Finding Perfect (Fool's Gold #3)(22)

There was something about the way he said the words. Bad things had happened, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know what. “I spent a year in the system,” she admitted. “Here.”

“You?”

“My senior year of high school. My dad died and my mom left to live with her sister in Florida. She said it would be better for me to stay here so I could graduate with my friends, but the truth was she didn’t want to be bothered.” Pia frowned. “I haven’t seen her since. She didn’t come back for my graduation and she made it clear I wasn’t welcome there. So I stayed. Went to community college for a couple of years before transferring to a four-year university. Got a job with the city when I came back.”

She forced a smile. “They tried to offer me a football scholarship, but those uniforms don’t really suit me.”

“This is your home,” he said, his dark eyes serious. “Where you belong.”

“You’re right. Every couple of years I think I should go somewhere else. L.A. or San Francisco. Phoenix, even. But I won’t leave. Which probably seems pretty boring to you.”

“No. It’s what I want, too. I thought I’d settle in Dallas. The fans are great and I enjoyed the city. I came here because of what Keith had said about his hometown. He made it sound like something out of a movie. When I got here for the golf tournament, I found out he’d been right. I liked everything about Fool’s Gold. So I came back and then I decided to move here.”

She wondered if he was running to something or from something. Not exactly a casual question.

“So this is your first small town,” she said. “Then you need to know the rules.”

“Didn’t I get them in my welcome packet?” The corner of his mouth twitched as he spoke.

She did her best not to smile in return. “No. But they’re very important. You mess up even a little and your life will be hell.”

He leaned toward her. “What are the rules?”

“There are the expected things—keep the living room and kitchen picked up. You never know when you’re going to have company. Don’t mess with a married woman.” She paused. “Or man, depending on your preferences.”

“Thanks for the news flash.”

“Don’t favor any one business over another. Spread the wealth. For example, the best places for hair are owned by two sisters. Bella and Julia Gionni. But you can’t go to just one. Trust me. Just alternate. When you’re at Bella’s, she’ll trash Julia and vice versa. It’s kind of like dinner theater, with highlights.”

He looked more wary than amused. “Maybe I should go out of town for my haircuts.”

“Coward.”

“I know my limitations.”

“You’re the one who bought the camp here. Now you’re stuck.”

His face was handsome, in a rugged man’s man sort of way. She liked the stubborn set of his jaw and the way his dark hair fell across his forehead.

“Can I get those rules in writing?” he asked.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

Their server arrived with their meals. Pia had chosen the barbecue chicken salad, while Raoul had picked a burger.

“How did you find the camp?” Pia asked, reaching for her fork. “I’ve lived here all my life and I barely remember knowing about it.”

“I went for a drive,” he told her. “I followed some old signs and found it. I’d had this idea about doing something with kids, but I wasn’t sure what. When I saw the camp, I knew it was what I’d been looking for.”

He held his burger but didn’t take a bite. “The summer program is where we’re starting, but I’m hoping we can do more. Be year-round. Bring kids in for intensive two-and three-week sessions where we focus on one or two subjects. Mostly science and math. Not enough kids are excited about those subjects.”

“You’d have to coordinate with school districts,” she said. “To complement their current curriculum.”

“That’s what Dakota’s working on. We’re thinking middle-school-aged kids. Get them excited before high school.”

He had plenty of passion about the subject, she thought, taking a bite of her salad. What was he like when he was with a woman? Was the same passion there?

An interesting topic, she thought, but not one she would pursue. Even without the potential pregnancy in her future, she knew better than to get involved with a high-powered guy like him. Or any guy. For some reason, men made it a habit of leaving her. If they hadn’t wanted to stick around before, what luck would she have getting them to stay when she had three kids?

Three kids? Her head started to swim. She forced herself to think about something less frightening.

“Having the school use the facility is an interesting way to work out any problems,” she said. “And here everyone thought you were just being nice.”

He chuckled. “It’s a win-win for everyone.”

“Even if it wasn’t, the camp is a great idea. I know a lot of the kids in town appreciated being able to head up there every day this past summer. Or should I say their moms appreciated it. Summer can be a very long three months.”

PIA’S HAZEL EYES DANCED with amusement. Raoul found himself watching her rather than eating. He liked her, which was a good start. He wanted to get to know her better, yet even if he ignored the foolishness of getting involved so close to home, there was the issue of the embryos.