Fool's Gold Collection Volume 4: Halfway There / Just One Kiss / Two of a Kind / Three Little Words. Susan Mallery
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THE to-do list and felt the last of her stress fade away. Everything was getting done and more quickly than she could have imagined. The cleaning was done and all the plates, mugs and glasses had been unpacked. In the back room, a team worked on her shelves. Nevada kept a tight control on her team, ordering the guys around easily.
Charlie walked over. “The trim is painted. Finn, Simon and Tucker are putting up the curtain rods. Tucker has the professional experience, but Simon brings his surgeon’s precision to the experience, so imagine how that’s going. Finn’s egging them both on because it’s fun. I won’t bother telling you the trouble the Stryker brothers are getting into, but know that later, they will be punished.”
Patience laughed. “I’m not worried. Everyone is working really hard and my list is nearly complete.” She hugged Charlie. “I love this town.”
“The town loves you back.” Charlie turned her head and groaned. “Old ladies at ten o’clock.”
Patience followed her gaze and saw that Eddie and Gladys had shown up. No doubt the near octogenarians were hoping to catch sight of good-looking guys in tight jeans. The two were completely shameless. Last year Clay had arranged for some male-model friends to pose for a charity calendar. When Eddie and Gladys had found out, they’d shown up with folding chairs and stayed to watch the show.
Some of the shots had required the guys to get naked, which had delighted the friends. They’d taken pictures with their cell phones. Charlie had been forced to edit out the “frontal” nudity pictures, much to the dismay of Eddie and Gladys.
“I’ll go make sure they behave themselves,” Patience said.
Charlie put her hand on Patience’s arm. “I’ll do it. You need to stay focused on the projects. Plus, you’re too nice. They at least pretend to be scared of me.”
“Thanks.”
“What can I say? I’m an amazing friend and you’re lucky to have me in your life.”
Patience laughed.
She watched Charlie head for the old ladies and saw the two trying to duck away. But Charlie was faster and soon they were corralled. Patience made the rounds, stopping to check on the various projects.
Simon and Tucker were glaring at each other. “It’s a thirty-second of an inch off,” the surgeon said. “Do you know what that means?”
“Nothing,” Tucker told him. “Because it’s not off. It’s even. Look at the level.”
“I’m measuring and that’s more accurate than a bubble.”
Finn leaned back against the wall, enjoying the show.
“The curtains look great,” Patience said. “I love them.”
“See?” Tucker said.
“You have to be on a ladder to see the difference,” Simon informed him.
“I’m thinking not many of my customers are going to do that,” Patience said; then she smiled and kept moving.
As she circled around the room, she passed by Kent Hendrix and his mother. Denise was staring up at her son.
“Are you sure?” she asked, her voice hopeful.
“It’s been long enough,” Kent told her. “I want to move on. Lorraine is gone and not coming back. I need to get going with my life. I’ve wasted enough time on her.”
Denise reached for him.
Patience inched away, not wanting to intrude on such a private, family moment.
She knew the basic facts. Kent had been married. He and Lorraine had a son, Reese. Several years ago Lorraine had decided she didn’t want to be married, or a mother, so she’d taken off, leaving her husband and her son. Sort of like Ned, Patience thought.
Josh and Ethan came by with two-by-fours over their shoulders, trapping her in place.
“I’m so glad,” Denise told her son. “You need to start the next chapter of your life. Are you dating?”
“Mom, let it go. I’ll find my own girl.”
“But I want to help.”
Patience looked around frantically, still pinned in by moving wood. Any second now Denise was going to start searching for a suitable future Mrs. Kent Hendrix, and she didn’t want to be the one the other woman saw first. Kent was a great guy, but they’d only ever been friends.
She finally managed to duck under the wood and make her way to the back room. She would hide out until the danger passed, she thought humorously.
Now that she was safe, she could almost pity Kent. Denise was a formidable woman. If she decided she was going to get Kent involved with someone, he was going to find himself with a parade of women moving past his house.
She looked into the main room and saw Justice with her mother. They were speaking intently, heads bent together.
Although she wondered what they were discussing, her real attention was on how much she wanted to walk over and stand next to Justice. To be close and have him smile at her. She knew she was getting too involved, too quickly, and didn’t know how to slow things down.
With the business only a week or two from opening, she was frantically busy, yet still found time to dwell on Justice. Maybe it was good that he was going to be gone a few days on an assignment. She could try to forget about him. Or if that wasn’t possible, maybe gain a little perspective.
Mayor Marsha walked up to her. “Everything is turning out so beautifully,” the mayor said. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Patience took in the skirted suit the older woman always wore. “No pants, huh? I was hoping.” Mayor Marsha had worn pants to a work party over the holidays. It had made quite the impression on everyone.
The mayor smiled. “It was very cold out. I made an exception.” Her head tilted. “Hmm, I wonder what that means.”
“What?”
The mayor pointed.
Patience turned and saw Charlie pulling her cell phone out of her pocket. She pressed it to her ear, then shook her head.
“Everyone, be quiet for a second, please,” Charlie yelled. “This might be important.”
The room went silent.
Charlie listened. Everyone around her watched, waiting to hear. Was the news good? Was there a problem?
Charlie grinned. “Okay. I’ll spread the word.” She lowered her phone. “It’s Annabelle. She’s in labor!”
JUSTICETURNED DOWNthe road leading to the ranch. If there was a hot spot in the world, a dangerous place, he’d probably been there. He knew how to get in, get the job done and get out. He’d faced soldiers, assassins and dictators. He knew how to take care of himself. None of which explained why he was going to a ranch to visit a woman he didn’t know, who had just given birth to a baby he had no interest in, with a casserole he hadn’t made.
“You okay?” Patience asked. She sat in the passenger seat and watched him curiously. “You have a scrunchy face.”
“No, I don’t.”
“I’m the one who can see your face, so I get to say.”
Justice surrendered to the inevitable. “I’m trying to figure out how I got here.”
“On earth at all, or here with me at this particular moment?”
“The latter.”
She flashed him a smile. “You offered to drive