Best of My Love (Fool's Gold) (11 page)

The following Friday, he followed Charlie to the front door and opened it to find Shelby on his porch. The cold weather was less intense and she’d replaced her down jacket with a lighter leather coat. She had on high-heeled boots, instead of ones designed for snow, and tight jeans. A sexy package.

He told himself none of that mattered and that he should instead focus on the basket she carried.

“Come on in,” he said, taking it from her.

She relinquished the surprisingly heavy basket and stepped into the house. After hanging up her jacket, she crouched down to greet an ecstatic Charlie, then straightened.

“We’re blending,” she said with a laugh. “I like that.”

He led the way into the kitchen. “I know how to compromise.”

They were having dinner together and just talking—a girl thing. Followed by the second half of a basketball game—a guy thing.

Two months ago he would have groaned at the thought of sitting around and talking. What was the point? But now he understood the appeal. He wasn’t going to call his friends and suggest they have a boys’ night in. But every now and then it was good to talk things over. Not just problems, but what was happening in life. He liked Shelby’s perspective on everything from the latest festival to who was pregnant or dating.

Shelby picked up Charlie and hugged him. “How’s my best guy?” The little bichon licked her chin and gave a happy yip.

While they greeted each other, Aidan emptied the basket of a casserole and four tall dessert glasses filled with what looked like parfait. Because dinner with Shelby always meant amazing dessert.

“What did you bring?” he asked.

She set down Charlie and walked into the kitchen. “That’s the taco casserole that won the Great Casserole Cookoff,” she told him. “I got the recipe in my email this week and decided to try it.”

He chuckled. “Yet another difference between men and women.”

“What do you mean?”

“I got that email, too.” The same online service that sent out information about their two singles events sent out recipes. “I never thought about making any of the casseroles.”

“After tonight, you’re going to change your mind. It wasn’t hard.” She motioned to the dessert. “Chocolate bread pudding parfait. The recipe said to use bread soaked in espresso and rum, but I used chocolate pound cake instead. I think the texture will be better.” She smiled. “Of course I still soaked it in rum.”

“That’s my girl.”

Since meeting Shelby, Aidan had been forced to step up his workout routine. His job kept him pretty active, but he still tried to get to the gym a couple of times a week to get in a long run and lift some weights. But with the desserts, cookies and cakes she was forever bringing around, he’d found himself having to add another day of exercise.

He had no idea how she kept her weight exactly the same, but being a guy and therefore visual, he happened to know she never gained an ounce. No harm in looking and Shelby was a beautiful woman. He knew every inch of her...at least the inches he could see. Under her clothes was another matter. Not that he hadn’t imagined, but a guy never knew for sure until he—

He firmly squashed that line of thinking. They weren’t going there, he told himself. Not now, not ever. Friends. Good, platonic friends.

He left out the casserole, but put the parfaits in the refrigerator. She turned on the oven and checked out the bottle of wine he’d chosen for their dinner.

“I need to learn more about wine,” she said with a sigh. “I’m forever guessing at what is good. I wonder if I could take a class or something.”

“Talk to someone up at Condor Valley Winery. They’d know where to start.” He leaned against the counter. “I don’t know that much, either. We could take a class together.” He thought about the dessert they were having. “What about learning about different wines to have with different desserts? People are always pairing wine with food, but what about sweet things? It would be a fun event to have at the bakery.”

She nodded quickly. “You’re right. And with the winery as a cosponsor, we could get the wine at a real discount. I wonder what it would take to get a license to sell wine in the store. If Amber was interested...”

The last sentence nearly sounded like a question. “You’re not sure.”

“I think I have too many ideas for her. She and I are partners, but I’m only a minority shareholder and things have been done a certain way for a long time. Not that she isn’t great. She is. I really like working with her. But I try to be careful—to not push things too far.”

He opened the bottle of wine. “It was like that when I first went into the business with Mom. I’d always worked there part-time, but when I took things over, I had to balance what I wanted with what my mom thought was right. It was much easier when I bought her out. Everything was on me.”

“Your ideas.” She took the glass of wine he offered. “So you succeeded and failed on your own.”

“Right. No one to blame and no one else to take the credit. It works for me.”

“I’m envious,” she admitted. “I know Amber understands the business better than me but I keep thinking about all these other things we could be doing. I’d love to expand. The space next door to ours is going to be available in a couple of months. We could do so much with that. I think a tea shop would be fun to open. Tourists would enjoy it and we could limit the hours so we only needed one shift of servers.”

“Have you talked to Amber?”

“I mentioned it and she wasn’t that interested. I’ll try again in a few months. Maybe during the summer, when we’re flooded with tourists.”

He crossed to her and put his arm around her. “Sorry it’s difficult. For what it’s worth, I value your opinion and I’m about to take advantage of our friendship by asking you to share it with me.”

She leaned into him. They fit well together, he thought, realizing a second too late that what he’d meant as a friendly, comforting gesture was so much more. At least to him.

He wanted to take the wineglass from her so her hands were free. He wanted to turn her so they were facing each other, then he wanted to pull her close, the way a man drew in a woman he desired. He wanted to kiss her and touch her and—

“So the mock-ups are finished?” she asked.

The question—so at odds with what he was thinking—pulled him back to the moment at hand. He carefully dropped his arm and stepped away.

“They are. I want to know what you think.”

They went into the dining room. He’d put place mats, napkins and flatware at one end of the table. At the other, he had a stack of eleven-by-eighteen-inch sheets of paper. Shelby sat at the end of the table and he took the seat next to hers.

The first poster mock-up showed a photograph of a parasailer over a huge blue lake. His company logo was on top with information on the website and the Fool’s Gold address on the bottom.

“It looks both thrilling and terrifying,” she admitted. “People really do this?”

“They do. Del and I did it at Lake Tahoe last fall. Lake Ciara is a lot smaller, but still plenty big. You start on a platform and the boat pulls you out onto the lake. It’s awesome.”

“If you say so.”

The oven dinged. She got up and put in the casserole, then returned to the dining room.

“Let’s see what the others are like.”

He spread out the different posters and they studied the options. Shelby had some good suggestions about what she thought would work and what wouldn’t.

“This one draws me in more,” she said. “And the one with the kids is great. You want families to be doing this. They make up a large percentage of our tourist population.”

They picked the three they like best. Aidan marked up the changes he wanted while she checked on the casserole, then they headed out to take Charlie on a quick walk before dinner.

The little dog walked along, sniffing and stopping to mark his territory. Aidan had to admit that even though it had only been a few weeks, he couldn’t imagine not having the bichon in his life.

“I’m glad it’s warmer now,” he said. “No coats for Charlie.”

Shelby laughed. “You’re such a guy.”

“Dogs have dignity. They shouldn’t have to be humiliated by clothing.”

“I don’t think Charlie minded.”

“That’s not what he tells me.”

She grinned at him. “So now you two are keeping secrets from me?”

“Just man stuff. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh, you are so going to pay for that.”

Most of the snow had already melted. There were still big piles in parking lots from all the plowing, but here in the neighborhoods there were signs of spring. He pointed out the first hints of crocuses and tulips.

“The Tulip Festival is one of my favorites,” she said. “All the flowers are so beautiful.”

“Then we should go.”

“I’d like that.” She glanced at him. “Aidan, I need to talk to you about something.”

Her tone warned him that he wasn’t going to like the topic.

“What?” he asked warily.

“I’m worried about your sex life. Or lack of sex life.”

Dammit all to hell. “No.”

He turned back toward the house. Charlie trotted along with him. Aidan didn’t bother checking on Shelby. His luck was such that she would be right there, too.

“We have to talk about it,” she said when she’d caught up with him.

“No. We don’t.”

“Aidan, I’m serious.”

He stopped and stared at her. “So am I. I like what we’re doing here. It’s helping me and I think it’s helping you. Just go with it.”

“But you have needs. I worry.”

“There are a lot of things to worry about in this world. Poverty. Climate change. Me having sex isn’t one of them.”

Her blue eyes were so wide and earnest as she twisted her fingers together. “We could brainstorm some solutions.”

Why him? That was the question of the day. Why did this have to be happening to him?

“No. Listen to me, Shelby. No. We are not having this conversation.”

“We could—”

He cut her off with a quick shake of his head. “As my friend, you need to respect my wishes on this. Let it go. I’m fine.” He suddenly figured out how to distract her. “What about you? You must have needs.”

She flushed a delightful shade of pink and ducked her head. “I wasn’t getting any before. This isn’t new for me.”

“But you’re dealing.”

“Of course.”

“Then do me the courtesy of assuming I can do the same.”

They started walking back to the house. When they got there, Charlie led the way inside. He waited patiently while his leash was unsnapped, then did a couple of quick laps around the living room.

Shelby stood in front of Aidan and raised her gaze to his.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I do worry about you, but you obviously don’t want to talk about it anymore. I need to respect that. I promise, I won’t mention it again.”

What he said was “Thank you.” What he thought was, there was no way his luck was that good.

CHAPTER TEN

A
IDAN
WAS
CONCERNED
about Shelby keeping her word, but the next couple of weeks passed without any mention of his
needs
, or lack of getting any, or however it was she was phrasing it today. Unfortunately his desire for her wasn’t as easily managed. It seemed that every time they were together, he found something even more delightful and sexy about her. Whether it was the way she spoke to Charlie in a sweet aren’t-you-a-cute-puppy? voice or how she carefully carried the cake she’d made for his mom.

Elaine cut into it immediately and served up generous slices of coconut mango layer cake. Aidan took a bite and held in a groan. Talk about double the goodness. Not only did he get credit for bringing his mom the cake he hadn’t made, but he got to taste it, as well.

Elaine sighed as she swallowed. “Shelby, I don’t know how you do it, but everything you bring over is better than the one before. I keep thinking that’s not possible. You have found your calling.”

“Thank you. I’ve been missing summer and this cake seemed the perfect way to bring those months to mind.”

“They’ll be here soon enough.” His mother turned to him. “It’s been a long time since you’ve brought a girl around, Aidan. But I have to say, Shelby has been worth the wait. Remember that awful goth girl in high school? Everything about her was so
grim
. Not just the clothes and makeup, but the way she talked about death all the time. I never knew what you saw in her. Shelby, on the other hand, makes perfect sense.”

Aidan decided not to mention that part of Caitlyn’s appeal had been her willingness to go to third base. Nothing his mother needed to know. As for Shelby, he exchanged a look with her. She mouthed
I know
, as if she got it.

Twenty minutes later, they were in his truck.

“I’ve told her at least five times that we’re not dating,” he said as he turned onto the main road that would take them back to town. “I don’t know what else to do.”

“We should get one of those giant banners and hang it in the center of town,” she grumbled. “I know exactly what you mean. No one believes me, either. We are not a couple. We are friends. Why is that so incredibly hard to grasp?”

He knew why his buddies were having trouble. No male still breathing could look at Shelby and not want her. They all thought he was an idiot for not at least trying to make a run at her. And while his entire body agreed, his head knew differently. He
liked
Shelby. A lot. He wanted to be with her the way they were. Talking and hanging out and having fun. If they had sex, all that would go away. Things would get complicated.

She sighed. “I can deal if you can.”

“I can.”

“Good. Because this is working. I’m more comfortable around men. Last week, when we played darts with your friends, I was totally fine.”

“I’m getting in touch with my feminine side.” He grinned. “If you tell anyone that, I’ll deny it to your face.”

She laughed. “I would never tell a soul. It’s just so strange. You and I are great. It’s everyone else. I wish there was a way to have an honest conversation with the whole town. To just tell them what’s going on.”

“They would never believe us. They think we’re a couple.”

“Practically married.” She drew in a breath. “Oh, Aidan, I have a very bad idea. Tell me no. You have to tell me no.”

Blood immediately heated and headed to his groin. He had to clear his throat before he could speak.

“What is it?”

She turned to him. “It’s April Fool’s in a couple of days. Let’s take out an ad in the paper saying we’re married. A full-page ad. Everyone will go crazy. Then we can print a retraction and maybe they’ll get how ridiculous they’ve been.”

Okay, not exactly the “I desperately want you in my bed” that he’d been hoping for, but a funny second choice. Nick would freak, as would his friends.

“It might get people off our backs.” He grinned. “I say we go for it.”

* * *

S
HELBY
HELD
HER
beautiful niece in her arms. Tonya slept in her cocoon of blankets. One tiny hand clenched and unclenched, as if she was dreaming.

The baby’s room was quiet and soothing. Destiny sat in the other chair, her red hair pulled back in a ponytail, her eyes closed.

She looked exhausted, Shelby thought, not wanting to mention that. There were dark circles under her eyes and her skin was pale. She knew better than to ask about sleep. Kipling had already told her that Tonya woke up every night. On the bright side, she ate, went to the bathroom, then fell back asleep. Still, the schedule had to be grueling.

“You doing okay?” Shelby asked.

Destiny opened her eyes and smiled. “I’m so tired I can’t think. My body still feels like it’s owned by aliens and I can’t imagine life ever returning to normal, but I’m okay. Better than okay. She’s amazing. I love her.”

Her smile turned rueful. “Whatever they tell you about breastfeeding is a crock, though. It’s uncomfortable and weird. I know, I know, it’s how mammals do it, but still. Strange. Grandma Nell would tell me to get over it, so that’s what I tell myself.”

“Is it helping?”

“Some.” She rolled her eyes. “My manager’s already asking when Starr and I can go on tour. I remind him I have a newborn, but he’s a man and not the least bit impressed.”

“You finished the album, right?”

“Yes. It’s going to be released in a couple of months.”

Destiny and Starr shared a famous country singer father. The half sisters had written several songs together and recorded an album.

“You were going to tour later in the summer?” she asked.

“That was the plan,” Destiny admitted. “Kipling will be crazy busy with work, so Starr and I were going to take the baby with us, along with a nanny. It’s only a few dates and we’d have a big RV we’d call home. So Tonya can have familiar surroundings. It all seemed so reasonable, but now I don’t know.”

“When do you have to decide?”

“Not for another month. I want to say no, but Starr would be so disappointed.”

Shelby knew that was true. The teen was wildly excited about the album’s debut. “Speaking of Starr, her birthday’s coming up. I’m happy to help plan the party. You’ve got a lot going on.”

Destiny rubbed her face. “Thanks. I think Kipling and I have it covered. We still have time.”

Not that much, Shelby thought, but didn’t push. “I’m here,” she repeated. “Just let me know. And speaking of informing people, I’m giving you a heads-up about my April Fool’s prank with Aidan. We took out a full-page wedding announcement in the paper.”

Destiny looked confused. “You got married?”

“No. It’s a joke.” Shelby waited, but Destiny only stared at her. “Because people think we’re a couple?”

“But you are.”

“We’re
not
. We’re friends.”

“So you took out an ad saying you’re married?”

Shelby nodded. “It’s funny.”

“If you say so.” Destiny sounded doubtful. “I guess I’m too tired to get it. I hope you have fun with it.”

“We will.”

* * *

A
IDAN
MOVED
THE
cursor through the spreadsheet. Creating the summer schedule was always a balancing act. There were activities that were easy sales and others that required a more specific group. Festival weekends always booked up quickly, but for the rest of the time, he had to be more flexible. Figuring out what he would be offering when meant making sure he had both equipment and personnel.

Over the last three years he’d worked with the university, offering part-time positions for students staying in town for summer school. One of the dorms remained open, giving the students a relatively inexpensive place to stay. Parents could relax, knowing their kids were safe, and the students had a fun, outdoor job.

Several of the local ski instructors also worked for him in the summer months. They knew the mountain and were interested in more extreme sports. They also appreciated knowing there was a year-round income stream. That made it easier for them to rent apartments and share houses.

Aidan had enough returning summer staff to take care of about seventy percent of his needs. Which meant training the other thirty percent of the people he would hire.

He chuckled as he imagined what Coach McGarry’s new football recruits would think about escorting twelve senior citizens on a bird-watching hike. But all new hires started with walking tours.

“It’s good to see a man who loves his work,” Nick said as he walked into Aidan’s office. “What’s so funny?”

“A bunch of Coach McGarry’s freshman football recruits have applied to work here for the summer. Jack and I worked out a schedule that gives them plenty of time to work and practice.”

“It also keeps them tired enough to stay out of trouble,” Nick said as he crouched down to greet Charlie. The bichon wagged his tail and licked Nick’s hand, then settled back on his bed in the corner of the office.

“Unless you come to me with a special set of skills, I start all new hires out on the walking tours.”

Nick settled in the chair on the other side of the desk. “Football jocks escorting old ladies out to pick wildflowers.”

“Something like that.” Aidan saved his data, then closed the program. He turned to face his brother. “What brings you here?”

Nick hesitated just long enough to let him know something was going on.

“I haven’t told the folks yet,” his brother began. “But I wanted to tell you. I’m going to be leaving Fool’s Gold.”

Aidan leaned forward. “What? When? Seriously?”

“I don’t have a date. And yeah, I’m serious. I thought a lot about what you said to me before. At the bar. About wasting time here. You were right about a lot of things. My art is what I want to be doing. At least more than I am. I’m tired of dealing with Dad and his shit. I’ll always be under his thumb in one way or another while I live here. Even if it’s just in my head.”

Aidan understood what Nick was saying, but also knew he would miss having his brother around. First Del left, then the twins. Now Nick.

He grimaced. “Let me guess. You’re going to Happily Inc.”

Nick nodded. “I’ve talked to the twins... I mean Mathias and Ronan.”

“I still think of them as the twins, too. We probably always will.” They’d been twins for too long to be anything else. But that was just his point of view. What did they think of their own situation?

“I’m going to visit,” Nick continued. “See what’s what. If it’s all they claim, I’ll move. They said they have room in their studio where I could work.”

“I’m glad you’ll be more focused on your art,” Aidan said. “But you’re not like them. You don’t want to live and breathe whatever it is you’re creating.”

Nick leaned back in his chair. “Agreed. I’ll find something else. Part-time, at least.” He flashed a grin. “I’m good with my hands.”

“I didn’t think it was that kind of town.”

His brother laughed. “I meant I could pick up some carpentry work. Home repair.”

“Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

They both laughed. Nick pulled his phone out of his shirt pocket and pushed a few buttons. “There’s a gallery in town. I’ve sent a few of my pieces.”

He passed over the phone. Aidan scrolled through the pictures Mathias had emailed. The gallery was in a small square in what looked like a nice downtown. There were mountains in the background. They were different from the ones around Fool’s Gold. These seemed more angular. Rock aggressively thrusting to the sky. By contrast, the Sierras seemed more refined.

He handed back the phone. “I think you’re making the right decision,” he said. “And I’ll miss you.”

Nick raised a brow. “We’re going to talk about our feelings?”

“I can do that now. Pick a topic and we’ll explore it.”

“No, thanks. Is that Shelby’s influence? What’s next? You going to pee sitting down?”

“I’m looking to be a better man. I’ll still pee standing up.” He held in a grin. “Are you threatened by the changes? Do you worry that the family structure will be compromised? Don’t be concerned, Nick. Your place is secure.”

Nick’s wide-eyed shock was gratifying.

“What the hell are you talking about?” his brother demanded. “What has she done to you?”

Aidan maintained a serious and concerned expression. “I’ll always be your brother. We should hug. That will reassure you.”

Nick swore. “Who are you?”

Aidan laughed. “Just messing with you.”

Nick didn’t look amused. “It’s not funny. Don’t talk like that. It freaks me out.”

“You really need to get in touch with your feminine side.”

His brother scrambled to his feet. “No, I don’t. And you should put yours away. I gotta go.”

Aidan was still laughing when Nick bolted out the door.

* * *

A
PRIL
F
OOL
’
S
D
AY
fell on a Friday, which was perfect. The bakery was extra busy on Fridays, especially in the morning, and Shelby couldn’t wait to hear what everyone had to say. Just to make sure there was plenty of chance to talk about the full-page announcement she and Aidan had taken out, she left a copy of the
Fool’s Gold Daily Republic
right on the counter.

But customers came and went without saying a word. No one even hinted they’d seen anything, which made no sense. The ad was in the first section, on page eleven. How could anyone have missed it?

A little after eight, Gladys walked in. The eightysomething woman walked purposefully to the counter.

“I want to talk business,” she said.

“All right.” Shelby smiled. “About the paper?”

“What? No. My great-niece. Nancee. She’s thinking of coming to Fool’s Gold for a few months, just to get her feet under her. I want her to stay, but we’ll see. The point is she makes cupcakes.”

Shelby couldn’t figure out why no one cared about the ad. It was huge. It was very clear. She and Aidan announced their marriage. Was no one reading the paper today, or was it one of those things psychologists were always talking about? That everyone assumed the world was talking about them, when in fact the world was too busy talking about itself?