CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“GO,” Ava told her daughter. “You need to see the parade. Lillie had poor Steve and Justice working on her bike for hours yesterday. Be impressed.”
Patience laughed. “I promise I will be.” She’d seen the scattered remains of their “art” project on the lawn. Bits of flower and twist ties. “I never thought of Justice as the help-at-home type.”
“Steve said he was very good with a glue gun.” Her mother’s eyes twinkled. “An excellent quality in a man.”
Patience knew she didn’t need help falling for Justice. Just thinking about him was enough to get her heart beating faster. She’d started out determined to play it safe, which had gotten her exactly nowhere. Over time she’d learned that being around him made her feel safe, and at the same time she was stronger in his presence.
Felicia walked into the store. “What are you two doing here?” she asked. “The parade is about to start.”
“I was just leaving,” Patience said. “Lillie’s riding and I want to see it.”
Felicia looked at Ava. “She’s your granddaughter. You should go, too.”
“I’ll be there. We’re closing the store for the actual parade. Steve’s saving me a seat by the fire station.”
Felicia shook her head. She walked over to Patience and untied her apron.
“What are you doing?” Patience asked with a laugh.
“Taking over. Go, both of you. I’ll keep the store open until the parade, then close it.”
Patience was tempted. There weren’t any customers, and business would be light until the parade was over. “I don’t want to take advantage,” she began.
“I don’t mind, so you shouldn’t, either.”
Ava studied her. “Do you know how to work the equipment?”
Felicia smiled. “I think I can figure it out. I’m good with machines.”
“I heard the same about men’s shoulders,” Ava said, already slipping off her apron. “You don’t have to make your offer twice to me.” She grabbed Patience’s hand. “Come on. We both have handsome men waiting for us. We’d be fools to be late.”
Patience nodded at Felicia. “Thank you. I’ll be right out front and I’ll save you a spot.”
“I’ll be there.”
Patience and her mother went out onto the sidewalk in front of the store. The crowd was already three people thick in places. The area directly in front of Brew-haha had been roped off so Patience would be able to see Lillie as she went by.
“Did I tell you Lillie wouldn’t let me see her bike this morning?” Patience asked. “She wants it to be a surprise.”
“I’m sure Justice and Steve helped her do a lovely job.”
Patience saw the anticipation in her mother’s eyes as she searched the crowd.
“He said he’d be on the corner by the fire station,” Ava murmured. “Oh, there he is.”
Patience touched her arm. “Mom, I’m really happy for you.”
Ava turned back to her. “Thank you. I’m happy, too.”
“Steve’s a nice guy and you’ve waited a long time for one of those to show up.” She hesitated. “I’m glad you let him get to know you, and I’m glad he’s in Lillie’s life.”
“Thank you for saying that. Steve made a lot of mistakes. I’m not saying he didn’t, but he’s learned. I believe he wants to be different now.”
“He already is.”
They hugged, and then Ava excused herself. Isabel strolled up, a couple of cookies in her hand. She passed one over to Patience.
“Chocolate chip,” Isabel said, then took a bite.
Patience inhaled the sweet scent of chocolate and felt the warmth through the napkin. “Are these fresh out of the oven?”
Isabel nodded as she chewed. “Over there.” She pointed to the crowded park where dozens of vendors had set up booths. “It’s impossible to move by the booths, what with everyone buying food, but it’s worth it. This town.” She shook her head.
“What?” Patience asked.
“It’s horrible. It sucks you in with its niceness. All friendly and caring, like they want people to stay.”
Patience laughed. “You’d prefer a town that was hostile?”
“No, but I don’t want to like it here.”
“Because you don’t want to stay.”
“Right. But people are stopping in the bridal shop to say hi and make me feel welcome.”
“The bastards!”
Isabel laughed. “I get your point. I shouldn’t complain that I like where I’m living. But I want to be clear. I don’t care how good the cookies are—I’m not staying.”
“Which is too bad. I’d like having you stick around.”
Isabel sighed. “I’d like that part, too. It’s been fun to go to lunch and hang out. But I have a plan and it’s not going to happen here.”
Patience smiled. “Not even for Ford Hendrix?”
Isabel rolled her eyes. “He was so fifteen years ago. I’m completely over him.”
“You say that now, but you haven’t seen him. What if there’s chemistry?”
“There won’t be. Too much time has passed. We’re different people.”
Patience didn’t say anything, but she was less sure. She hadn’t seen Justice in fifteen years, and there had still been plenty of chemistry between them.
Noelle joined them, a large dish of ice cream in her hands. “I never thought I would say this out loud, but OMG! Have you tried the ice cream? It’s the most delicious thing ever.”
“No way,” Isabel said. “The cookies are spectacular.”
“As if.” Noelle held out a plastic spoon with some ice cream on it.
Isabel broke off a piece of cookie and handed it over. They each tasted the other’s offering, and then both moaned.
“That’s better,” Isabel said, pointing to the ice cream. “I didn’t think it was possible, but it is.”
“No, yours is better,” Noelle said.
They stared at each other for a second, then exchanged treats.
“So good,” Isabel said, scooping ice cream.
“You’re both weird,” Patience said. “And blonde. As a natural brunette, I’m offended by that.”
“She might be a natural blonde,” Isabel told her friend. “I pay to have my hair this color. I was thinking of going red, but then I saw Felicia and frankly she’s too beautiful. I don’t want to compete.”
Noelle smiled smugly. “I am a natural blonde. My mother and grandmother were, as well.”
“And you’re pretty,” Isabel said with a sigh. “Why do I like you?”
Patience laughed.
“Is Lillie in the parade?” Isabel asked.
“Yes, she has her bike all decorated. She’s riding with her friends. Apparently they’ve been working on a little routine together.”
Isabel finished her ice cream. “Kids were one of the perks of marriage I was really looking forward to.” She glanced at Noelle. “Did you know I’m recently divorced?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
“It happens. I wish I could say I hate him, but I don’t. We’re still friends. It’s all very civilized, which tells you how bad things had gotten.”
“It’s better than the alternative,” Noelle said. “Breakups are never easy.”
The way she said it made Patience wonder about her friend’s past. Not that the middle of a parade route was the place to get into it.
“Ladies.”
She turned and saw Justice had joined them. He moved to her and put his arm around her.
“Hi,” he murmured.
The feel of his body against hers was warm and made her tingle all over. Just being around Justice brightened her day. She had it bad, she thought, accepting the inevitable. That she had totally and completely fallen for him. Foolish, perhaps, but it was done now.
“Hi, yourself.” She smiled at him, then turned to her friends. “Has everyone met Justice?” She glanced back at him. “You know Isabel and Noelle?”
“Sure. Are you enjoying the festival?” he asked.
“Every part of it,” Noelle told him.
“You remember that I’m meeting someone?” he asked.
“Yes,” Patience told him. “And it’s fine. Just make sure you see Lillie in the parade. Otherwise, she’ll be crushed.”
“She wouldn’t be the only one. Of course I want to see her.” He looked past her and then kissed the top of her head. “Angel’s here. I’ll see you later?”
She nodded as he stepped away. Justice was still staying at the house. He was well enough that they were running out of excuses, but she really didn’t want to let him go. Once everyone was asleep, he usually slipped into her room and they made love. Everything about being with him was perfect, she thought dreamily as he cut across the parade route to the other side of the street.
“He’s good,” Isabel said, watching him go. “The right combination of kick-ass and sweet.”
“I know,” Patience said with a sigh. “He’s dreamy.”
Her friends laughed.
“Who’s he meeting?” Noelle asked.
“I want to know, too,” Isabel said. “And is this Angel person a man or a woman?”
“A man. One of his business partners. Along with Ford.”
Isabel tossed her ice cream cup into the trash can by the entrance to Brew-haha. “Don’t start.”
“Who’s Ford?” Noelle asked. “I’m never going to be able to keep these names straight.”
“Ford used to live here. Isabel was insanely in love with him.”
“I was fourteen,” Isabel grumbled. “It was a crush. Get over it.”
“Tell her about the letters,” Patience teased.
“There are—” Noelle’s mouth dropped open. “Oh my.”
The other two turned and saw Justice standing next to a tall man with dark hair. The stranger shifted slightly so they could see his pale gray eyes and a jagged scar on his neck.
Isabel took a step back. “Is that for real? It looks like someone tried to slit his throat.” She shivered. “He’s scary.”
Patience had to agree. Somehow she’d imagined that Angel would look more, well, angelic.
“I agree,” Noelle said. “Way too dark-side for me.”
“He could be a kitten on the inside,” Isabel said, “but he looks like a crazed killer.”
“I take it neither of you wants to be set up with him?” Patience asked with a grin.
“Not brave enough by half,” Isabel admitted. “I wonder what kind of woman would be willing to take him on.”
“An interesting question,” Noelle said, licking chocolate off her finger. “Because you know all that intensity has to mean he’s great in bed.”
* * *
“WHAT THE hell is this?” Angel demanded even as he shook Justice’s hand. “All this town needs are the Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz and some goddamn fairy in a bubble.”
“You don’t like Fool’s Gold?”
Angel gave his friend a slow smile. “I didn’t say that. I can do cheesy, same as you.”
“Then you’re going to like it here. How was your trip in?”
Angel stared at him. “You gonna ask me about the weather next?”
Justice chuckled. “Sorry. I’m getting used to being around regular people. You’re going to have to do the same.”
“I’ve always been able to blend in.” Angel surveyed the crowd. “What’s the parade?”
“Something about Mother’s Day. The Spring Festival, I think. Lillie is in it. She’s ten.”
Angel’s shrewd expression didn’t change. “Let me guess. Her mom is one of those three women across the street. The ones pretending they’re not watching us.”
“Yup.”
Angel turned to stare at the women. They immediately began talking intently to each other, as if they hadn’t noticed him at all.
“The brunette,” Angel said.
“How do you figure?”
“She’s looking at you, not at me. If I were a less cynical man, I would say she’s in love with you.” He raised his eyebrows. “How’d you let that happen?”
“I have no idea.”
Justice waited for the sense of being trapped. For the need to run. But it wasn’t there. He still didn’t know if he could be what Patience needed, but he was willing to admit that having her love him went a long way to healing any lingering wounds. Maybe it was wrong or selfish of him, but if Patience cared, he couldn’t be all bad.
Angel glanced around, then swore under his breath. “We have to stay for the parade, don’t we?”
“I helped Lillie decorate her bike.”
“You couldn’t have arranged the meeting for an hour from now?”
Justice slapped him on the back. “It’ll be good for you.”
Angel shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “Can we at least talk about business while we’re waiting?”
“Sure. What do you want to know?”
“Why you dragged me here when I had a good thing going where I was.”
Justice wasn’t put off by Angel’s attitude. “If you liked it so much, why did you agree?”
“Hell if I know.”
In the distance, they heard music.
“There’s a marching band?” Angel asked, his voice incredulous.
“Probably.”
Angel shook his head.
“I’ve found a property,” Justice told him. “A warehouse with plenty of grounds. We back up on a wooded area, which is ideal for an obstacle course. I’m also looking to lease us some acreage up in the mountains for any survival training we want to do.”
“We’re in California,” Angel grumbled. “How much survival training could anyone need?”
“The mountains are rugged.”
“Yeah, but no one’s trying to kill you.”
Justice grinned. “You do understand we’re going to be training bodyguards and working with companies on team-building exercises, right? We’re not overthrowing the government.”
Angel’s gray eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m clear on the concept.”
“Just checking.”
The sound of the music got louder as the Fool’s Gold high school marching band rounded the corner.
They were so young, Justice thought, watching the kids move in formation. Innocent. They were worried about things like grades and prom. He respected that, and envied them their ordinary lives. He’d known Bart Hanson wasn’t like other fathers by the time he’d turned seven. By his tenth birthday, he knew that unlike criminals on TV, criminals in real life often walked or were never caught at all.
Behind the band came a group of men pulling little kids in wagons. The wagons were decorated with flowers and ribbons, the children dressed in their Sunday best. All around them women sighed and called out, waving to their families.
Angel raised his eyebrows. “Seriously?”
“You don’t like it?”
“I haven’t decided.” Angel tilted his head, as if studying a difficult problem.
The first group of bike riders appeared. Justice spotted Lillie right away. Like her friends, she was dressed in a pink shirt and white jeans. Tiny flowers had been woven in her hair and matched the ribbons and flowers on her bike. The six girls rode around each other in slow circles and figure eights. Across the street Patience snapped pictures.
Lillie saw Justice and waved. He waved back, then pulled a small camera out of his pocket and started taking pictures himself. Beside him, Angel snorted.
“Yours?” the man on the other side of him asked.
Justice didn’t recognize him, so he assumed he was a tourist.
“I have three boys,” the man continued with a sigh. “Great kids. Always wanted a little girl.” He lowered his voice. “My wife says no way. She’s done.” He gave a shrug. “It would have been nice.”
The man drifted back to his wife and kids. Angel stared at Justice. “We’re opening the business here?”
“Why not?”
The two men walked away from the parade. They headed toward the lake where it was quiet.
“Consuelo has agreed to be an instructor,” Justice said. “She’ll be teaching our students and offering classes for people in town. Self-defense, general conditioning.”
Angel shook his head. “Okay, now you’re screwing with me for sport. Consuelo working with the community? Teaching little old ladies how to fend off attackers?”
“From what I hear, the women in town already know how to do that. Having a change of heart?”
“I don’t know. I’m more worried none of this is real and I’m in a hospital somewhere hooked up to the good drugs.”
“We want you to handle the corporate work. Act as our liaison. Sell the company.”
Angel stared at him. “You’re kidding.”
Justice grinned. “Yes, I am. Ford is more the type. We were thinking you could design the curriculum. Come up with the various exercises for the retreats.”
Angel swore under his breath. “You had me going.”
“I could tell.”
“I could kill you, you know.”
“You could try,” Justice said, not worried.
“You’re injured. That gives me an edge. Not that I need it.”
Justice doubted anyone else would have guessed he was still recovering from getting shot. But Angel would have noticed the slight hesitation in the way he moved, the way he favored one side.
“I can’t wait to see how this all plays out,” Justice said. “You in Fool’s Gold.”
Angel shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. “I grew up in West Virginia. Coal-mining town. I know what it’s like to live where everybody knows your business. Where you take care of your neighbors and pull together in hard times.”
Something Justice would never have guessed. “Looking to get back to that?”
“Maybe. If it’s not too late.”
Justice turned to his friend. He recognized the combination of longing and resignation on the other man’s face. Angel wanted to be something other than he was, but wasn’t sure it was possible. Did the training run too deep? Could he fit in with people who had never seen such horrors, never had to commit them in the first place?
That Harry Potter author had it right. Her villain had ripped apart his soul through the act of murder. Taking another life did tear at a man’s being, leaving him less than what he had been before. The question for men like Angel and himself was whether there was enough left to feel like a person.
“They don’t let you live on the fringes in this place,” Justice told him. “They’ll hunt you down and force you to belong, whether you want to or not.”
Angel turned to him. “Are you selling or warning?”
“Both. You in?”
* * *
“I REMEMBER this place,” Patience said, following Justice from the car. “We used to camp up here when I was a kid.” She looked at him and grinned. “The older kids came up here to park and make out.”
“Did you?” he asked.
She shrugged. “No. I wasn’t that wild in high school. I mean I dated, of course. There was kissing. But not full-on making out.”
The air temperature was cooler up here than in town. The sky was blue and the air seemed fresher, somehow. Justice had asked Patience to help him navigate a few back roads as he searched for the right tract of land for the advanced obstacle course. The one they would build by the warehouse would work for corporate retreats and casual training, but for their more serious work, they would need something more challenging.
While he could have found his way himself, he liked having her around. Liked being with her.
She pointed to the clearing. “The land you’re interested in starts over there. I remember a fence, I think. It was old back then, so it might not be standing now.”
He walked next to her, shortening his stride to match hers. She grinned.
“We used to play truth or dare.”
He laughed. “Which did you pick?”
“Mostly dare, which was silly considering I’m not very brave. One time the dare was to run around the camp naked, but I couldn’t do it, even though there were only girls here. I kept my underwear on.” Her gaze settled on his face. “You would have run naked.”
“Probably.”
“It’s a guy thing, right?”
He stopped. She did the same.
“What?” she asked.
He touched her cheek, then her mouth, brushing his thumb across her lower lip.
She might be close to thirty, a single mother and a successful businesswoman, but she was still so damned innocent. Untouched by horror. She’d been through tough times, but the very essence of who she was remained pure. He drew back, aware there was blood on his hands. Perhaps sanctioned, perhaps necessary, but the stains would never wash out.
“Justice? Are you okay?”
“No.”
He wasn’t worthy. A ridiculous concept, yet completely honest. He would never be worthy, never be right. She deserved so much more. He wondered about Felicia’s question. Did Patience love him? Could she? Not if she knew the truth.
“There are things in my past. Things I’ve done.”
“I know.”
“You don’t. If I told you, everything would change.”
She placed her hand on his chest, over his heart. “You killed people. You’re right. I don’t know the details and I don’t have to. I know you.”
“It can’t be that simple.”
She smiled. “Of course it is.”
* * *
PATIENCE PICKED UP her glass of wine and took a sip. The day had been long, but happy. Her feet hurt and her back ached, but all the discomfort was worth it. She was doing forty percent more business than she’d projected. The merchandise had become a significant part of her bottom line. With the tourist season just beginning, she would have several months of excellent sales to carry her through the quieter months.
She glanced at the clock on the wall and figured her mother would be home any minute. Justice was still out with Angel and had told Patience he would be late. Lillie was spending the night with a friend. So for now, it was just her.
She leaned back against the sofa, enjoying the quiet. There wasn’t much silence in her life. Between work and her daughter and everything else she had to get done, she was running all the time.
Busy, she thought with a smile, and happy. So happy. She was in one of those perfect times, when her family was healthy and doing well. She had the store and she had Justice.
Loving him was a little scary—she knew he might not feel the same way, and even if he did, there was no guarantee, but that was okay. She liked that she’d fallen in love. It meant she’d healed enough to give her heart again. That she was willing to trust a man with her world. Even if he broke her heart, she would always have this mental health moment, and that was very satisfying.
She’d been through a lot. From her disastrous relationship with Ned, to figuring out how to be a good mom to Lillie and a good daughter and occasional caretaker for her mom, to having her dream come true. She remembered reading somewhere that luck was all about opportunity and preparation. She’d never gotten that before, but she understood it now. While Great-Aunt Becky’s bequest had provided the money to start her own business, Patience had been ready. She’d taken classes and built her business plan. She knew exactly what she wanted to do, and when she had the chance, she simply had to take the steps. She was proud of herself, she thought happily.
So many of her friends were accomplished. Charlie, who excelled in what was traditionally a man’s world. Annabelle, who last year had put her mind to raising enough money to buy the library a bookmobile and then had done it. Heidi, who had started with nothing and grown a goat-based empire and now sold her soaps and cheeses all over the world. Isabel, too, recovering from a divorce and still planning to fulfill her dreams.
Her new friends, Noelle and Felicia, were just as strong. She was surrounded by women who knew how to achieve their dreams. Patience was pleased to be in a place where she felt as though she had done the same.
The front door opened and her mother walked in. Ava used her cane tonight, but was still smiling happily as she stepped into the living room. She spotted the second glass of wine by the bottle and sighed.
“I raised you right, didn’t I?”
Patience laughed. “Yes, you did. How was your date?”
“Lovely. We had a quiet dinner at Angelo’s. If my metabolism would support it, I would have pasta every single night.”
Patience was about to ask what she’d ordered when she realized there was something different about her mother. Not in her physical appearance, she thought. Ava was wearing exactly what she had been when she left, but there was a light...no, a glow. She straightened.
“What is it?” she asked as her mother approached the sofa. “What happened?”
“And here I thought I could keep a secret at least for a few days.” Ava sat next to her and held out her left hand. A large diamond solitaire winked from her ring finger. “Steve proposed.”
It took Patience a moment to register the meaning. Yes, Steve had been responsible so far with her daughter and her mother. But would he be forever?
“That’s wonderful,” she finally said, then hugged her mother. You couldn’t plan love. She would hope that her mother’s love would only cement the changes Steve had made in his life. “You’re getting married.”
Ava hugged her back, then kissed her cheek. “I can barely believe it myself. It was so romantic. We were in the back of the restaurant and the waiter brought champagne. Steve got down on one knee and everything.” Tears filled her eyes. “He makes me so happy.”
“I’m happy for you.” Patience poured her wine and passed it over, then raised her own glass. “Congratulations, Mom. You deserve all the love in the world.”
“Thank you. I’ll admit I’m a little nervous. It’s been a long time since I had a man in my life.”
There would be a lot of changes, Patience thought. For all of them. “Have you set a date for the wedding?”
“No. We’ll have a very quiet ceremony later this summer. Just family. But you and I have to talk about this house.”
“Right, because it would be weird to have us all living together.” Patience ignored the pang she felt at the thought of moving. “I can find some place for me and Lillie. This is your house, Mom.”
Her mother shook her head. “It’s our house, remember. I put you on the deed when we paid off the mortgage.”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts. Steve and I have already talked about this. We’re having a house built. One designed for me. I’ve been very lucky with the MS, but we both know there are going to be bad days. It’s silly for us to stay in a place where I can’t get to half the rooms.”
Patience nodded slowly. Her mother hadn’t been able to climb stairs for a few years now. “You’re thinking of a one-story?”
“Yes. We’ll put in a ramp and wider doors. The master bath will have a shower I can wheel into, that sort of thing. Steve has thought of everything. The kitchen counters will be lower for me so I can still reach them if I’m in my chair. Our plan is I’ll move in with him as soon as we’re married, and then we’ll move into our new house when it’s finished.”
Patience grinned. “You’re not going to live with him before the wedding?”
Ava blushed, then ducked her head. “I wasn’t sure you’d approve.”
“Why would you think that, Mom? I’m pretty sure you know there’s some sneaking around going on upstairs.”
“I have suspected. But that’s different. I’m your mother.”
“You’re a beautiful, vital woman and if you want to move in with the man you love, I say go for it. Lillie won’t mind that her grandparents are living together.”
Ava hugged her. “I love you so much, Patience. You have always been the best part of my life.”
“I love you, too, Mom.” She drew back and grinned. “We can get you a fabulous dress at Paper Moon.”
Her mother shuddered. “That isn’t happening. I’m thinking of a pretty suit, not a wedding gown. Why don’t you and I take Lillie into San Francisco when school gets out? We’ll go for a couple of nights. Stay somewhere by the water and find dresses. Then we’ll have the ceremony right here in the backyard.”
“I love that idea.”
They picked up their wine and toasted again.
“To happy endings,” her mother said.
“To falling in love.”