This is one sure-fire recipe for disaster!
Always proper Layla Taylor never expected to need her childhood nemesis. But when sheâs stranded in a blizzard after breaking up with her cheating ex, Justin Tremont is exactly what sheâs missing. Well, Justin and his carâs snow tires.
Justinâs more than okay being the rebound guy. A little fun, no stringsâthatâs his kind of relationship. But Layla Taylor? Sheâs by the book, to put it mildly. Justin, on the other hand, hardly ever follows his own recipes for the spectacular cakes heâs become known for. This woman is making him feel protective and possessive, of all things. And she sees right through him. That he canât have. After all, no chef likes to tell all his secretsâ¦.
âWhy not work for me?â
Layla smirked. âThanks for the offer, Justin. Iâll see you around.â
He smiled at what was obviously a lie, since she was going to take great efforts not to see him, and took a step back. âYeah. Layla. Sounds good.â
Layla barely got outside the door when the words heâd said sunk in. Sheâd given as good as sheâd got.
Hadnât she? Hmm. Maybe she hadnât.
She turned and knocked. When Justin opened the door, she took both sides of his face, pulled his head down and kissed him.
âWhat was that for?â he said when she finally let him go.
âThat was for every time Iâve taken the high road and didnât respond in kind to all the stuff you and my brothers did to me.â
He rubbed his thumb over his lower lip. âI like the way you retaliate.â
Dear Reader,
Layla Taylor has long believed that if she planned well enough, her life would be safe, organized and secureâthe exact opposite of the way she was raised. But when both her career and her love life evaporate within a matter of days, she begins to suspect that sheâs wasted time chasing goals because she thought she had to, not because she wanted to. Sheâs determined to loosen up and enjoy life, but old habits are hard to break.
Enter Laylaâs childhood nemesis, chef Justin Tremont, the guy who ran her bra up the ROTC flagpole fifteen years ago. Justin is the last person Layla thought sheâd use as a role model, but who better to teach her to loosen up than someone who lives for a good time?
Justin, however, is not the carefree guy he pretends to be, because he has a secret. The kind of secret that doesnât go away. The kind of secret that eats at a guy and eventually keeps him from forming long-term relationships. Heâs getting a kick out of the new Layla and is more than happy to help her loosen up a littleâuntil he starts to suspect that Layla deserves a whole lot more than heâs able to give.
Just Desserts is a book about acceptanceâaccepting the mistakes youâve made, accepting that life isnât something that can be planned and controlled. Accepting that sometimes you just have to take a chance and hope for the best.
I enjoy hearing from readers. Please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or visit my website, www.jeanniewatt.com.
Jeannie Watt
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeannie Watt lives off the grid in rural Nevada and loves nothing better than an excellent meal. Jeannie is blessed with a husband who cooks more than she does, a son who knows how to make tapas and a daughter who knows the best restaurants in San Francisco. Her idea of heaven is homemade macaroni and cheese.
To Jamie, baker of delicious cakes and other fattening treats, too numerous to name.
To Victoria, my most patient editor,
Thank you!
CHAPTER ONE
LAYLA©TAYLOR©WASNâT©DRUNK enough to be hallucinating, which meant that Justin Tremont was not a figment of her imagination. Her childhood nemesis and the sworn enemy of all she held dear was indeed standing in the doorway of the Lake Tahoe lounge, scanning the room.
Crap.
She ducked her head, hoping he wouldnât see her drowning her sorrows, alone, as she waited for her sister to come pick her up. The lounge was dimly lit and crowded. There was no reason he should notice her, but less than a minute later she felt the vinyl bench give way beneath his weight as he sat beside her.
This evening just kept getting better.
âHi, Layla,â he said, when she cut him a sideways glance. âIâm here to take you home.â
âOver my dead body.â
âWhatever.â
Layla leaned her head back against the black vinyl booth cushion, noting with some alarm that when she closed her eyes, the room began to spin.
âWhy are you here?â she asked without opening her eyes, certain that if she concentrated hard enough, she could make the spinning stop. Besides, she didnât need to see to know exactly what Justin was doingâsmirking at her. Just as heâd smirked at her for her entire life. Well, not all of it. Only the ten years theyâd lived down the street from each other, and her younger brothers and Justin, who were all a year behind her in school, had enjoyed some kind of an outlaw bond. The three of them had made her life miserable whenever possible.