Best of My Love (Fool's Gold) (13 page)

“What are you going to do with it all?” he asked.

“Sell some. Put some in storage. The rest of it can be kindling. Or melted down.”

Charlie walked along the rows, sniffing as he went. Aidan knew the little guy would stick close. Over the past couple of months, he and Charlie had become a team. Or was it a pack? Charlie went pretty much everywhere with him. Aidan was still playing with different designs for a sturdy wagon/dog carrier so the bichon could go hiking with him. He figured Charlie would keep up as best he could, but expecting him do five or eight miles uphill was too much.

Nick pulled a pad of stickers out of his back pocket. “Red dots are going to the gallery. Green dots are storage. Blue dots get destroyed.”

Aidan winced. “How can you do that? Destroy something you created?”

“It’s not hard. Some pieces aren’t meant to be finished. There’s a fatal flaw, either in the raw material or the design. Either way, they’re never going to be anything.”

A harsh assessment, but he would guess a mindset that was required for an artist. From failure came the chance to try something better next time.

He followed his brother through the huge studio. Light poured in through windows and skylights. Nick hesitated in front of a two-foot-high carving of a boy with a fishing pole.

The kid sat cross-legged. His expression was intense, as if determined to wait it out, however long it took. The features were delicate, yet masculine. Looking at the perfectly carved hands reminded Aidan that his brother was an incredible artist.

Nick stuck on a blue dot.

“What?” Aidan demanded. “That’s a brilliant piece. Even I can see that.”

Nick turned it so Aidan could see the crack running down the back. “I doubt it’s going to split further, but I can’t sell it.”

“I’ll take it.”

Nick looked at him for a second, then smiled. “Thanks.”

They finished going through the pieces, then began to move them into different parts of the studio. Some of them could be simply carried into place, but others required the two of them to wrestle them or use a hand truck. A few of the bears had to wait until they had more man power.

Charlie supervised for a while before settling on the small sofa in the front part of the studio. After a couple of hours, Aidan and Nick joined him to take a break.

Aidan opened the beer his brother had handed him and took a drink. “You’re really going.”

“If not to Happily Inc., then somewhere.”

“Have you told Mom?”

“No. I want to have a plan before I mention it.”

“She’s not going to appreciate having yet another of her sons leaving town.”

He thought Nick might crack a joke, but instead his brother’s expression turned serious. “It’s all going to be on you now. The family thing. I’m sorry about that.”

“I can handle it. I don’t get her relationship with Dad, but there’s no getting around the fact that she loves him. He’s her world. The rest of us are a distant second.” He took another drink. “I think that’s how it’s supposed to be when you’re married, though. Sure the kids are important, but they grow up and move away. If you lose your partner while dealing with your children, then one day you have nothing.”

Nick’s brows rose. “What is Shelby doing to you?”

Aidan laughed. “Nothing bad. We talk about stuff. Sometimes it’s good to talk.”

“No, it’s not.” Nick swore. “Maybe you’re the one who needs to leave.”

“I belong here.”

“Because of the business?”

“Some. I like it here.” There had been a time when Aidan had chafed against what he’d seen as being trapped. When Del had left, the family business had fallen to him. But over time, he’d realized this was where he was meant to be.

“Are you happy?” Nick pressed.

“That’s a very girly question.”

“You, of all people, should be forgiving of that,” Nick pointed out.

“I am.” Aidan thought for a second. “Yeah, I am. What I was doing before, going from woman to woman, it was a way of hiding. I thought I was playing it safe, but acting like that came at a price. I was a jackass.”

“And now?”

“Less of one, I hope.” He reached over and rubbed Charlie’s ears.

“This is Shelby’s doing?”

“Some of it is her and some of it is me.”

“You’re still not...” Nick’s voice trailed off.

Aidan thought about the kiss and how much he’d wanted her. How he’d resisted. How he hadn’t talked to her since.

“No. It’s not like that.”

“But you want it to be like that.” Nick raised his bottle of beer. “That wasn’t a question, by the way. You want her.”

“Who wouldn’t?” Aidan exhaled. “But we’re friends. And I like being friends with her. I like her. Sleeping together would change everything.”

“Maybe not. Maybe if you did it, you could get her out of your system and go back to the way things were.”

Aidan had a bad feeling that wasn’t likely to happen. Shelby wasn’t the do-it-once-and-forget-her kind of woman. “That’s not gonna work.”

“Then sleep with someone else.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“We have a deal.”

“One that’s not working.”

“Then we should probably talk about that.”

Aidan turned and saw Shelby standing in the open door of Nick’s studio.

CHAPTER TWELVE

“I
AM
SO
out of here,” Nick said.

“You don’t have to go,” Shelby told him, because it was the right thing to say. In truth, she needed Nick to go so she could talk to Aidan.

She’d been avoiding him for forty-eight hours. If she’d been able to avoid herself, she would have done that, too. Because she was nothing if not confused. Confused about the kiss and what it meant. Confused about what to do next. When she’d suddenly realized she had to talk to him, he hadn’t been at his office. Fay had told her where to find him.

Now she waited, shifting her weight from foot to foot as Nick collected his car keys.

“Lock up when you’re done,” he told his brother and left.

Charlie hurried to greet her. She crouched down to pet the dog, grateful for the distraction. But eventually she had to stand back up and face Aidan.

They stared at each other from across the room. She had no way of knowing what he was thinking. For all that they were friends, there were still mysteries between them.

He motioned to the sofa. “Have a seat.”

She settled at one end. Aidan took the other. Charlie curled up between them and put his head on his paws. Silence filled the open space.

Shelby tried to think what she should say first. Or maybe she was just hoping he would start talking, because that would be so much easier.

“I miss you,” Aidan said.

The unexpected statement shocked her into confessing, as well. “I miss you, too. It’s been hard not hanging out. Or talking on the phone or texting.”

She glanced at him, then away. She drew in a breath and returned her gaze to his. “We have to talk about the kiss.”

“I know.”

“Really?”

“I’m not saying I
want
to talk about it, I’m saying we should. Unless you agree that it was just a kiss and we should let it go?”

He sounded so hopeful, she had to smile. “No.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“But you made the effort. That counts.”

“Not enough.” He leaned toward her. “Shelby, we’re not going there. It would be a mistake. I want you, that’s pretty obvious. Being together would be amazing. But that’s not why we’re here.”

He
wanted
her? Little butterflies danced through her tummy. He wanted her! Anticipation filled her as she thought about how good she’d felt in his arms. How safe and sexy and hungry.

“It’s not the worst idea,” she began.

He cut her off with a shake of his head. “It would be a disaster.”

“Why? You have a lot of experience. You know what you’re doing.”

She’d been hoping he would at least crack a smile, but he continued to look serious.

“We’re doing something good here,” he told her. “I don’t want to lose that.”

“So if I threw myself at you right now, you’d refuse me?”

“Regretfully, yes.”

Ouch. “But you won’t sleep with anyone else until the six months are over?”

“No, I won’t. We had a deal.”

Talk about an honorable man, she thought glumly. One with integrity. She should be thrilled. Impressed. Instead all she felt was rejection and mild annoyance.

While she’d never considered herself a prude, she wasn’t exactly anyone’s ideal of a temptress. So seducing Aidan was out of the question. Besides, as much as she didn’t like to admit it, she kind of respected his stand. If only it weren’t so confusing.

Because he was right. They were doing something good. But after that kiss, well, everything was different now.

“I can’t decide if I should applaud you or beat you with a stick,” she admitted.

“How about we go back to being friends?”

Her cell phone rang before she could answer. She glanced at the screen and saw it was her sister-in-law.

“It’s Destiny,” she said as she pushed the green button. “Hi. Everyone okay?”

Destiny’s voice cracked. “N-no. It’s a mess. I’m a mess. I really need your help.”

* * *

“Y
OU
SURE
YOU
know what you’re doing?” Destiny asked, her voice doubtful.

“He’s fine,” Shelby assured her, before Aidan could admit that he was clueless.

He still wasn’t sure how everything had changed so quickly. One minute he’d been trying to convince Shelby they couldn’t be lovers—what kind of twisted world had it become that he was saying
that
to a beautiful woman he desperately wanted?—the next they were driving to Destiny’s house.

The new mother looked exhausted. She was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. Shelby had taken the baby from her and handed it over to him, then had started making tea.

Aidan held the six-week-old in his arms, careful not to wake her. He had to admit, she was a beautiful little thing, with a tiny nose and a sweet mouth. As long as she stayed asleep, he could handle this.

Destiny sat at the kitchen table. “Kipling’s been gone for two days. He offered to cancel his trip, but he’d been looking forward to the conference. I said everything would be okay. And Starr’s busy with her life, so it’s just been me and Tonya. She’s a really good baby, but half the time I don’t know what I’m doing. What if I break her?”

Shelby spooned tea leaves into the mesh basket, then set it inside the pot. The kettle on the stove was already starting to make a low whistling sound. She turned off the heat and poured the water into the teapot.

“You’re not going to break her,” Shelby said. “Destiny, you’re one of the most organized people I know, but you need to learn to ask for help. You’ve just had a baby. Everything is new and scary and you don’t have to do this alone.”

“I know.” Destiny wiped away tears. “It’s just I feel like such a failure. I’m tired all the time.”

“Do you get any sleep?” Aidan asked.

“A couple hours every now and then.”

“Not nearly enough.”

Destiny sniffed. “Starr’s a teenager. I don’t want to ask her for too much. She needs to be having fun with her friends. But her birthday’s coming up and I can’t find the time to plan it like I should and I’m trying to write a couple of songs and there’s all kinds of prepublicity for the tour and I’m fat!”

She started crying again, this time covering her face with her hands. Shelby pulled up a chair next to her. After wrapping her arms around her, she drew in a breath.

“Let me see if I understand the situation. You’re dealing with a baby. You’re breastfeeding, so you have to get up every couple of hours to do that. You’re cooking for your husband and your sister, taking care of Tonya, taking care of the house, all the while you’re trying to write new music, planning a national tour, doing publicity for the tour and maybe rehearsing the songs with Starr? There’s also her birthday and you’re trying to get back into shape after, hey, giving birth.”

“Uh-huh. Oh, and they sent over DVDs with the choreography on it. I have to learn that.”

Aidan felt exhausted just hearing the list. “Get a housekeeper,” he said. “And a part-time nanny. You’re going to need one for the tour, so find one now so you’re comfortable leaving the baby with while you’re performing. Tell Kipling to get his ass back here. He’s the dad. He needs to take a little more responsibility. You’re right about Starr. She’s a teenager. Let her live her life. Shelby and I can handle the birthday party.”

Both women stared at him. Destiny’s mouth dropped open.

“What?” he asked defensively. “Was I supposed to be just listening?”

Shelby smiled. “No. You were supposed to be fixing and you did a very good job.”

* * *

S
HELBY
SKIMMED
THE
Pinterest board. People were so creative, she thought happily, making notes as she studied different music-themed cupcakes. The crisis with Destiny had been managed, and one of the results was that she and Aidan were planning Starr’s sixteenth birthday party.

Aidan had suggested a music-themed party and Shelby agreed. They were going to have a lot of fun with that. They’d decided on the 1950s as their musical era, which opened up so many possibilities.

Amber walked into her office and took a seat. Her business partner wore a loose yellow shirt over jeans. Her hair was pulled back, her makeup light. She was barely showing, but she radiated a contentment Shelby hadn’t seen before.

“You’re glowing.”

Amber laughed. “Thank you. I feel good. Healthy. The morning sickness is gone, thank goodness. That was awful. How are you doing?”

“I’m great. Business is fantastic, as you know. My teens are doing wonderful work with the cookies. I want to start putting a schedule together for the summer tourist season. We have the food cart for the festivals and some of the other projects we’ve been talking about.” She held up her hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it all.”

She expected her business partner to tease her about her plans, but instead she seemed to crumple a little.

“I’ve made a decision,” Amber said as she squared her shoulders. “I know it’s the right thing to do, but it’s going to mean a lot of changes.”

Shelby didn’t like the sound of that. “What kind of changes?”

“This pregnancy is so unexpected. So life-altering. I want to experience it fully. I want to be there for my baby.” Amber drew in a breath. “Shelby, I’m going to sell the bakery and I’d like you to consider buying it from me.”

* * *

A
IDAN
HAD
PROMISED
that riding a BMX bike up the side of a mountain would clear her head. Shelby was less sure. Mostly because she wasn’t able to think at all. Or breathe. But maybe that was the point. Maybe all the panting and gasping and dealing with the shooting pains in her leg were meant to distract her from the indecision she’d been wrestling with for the past couple of days. And if they were, they were working.

It was a beautiful day. Sunny and cool. Signs of spring were everywhere. Buds and new leaves covered the trees. Wildflowers carpeted the ground. She could hear birds calling to each other, and a light breeze whispered through the branches.

All of which would have been much easier to observe if she weren’t so worried about falling off her bike.

“Stay in the middle of the trail,” Aidan called from behind her.

She didn’t know which was more annoying—the instruction or the way he was barely breathing hard.

She was in shape, she told herself. She worked out. Although apparently not enough, she thought as she bounced over a rut in the path. She rounded a corner, then came to a stop when she saw the trail went
up
the mountain. Pretty much in a straight, vertical line.

Aidan pulled up next to her. “I promise, the view is worth it.”

“Couldn’t we just buy a postcard?”

He laughed.

The sound made her smile. Being here like this, even on a bike, was good.

“My butt’s going to hurt later, isn’t it?” she asked.

“No pain, no gain.”

“That’s total crap, invented by a masochist. You can’t convince me otherwise.”

He pointed to the top of the trail. “Can you make it?”

“Let’s find out.”

She began to peddle. Her thighs screamed in protest and her lungs soon followed. She kept her head down, focusing only on the next couple of feet. Up and up. Eventually she would get there.

“Come on, Shelby,” Aidan called. “Just a few more feet.”

She made it over the crest of the trail and found herself staring down at the town in the valley below. A view that would be a lot prettier if she stayed conscious.

She lowered the bike to the ground, then pulled off her helmet and braced her hands on her trembling thighs as she gulped in air.

Aidan passed her a bottle of water. “Drink slow. A sip only.”

A sip? Her throat was dry, her body hot and her heart racing. None of it in a good way. She took the bottle and straightened, then parted her lips and let mouthfuls of the cold water pour down her throat.

“Shelby, stop—”

That was all he got to say before she felt the first spasm. She dropped the bottle and clutched her stomach. Seconds later, all the water came up as she vomited.

The retching continued for several minutes. When she was done, she collapsed to her knees and braced herself with her hands on the dirt.

“I hate biking,” she managed between gagging and coughing.

“It doesn’t seem to be your sport,” he agreed. “Can you sit?”

She rolled onto her butt and rested her head on her knees. She was hot and sweaty and humiliated. What was she supposed to say after something like that?

He kneeled next to her and used a damp cloth to wipe her face, then handed her the bottle of water.

“Sip,” he said firmly. “Wait twenty seconds, then sip again.”

“I’m sorry.”

His mouth turned up. “Don’t be. It happens a lot. Nobody listens and then they pay the price.”

“I’ll never doubt you again.”

He laughed. “If only that were true.”

She got down a few sips and began to feel better. The mountain air cooled her and her heart rate returned to normal. Even the view was more appealing than it had been.

And while she would love to sit and admire it, there were decisions to be made and things to talk about.

“Thanks for offering to help with Starr’s party.”

“Are you kidding? It’s going to be the best. I’ve gone online and looked around. There are a lot of great things we can do.”

“I never thought you’d enjoy planning a party for a sixteen-year-old girl.”

He touched his chest. “You wound me. Why wouldn’t I? I like Starr and turning sixteen is a big deal. I wonder if Kipling’s teaching her to drive.”

Shelby started to take a drink of her water. She put down the bottle and stared at him. “No! We are not having that conversation. Don’t you think there’s enough going on without us dealing with whether or not Starr learns to drive?”

“She has to learn. I just worry that Kipling doesn’t have time. Not with Destiny and the new baby. Starr shouldn’t get lost in all of this.”

“Now I feel guilty,” she admitted. “You’re being more sensitive than me.”

“I’m a very sensitive man.”