Her Perfect Mismatch (A Town Named Eden Book 2) (7 page)

“Is that thunder I hear or Markus grumbling?” Mitch asked.

“It’s Markus and he’s headed this way. Heads up, he’s got a scowl to match the grumble.”

“Are you trying to make her quit?” Markus asked when he reached their table.

Mitch dunked a piece of toast into his runny egg and popped it into his mouth. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Asking for a no-nonsense full breakfast. You’ve hurt Hannah’s feelings.”

“Did she say that?”

“She didn’t have to. I saw it written on her face. Now she knows you didn’t like her egg white omelet.”

“Now who’s the one who needs to get laid? Ever since Hannah started working here you’ve been—” Mitch frowned.

“What?”

“I just remembered something. I saw Hannah with Joyce yesterday. At the grocery store. They looked as thick as thieves.”

“So?”

“Doesn’t it strike you as odd that Hannah just happened to come along when she did?”

“You think Joyce and Hannah are in cahoots?”

“Guys,” Eddie called out as she approached their table. “I’m here for the news roundup.” She sat down next to Mitch and swiping a piece of toast, dunked it into his egg. “Theo’s coming back next week and he’s going to ask you guys to be his groomsmen.”

“Bull.”

“That’s what I said, right before I ticked it off the list. Fact is, I’m getting married and I don’t want any delays or unnecessary hassles. Also, Elizabeth is launching her product tonight at the Twilight Market, one week ahead of schedule. I know it’s our busy night at the pub, but you’ll take turns visiting her stall. She needs all the support we can give her. I’ve drawn up a schedule. Mitch can go first, then Matthew, and yes, you too Markus. I expect you all to buy something from her. Now, what’s this I hear about you hunting Wilbur’s ghost?”

* * *

“I think I’m going to be sick. What if I poison people? Worse. What if no one buys my jam?”

“You’re at it again,” Glenda said walking into the shed. “If it comes to that, I’ll take all the jars off your hands. As for poisoning people, you took out insurance. Not that you need it, I had some jam for breakfast and I’m still here.”

“I need to stop talking out loud. I hate having witnesses to my mini meltdowns. Sorry, it’s just me covering all possible outcomes.”

“Now that you’ve done it, why don’t you step back and survey your work. Take it all in.”

Elizabeth did as she was told. She stood back and swept her eyes from one end of the preserving shed to the other. After finishing her last batch, she’d washed and put away all the pots and utensils. She looked down at her hands. She’d given them a thorough workout, washing, cutting, stirring, carrying…

A gurgle of laughter rose to her throat.

She nodded. “I’ve done well.”

“And after tonight, you’ll have tomorrow off but next week, you’ll have to start all over again. How do you feel now?”

She jumped on the spot. “I’m raring to go.”

“Okay, let’s load them up. We have an hour to set up the stall.”

* * *

Mitch reached the end of the main street and stopped. The town had been using the paddocks across the road for Sunday markets, fairs, dog trials, cattle shows and anything they could think of for as long as he could remember. Recently, there had been talk of putting in park benches and a playground.

Fairy lights hung from trees, and the stallholders had already set up their wares on trestle tables. There’d be plenty of people taking a stroll around and doing some shopping before going onto the pub. Mitch looked beyond to the vacant land surrounding it. Maybe Eddie was onto something. “If you build it, they will come…” He had no trouble picturing a couple of town houses, maybe a row of them… He shrugged and crossed the street. The sun was hanging low on the horizon with the day’s warm weather still lingering.

A couple strolled past him, each one cupping a jar in their hands. As he wove his way around the stalls looking for Elizabeth, he saw more and more people carrying the same jars. In fact, everywhere he looked, he saw little jars that sparkled in the light, like precious rubies.

Drawn by the light tingle of laughter, he turned. And then he saw her, handing over a ruby red jar. Mitch hurried his steps, his heart skipping all the way up to his throat, his focus locked in on her. Conversation, laughter, greetings... It all faded and fell by the wayside.

“Mitch Faydon, what do you think you’re doing?”

Miriam Stewart—the twins’ mother. Her voice acted like a whip fastening around his neck and pulling him back.

“You’re jumping the queue.”

He stopped in his tracks and then noticed the line of people, all looking at him.

“What are you all doing here?” He strode over to the end of the line and stood behind the twins, Aimee and Belle, who’d come with their parents.

“It’s a new stallholder. Her jams are selling like hot cakes. We might be too late. What are you doing here?” the twin’s mom asked.

He didn’t want to admit he’d been ordered to come. “I’m… supporting local small business.”

“That’s the spirit.”

“Look mom, they’re so pretty,” Belle said as she pointed to a woman carrying a jar.

“Don’t you hate queues, Mitch? Mom says all good things come to those who wait, but I think we might be out of luck. She’s selling quite a lot. By the time it’s our turn, there might not be any left.” Aimee complained.

With only two people ahead of him, Mitch stood close enough to see Elizabeth’s eyes sparkling, her lips stretched into a brilliant smile. Several strands of hair had come loose and played around her cheeks. The last rays of sunshine swept around her, giving her a warm glow. She was enjoying herself.

And then it was his turn.

He took a step toward her, telling himself to act normal, make a casual remark... something like...he’d just seen all these people queuing up and had to see what all the fuss was about...

No, that didn’t sound right.

“Mitch. Hi!”

“I’ll take one of those, please.”

“Oh… Um… Did Eddie send you?” Elizabeth asked.

He told himself to blink… and breath. And say something that didn’t completely give away the fact that he was an idiot. “Okay, I’ll take two.”

She frowned and leaned forward. “It’s really nice of you to come and support me, but you don’t have to buy anything.”

His gaze dropped to her lips, and he couldn’t stop thinking about how plump they looked. “I want to—” His throat swallowed up the rest of the sentence. He took one of the jars and handed over some money, he had no idea how much. “We like to support local businesses. Um, I’m holding up the queue. Okay, I’ll see you later.” He clasped his hands around the jar and strode off, his mind telling his legs to remain steady, while his legs just wanted to beat a hasty retreat. Crap. It had all happened so fast. In the blink of an eye, he’d managed to obliterate his solid reputation as a smooth talker—

Looking up he saw Helena Wright coming his way. He waved at her and called out.

“Spending the night on the town?” he asked.

“Yeah, Sophie and I are finally crawling out of our cave.”

“How’s Sophie doing?” Her fiancé had done a runner on her at the last minute. Mitch and his brothers had sworn that if they ever laid hands on him...

“It’s been slow in coming, but she’s finally pulling herself together. She’s at the pub now and I’m heading over to look at the stalls. Catch you later.”

Mitch watched her go and frowned.

He’d had no trouble talking to Helena. Sure, he’d known the Wright sisters all his life, but he’d bet anything he could approach any woman in Eden and fall into an easy conversation...

The way he had with Elizabeth when he’d first met her.

Now, every time he saw her...

Something had happened. Something kept scrambling his brain...

Even when he’d been attracted to someone, he’d never had any trouble talking. In fact, attraction seemed to bring out the best in him.

Could this be a case of head over heels infatuation?

“No.” No. No. No.

Chapter Seven

Elizabeth had been hugged and patted on the back by more people than she thought could possibly live in Eden. Helena had helped her pack up her stall, and had then swept her along to the pub to celebrate her instant success.

A one hit wonder, Elizabeth couldn’t help thinking.

She’d sold out all her rhubarb jam, but she knew she had to be practical and assume that the community spirit had a lot to do with her success. The proof would be in the actual tasting of the product. Hindsight had been galling her into admitting she should have offered samples. Next time, she thought…

Music wafted around her. She took a sip of her wine and swayed on the spot as she listened to the lyrics. The live band played a ballad about moving on, giving up on yesterdays and turning corners. It all sounded like her own personal subliminal message, reminding her to stay on course and remain true to herself. It was happening with one tiny step at a time. Eventually, she’d find herself and then...

Elizabeth frowned.

The search was over.

She was already happy. Sure, it was early days and she was still exploring possibilities, but so far... she nodded... it was looking good. Moments like today when everything fell into place could be her benchmark.

When the song ended, she joined Eddie and the others who’d managed to snatch a free table. As she settled down beside Eddie, someone else joined them. The blonde woman she’d seen talking with Joyce the other day at the grocery store. The one who was putting her money on Mitch sticking to his woman free purpose until the following week…

“Elizabeth, this is Hannah. She’s the new chef at The Gloriana,” Joyce said.

“You know the boys are going to catch on to the fact you two know each other,” Eddie said. “By the way, top marks to you for sorting out the breakfast problem.”

Joyce shrugged. “Needs must. I do well enough without having people queuing up for tables. Getting an overflow of customers was becoming an issue. I guess I struck it lucky. Hannah was between jobs.”

“Drinks are on me,” Elizabeth said as the next song was about to start. Smiling, she wove her way to the bar, leaning in to place her order, her voice straining to be heard over the noise in the pub, her gaze drifting over to the end of the bar where Mitch was working, serving drinks, chatting with customers, many of them women. He had such an easy manner about him. Yet the last couple of times they’d met, he’d seemed reluctant to speak to her.

Matthew did a brisk job of lining up the glasses on a tray, giving her a thumbs-up when he was done.

Taking a firm hold of the drink’s tray, she turned, and worried her bottom lip.

Elizabeth was here to celebrate, and to enjoy the company of people who’d accepted her just as she was. To revel in this new life she’d found for herself and embrace new possibilities…

She hadn’t come here tonight to think about the way her heart raced whenever she thought about Mitch.

She might have walked away from a relationship that had been defunct for way too long, and from a man who’d been playing her for a fool, but in a sense, she still wasn’t free. Not until she could stand on her own two feet.

Yes, but... there was more to life than making a living.

Her breath rushed in and out. The place was swarming with good-looking guys. Her gaze skipped from one to the other and...

Nothing.

She told herself to try harder.

Again. Nothing. No response, no quickening of her heartbeat. Then she looked over her shoulder. Her eyes met Mitch’s and they held.

That’s what I’m talking about, she thought as heat poured through her.

What was that all about?

It had to be a combination of the excitement of the day, the music, the crush of people, she reasoned. The air was thick with pheromones, add to that the glass of wine she’d had, surely it all added to crossed wires, imagined attraction, wild assumptions about being ready to meet someone new...

She pushed herself to move. Reaching the table, she set the tray down. “Here you go.” She distributed the drinks and then took a glass for herself and, taking a sip of her wine, she looked up. They were all looking at her as if she’d grown another head.

“What?”

“Eddie just told us you two went shopping for jeans.”

Elizabeth chuckled under her breath. “I doubt she’ll ever offer again.” She turned to Eddie. “You can’t still be mad at me. At least I bought something.”

“A dress. You were supposed to get jeans, and you could have if you hadn’t been so fussy.”

Elizabeth tugged at the hem of her new dress. It felt girly, the pretty floral print not something she would normally have worn or have been allowed to wear…

Joyce laughed. “Eddie can’t complain. Until she met Theo, she was rarely seen out of her jeans, now it’s the complete opposite. Still, we’re going to have to do something about getting you into denim…”

And she’d let them because it would be fun.

Elizabeth tuned out, her eyes skating over the crowd. She’d lived in the city all her life, yet she’d never ventured inside a pub, and she’d never been to the same café twice. And here she was, on the way to becoming one of the regulars at The Gloriana and Joyce’s Café.

When the set ended and the band took a break, Joyce signaled she wanted to make an announcement.

“I’m not taking any more bets. The book’s closed.”

Feeling another wave of heat sweep through her, Elizabeth’s eyes strayed toward the bar. Again, Mitch held her gaze for what seemed like an eternity, and then he turned away to take an order. Nothing but coincidence, she told herself.

“How will we know if he… you know… if he breaks his oath?” Hannah, the breakfast chef, asked.

Both Eddie and Joyce laughed. “Everyone will know. There’ll be an extra twinkle in his eye.”

Elizabeth took a sip of her drink and tilting her head, she tucked a stray lock behind her ear, at the same time slanting her gaze toward the bar. Mitch was pouring a beer. He handed it over to the customer and before he turned to the next customer, he looked her way.

Okay. That was the third time. But then, what did she expect when she too was looking at him. He was probably wondering why she kept glancing his way. In fact, warning bells were probably ringing in his head, like a stalker alert…

“A twinkle. That’s hardly proof,” Elizabeth said. “What if he’s simply happy about something else? Like… finding his favorite pair of socks? You know how socks go missing all the time.”

Eddie smiled. “Joyce, do you want to do the honors or shall I?”

Joyce nodded. “It’s taken us many hours of patient scrutinizing, but we finally cracked the code.” Joyce rolled up her sleeves and leaned forward. “If you look at Mitch now, you’ll see he’s busy. He’ll be like that all night, serving drinks from one end of the bar to the other. People will come and go, but there’ll always be someone staking a claim on his attention, sitting somewhere in the bar. You just have to follow his gaze and see where it lands. Like now. See, he’s looking this way, so I’m going to tag the area like a crime scene. Next time he looks this way, I’ll pay closer attention and see where his gaze lands.”

Elizabeth took a quick sip of her drink, and then held the cold glass against her cheek. “He could just be looking because…” she shrugged, “It’s like working at a computer for long hours. You have to take a break and look into the distance to rest your eyes.” She considered switching seats, but she couldn’t think of an excuse.

“Wait for it… wait for it,” Joyce said and drummed her hands on the table. “Here it comes. Bingo! He’s looking this way.”

Elizabeth ducked her head and searched her bag. She always carried so much stuff, surely there had to be something in there she could pull out. A much needed… candy wrapper. Book. Lipstick.

“Hannah, is there something you’d like to tell us?” Joyce asked.

“Who? Me? He wasn’t looking at me.”

Maybe she should go up to the bar and warn Mitch to stop looking her way because if he didn’t, everyone would think they were having sex tonight.

“I’m sure he was looking at Elizabeth,” Hannah said.

Elizabeth looked up, a lollipop in her hand. “Me? Why? Oh, you know what... he paid for jam today and I didn’t give him the change—” Because he’d taken off like a bat out of hell. “Actually... he’s probably still trying to figure me out.” She shrugged. “Guys don’t react well to crazy women who struggle with Puff Doughnuts.” She waved her lollipop. “I’m getting better. Look, I keep this in my bag in case I get a sudden craving for sugar.”

“Hannah,” Eddie said, “I think you’re right.” Eddie leaned over to Joyce and whispered something in her ear.

“Oh, yeah...” Joyce laughed.

“What?”

“Eddie just said Mitch is probably wondering where you got the rhubarb from.”

It didn’t occur to ask why he’d be interested. She was simply too relieved to realize the spotlight had shifted, the conversation then meandering off in another direction. And then Joyce clapped her hands.

“Hey, Trent Peters is taking the stage.”

“What’s his special talent?” Hannah asked.

“He can give Mitch a run for his money in the bad boy department. He has a knack for making several women feel they’re the center of attention. Just watch him, by the end of the song he’s going to have you thinking you’re the one.”

“He’s never had that effect on me,” Eddie said, “Then again, I never look at his eyes.”

“That’s because you’re too busy looking elsewhere. The way he stands, all loose limbed...” Joyce shivered.

They all turned to admire his lanky physique. Elizabeth tried to pay homage and show an adequate amount of reverence to his obvious good looks. Trent Peters had the package deal, but once again, her thoughts strayed to an unshaven, ruffled haired—

Time to own up to the fact that she was attracted to Mitch Faydon.

That put her in a bit of a jam...

A real pickle.

Fleeing from a bad relationship, jumping straight into another one was the last thing she should be thinking about.

She’d landed in this quaint little town with only one thought in mind. To be happy and that meant revamping her life by doing what made her happy. It sounded simple enough. Eventually, she supposed the real Elizabeth Charles would step out from the shadows and shine. But what if she already had? And what if this new, improved version would like nothing better than to walk on the wild side and take a chance on someone, give in to the wanting stirring inside her?

She turned toward the bar. She had a good thing going in Eden. She’d landed on her feet and had found new friends and a new purpose. Why complicate something that was already working well for her? If this new Elizabeth came with an inbuilt buffer, a thicker skin, something, anything to guard her against the pain of heartbreak and disappointment, then maybe...

She shook her head.

This wasn’t the time to take unnecessary risks…

* * *

“There’s a nip in the air,” Joyce said and turned up the collar of her jacket.

Elizabeth stepped out of the pub. Wrapped up in a blanket of lusty warmth, she didn’t feel the cold. “Thank you all for celebrating with me tonight. Even if it is a little premature.”

The Wright sisters hugged her again. “We’ll be spreading our toast with rhubarb jam tomorrow morning.”

Joyce came up to her, her lips quirked into an impish smile. “Elizabeth, don’t make me lose my bet.”

“What?”

“You girls ready?”

Elizabeth swung around, the sight of Mitch sending her stomach into a swan dive.

“We’ve got fences to check tomorrow morning, so we’ll be getting up at the crack of dawn,” Sophie said, “You’ll need to drop us off first. Then Eddie and then Elizabeth.”

Mitch opened the back and front passenger doors of his four-wheel drive. “Eddie’s crashing in her old room at the pub tonight. So it’s just you three girls.”

“I’ve got my car,” Elizabeth said and dug inside her handbag for her keys.

“That’s not the way it works. You drink, you don’t drive.”

“I only had two drinks.”

Mitch shrugged. “Makes no difference.”

“What about you?”

“I worked tonight. No drinking.”

“You’ve been inhaling alcoholic fumes all night… and… and I can’t leave my car here.”

Mitch snatched her car keys from her. “I’ll drive it in tomorrow and you can give me a lift back to town. Now come on. I’m beat.”

“You take your road safety very seriously,” she said and jumped in the front passenger seat because Sophie and Helena had already taken their places in the back.

“Yep. And we brook no argument.”

* * *

Helena and Sophie chatted nonstop all the way to their place, making his silence that much more obvious. Then again, he had to focus on driving. He had the two-lane road all to himself, but out this way, cars and wildlife could come from out of nowhere when least expected.