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His question caught me off-guard. “I’m thinking of selling my own sauces.”
He was quiet for so long I thought maybe he’d lost interest or gotten distracted by a passing beauty. “Really? That’s a great idea. What’s stopping you?”
“Nothing but time and research.”
“That’s my strong suit, as a detective.”
I risked a look at him. “Are you offering to help?”
“I am.”
“Why?”
Jackson’s brows dipped into a low vee. “What do you mean, why? Because I’m a nice guy?”
“Is that a question or a statement?”
Jackson growled his response. “What the hell did I do to make you so damn suspicious of me?”
He probably didn’t mean it that way, but the fact that he could ask, as if he’d forgotten completely, stung. “Not a thing,” I told him and got back to work.
We worked in silence for the first part of the morning as the judges went around and spoke to the different competitors, but when they showed up along with Ginger and half of Tulip, ignoring each other became impossible. “We’re not done talking about this,” he whispered in my ear just as Ginger appeared with Eddy and Betty at her side.
“Yes, we are. Good afternoon, ladies! Thanks for coming out, I hope you’re hungry for chili?”
“Darn tootin’,” Eddy said with a grin. “This is my favorite part of the contest, the chili. Hand over a bowl, honey.”
I handed a small paper bowl to each of them with a nervous smile. They weren’t my first visitors, but they were the only ones I could count on to give me an honest assessment of my chili. “Bon appétit, girls.”
I turned away while they ate, my stomach doing somersaults the entire time.
“You don’t want to watch?”
I shook my head at Jackson’s question. “If they even make a face, it’ll get in my head and I’ll start making last-minute changes and screw everything up.”
He laughed. “Never pegged you for the superstitious type.”
“I’m not. Not normally, I mean. But competition has a way of getting to me.”
“Holy damn, this is fantastic!” Ginger’s disjointed swearing drew my attention and tugged a smile across my face. “Seriously. Delicious.”
“She’s right, even if she’s supposed to be a professional writer, and not use that kind of language.” Eddy sent Ginger some disapproving side-eye for her colorful language. “What is a ‘holy damn’?”
She shrugged. “A step above a holy hell in deliciousness?”
“I’ll take it, whatever it was. Thanks.”
“See, you were worried about nothing.” Jackson’s whispered words sent a sliver of heat down my spine that curled into my veins and spread throughout my body.
I looked over my shoulder at him and gasped at his closeness. “We still have the judges.”
“Oh, hot photo!” Janey flashed a grin and I groaned, taking a step back from Jackson. “Too late, I already got it.”
That was pretty much how the rest of the day went. Drop-ins from Tulip residents to harass us while strangers came for the food and went about their merry way. The only constant was Jackson, who made it impossible to ignore him. To avoid him.
There, I said it. Maybe I was trying to avoid him all this time.
Maybe.
“What’s with the frown? Is second place that terrible?” Jackson bumped his shoulder against mine, sort of, wearing that charming smile that had the power to pull you right into him. He held two boxes, which only highlighted the line of his triceps.
I licked my lips. “Second place is fine, I was just trying to figure out what I did wrong to lose out on first.”
“Maybe the winner just used more sugar, or a prime cut of meat the judges really liked. I tasted it and it wasn’t all that great. Yours was better. Way better.”
I appreciated the effort. “Thanks.” And it was always nice to hear a compliment from a handsome man. Even if it was Jackson.
“Plus, your sauce got an honorable mention. That’s great!”
It was. “I’m very happy about that. Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come.”
“What do you win, other than money?”
“Exposure.” I picked up the final two boxes; thankfully, they were small enough I could easily carry them to the parking lot in one go. “You get all kinds of write-ups in magazines and websites dedicated to barbecue culture, chili culture, and all things Texas.”
“You think those people will come to Tulip for your barbecue?” I looked over my shoulder at him and his brows shot up. “I mean, I would, but that doesn’t seem like a solid business plan.”
I laughed at his attempt to call me an idiot in the nicest way possible. “It’s not just that. I’m thinking of… expanding.” I didn’t want to share this with him. Or anyone, really. Aunt Bette was the only one who knew and odds were good she didn’t remember.
“The sauces.” His hazel eyes went round with surprise and something that could have been pride, but I was probably mistaken. “You want to become the queen of barbecue sauces.”
