Finding Perfect (Fool's Gold #3)(23)

“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.”

PIA 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.