“Hello,” the woman said. “I’m...” She paused and looked around. “I’m apparently lost and in the wrong place.” She frowned. “That’s repetitious, isn’t it? If I’m lost I can’t be in the right place. I need coffee and sleep and very possibly a way to kill my business partners.”

She gave them a weary smile. “Sorry. I’m exhausted and rambling. I’m Taryn Crawford with Score.”

“What’s Score?” Isabel asked.

“A new business in town. Or it’s going to be. Assuming there’s no partner death in the near future.” Taryn gave a little shrug. “For the record, I’m kidding about killing him. Sort of. I wouldn’t know how to go about it. Jack is friends with Raoul Moreno who, apparently, lives here. Jack came to visit, loved the town, talked to the other partners, convinced them we had to relocate, and here the hell I am.”

Felicia put the pieces together and remembered her recent city council meeting. “You’re with the football players.”

“Don’t remind me,” Taryn grumbled. “What’s that expression? It’s like trying to herd cats. I was supposed to meet a real estate agent about some property. I don’t have time to be looking, but I can’t trust one of the guys with it. We’d end up with a corner in a sports bar. There are days...” She drew in a deep breath. “You know the kicker in all this? They’re great with the clients.”

“Which is why you haven’t killed them yet?” Noelle offered helpfully.

“Pretty much. That and prison. I wouldn’t enjoy prison.” She glanced around. “Great space. Like the light. What’s it going to be?”

“A Christmas store,” Noelle told her. “The Christmas Attic.”

“Nice.” Taryn looked up. “You should put in some framing to make it look like a real attic. The ceilings are high enough. It wouldn’t be expensive, just a few beams to give the look. Then you could add shelving at the base of the framing for displays. A Christmas store.” She paused for a second. “What about a train set? It could circle the store, do that toot-toot thing they do. Kids would love it. The noise might make you want to run screaming into the night, but retail comes at a price. So, where did I go wrong? I was looking for Frank Lane and Fifth.”

Isabel pointed to the door. “That’s Frank. Take a left and go a block and a half. You’ll be there.”

“Thanks. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

Taryn waved and left.

“I love her,” Noelle said reverently. “She’s brilliant. I can make my store look like an attic. I can’t believe I never thought of that myself. It makes sense. Did you see her shoes?”

“Beautiful,” Isabel said, watching her walk away. “I’m so with you on the shoes.”

“That’s because you have a shoe thing, too. I’d fall and break an ankle if I tried to wear them,” Noelle said. “But it might be worth it.”

“I liked her, too,” Felicia admitted. Taryn had been extremely straightforward in her speech. And she had attitude.

“She’s very beautiful,” Noelle added. “I wonder if Denise Hendrix would like her for Kent.”

“Or Ford,” Felicia added, then laughed. “The danger with that match is Ford really would know how to kill her business partners.”

“Hey,” Isabel said. “Not Ford. We’re not finding a woman for Ford.”

Noelle raised her eyebrows. “You said you weren’t interested in him.”

“I’m not. I’m sure of it.” She clutched her can of soda. “At least I’m pretty sure.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

REESE HELD OUT the bowl of popcorn to Carter. It was raining, and they were at Reese’s place, watching movies. In the past couple of days, Carter had started to feel a little better. Maybe it was okay for him to be happy here, in Fool’s Gold. He knew his mom wouldn’t have wanted him to forget her, but she also wouldn’t expect him to be unhappy all the time. And she would have liked Felicia a lot.

“You think about your mom?” he asked.

Reese paused the movie. “Not so much anymore. I did when she left. More than I wanted my dad to know. For a while I was afraid he’d take off, too. But he kept telling me he would always be there for me. Moving here helped. Being close to family.” He shrugged. “I know that’s kind of lame, but it makes a difference.”

“I know what you mean. Without Felicia around, things with my dad would suck. I think he likes me, and we have fun and stuff, but it’s not the same. We don’t talk the way Felicia and I talk.” He didn’t mention the hugs because that would make him sound like a baby. But having her hug him was important. He just felt better when she did.

She made it clear she was interested in him and listened to what he was trying to say. She was logical in a way his mom hadn’t been. He didn’t think he could freak her out about anything.

“She’s learning to bake,” he said. “It’s pretty funny. Everything is so precise with her. She measures exactly. My mom just threw stuff in a bowl and it always came out great. With Felicia, we follow the recipe.” He reached for another handful of popcorn.

“My grandma is determined to get my dad and Uncle Ford married,” Reese said. “Last month she had a booth at a festival. She’s got all these applications and wants my dad to start calling the women she’s picked.”

Carter stared at him. “No way. Is your dad pissed?”

“Kinda, but he doesn’t want to say anything. I told her I’d check out the ladies ahead of time, but she didn’t like that idea.”

“You think your dad will start dating?” Carter asked.

“He said he would. It’s time. Mom’s not coming back, and I like the idea of a stepmom.”

Carter grinned. “You like the idea of someone cooking and doing your laundry.”

Reese chuckled. “Sure. Why not? Plus, she’ll want to show I’m important, so she’ll buy me presents.”

Carter laughed with his friend, but knew his needs were different. He wanted Gideon and Felicia to stay together permanently, so they could be a family. Right now, they could walk away from each other at any second.

“I need a plan to get Gideon to marry Felicia,” he announced.

Reese shook his head. “You’re not going to make that happen, bro. They’re adults. We’re thirteen. What do we know about getting people together? Your mom was single your whole life, and my mom walked out on my dad. It’s not like we’ve seen it happen and can follow the steps.” He held out a hand. “Don’t say you’re going to find something on the internet. It’s not that simple.”

“So how does it happen? People meet, they start dating, they fall in love.”

“Gideon and Felicia are already living together. They don’t have to date.”

Carter saw his point. But he was pretty sure most couples lived together because they were in love, or something close. Felicia had moved in because of him. He was in the middle of what they were doing.

“They should have a date night,” he said, wondering how he was going to make that happen. “I could tell Gideon that Felicia deserves a night out after everything she’s been doing.”

“You think he’ll fall for that?”

“Maybe. If I mention the baking. I can stay here that night and then they’ll be alone and it can be romantic.”

“You think they’re doing it?” Reese asked.

Carter punched him in the arm. “We can’t talk about that. It would be like your dad and some girl.”

Reese shuddered. “Okay, you’re right. I don’t want to go there. Old people shouldn’t do that sort of thing.”

Carter understood his friend being grossed out, but as far as he was concerned, Gideon and Felicia should be getting it on. They should be together in other ways, too. From what he could tell, marriage was like a team. He needed to get them on the same side. It would move them closer to falling in love with each other and getting married. Once that happened, he would have a permanent home and not have to worry anymore.

* * *

“THIS IS NICE,” Felicia said as she and Gideon walked into Angelo’s. The Italian restaurant was crowded on a Friday night, but the hostess smiled at them and said she had their reservation.

“Inside or out?” Gideon asked, putting his hand on the small of Felicia’s back.

“Out,” she told him.

They were shown to a table on the patio. Although there were plenty of other people around, the strategic placement of plants provided the illusion of privacy.

She and Gideon sat across from each other. The hostess put menus in front of them, then left.

Gideon leaned toward her. “You look great. Did I mention that?”

“No, but thank you for the compliment. You look great, as well.”

He chuckled. “Thanks. Carter helped me pick out my clothes.”

Which explained the black shirt and black jeans, Felicia thought. Gideon wasn’t usually that formal or into dark clothing.

“He made me try on a bunch of shirts,” Gideon told her. “He’s a stern taskmaster.”

He sounded relaxed as he spoke, as if the idea of a son was no longer so startling. They were all settling in, she thought happily. Finding their way.

“How was your bike-riding this afternoon?” she asked.

Gideon and Carter had started riding bikes together, after camp. They were generally gone about a half hour while she started dinner. Then Carter set the table while Gideon pretended to help in the kitchen. Their own ritual, she thought fondly.

“Good. He’s enjoying camp and has made a lot of friends. He and Reese Hendrix seem to be getting close.”

“I’m glad. Ford is sometimes frustrated by his family, but from all he’s said, they’re loving and supportive. They’ll draw Carter in and give him a sense of belonging.”

Gideon’s expression tightened, then he relaxed.

“What?” she asked.

“I was thinking of my brother,” he admitted.

Felicia didn’t know much about Gideon’s family. “Your twin.”

“That’s him. He’s a doctor. Good guy. Plays by the rules.”

“Which you don’t approve of?” she asked.

“I like rules just fine.”

“So long as you can ignore them.”

“I did kind of get over them in the army.” One corner of his mouth turned up, which she found disproportionately sexy.

“What kind of twins?” she asked.

“Fraternal.”

“So there’s no connection beyond being the same age and your time in the womb?”

He grimaced. “Don’t talk about me and my brother being in the womb, okay? It’s creepy.”

She laughed. “You were once little more than a zygote, my friend.”

“Fortunately, I can’t remember back that far.”

“Too bad. It would be fascinating. I enjoy speaking with identical twins. There have been studies that suggest an almost psychic connection. If it exists, I believe it comes from sharing DNA.” She paused. “We were talking about your relationship with your family.”

“The DNA stuff is much more interesting.”

“Liar. You’re trying to distract me.”

“And it nearly worked.” He shrugged. “I do okay with my family.”

“By what scale? You never see them or call them.”

“How do you know I don’t call them?”

“I haven’t heard you on the phone with anyone since I moved in.”

“Maybe I call from work.”

“It’s the middle of the night anywhere in the continental United States.”

His eyebrows drew together. “Sometimes you being smart is a real pain in the ass.”

She smiled. “I’ve heard that before.”

Their server, a college-age guy in black pants and a white shirt, stopped by their table. He explained about the specials, then offered to get them drinks. Gideon named a bottle of wine.

When the server had left, Felicia rested her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. “We were talking about your family,” she said, her voice teasing.

“Figures you wouldn’t forget. Fine. I don’t see them very much.”

“Or talk to them.”

“Yeah, yeah. I don’t talk to them.”

“They don’t know about Carter, then?”

He drew in a breath. “I don’t know what to say. My mom will want to meet him. It complicates things.”

“They must be very proud of you, of your service.”

“They’re grateful I’m not dead,” he admitted, then sighed. “Okay, sure, they’re proud. They’re good people. My dad was career army. We moved around a lot. I knew I wanted to be just like him. Gabriel wanted to be a doctor. He got the army to send him to medical school. Slick trick, if you ask me.”

“He’s still in the service?”

“Last I heard.”

Their server brought them bread. Gideon offered her a slice. She took it and set it on her side plate.

“I think you’re right to wait on letting your parents know about Carter,” she said.

“Really?”

“Carter’s still adjusting, as are you. If you were close to your parents, their presence would be welcome. But you’re not, so they would be one more stressor. In a couple of months, when you and Carter have a closer relationship, it will be easier.”