Finding Perfect

He thought about the smoke-filled classroom. Maybe Peter had been scared of the fire instead of him. Maybe he’d imagined the whole thing.

Even as his gut told him he hadn’t, he knew he wasn’t going to say anything. Not until he had more information.

“I think he was in the class where I was speaking,” he said. “When the fire started.”

“Oh. Maybe. He’s the right age.” She shifted her handbag onto her other shoulder. “What’s your calendar like over the next couple of days? Technically I still owe you a meeting.”

“How about today?”

“What time?”

“Noon. We’ll have lunch.”

She hesitated. “You don’t have to buy me lunch.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I was going to let you pay.”

She laughed. “Oh, well, in that case, sure. We’ll go to the Fox and Hound. They make a mean salad, and you look like a guy who enjoys lettuce.”

“I might surprise you.”

Something flickered in her eyes. As quickly as it appeared, it faded. She nodded.

“You might at that.”

Chapter Five

PIA LOOKED AT THE HANDSOME man sitting across from her in the restaurant and told herself to focus on business. She was here in a purely professional capacity—not to enjoy the view. Though Raoul was pretty enough to dazzle anyone.

They’d already placed their orders and their drinks had been delivered. Pia had chosen diet soda, with the passing thought that if she went ahead with the pregnancy, she could kiss her artificial-sweetener habit goodbye, at least for nine months.

“You grew up in Seattle, right?” she asked, thinking a little chitchat was in order. She was allowed to be friendly.

“Until college,” he told her.

“I’ve never been, but I’m guessing it’s nothing like Fool’s Gold.”

“It’s a lot bigger and there’s a lot more rain. Seattle has mountains, only they’re not as close.”

“Why didn’t you move back there?”

He flashed her a grin that made her pulse do a little cheer. “Too much rain for me. It’s gray a lot. I like to see the sun.” He picked up his iced tea.

“Is that why you abandoned them during college? You could have gone to the University of Washington.”

“The other offers were better and Coach thought I should get out of the state and see the rest of the country. Except for him and his wife, and my girlfriend, I didn’t have all that much I was leaving behind.”

“What about your family?”

He shook his head. “I never knew my dad. One of my brothers died when I was a kid. He was shot. My mom—” He shrugged. “I spent a lot of years in foster care.”

There was something about the way he said the words. Bad things had happened, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what. “I spent a year in the system,” she admitted. “Here.”

“You?”

“My senior year of high school. My dad died and my mom left to live with her sister in Florida. She said it would be better for me to stay here so I could graduate with my friends, but the truth was she didn’t want to be bothered.” Pia frowned. “I haven’t seen her since. She didn’t come back for my graduation and she made it clear I wasn’t welcome there. So I stayed. Went to community college for a couple of years before transferring to a four-year university. Got a job with the city when I came back.”

She forced a smile. “They tried to offer me a football scholarship, but those uniforms don’t really suit me.”

“This is your home,” he said, his dark eyes serious. “Where you belong.”

“You’re right. Every couple of years I think I should go somewhere else. L.A. or San Francisco. Phoenix, even. But I won’t leave. Which probably seems pretty boring to you.”

“No. It’s what I want, too. I thought I’d settle in Dallas. The fans are great and I enjoyed the city. I came here because of what Keith had said about his hometown. He made it sound like something out of a movie. When I got here for the golf tournament, I found out he’d been right. I liked everything about Fool’s Gold. So I came back and then I decided to move here.”

She wondered if he was running to something or from something. Not exactly a casual question.

“So this is your first small town,” she said. “Then you need to know the rules.”

“Didn’t I get them in my welcome packet?” The corner of his mouth twitched as he spoke.

She did her best not to smile in return. “No. But they’re very important. You mess up even a little and your life will be hell.”

He leaned toward her. “What are the rules?”

“There are the expected things—keep the living room and kitchen picked up. You never know when you’re going to have company. Don’t mess with a married woman.” She paused. “Or man, depending on your preferences.”

“Thanks for the news flash.”

“Don’t favor any one business over another. Spread the wealth. For example, the best places for hair are owned by two sisters. Bella and Julia Gionni. But you can’t go to just one. Trust me. Just alternate. When you’re at Bella’s, she’ll trash Julia and vice versa. It’s kind of like dinner theater, with highlights.”