Page 39 of Every Little Kiss
Liv’s smile didn’t falter, but there was something about the way she held the papers to her chest, something as uncertain as the emotion in those big brown eyes that had his warning bells blaring. Maybe it was the way she pulled back inside herself, her emotions rounding down until it was as smooth as a lake, without even a noticeable ripple. Or the fact that she was staring at his mouth. But the easy humor faded, and Ford felt himself being sucked in.
“I’m in charge of entertainment for Wagon Days,” she said, and the look of abject horror on her face made him want to laugh.
“I haven’t been in town long, but even I know that most women would give their favorite handbag to be approved.”
“My favorite handbag is a canvas tote from Bunny Slope Supermarket, and I’m not most women.”
“Is that another warning?”
“Just being up front. From my experience, misunderstandings tend to complicate things more.”
Her comment should have turned him off, but instead he wanted to see just how complicated things could get. Which was the one thing he’d promised Harris he wouldn’t do.
Ford rested his elbows on the desk and leaned in. “So how can I help?”
“Be the celebrity judge for the Wagon Days Darling pageant.”
First doggy yoga and now this. Ford dropped his head back against the chair and closed his eyes. The guys were going to give him so much shit.
“And before you answer, remember you already said yes,” she reminded him. “But it isn’t a big commitment. All you have to do is watch a bunch of dogs parade in front of you, then interview them, and announce the winner at the start of the parade.”
He opened one eye. “You want me to interview a dog?”
“I think you interview the owners about their dogs. But hey, you’re Officer Doolittle, so you do what feels right.”
“Whatever feels right, huh?” he asked, and when she smiled, releasing a sassy grin in his direction, doing the wrong thing had never felt so good. “Fine,” he said, resting his forearms on the desk and leaning forward. “But it will cost you.”
“Oh,” she said softly, and the growing panic in her eyes at the idea of owing him one surprised him.
Yet the way her breath quickened when she did one of thosepretend not to look at his mouthglances intrigued him. “Cupcakes. One of the fancy ones you had the other night. With all the frosting intact.”
She let out a startled laugh. “You drive a hard bargain, but my mom warned me about sharing my cupcake secrets. You tell one person the secret, and the next thing you know everyone in town is using your recipe, and everything that was special is now commonplace.”
“I guess your mom left out that the special ingredient is you,” he said, watching her closely.
“That,” she said a little above a whisper. “That scares me.”
“Scares you or challenges you to see yourself differently, Liv? Because that’s a big difference.”
She thought about that, then finally sighed. “I’m not sure.”
He softened his expression. “Then I won’t say it again until you’re sure.”
“I like predictability,” she admitted, knowing that they weren’t talking about cupcakes any longer. “But I’m starting to see the appeal of the unexpected.”
“Your binder says different,” he said, looking at the stack of lists and spreadsheets clutched in her hands. They were itemized, color coded, and had more blank boxes than checked ones.
She looked at the dog-eared and worn pages and sighed. “This right here is seventy-five years of history and traditions that prove predictability is overrated.” She opened the file and pulled out a stack of printed emails and blog posts. “I looked at what they’ve done in the past for Wagon Days, and I get why they needed some new ideas. And since the biggest party I’ve ever planned included myself, Paxton, and his grandparents, I talked to my mom posse.”
“You have a mom posse?”
“It’s something new I’m trying,” she said. “Only it turns out mom posses have ideas. Lots of ideas. And they aren’t shy about sharing them.”
She spread the contents of the file across his desk, and Ford felt his eyes blur over. There were sketches, magazine clippings, lists, and even color swatches. “Is this a community event or the inaugural dinner?”
“I’m not sure,” Liv said. “But I promised to make this Wagon Days amazing, so I have to bring the fun back to the event. Except fun involves a lot of opinions, suggestions, and paperwork.”
“I’ve become a ninja at paperwork. Maybe I can help you with some of it.”
