Best of My Love (Fool's Gold, #20)(70)

“He’s married.”

“I’m not interested in him in that way. I’m just saying...” She sighed. “Go ahead, Nick. Cowboy weddings.”

He glanced between them, obviously confused. “You two okay?”

“We’re fine,” Aidan told him. “The town?”

“Right. Like I said, there are a lot of weddings. Back in the 1950s, the town was failing. Some guy who owned the bank knew that if the town went under, the bank would go with it because people couldn’t repay their loans. He came up with the idea of changing the town history.”

“You can’t change a town’s history.” Aidan took Shelby’s other foot and started putting base coat on the nails. “It is what it is.”

“Not for this guy. He came up with this story about how, during the California gold rush, a stagecoach full of brides heading for San Francisco broke down in town. Each of the brides fell in love so by the time the stagecoach was ready to leave, none of the women wanted to go.”

“Oh, that’s so nice,” Shelby said. “I want to go there.”

“See?” Nick pointed at her. “It works. The town changed its name. Hollywood types caught on. Remember, this was the 1950s, when celebrity weddings were a huge deal. From that, Happily Inc. grew to what it is today—a destination wedding town. There’s also a sleep center, where they help you sleep better. Something about a convergence of forces or mystic stuff like that. Anyway, I saw the gallery where Ronan and Mathias sell their work. The lady who runs it is really knowledgeable and she doesn’t take a lot of crap.” He thought for a second. “She kind of reminded me of Mayor Marsha.”

“I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”

“Me, either. The space where Mathias and Ronan work is awesome. Big and bright. There’s room for me, too. I looked around and found a few short-term carpentry jobs, so I won’t have a problem finding a job.”

Aidan reached for the nail polish. Shelby shifted so he could start painting her other foot. “You’re doing it, aren’t you?” she asked. “You’re moving?”

Nick nodded. “I rented an apartment. I’m going to give notice at the bar.”

Aidan concentrated on the task at hand. He didn’t want think about his brother leaving Fool’s Gold. His gut told him this was the right thing for Nick. That his brother needed to get away from Ceallach. But his heart, well, his heart was going to miss having a brother around.

“Hey,” Nick said. “I know what this means. You’re the last one here.”

“The last what?” Shelby asked.

“The last Mitchell brother in Fool’s Gold,” Aidan told her. “Del’s traveling the world with Maya and the other three are going to be in Happily Inc.”

She nodded slowly, then reached out her hand and put it on top of his. The touch was brief, but he got the message. She was there for him. She understood. Whatever else had happened between them, they were still friends.

“You gotta do what’s right for you,” Aidan told Nick. “You can’t stay here. We both know it. This is better.”

“You can come see me anytime you want.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Nick grimaced. “You know what I mean.” He brightened. “Did I mention there’s an animal preserve?”

“What do you mean?” Shelby asked. “Like a zoo?”

“Naw. Way better than that. There’s this open, grassy area at one end of town with all kinds of grazing animals. There are zebras and gazelles and even a giraffe named Millie.”

“Okay, now you’re just making stuff up,” she teased.

Nick made an X on his chest. “I swear. Besides, Fool’s Gold has an elephant.”

“I know, but Priscilla’s different. More like family.”

Aidan smiled. “You’ll accept an elephant as family, but not a giraffe?”

“When you put it like that, I guess we can have both.” She turned to Nick. “Okay, you’ve soaked long enough. Use one of the towels to dry your feet and we’ll move on to the next step of the pedicure.”

Nick did as he was told. “You’re not going to tell anyone about this, are you?” he asked his brother.

“Back at you,” Aidan said.

“Deal.”





CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

JO PLACED THE pitcher of margaritas in the center of the table. “There’s something not right about this,” she muttered.

Felicia nodded. “It’s difficult when social norms are violated. In this case, the girls-only lunch. But it’s for a good reason. I doubt Aidan will be a regular fixture.” She eyed him. “Your quest to be friends with Shelby is admirable, but you will need to have boundaries for that relationship to work.”

Shelby felt her lips twitch as she tried not to smile. “Yeah, Aidan. We’re going to need to talk boundaries. You’re crowding me a little.”

He held both hands, palms up. “I asked for help and this is what I get? Aren’t you always telling the men in your life that it’s okay to admit you don’t know something? But when I do, this is the response? You’re going to have to decide on your message.”

Taryn picked up her margarita. “Well, damn. That’s an interesting tactic. I hate to say it, Aidan, but you’re right.”