but only twenty-five. Vanessa had a rule about only dating older men.
“If he were ten years older and didn’t reside in the same town, I’d give him something to truly pine after,” Van wistfully said when we were alone again.
“Okay, you were saying something about hot, sweaty, wall-banging sex with a stranger…” Milo prompted.
Vanessa’s eyes glassed over, and a shiver rippled through her tall, lithe frame. It must’ve been one hell of a weekend. “Yes, but that’s where it ended. I knew when I kissed him goodbye at the door of his condo I wouldn’t see him again.”
“You spent the weekend at his condo? Not some random hotel?”
“I know what you’re thinking, Mae, and just because he took me to his home doesn’t mean he’ll invite me back. He was very honest and open when we met on Friday night. He said he wasn’t looking for anything serious, and I assured him I wasn’t either.”
“Where did you meet?”
“We met in the hotel bar after my seminar ended.” Vanessa wasn’t just a skilled tattoo artist and a successful business owner. She was a true artist who liked to share her knowledge with others. She stayed on top of the newest trends and taught what she knew. I had gone with her on many occasions to her seminars to act as her canvas.
“Did you have a nice turnout for your seminar?”
“Full house,” she said proudly. “The attendees were interactive and asked a lot of questions, so it made the day go by really fast. Afterward, some of us headed to the hotel bar to have a few drinks.”
“And that’s where you methim?” Milo asked.
Van nodded. “He bought us all a round of drinks. I assumed he was interested in Amber, who was blonde, busty, and younger than me.” The thing I loved and hated most about Vanessa was she had no idea how beautiful she truly was. “Anyway, he joined us and made it clear right from the start I was the one who’d caught his eye.”
“You mean, the tall, svelte brunette whose body is perfectly proportioned?” Milo asked sarcastically. “I can’t believe it.” I adored my brother so fucking much. He always knew the right things to say without hurting anyone’s feelings. “Besides, her big boobs will start to sag before long while your breasts will stay higher, tighter, and firmer.”
“My mystery man was very fond of my breasts,” Van said ruefully. “Enough about me.”
