Fool's Gold Collection Volume 4: Halfway There / Just One Kiss / Two of a Kind / Three Little Words. Susan Mallery
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make her trust him, that wasn’t the point. If Steve wasn’t a complete jerk, then Lillie deserved to know her grandfather. She deserved to have more family, more people to care about her.
Steve pulled a business card out of his shirt pocket. “Here’s my cell number. I’ll be around. You can limit my visits, supervise them or make me post a bond.” He gave her a quick smile. “Whatever it takes, Patience. I’m sorry for how my actions affected you. If I could change them, I would. Believe me.”
He handed her the card, then left. She shoved the card into her back pocket and did her best to forget about it. Having Lillie’s grandfather show up like that was one thing she didn’t want to have to deal with.
* * *
JUSTICEKNOCKED ON the house’s front door. A couple of minutes later, Ava opened it and smiled at him.
“Patience isn’t here,” she said by way of greeting. “She’s working at the salon this afternoon.”
“You’re the one I came to see.”
Ava laughed and invited him in. “I will take that comment in the spirit in which you meant it and not infer any other motive.”
Justice grinned. “Thank you.”
She led the way to the sofa. Today her steps weren’t as steady as they had been before and she was using a cane. The disease, he thought, wishing there was a way for her to get better.
When they were both seated, she turned to him. “How can I help?”
“Lillie came to see me.” He explained about Zack and how Lillie was uncomfortable around the boy. “She wants me to find out what’s going on and make it stop. She says she’s not being bullied, but I’m less sure. Under normal circumstances, I’d confront the guy myself. But he’s a ten-year-old kid.”
“I can see how that would make you uncomfortable,” Ava told him. “I didn’t know Lillie was concerned about anyone.”
“I think she came to me because I’m a professional. But this is out of my area of expertise.”
“I understand.” Ava thought for a second. “I’m going to call the school and arrange a meeting with the counselor and the teacher. Maybe we can get an answer that way. I’ll tell Patience, but ask her to let you and me handle this. That way if Lillie asks if she was there, you can say no.”
“I appreciate your help.”
Ava smiled. “You’ve always been very sweet to my girl. Even when you were much younger. I’m happy to help now.”
He wasn’t sure he would define his feelings as “sweet,” but that wasn’t a conversation he was going to have with Patience’s mother. He wasn’t sure he would even have it with Patience herself. He didn’t know what was happening between them. He knew what he wanted, but going there meant inviting danger. His need to protect Patience was more important than his desire for her. Which left him with something of a dilemma.
“THANKSFOR meeting me,” Patience said as she slid into a booth at the Fox and Hound. “I’m sure I sounded mysterious on the phone.”
“There was a James Bond element to your request,” Justice told her. He mumbled something suspiciously like “It runs in the family.” But that didn’t make sense, so she shrugged it off.
She’d called him that morning and asked if he was free for lunch. She had a million things she needed to be doing, but this was too important to put off. Plus, who could complain about having lunch with an attractive man, even if that man confused the heck out of her?
Wilma, the sixtysomething, gum-snapping waitress, peered at Justice.
“I don’t know you, but you have the look of my Frank. That’s a compliment, in case you were wondering.”
“Thank you,” Justice said.
Wilma turned to Patience. “He with you?”
“Sort of.”
Wilma’s penciled-in brows rose. “Well, isn’t that the cat’s pajamas? What’ll you have?”
“Diet Coke,” Patience said, knowing she could no more stop the town from paying attention to her and her personal life than she could stop the rotation of the earth.
“Coffee for me,” Justice told the waitress. “Black.”
She wrote down their orders. “There was a small accident in the kitchen earlier. Nothing to worry about, but I’d get one of the wraps if I was you.”
Patience held in a groan. Obviously they should have gone somewhere else. “Thanks for the information.”
Justice looked at her. “Is there a wrap you recommend?”
“The London wrap is the best,” Wilma said. “With fries. You’ll like it.”
He passed her his menu. “I’m sure I will.”
“The same for me,” Patience said weakly.
“Smart girl.”
When Wilma had left, Patience risked a glance at Justice. “She can be a little forceful.”
He looked more amused than irritated. “I’m okay with that. Part of the town’s charm.”
“You say that now,” Patience muttered. “Just wait.” She drew in a breath. “Thanks for helping with the Lillie–Zack situation. My mom filled me in on everything. I agreed with her theory that I should stay out of it so Lillie doesn’t think you betrayed her confidence.”
“Thank you. I don’t want her to hate me—she’s a great kid.”
“One who inspires an equally powerful affection in her classmates.” She winced. “I think I’m going to have some serious trouble when she turns sixteen.”
“Lock her in a tower.”
She laughed. “An option I hadn’t considered.” She cleared her throat, knowing she had to get to the point of their lunch.
“As for why I asked you to join me...”
He looked at her. “Yes?”
“I had a visit from Lillie’s grandfather.” She passed over the business card Steve had given her. “He wants to start seeing her regularly. Have a relationship with her, I guess.”
“He hasn’t been around before this?”
“No. He walked out on his family when Ned, Lillie’s dad, was little. Ned was always so angry and bitter about his father. When we met, I took that as a good sign. We’d both had our fathers leave, so I figured we’d both be committed to staying for the long haul.” She shook her head. “I was wrong.”
“Have you met—” he glanced at the card “—Steve before?”
“Once. Before the wedding. He showed up, took us to dinner, made a lot of promises, then disappeared. I don’t think he’s dangerous, but I also don’t trust him. Lillie doesn’t need her grandfather showing up and then disappearing. I want to know what kind of man he is. I thought with all your training, you could help me figure that out.”
“Sure. Easy enough.” Justice tucked the business card into his shirt pocket. “What happened with Ned?”
Wilma reappeared with their drinks, then returned to the kitchen. Patience unwrapped her straw.
“Nothing very unusual. We dated. It was fun but not great. I wasn’t in love with him or anything, but I thought maybe I could be. I don’t know. I slept with him and I probably shouldn’t have. It was a tough time for me. I was confused about what I wanted to do with my life. Young.”