No Good Deed: Be Of Good Cheer
Pipe Dreams
Piper wanted the Phail Tourist Center to open for the Christmas season. Not that the teeny-tiny town brought in a lot of tourists for the winter holiday. Not yet, anyway. She hoped to help change that.
This was her second Christmas in Phail, her first as a married woman. Married. Something she’d never expected or dreamed of. And if she hadn’t been laid off and become the target of a pompous jerk, she’d have never found Troy or his home town.
She couldn’t contain the happy dance. Her life was so much better than she’d ever dreamed. Or even pipe dreamed.
That thought always made her smile. She’d been a late-in-life baby for her parents, and they’d named her Piper because she’d been their pipe dream.
Now, she was making her own pipe dreams come true.
She knew her mom and dad would have loved Troy. He was more outgoing than the three of them put together, but they would have loved his energy and relentless positivity.
Troy took care of everyone around him. He also took care of his town.
The town she loved and was happy to see growing. She was happy to know she’d had at least a small part in making that happen.
The Tourist Center would be another step.
Opening it for the Christmas holiday would make for a wonderful soft opening. The people of Phail loved nothing more than to support each other. She’d find out what worked in the way she’d set up the displays and what needed to be tweaked.
And it was a perfect time to set up the secret ballot box she and Marcus had created. As long as she could keep Troy away from that area.
With the town in on the surprise, she’d have a lot of help to make that happen.
Oreo popped up from where he’d been napping under the display of Nimii’s moccasins. At least her little French bulldog hadn’t been hiding on the shelf with them this time. Two days before, he’d been snuggled between two of the black moccasins, and she’d thought she’d lost her dog.
Oreo stretched his little legs and bounced over to her for his post-nap ritual hugs. She lifted him and snuggled the dog into her chest. “Hey, Oreo. How’s my best boy doing today? Did you have a good snooze?”
Before Oreo could answer, Piper’s phone rang with the opening of Taking Care Of Business, the song she’d chosen for her business line. Another pipe dream she’d never expected to come true.
She answered the phone with a smile. “Piper’s Pipe Dream Consulting.”
As always, just saying the name of her business had her doing another happy boogie. Her own pipe dreams were coming true, and she was having a blast consulting with other small towns around New England, helping them improve their homes as well.
Good Idea
Troy knocked on the door that separated Phail General from what would soon officially be the Phail Tourist Center.
He grinned, wishing he could send a message back in time to let Samuel Phail know about it. Over a hundred and fifty years before, the man had founded the town and the sawmill that had supported it.
Troy figured Samuel would get a kick out of seeing how the town was beginning to thrive again. In Troy’s lifetime, he’d seen the population ebb and flow, with more ebb in the mix.
Hiring Piper as an urban planning consultant for two weeks had been the smartest idea he’d ever had.
Personally and professionally.
The love of his life opened the door and slipped through the opening, holding Oreo to her chest. Lucky dog.
Piper’s grin was full of fun, and he leaned down to kiss her and capture some of her magic. As always, his head spun as soon as he touched her. Pure magic.
When he pulled back from the kiss, he rubbed his hand over Oreo’s head. The Frenchie didn’t like to be excluded. “Still keeping the Tourist Center under wraps? I can’t even sneak a peek?”
She shook her head with a huge smile. They both knew he could have a look whenever he wanted. Just as they both knew he wouldn’t. If Piper wanted to keep the room a surprise for everyone, he wouldn’t argue. The woman hadn’t had enough happy surprises in her life. He planned to spend the rest of his life changing that.
Piper kissed him lightly. “It’s a surprise. You’ll get to see it soon.”
He growled and faked a scowl. “Being married to the brilliant mind behind the center should give me a few perks.
She laughed and pulled down his head for another kiss. “I’ll make it up to you.”
He liked the sound of that.
Good To Go
Piper waited for Oreo to do his business. After he’d stuck his head in every snowbank in the vicinity of course. “I’ve met more dogs now, Oreo, and you’re the only one who does this. Any idea why you like those snowbanks so much?”
His little butt wiggled as he moved to another bank and repeated his move. Then he finally did his business and trotted happily behind her as she went through the back door into the Phail Tourist Center.
She wiped down Oreo’s paws and did one last lap around the space. The doors would open in ten minutes and she wanted everything to be perfect.
The room had held several purposes over the years. At first, it had been a living space for the Phails who ran the Phail General Store.
Over the decades, plumbing and electricity had been added. Most recently, the space had housed the police station. Now Marcus Ramirez had his own space, and she’d been able to create the tourist center. It was fitting that this was one of the original buildings in town.
She’d cajoled and begged the townspeople to send her old photos of the town. These were now grouped in displays around the room.
Samuel Phail and his family. Doctors Hamish and Alastair Phail, the dentist and doctor who’d shared the building that was now Doc’s. The Saloon in its former and present glory. The telegraph office. The sawmill and the blacksmith shop out at Midnight Lake. The buildings that had once been businesses but had been torn down to make way for Phail Way Park.
So many memories. So much history.
Interspersed with the old, there was plenty of new.
Nimii Theriault’s moccasins and bead work, along with her paintings.
Sculptures, sketches, and paintings by Josie Ellis.
Addison Syrette’s books.
The robot toys built by Tansy Cheveyo to teach kids coding.
Aisling Gallagher’s wood-crafted tables and carvings.
Best of all, there was the Phail merchandise, designed by none other than the world famous comic strip artist, Paxi. Piper still got giddy at the thought that she know knew Paxi and would be selling her work.
A knock sounded on the door separating the Tourist Center from Phail General. Troy. She’d promised him first look, so she hadn’t put out the box yet. She’d slip that out soon.
For now, she moved to let in her husband. And to sneak in another kiss or two for courage.
Good Magic
Troy knew Piper was nervous about the opening of the Phail Tourist Center. She was an introvert at heart. Phail and its people had helped her become more comfortable in groups, but she was never going to love being in the spotlight.
He also knew she thought the spotlight tonight would be the Tourist Center—and it would. But it would also be on her.
Piper had come up with so many ways to improve the town. The park with its gazebo, climbing wall, sports field, and splash pad. The running and jogging paths that bordered the park and extended into the woods.
Bridges over the streams on those paths, and benches for people to sit and enjoy nature. Phail Facts and Jokes on signs along the way.
The businesses coordinated their decor for a polished look that had locals and tourists alike talking about how the town looked so put-together.
Piper was the center of the changes. In many ways, the center of town. Definitely the center of his life. The people were going to want to thank her, to talk to her, to tell her how much they appreciated what she’d done and what she was planning to do.
His job for the night was to make sure Piper didn’t get overwhelmed. That she had fun while the spotlight shone on her.
When she opened the door to let him into the center, he could see those nerves sparkling. He didn’t spare the room a glance. Instead, he framed her face. “You’re an amazing woman, Piper. I love you more every day.” Then he kissed her to prove it.
When her legs trembled, he banded his arms around her. “It’s going to be a fun night. Show me what you’ve done.”
She laughed softly. “I’m not sure I even know my name right now.”
He grinned. “Piper Keenan-Phail, Urban and Rural Planner Extraordinaire.”
She laughed again. “You’re very good for me, Mr. Phail and town hero.”
“That’s my job. Well, the first part, anyway. Now, stop distracting me with those sexy eyes, and show me the place.”
When he finally lifted his head to look around, he gaped.
He’d done a lot of the early work with her. They’d painted and put up shelves. They’d decided on display tables and units together. They picked most of those out from garage sales, thrift stores, and the property at Midnight Lake.
He’d helped choose and frame the photos that would go on the wall. Even the merchandise was familiar as they’d collected it all in their home while they’d got the space ready.
But seeing it all at once? All put together and shining?
Troy swallowed hard. “Holy shit, Piper. This is magic. Absolute magic.”
It didn’t resemble a store much at all. It was homey and fun. Pricing was subtle with the focus on the art and merchandise on display, not on profit.
The artisans from the area were incredibly talented, but Piper’s displays of their work helped it all to shine. Each artisan had their own section and it all flowed easily from one to the next.
He hauled Piper into his arms and then buried his face in her hair. “Pure magic.”
Good Deal
Piper couldn’t believe the crowd. The room wasn’t all that large, but she thought at least half the town filled it at any one time.
Staying behind the antique dresser that housed her old-fashioned cash-register and very modern payment equipment helped her keep her nerves in check.
Ginny Phail had set up a refreshment table next to Piper and that helped too. Ginny was as outgoing as her cousin, and she helped keep Piper’s nerves in check.
Marcus stayed nearby as well, blocking the small area at the end of Ginny’s table where townspeople slipped their ballots in the box she’d made earlier. Marcus kept it all official, while looking completely natural. And helping to distract Troy if he came too close.
Because everyone else was in on it, too, Troy was kept distracted when necessary.
The silliness of the secret task helped Piper keep her nerves in control. Added to that, the room was filled with friends. Happy friends who wanted to tell her how much they loved Phail Central.
She thought it was Nina who’d come up with the name. Piper loved it. It matched Phail General and was much more in line with the silliness of the town than Phail Tourist Center. That had been way too formal.
She couldn’t wait to have a sign made to showcase the new name.
The artisans whose work was on display wandered the room, talking with anyone who had questions about their work or their processes. She figured they would all have sales from the townspeople who already knew about them.
When tourists arrived in town, she knew they were going to be amazed at the quality of the local talent. She pulled out her phone and added a note. Over the winter, she’d write up information packets for each artisan. Something small people could take with them. With codes they could scan to take them to the artisans’ pages on the town website.
She and Troy had snapped some photos of Phail Central before the crowd had arrived and she’d have to add those to the website as well.
Phail’s website was growing because the town was growing, too.
Marcus nodded at her, then picked up the box and slipped out through the door into Phail General.
Piper smiled. It was going to be an excellent night.
Good Job
Troy didn’t have a clue what Piper and Marcus were up to, but they were having so much fun with their secret, he wasn’t going to ruin it by trying to figure it out.
Whatever it was had helped Piper with her nerves. Ginny had played along with it and helped Piper as well.
Damn, he loved this town.
At one point, Piper motioned to him to approach the cash, the same cash the town had worked to keep him away from for the past couple of hours.
Troy kissed Piper and whispered. “Congrats on your roaring success. Ready to be done?”
She nodded. He picked up the antique bell they’d found in the basement of the lodge at Midnight Lake. It was an old iron bell and engraved with the name of the town.
Troy gave it a ring. The crowd quieted and turned to him. He grinned. “I like this bell. Okay, Piper’s closing up for the day. We’re going to head over to the Saloon for the Christmas movie. Tonight we’re going to watch a classic, It’s A Wonderful Life. We’ve got candy canes for all the Phail card winners.”
A cheer went up and the crowd drifted out. Most of then stopped to congratulate and thank Piper before they left.
When the two of them were alone, he wrapped her in his arms. “That was amazing, but you must be exhausted. That was a lot of people. Do you want to skip the movie?”
She snuggled in and chuckled. “We can’t skip the movie. We’re in charge, remember?”
He kissed her head. “If you’re too worn out, people will understand. Nina can take over. Or anyone, really.”
She shook her head. “I’m good. Or I will be if you hold me for another minute or two.”
He kept his arms around her and swayed her into a sort-of dance. “You did an amazing job with the tourist center. It was a huge hit.”
Piper laughed and lifted her head. “It’s no longer the Phail Tourist Center. It’s now Phail Central. Nina’s idea and I love it. Wish I’d thought of it myself.”
He grinned. “I heard a few people calling it that. It works. We’ll have to get a sign.”
She nodded. “It’ll be another thing for tourists to smile about when they arrive in town.”
“You’ve done so much for this town, Piper.”
Her smile softened. “It’s a great place. I love it here and I’m glad some of my ideas have helped out.”
He tipped her chin up and whispered. “I love you.”
As he kissed her, he thought the movie could wait for just a few more minutes.
Good News
Piper was glad they hadn’t made the town wait long, but kissing Troy and borrowing some of his strength had recharged her. As had the things he’d whispered in her ear. His plans for how they should cap off the day once they were back home and alone.
Plans she full supported.
The movie was a hit. The first year, they’d only managed one movie night, but now they did one a week throughout the month of December, with a bonus one on Christmas Eve.
Next weekend, they’d have the photo scavenger hunt and the snowman building contest. She couldn’t imagine a better place to live than Phail.
Which probably still sounded ridiculous, but Troy had been right. She was used to it, and she loved the smiles it brought to people’s faces.
As the movie finished up, Marcus moved to the front of the room. Troy raised his eyebrow as his friend joined him. Usually Troy wrapped things up himself.
Marcus grinned and turned to the crowd. “Good evening everyone. It’s been a great day. Between the opening of Phail Central and then a fabulous movie with Phail card fun, it couldn’t be much better.”
Marcus motioned to her. “Piper, come on up here, too.”
She held in the sigh and moved forward. Troy immediately tucked her under his arm and kissed her hair.
Marcus spoke to the crowd. “I want to thank Troy and Piper before I tell everyone my big news.”
Troy’s arm tightened around her. “Big news?”
Marcus grinned and ignored him. “Thanks to these two, our town is growing. Without them, I know we wouldn’t be having as much fun, and we wouldn’t be attracting new businesses and people. Phail is getting better every day and we have these two to thank for it.”
Piper knew her face had flushed to a deep red, but she managed a smile.
“And now to the news.”
Troy leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Does this have anything to do with whatever you two were hiding from me all night?”
She laughed and nodded.
He sighed into her ear. “Paybacks, Piper.”
That had her blushing again. Paybacks with Troy were always sexy and always fun.
Marcus held up the box. “We had almost one hundred percent participation from all of the adults in town. He held up another smaller box. We also had one hundred percent participation from the young people in town.”
Marcus frowned at Troy. “In fact, Troy was the only one who didn’t participate.”
Troy laughed. “If I’d known what was going on, that might have changed.”
Marcus laughed. “It was an official event. Supported by the state of Vermont. The result was overwhelming. In fact every single person, except for Troy, agreed.”
Piper wrapped her arms around Troy and squeezed. She had to blink away happy tears. Everyone agreed with her.
Marcus held out his hand to Troy. “Congratulations.”
Troy shook it with a laugh. “For what?”
Marcus laughed. “Let me be more specific. Congratulations, Mayor Phail.”
Troy looked from Marcus to her to the crowd and back. “Mayor?”
Marcus nodded. “It’s official. Paperwork has been duly filed and every check has been checked. Our town is big enough to have a mayor and every last one of us wants that mayor to be you.”
In Good Hands
Troy knew his mouth had dropped open but he couldn’t muster the awareness to close it.
Mayor.
Him.
“You had an election?”
Marcus nodded.
“Without telling me.”
Another nod.
“Without telling me I was being nominated?”
Another nod. And a grin. Marcus didn’t look the least bit repentant.
He looked down at Piper who was blinking away the mist in her eyes. Her smile was full of everything he’d ever wanted in his life. “And you knew?”
She nodded with a smile.
He turned to the crowd. “You all knew?”
Laughter greeted him this time.
“Mayor?”
Sean Falcone called out. “All hail Mayor Phail.”
Cheers burst out across the room and Troy couldn’t do anything else but laugh. He was sure he should have signed something along the way in order for this to be official. His buddy Marcus had probably tricked him into it so that he could pull off this surprise.
Marcus held out his hand. “Do you accept the nomination, Mayor Phail?”
“Nomination? I feel like we’re past the nomination stage.”
Marcus nodded. “Well past it. Congratulations, Mayor.”
Knowing he didn’t have a choice, knowing that he didn’t want a different choice, Troy shook his hand again. “Thank you. I accept.”
Cheers erupted again and soon he was surrounded by friends and family. Backslaps and hugs. Congratulations.
He wondered if any other town in history was as wonderful and ridiculous as this town. As his town.
Mayor.
Holy shit.
Piper hadn’t left his side and her touch kept him grounded.
It took a while, but eventually the crowd cleaned up the Saloon and everyone headed out. He kept Piper’s hand in his as they walked the few blocks from the Saloon to their home.
Large flakes of snow fell, making the night even more magical.
They didn’t speak much as they walked and Oreo stuck his head in all the snowbanks.
When Troy locked the door behind them all and they kicked off their boots, Piper reached up to frame his face. “You’ve been awfully quiet. Are you okay? Are you happy?”
He smiled down at her. “Overwhelmed. Grateful. Proud. Happy. So damn happy, Piper.”
Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away. “Was it okay to do it all as a surprise?”
He laughed. “I’m assuming this was Arrow’s idea?”
She nodded. “But we all agreed to go along with it. Are you sure it’s okay?”
He grinned. “It’s a completely ridiculous thing to keep a secret, but it cracks me up. Marcus must have tricked me into signing a form somewhere along the line, but I can’t be upset about it.”
“Good. I was a little worried.”
He squeezed her hand. “I get it, but I’m okay. Actually, I’m more than okay. I’m still wrapping my head around it all.”
“Mayor Phail of Phail has a pretty nice ring to it.”
A laugh burst out of him. “It does. And thanks to you, our town is big enough to have a mayor.”
She grinned. “You’re the very best choice for mayor ever.”
He had to swallow against the emotion. “I’m overwhelmed.”
“I’m so proud of you. So proud of the man you are. A man who cares so much for the people around you. A man who does so much for his town. There’s no one else who could be the mayor. No one else anyone would choose. A hundred percent of people wanted you to do this. But if you don’t want it, I’m sure we can fix it.”
He mulled over her words and swallowed again. “I hadn’t thought of it before. Not once. But I want it. I want to keep growing the town, and this is a great way to do that.”
She reached up on her toes to kiss him. “Then congratulations, Mayor Phail.”
He boosted her up until she wrapped her legs around his waist.
“And as Mayor, my first official act is going to be to make love to my wife.”
She laughed. “Sounds like a very good plan to me.”
He nodded. “Very, very good.”
And it was.
Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed this bonus scene to the No Fail Heroes Romantic Suspense series!
The next book in the series is No Going Back spotlighting Sean and Branna.