Susan Mallery Fool's Gold Series Volume One: Chasing Perfect\Almost Perfect\Sister of the Bride\Finding Perfect (88 page)

“Why did you want to work with kids?” she asked. “Because of the coach who helped you?”

“How'd you know?”

“The way you talk about him.”

“Yeah, it was him. He saw something in me I couldn't see in myself. His wife, too, although they weren't married at the time.” He smiled at the memory. “My senior year of high school I was one of the football captains.”

“Of course you were,” she muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing. Go on.”

“Each captain was supposed to bring doughnuts to practice. Once we started two-a-days, I had to quit my summer job. I was living in an abandoned building and didn't have any money.”

“Time-out. You were homeless?”

“It wasn't so bad.” It had been a whole lot better than dealing with his foster father. The man had never met a kid he hadn't wanted to hit. One day Raoul had hit him back. Hard. Then he'd left.

“It can't have been good,” she said, sounding worried.

“I'm fine.”

“But you weren't.”

“I got by. My point is, I tried to steal them.”

“The doughnuts? You stole doughnuts?”

“I didn't get away with it. The lady who owned the bakery caught me and she was pissed.” She'd also toppled him with a crutch, a fact he still found humiliating.

“I ended up working for her, then eventually I went to live with her. Nicole Keyes. She liked to think she was tough, but she wasn't.”

“You loved her,” Pia said softly.

“A lot. If I'd been ten years older, I would have given Hawk a run for his money.” He chuckled. “Maybe not. I had a girlfriend at the time and she would have objected.” He glanced at Pia. “My girlfriend was Hawk's daughter.”

“You're making that up.”

“It's true.” They'd had a lot of plans, he remembered. Marriage. A dozen kids. “We lasted through my first year of college. Then she dumped me. I got over it.”

“Are you still friends with Hawk and Nicole?”

“Sure. They got married and are really happy together. I even keep in touch with Brittany.”

“Does he know about your crush?”

“Probably.”

“Interesting. I can't begin to bond with a story of my own.”

“Your best friend left you three embryos. You'd win.” He picked up his burger again. “Hawk and Nicole taught me to do the right thing. What's that phrase? They're the voice in my head, telling me what to do next. I don't want to let them down.”

“They're your family,” Pia said wistfully. “That's nice.”

He remembered she didn't have much of a family. A dead father and a mother with the nurturing skills of an insect. If she had the kids, she would belong, he thought. But he would bet she hadn't considered that. Pia would choose to carry the embryos because it was the right thing to do. She didn't need an example—she just knew.

She pushed aside her salad and drew a folder out of her large bag. “Go ahead and eat,” she told him. “I'll tell you what I've come up with and you can think of reasons to tell me I'm brilliant while you chew.”

“I like a woman with a plan.”

* * *

P
IA GLANCED AT HER WATCH
and was stunned to see it was already after two. “Yikes. I have a three o'clock I need to get to,” she said, opening her wallet and pulling out a couple of bills.

“You're not buying me lunch,” Raoul told her, picking up the check.

“But you said—”

“I was kidding.”

“Too macho to let a woman pay for your food?”

“Something like that.”

He tossed money onto the bill, then stood. When she rose as well, he moved close and placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked out.

She was aware of every millimeter of contact. Her faux-cashmere sweater only amplified the sensation of heat and pressure.

When they reached the sidewalk, she turned to face him. “I'll get back to you with a schedule of deadlines,” she said. “I think coordinating with a few of the festivals will work out well for the camp.”

She found herself wanting to babble, even if she avoided looking directly at him. What was wrong with her? This wasn't a date. They weren't at her door and she wasn't debating whether to invite him in. This had been a business meeting.

“Thanks for your help,” he said.

She drew in a breath, squared her shoulders and met his gaze. “You're welcome. You know Robert, our former treasurer, was the kind of man everyone thought was nice, and he ended up stealing millions.”

“You're saying I'm a thief?” He sounded more amused than insulted.

“Not exactly. But how much do we really know about you? People should ask questions.”

“You think too much,” he told her.

“I know, but that's because there aren't enough distractions in my life.”

“How about this one?” he asked, right before he leaned in and kissed her.

The contact was light enough—barely a brush of lip against lip. Hardly worth mentioning.

Except every cell in her body froze from the shock. The fingers holding her bag tightened into a death grip on the handle. Before she could figure out what she was supposed to do, he straightened.

“Thanks for lunch,” he said, then turned and walked away.

Leaving her gasping and alone. And very, very confused.

* * *

R
AOUL ANGLED AWAY FROM
the mirror as he slowly raised and lowered the weight in his hand. He'd been working out long enough that he rarely needed to check his form or speed. The movements were automatic. Unlike some guys, he didn't get a kick out of staring at himself.

Next to him, Josh Golden worked his triceps. Both men were dripping sweat and breathing hard. It had been a hell of a workout.

“In case you were wondering,” Josh said as he lowered the weight to the bench in front of him, “I'm the only hero in this town.”

Raoul grinned. “Worried, old man? Or should I say, threatened?”

“I've been here a whole lot longer than you. The town adores me. You're some newcomer. The question is, can you last through the long term?”

“I can outlast you.”

Josh grinned. “In your dreams.” He grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his face. “Everyone appreciates that you offered the camp. Without that place, there wouldn't have been a school.”

“I'm happy to help.”

“Good. That's what we do around here. Those who have more, give more. Life in a small town.”

More rules, Raoul thought, remembering the ones Pia had listed. Something about where he was supposed to get his hair cut. Or not. He hadn't really been listening. He enjoyed listening to her speak, watching the emotions chase across her face. Her eyes were expressive. Her mouth…tempting.

“Earth to Raoul.” Josh waved his hand. “Who are you thinking about?”

“A friend.”

Josh picked up the weight again. Raoul set his down.

“You had lunch with Pia the other day,” Josh said flatly.

Raoul raised his left eyebrow. “You're married.”

“I'm not interested in keeping her to myself,” Josh said firmly. “I've known Pia for years. She's like a sister. I'm watching out for her.”

Raoul was glad someone was. From what he could see, Pia was pretty much on her own. “We're working together. Some of the festivals tie in with the work we're doing up at the camp.”

Josh bent forward, keeping his upper arm still, moving the weight up and down to work his triceps. “You're getting tied in here. Sure you're ready for what small-town life really is?”

“I'll figure it out as I go. What's your concern?”

“Pia talks tough. She's smart, she's funny, she pretends nothing gets to her. But that's not true. Crystal's death hit her really hard. Before that…” He set down the weight again and straightened. “She's had some
tough breaks. Her dad died, her mom left. There were a few bad boyfriends. Nobody wants to see her get hurt. You mess with her, you won't just answer to me. You'll answer to everyone.”

Raoul had been a football star since he was sixteen. He was used to being the person everyone wanted to be with. The one who was liked.

“You're saying I'll be run out of town?”

“That'll be the least of it.”

“I like Pia,” he said at last. “I'm not going to hurt her.”

Josh didn't look convinced. “You can't be sure.”

“I don't want to hurt her,” Raoul amended. “I care about her, too.”

“I guess that will have to do for now. But if that changes, you'll answer to me.”

“Think you can take me?” Raoul asked, not bothering to hide his amusement.

“Absolutely.”

Josh was in good shape and they were about the same height, but Raoul had a good twenty pounds of muscle on him. Not to mention years of playing football. Cycling wasn't exactly a contact sport.

“I'm glad you're looking out for her,” he said, because it was true. “Pia needs more people on her side.”

Josh studied him. “Nearly everyone would tell you she has the whole town on her side.”

Raoul had his doubts. “She's a local girl and they like her. But who does Pia have that she can really depend on? One-on-one? She's all alone in the world.”

A reality that was going to complicate her life when she decided to have Crystal's babies. Babies no one else seemed to know about.

He thought about the soldier he'd known—the soldier who had died in his arms. What would Keith think about all this? Raoul had a feeling he would be pleased that his children were being given a chance but suspected he, too, would worry about Pia being on her own.

“You looking to change her situation?” Josh asked.

“I don't do long term.”

“You were married. That the reason?”

Raoul shrugged and set the weight back in the rack.

Josh did the same, then hesitated. “I was married before Charity. It didn't go well. Sometimes it's not supposed to.”

Raoul nodded because he wasn't going to have the conversation and agreeing moved things along. If he mentioned a bad first marriage, people assumed he'd been cheated on. Or had discovered Caro had married him for his money. Either would have been a whole lot easier than the truth. Hell, he would have preferred if she'd left him for a woman. But the real reason their marriage had ended gnawed at him. It woke him at night and left him wanting to scream at the heavens.

There were things that couldn't be fixed, he reminded himself. Actions that couldn't be undone. Like throwing a rock in a pond. There was nothing to be done but to wait out the ripples and hope no one got hurt.

He and Josh walked to the locker room. After showering and dressing, they agreed to work out together the following week. One of the things Raoul missed most about playing football was working out with his teammates. Josh could be counted on to push him. Sometimes Ethan Hendrix, a friend of Josh's, joined them.

Raoul knew it took time to fit in a place, but he was
willing to take things slow. He liked Fool's Gold, so he was being careful not to make any missteps.

He left the gym, intending to go back to the office, but instead found himself walking home. He couldn't get Pia off his mind. Kissing her had probably been a mistake but was worth it, he thought with a grin. Not only because he'd enjoyed the feel of her mouth against his, but because of the look on her face when he'd done it.
Surprised
didn't come close.

He reached the small two-bedroom he'd rented and went into the study and booted his computer. When it was ready, he sat down and logged on to the Internet, then typed IVF into the search engine.

An hour later he had a clearer understanding of what Pia was going to go through. Two hours later, he knew there was no way he would ever agree to something like that. Not that it was physically possible, but still. Not only was Pia going to have to chemically prepare her body for pregnancy, she would be carrying triplets. Assuming all the embryos took. If they didn't, she would have to deal with the loss and, he assumed, the guilt that went along with it.

Hard enough to be pregnant, but how much worse was it to be pregnant and alone, with no one to depend on? It wasn't like there was a dad she could go after for help or financial support.

Crystal had asked a lot from her friend. He was still convinced Pia would go through with having the babies, even if she hadn't figured that out yet. But he wondered if she really knew what she was getting into.

* * *

T
HE FUNDRAISER FOR THE SCHOOL
might have technically lasted only a day, but it had put Pia behind by
an entire week. An amount that probably didn't sound like much, she thought as she stared at her scheduling board. But Fool's Gold had a festival every single month. Some were smaller than others, but work was always involved. With success came hours of behind-the-scenes planning.

Summer was the busiest time, but fall was a close second. The city Halloween Party was barely six weeks away, and before that was the Fall Festival. The Thanksgiving Parade was after the Halloween Party but before the Christmas Gift Bazaar. The Saturday Day of Giving led into the Live Nativity outdoor service, which was the Sunday before Christmas. Then there was New Year's and so on.

One project at a time, she reminded herself, making notes on her dry-erase calendar. That's how she got through. It's not as if any of the events were new. The plans pretty much stayed the same. She had master lists that were cross-referenced, decorations stored all over town. If this ever got old, she could probably apply to run the world. There were—

She paused and stared at the calendar square. Instead of noting when she needed to arrange to have chairs and booths pulled out of storage, she'd drawn a string of little hearts. Although sweet, it wasn't exactly helpful. Worse—she knew the cause.