Fool's Gold Collection Volume 4: Halfway There / Just One Kiss / Two of a Kind / Three Little Words

Isabel managed a smile. “What? You’re saying beating myself up isn’t the quickest way to a happier tomorrow?”

“Not even close. You’ve temporarily left New York. Take advantage of that. Lose yourself in the quaint, small-town gooeyness that is Fool’s Gold. Go to a festival. Gain five pounds from eating locally made goat cheese. Seduce a handsome tourist.”

“Not sure I’m up to that last suggestion, but the others sound fun.”

Patience drank some of her soda. “You’re not ready for transition guy?”

“Not even close.” Isabel studied her. “I can’t see you having one, either. Not with a child to worry about.”

Patience was too embarrassed to admit there hadn’t been a man in her life since Ned left. “No transitional man for me, either. I was busy with Lillie, and now it’s been too long. But I do like the theory.” She grinned. “Ford is coming home any day now. What about him? You had a huge crush on him years ago. Maybe he’s still gorgeous and sexy.”

Isabel’s expression brightened. “If only that were true. You promised he wouldn’t be.” She sighed, obviously remembering. “I was so insanely in love with him.”

“The love of a fourteen-year-old girl is very special.”

Isabel laughed. “I hope he saw it that way rather than as something he had to escape.” Her smile turned rueful. “Of course, my sister had just dumped him, so I doubt he had much time to think about my feelings. He was too busy wrestling with his own.”

Patience had been only a couple of years older than Isabel, but even she remembered the scandal. Ford had been engaged to Maeve, Isabel’s older and very beautiful sister. Only a few weeks before the wedding, he’d caught Maeve in bed with his best friend, Leonard. Words and possibly blows had been exchanged. Maeve had been apologetic, but refused to give up Leonard. The engagement had been broken and Ford had left town. He’d joined the navy, had become a SEAL and until recently had pretty much never returned.

There had been the one or two weekends when he’d been spotted around town, but mostly he’d seen his family in other places. Patience wasn’t sure if that was a logistical choice or if he’d been avoiding Maeve. Either way, after close to fourteen years, he was coming home now.

“Maybe he kept all your letters,” Patience said, her voice teasing. “Read them when things were tough.”

Isabel laughed. “Sure he did. Because hearing about my life was so special. I just hope I edited myself and didn’t dump on him, emotionally. High school is never pretty, and I don’t think telling him about my experiences would have been very entertaining.”

Patience leaned toward her and lowered her voice. “Or they could have been extremely entertaining.”

Isabel winced. “Oh God. You’re right. I remember going to a prom with a guy named Warren. There was no happy ending.” She picked up her soda. “I’m sure I didn’t mention that.”

“You could get on the welcome committee,” Patience told her. “Be one of the first to greet him.”

“There’s a welcome committee?”

“Not that I’ve heard of, but who knows what this town will do? Ford is a returning hero.”

“He’s going to hate hearing that over and over again.”

“You could comfort him.”

Isabel sighed. “Stop trying to throw us together. The man isn’t even home yet.”

“I’m a romantic. I can’t help it. One of us has to have a summer romance.”

“I’m fresh off a divorce. Any romance is up to you. What about that guy? Justice?”

Patience cleared her throat. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Isabel raised her eyebrows. “Uh-huh. You’re blushing.”

Patience ducked her head. “I am not.” But she was. She could feel the heat on her cheeks. “I like him,” she admitted. “But it’s confusing. Exciting, but confusing.”

“Good luck with that. I’m the last person you should come to for advice. I still have a tan line from my wedding ring.”

Patience sighed. “I really am sorry about that.”

“Me, too. But I’ll move on.”

* * *

“OKAY, so here’s the counter, obviously. And this is where the magic will happen.” Patience ran her hands over the large espresso machine. It was big and shiny and the most perfect thing she’d ever seen. At least in the mechanical world. Lillie was the most perfect in the life-form department.

“I know all the specs by heart,” she continued. “Want me to tell you how many cups per hour and the amount of milk we’ll go through making lattes?”

Justice leaned against the counter and smiled at her. “If it’s important to you.”

“It is but I won’t torture you. Not when you’ve said you’ll help me.”

There were the last, most recent boxes of mugs and plates to be unpacked. As the dishwasher wasn’t coming in until next week, they would also have to be stacked neatly next to the others in preparation for their professional sanitizing.

She turned toward the space that would be filled by a very large dishwasher and sighed. “Held up by a shipping glitch,” she said. “Mom and I decided that since we hadn’t picked an actual date for the opening, we’re going to delay it three days. That way the dishwasher will be installed and we’ll have more time to train the staff.”

She drew in a breath and pressed her hands together. “There’s going to be staff. Actual employees. And we have our food on order and the coffee is here. We’ll have intermittent times when we’re open for about a week, then the real thing.”

She turned to him. “You said you could make it. Is that still true?”

“Yes. My trip’s been cut back—I’ll only be gone a couple of days.”

“To the dangerous place you can’t name.”

His blue eyes brightened with amusement. “That’s the one.”

“You could give me a hint. Is it an island or a continent?”

“There’s a big size difference there. It’s a continent.”

“But not this one.”

“No.”

She tilted her head. “You’re really not going to tell me, are you?”

“I’m not.”

“Fine. Be that way. I still owe you. You’ve helped so much. So when you’re ready to unpack your bullets or whatever for CDS, I’ll be there for you.”

“No bullets.”

“I thought you were going to have a shooting range.”