Thrill Me (11 page)

“Why do you get to say?” she asked.

“Because I'm me.”

Maya laughed. The sound was happy, and oddly, it pleased him to hear it.

“How are things with Zane now?” he asked.

“Better. I'm less judgmental and he's less crabby. Phoebe's the reason he's different. They're crazy in love and getting married in a few weeks.”

Her voice sounded wistful. Del supposed it wasn't a surprise. Most people wanted a relationship they could count on. Someone to watch their back. He did, too. He just wasn't sure how to find it.

They set the new plants on the porch.

“You have gardening tools?” he asked.

“Sure.”

“Go get them. I'll help you swap out dead for alive.”

“Thanks.”

She went into the house. For a second he thought about following. About stopping her in the kitchen or hallway and pulling her close. Holding her would be good. He'd always liked the feel of Maya in his arms. Then he could kiss her. Really kiss her. Not like before, but a kiss that rocked both their worlds and left them breathless. Because Maya breathless had always been one of his favorite sounds.

Only he didn't, because sex would complicate things. He shook his head. He was the only one here—no reason to lie. Sex would put what they had at risk. Sex would take away the easy and make their relationship awkward. He liked what was going on with Maya. He liked working with her, hanging out with her. He liked having her as his friend again. As much as he would like to get her naked, this was better.

She returned onto the porch with a tool in each hand. “Tiny shovel or weird claw thing?” she asked. “You're my guest, so you get to pick first.”

Because Maya was nothing if not fair, he thought, reaching for the spade.

“This is a man's tool,” he told her.

She batted her eyes. “And here I thought it would be bigger.”

* * *

P
APER
M
OON
HAD
started life as a bridal boutique. In the past couple of years, the store had expanded to include a clothing store that specialized in unique fashions made by little-known designers. Maya had been meaning to stop by to spruce up her wardrobe or at least find a few things with a little color in them. Her work uniform had consisted of a lot of black. And while that worked as a TV producer in LA it wasn't exactly Fool's Gold friendly.

Now she found herself in the bridal side of Paper Moon, waiting to try on her bridesmaid's dress.

“I know you wouldn't do this for just anyone,” Phoebe told her.

“I wouldn't, but I would do it for you in a heartbeat.” Maya smiled. “You're getting married and you asked me to be in the wedding. That's so cool.”

“You really think so?” Phoebe sounded anxious. “I don't want you to think it's silly.”

Maya hugged her. “Never. I'm so happy for you and Zane. The wedding is going to be beautiful and you'll be the most perfect bride ever.”

Phoebe blushed. “I doubt that.”

“We can take a vote.”

Madeline walked into the large dressing room. “What are we voting on?”

“Phoebe being the most beautiful bride.”

“Of course she will be.” Madeline hung up the pale blue dress. “All my brides are. I take my work very seriously.”

Phoebe's worry faded as her expression turned impish. “Despite how you're stalking Jonny Blaze.”

Madeline grinned. “First, I'm not stalking him. Second, I can multitask. I'm a great multitasker.” She opened her mouth, then closed it. “OMG, did you invite him to the wedding?”

Maya laughed. “I can't figure out if your panic is that he'll be there or he won't.”

“I'm not sure, either,” Madeline admitted.

“Sorry to disappoint,” Phoebe said. “I did invite him, but he's going to be out of town. Filming on location.”

Madeline waved her hand in front of her face. “Good. I would hate to embarrass myself. Plus, it's your wedding. The day should be about you and Zane and not me and my movie star crush.”

“You could be the entertainment,” Maya told her.

“Um, no.” Madeline motioned to the dress. “Put that on. If it looks half as good as I think it's going to, you'll both be thrilled.”

Phoebe and Madeline stepped out of the large dressing room. Maya quickly stripped down to a bra and panties, only to realize there was no bra-wearing with this dress.

The design was simple. A sleeveless bodice in a faux wrap style and a long slim skirt. The back had crisscross straps and a flowing bow. The fabric was soft, with a slight sheen to it.

Maya slipped into the dress, then closed the side zipper. There was a bit of support in the front. She was on the small side, breastwise, so the style worked fine. She put on the nude pumps she'd brought along for the fitting, then stepped out into the main viewing area of the store.

Phoebe sighed and clutched her hands together. “I love it. Do you love it?”

“It's beautiful,” Maya said. “But you're the one who has to decide. This is your day.”

While Zane and Phoebe wanted a traditional wedding with all their friends and much of the town in attendance, they were also keeping things simple.

“The dress looks great,” Phoebe said. “Madeline?”

“I love it,” her friend told her. “It goes great with your bridal gown. The wrap style is similar but the skirts are completely different. They'll complement each other without competing.”

Maya stepped up onto the raised platform in front of the half circle of floor-length mirrors. As she turned back and forth, she could see herself from every angle.

“I need to start working out,” she murmured, eyeing her butt.

“Stop,” Phoebe said with a laugh. “You're tall and skinny and if you weren't my best friend, I could easily hate you.”

“You're glowingly in love,” Maya pointed out. “I get to worry about my butt if I want to.”

Madeline ignored them and stepped onto the platform. She handed Maya a small basket of clips, then pulled and tucked and secured, showing them both how the dress would look when it was tailored.

Maya was impressed. The gown went from pretty to knockout in less than a minute. “This is great. Phoebe?”

Phoebe nodded. “I like it. Yes, that's the one.”

“I agree,” Madeline said with a satisfied nod. “Okay, Maya, you just hang out here. I'm going to get Phoebe into her dress and we'll see how you two look together.”

Maya stepped off the platform and returned to her dressing room. She pulled out her phone to check on her email and saw she had a text from Del.

Why aren't you at work?

She grinned and texted him back.
I'm trying on bridesmaid dresses for Phoebe's wedding. I'd invite you to drop in, but all this lace would turn you into a woman.

A few seconds later, he responded
. Neither of us wants that. What if I'm prettier than you?

She laughed.
I don't see that as the bigger problem.
She paused for a second, then impulsively asked,
Want to be my plus-one for the wedding?

Will I like the dress?

She laughed again.
Pretty sure you will.

Then I'm in.

She heard Madeline walk by and dropped her phone into her bag, then went back to the viewing area to wait for Phoebe.

Her friend came out a few seconds later. Maya sighed. “Wow,” she said. “Just wow.”

Phoebe bit her lower lip. “You like it?”

“I love it.”

The gown was simple, with a wrap bodice, like Maya's. But instead of the slim skirt, Phoebe's dress billowed out in a traditional ball gown style. There were embellishments on the straps and at the waist, along with a beautiful sheer overlay on the full skirt.

“Mermaid gowns are the big thing right now, but I'm too short. I think this style suits me better.”

Maya nodded. “It's perfect on you.”

Phoebe stepped up on the platform and turned toward the mirrors. Maya watched her, delighted with the dress and her friend's obvious happiness.

Madeline had pinned up Phoebe's brown hair and secured it with a few combs. She walked in with several veils draped over her arm.

“Don't you love it?” she asked as she handed the veils to Maya, then got on the platform and smoothed out the skirt. “The chapel-length train is perfect. You're that sexy combination of petite and curvy. This dress accentuates all the good stuff. You look like a princess.”

Maya nodded. “Zane is going to be overwhelmed.”

“I like that,” Phoebe said shyly. “He overwhelms me all the time.”

Madeline worked her magic with the clips, making the exquisite gown fit even better. She then chose one of the veils.

“This one is my favorite,” she said, securing it into place. “You wear it down. There's no piece to cover the face, but that's more popular these days. The embellishments match what's going on with your dress, which will be pretty.”

She fluffed the veil, then stepped back.

Maya smiled. “It's beautiful.”

“I like it a lot,” Phoebe said.

Madeline didn't look convinced. “Hmm, this isn't the look I was going for. You know, I have another one in the back. I special ordered it, then the bride picked something else because it wasn't the one for her. I've been saving it for the right dress and bride. I'm thinking it might be you. Hold on. It's gonna take me a second to find it.”

Madeline hurried to the rear of the store and went into the storeroom. Maya walked toward the mirror.

“You're dazzling,” she told her friend.

Phoebe nodded, then surprised her by wiping away tears.

Maya stepped up next to her. “What's wrong?”

Phoebe swallowed. “I miss my mom. I know it's silly. It's been years, right? I don't remember much about her at all. So it's the concept, not the person. But I wish she was here, to help me buy my dress and to see me get married.”

Maya reached for her friend and hugged her. “It's not silly. Of course you miss her.”

Phoebe shook a little as she fought tears. “I guess it's all the emotion.”

“Sure, and the tradition of what you're doing. You love your parents. Just because they're gone doesn't mean you stop loving them.”

Phoebe nodded. “Thanks. I know I'm going to have a new family now. With you and Zane and Chase. And I'll have kids. So it's not like she's gone forever. She'll be part of her grandchildren.”

“She will,” Maya promised, understanding Phoebe's pain intellectually if not viscerally. Her mother was gone, too, and Maya couldn't begin to imagine missing her. But her relationship with her mother had been different from that of Phoebe's with her own mom.

It was like the way Maya felt about the town. Fool's Gold had taken her in and encouraged her. Without the support of her friends and teachers, she wasn't sure she would have found the courage to go after her dreams. To make it to college, not to mention pay for it. She still didn't know who had funded her scholarship, but that wasn't the point. She'd been nurtured, and when she left, she'd missed the support. Phoebe had been loved by her mother, so now, getting married, she missed her.

“You're good to me,” Phoebe said, straightening. “Thank you.”

“You're my best friend. You couldn't escape me if you tried.”

CHAPTER NINE

“T
HANKS
,” A
IDAN
SAID
GRUDGINGLY
.
“I owe you.”

Del waved off the words. “I'm happy to help.”

Aidan shoved his hands into his jeans front pockets. “Two of my guys are out sick with whatever's going around, and Rick's still recovering from falling off the mountain. Mom can usually fill in, but she's not feeling well, either.”

“Like I said, it's no big deal.”

“You don't have a shoot or something?”

“Nope, I'm all yours.”

Del studied his brother. They looked a lot alike. When they'd been kids, it had been easy for strangers to pick out the Mitchell brothers. Back then the boys had thought the similarities were funny. Now they simply existed. But even though Del and Aidan shared traits on the outside, he wasn't so sure they had much else in common.

He'd been pleased when his brother had called and asked for his help today with a local tour. Not only was he happy to fill in, he was hoping that by being there when his brother needed him, he could open the lines of communications.

Aidan handed him a stack of maps. “It's a pretty simple walking tour of the town. You hit the highlights, talk about the history. We have a deal with Brew-haha. Patience will have drinks and pastries for everyone there. Once they have their drinks, you give them the store maps and leave them downtown to shop. Oh, and tell the guys about the sporting goods store over by The Christmas Attic. After an hour, they get lunch from Ana Raquel. She has the food truck by the park. Once the folks have their lunch, you're done.”

Del studied the map. It was similar to the one he'd used when he'd been in charge of the company. There were a few modifications, but nothing he couldn't handle. “I got it,” he said. “I even remember my town history.”

Aidan didn't look convinced. “It's just that I have a three-day river rafting trip heading out in a couple of hours that I need to get started. Then I'm taking a group for camping and bird-watching for two days.”

Del stared at his brother. “You go bird-watching?”

For the first time since Del had arrived, Aidan smiled. “Naw. I go camping. Some university professor guy comes along for the bird-watching.” Aidan sighed heavily. “We have a lot of birds in the area and now I know about all of them.”

“Bummer.”

“Tell me about it.” He glanced toward two women in their twenties in the waiting area of the tour office. They were both wearing shorts and hiking boots, with backpacks resting beside them.

Pretty enough
, Del thought, watching his brother eye the women. “Compensation for having to listen to lectures on birds?” he asked.

Aidan raised a shoulder. “Very possibly.”

An interesting life choice
, Del thought, knowing that kind of serial hooking-up wasn't for him. Unlike his brother, he wasn't into the thrill of the chase. He was, at heart, a one-woman guy. The trick seemed to be finding the right woman.

Aidan reached for a piece of paper on his desk. “Okay, here's your group. They'll be here at nine-thirty. There are ten in all.”

Del studied the sheet. There were the names, along with the route Aidan wanted him to take. It hadn't changed all that much in the past ten years. The tour started by the lake, went by the park, then to City Hall and Brew-haha and ended by The Christmas Attic.

“Easy enough,” he told his brother. “I got this. Don't worry.”

“Okay, thanks. I appreciate it.”

“Sure thing.”

He knew Aidan was expecting him to say more. Maybe mention that they hadn't been spending any time together. But a busy morning with tours heading out wasn't the time. He would approach Aidan later.

“I'll go grab a coffee and be back at nine,” he said.

“I'll be gone by then. Millie will get you started.”

Millie was the fiftysomething woman working the counter. Del had already met her.

Del waved once and left. He left a message for Maya, explaining why he wouldn't be joining her on their planned editing session. After that, he spent a few minutes on his smartphone, reviewing town history. He had a feeling that once he started talking, it would all come back to him.

He wanted to do a good job for Aidan—so his brother could stop being so pissed at him. Since coming home, he'd started to realize how much he'd missed his family. The fault was his—he'd been the one not to stay in touch. His initial goal had simply been to avoid the place where his world had crashed around him. Now he saw he'd taken that too far.

At eight forty-five he was back in the office. He checked in with Millie, then introduced himself to the tourists who would be on his tour. A little before nine Maya walked in.

She had on a pink sundress and flat sandals. Her long blond hair had been pulled back in a braid. She looked pretty, and while technically the dress didn't show anything it shouldn't or come close to being short, she looked amazingly sexy.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, hoping his pleasure at the sight of her wasn't obvious to everyone around him.

“I got your message. You haven't done this in ten years,” she told him. “I thought you could use help.”

“Like you know more about this town than me?”

She smiled. “I was always better with the in-town tour groups and you know it.”

She had him there. He also wasn't going to refuse her company.

By nine they had their tour group and were heading out to walk the town. The morning was warm, the sky blue. Up in the mountains, leaves were starting to turn, but not in town. Not yet. Fall would come soon enough.

Maya gave a brief history of the Máa-zib tribe—their place of origin and how scholars believed they came to be in the area.

“But for me,” she was saying, “the
real
history of the town starts later than that. In 1849 an eighteen-year-old young woman named Ciara O'Farrell was on her way to an arranged marriage to a much-older man she'd never met. She escaped the ship in San Francisco and headed east. Using the little money she had managed to save, she bought land rights in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.”

“Oh, I know where this is going,” a woman said with a sigh. “It's going to have a happy ending, I just know it.”

Maya laughed. “You're right. The ship's captain, Ronan McGee, goes after her. He'd promised her father to deliver her safely to the wedding. When he finally catches up with her, Ciara refuses to go with him. She has a dream. Ronan says the dream is sheer folly, and then he promptly falls in love with her. They settle here, in Fool's Gold.”

Maya motioned to the lake. “Lake Ciara is named after her, of course. Some of you are staying in Ronan's Lodge, which was their home. A big, beautiful mansion that people called Ronan's Folly. Many of the streets in town are named after their ten children. Ronan and Ciara lived a long and happy life here.”

Del listened to the history of the town and wondered how she'd remembered it all so easily. He could cough up a few facts on the Máa-zib artifacts in the museum, but he'd forgotten about Ciara and her determination to make her own way in the world.

He had a feeling he would have liked the young woman. Or at least have admired her willingness to strike out in a time when women were expected to do what their fathers and older brothers told them.

“Do they still have relatives here in town?” a woman asked Del.

“The grandchildren were all girls,” he told her. “So the name died out. But many of their descendants still live in the area. My family has a few McGees in our history, as does the Hendrix family.”

“That's so nice,” the woman said with a sigh. “History and family traditions.”

Maya grinned at him, then launched into a story about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and how a subsequent landslide revealed a cave filled with Máa-zib artifacts, including gold statues and jewelry.

When they stopped for coffee and pastries at Brew-haha, Del moved next to Maya.

“Nicely done,” he told her.

“This is fun. I haven't played tour guide since that summer. I had no idea I'd remember everything, but apparently it's stored right next to the lyrics to songs that used to drive me crazy.”

His cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw it was his attorney. “Can you handle this crowd for a second?” he asked.

She pointed to the door. “Go take your call. I'll make sure everyone gets their coffee.”

He stepped outside and answered. “This is Del.”

“You're avoiding me,” Russell said. “You know that makes me nervous.”

“You're a lawyer. Everything makes you nervous.”

“That makes me a good lawyer. Have you decided?”

Just before returning to Fool's Gold, Del had yet another offer to be part of a start-up. The ideas were good and he liked the guys involved. “I think they're going to be successful,” he began.

Russell groaned. “That's a no. What is it with you?”

“I'm not an entrepreneur.”

“I'm getting that. Del, you're too young to retire. You need to do something, and honestly, I can't see you taking a job somewhere. It's not your style.”

“I know. I'll figure it out.”

“And I'll tell them thanks but no thanks.”

Del hung up. He turned and saw Maya watching him from the entrance to Brew-haha.

“Want to talk about it?” she asked when he rejoined the group.

“Not much to say. I got an offer to be part of a start-up and I said no.”

“I figured that. Any particular reason?”

“It's not what I want to do. I've been lucky. I don't have to take just anything. I can choose.”

He waited for her to ask what that would be but she didn't. Instead, she held out a latte. “Patience said to tell you it's how you like it.”

“She's a good woman.”

“Yes, well, you get to return the favor in a couple of days when we have to go talk about cameras with her daughter and her grove of Saplings.”

“I thought you were going to do that.”

She smiled. “I am and you're coming with me.”

He chuckled. “So that's why you decided to help out today. So I'd owe you.”

“That is very possible.”

* * *

T
WO
DAYS
LATER
Maya was incredibly grateful she'd asked Del along. In theory, facing eight girls shouldn't have been a big deal. And it wasn't. It was terrifying. Maya stared into their pretty faces, watching them watch her, and knew that if she was by herself, she would have been a stuttering mess. Ridiculous but true. Talking about the town was one thing. She supposed it was because history was impersonal. Explaining how to use a camera seemed more personal somehow. Or maybe it was a passion thing. While the history was interesting, she didn't care about it.

But with Del to make jokes and deflect some of the attention, she found that she wasn't all that nervous. Not if she kept focused on what she was doing.

“Filters are a great way to manipulate a picture,” she said. “There are lots of free apps for your smartphones that can change a regular picture into something more fun.” She paused. “Be sure to check with your parents before downloading any apps, okay?”

One of the Saplings raised her hand. “Not all apps are kid appropriate,” the girl said firmly.

“That's right. Now with your digital camera, you do the editing on your computer. With a couple of good programs and your mouse, you can work magic.”

She'd hooked up her laptop to the screen provided. The meeting room where the Saplings met was surprisingly nice. There were desks and chairs, an area where the girls could sit on cushy carpeting and a craft station.

Maya clicked with her mouse and rotated the picture on the screen. It was a group shot of all eight girls. She'd taken it when she first arrived and now used it to demonstrate different ways to make an image more interesting.

She changed the picture to black-and-white, brightened the lighting, added a few special effects, then turned the girls loose on the computer.

She and Del had their smartphones with them. Each took a couple of girls and used pictures already on the phone to demonstrate different apps.

“This is fun,” one of the girls said. “We were worried because Taryn's away for a while.”

Maya knew that Taryn was one of the Grove Leaders. Her husband, Angel, was the other.

“Taryn had a baby, didn't she?” Maya asked.

“Uh-huh. A boy. Bryce. He's really cute. She'll be back soon. It's nice that they have a baby.” The girl, Chloe, glanced pointedly at the man next to Angel.

Kenny
, Maya thought, remembering him introducing himself when she and Del had arrived. Chloe's stepfather.

The eight-year-old narrowed her gaze. “
I'd
like a little brother or sister,” she said loudly.

Kenny groaned. “I'm working on it. I'm working on it.”

“Work faster.”

Angel snickered.

Maya quickly pointed at Del's phone. “Oh, look. He has pictures from his travels. Del, show us the pictures.”

Del hadn't heard the baby conversation so looked a little confused, but he nodded, anyway.

“Sure. Let me hook my phone up to the computer.”

He pulled a cord from her tote and plugged in his phone. Seconds later, a slide show started on the big screen. The girls all stared at photos of mountains, capped in snow. They laughed when they saw a big yak.

“Where is that?” one of the girls asked.

“Tibet. Who knows where that is?”

Del went through about a hundred pictures. He explained about life in the village and talked about the different kids he'd met. The girls were enthralled—their photograph-editing session forgotten.