Best of My Love (Fool's Gold, #20)(71)

Larissa grinned. “Oh, no. Hell is freezing over as we speak. Run for your lives.”

“It’s all funny until you want to talk trash about the guys,” Jo warned. “Then he’s going to be sitting here and what will you do?”

“Talk over him,” Shelby said cheerfully. “He won’t mind.”

She half expected Aidan to protest, but he only smiled. The man had confidence, she thought happily. She would give him that. And mad skills in the bedroom. Maybe one came from the other.

When Aidan had asked her advice on his ideas for more female-focused summer tours, she’d suggested he join her and her friends for lunch. When she’d put out the word about what he wanted, several of her friends had immediately agreed to help him. From there plans had morphed into a margarita lunch, which meant no work was going to get done that afternoon.

“Enough torturing Aidan,” Patience said as she picked up her glass. “A toast. To friends.”

They all touched glasses. Even Aidan. Taryn leaned toward him.

“You realize this makes you an honorary woman.”

One corner of his mouth turned up. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“And here I thought you’d be flustered. All right.” She sighed. “Shelby, you can keep this one. He’s special.”

Shelby felt an odd kind of lurching sensation in her belly. Before she could say anything, Felicia shook her head.

“It’s not like that. They’re friends. Shelby explained it all to me when they first started spending time together. I think it’s an excellent experiment. I don’t suppose you’ll be writing a paper about your experiences when it’s all over, will you?” Her voice was wistful.

“You’re a freak,” Larissa cheerfully told the other woman. “And we love you.”

Conversation flowed all around them. It was the usual mishmash of getting caught up and sharing fun gossip. Who was dating, who was pregnant, who was going where on vacation. Shelby participated but her attention was on Aidan. Four months ago, he would have been squirming—both uncomfortable with the situation and anxious to get to his stuff. But now he simply sipped his margarita and ate chips. Every now and then he added a comment or two.

She liked that he liked her friends. She liked how they could hang out together. Being around him was so easy, she thought. Comfortable. They never ran out of things to say. The fact that the man could turn her on with just a glance was simply a bonus.

Jo returned with their lunches. When she left, Taryn smiled at Aidan.

“This is the quietest we’re going to get, so if you want to talk about your business, now would be the time.”

“Thanks.” He glanced around the table. “I’m thinking about making changes in what I offer tourists. Most of my tours are adventure-based. Outdoor activities. While a lot of women enjoy that sort of thing, there’s a whole indoor market I’ve been ignoring. Fay, my office manager, and I did some brainstorming. What if I had things like girls’ weekends where we co-oped with other businesses in town to offer a night or two at the lodge, a spa experience with dinner somewhere?”

“Why wouldn’t women just book it themselves?” Larissa asked. “Why go through you?”

“To make it easier.”

“Not good enough,” Taryn told him. “You need to be able to offer a unique element. What’s your next overnight tour?”

“I’m taking a group camping next weekend,” he said.

“Why can’t they go camping by themselves?”

Shelby thought Aidan might get defensive, but he stayed completely relaxed.

“I provide the equipment. I’m the tour guide. We explore a few old ruins that are hard to find. I take care of pretty much everything. They just have to show up.”

“But camping is more complicated than a spa weekend,” Patience said. “I think the spa weekend could work, but it needs a unique element.”

“Like parasailing with shots,” Felicia offered.

They all stared at her.

“What?” she asked. “Alcohol is a part of many sporting events.”

“What about focusing on romance and couples instead?” Patience asked. “A romantic tour of Fool’s Gold. Maybe with a gourmet picnic and champagne. Of course, it would have to be self-guided. You’d get in the way.”

Aidan grinned. “I agree.”

“What about the best spots to kiss in town?” Larissa waved her fork. “You know, having something like that would be fun. I’m sure a lot of couples come to camp or ski and while the wife is happy, it’s more for the guy. Having a romantic tour would balance things.”

Taryn nodded. “You could have packages ready, so it could be a last-minute addition. If you choose the menus for the picnic lunches or dinners in advance, Ana Raquel could keep the supplies on hand.” She raised her brows. “You were planning to use her services, weren’t you?”

“Uh-huh. Shelby likes her work.”

He scribbled a few notes, so he didn’t see the looks exchanged between the women. Shelby did, though, and knew what they were thinking. That Aidan had reached the point where he trusted her opinion.

She wanted to say it was just a friendship thing, but honestly she was getting tired of repeating herself. Not to mention the fact that they were now more than friends. A lot more.