Just One Kiss (Fool's Gold #10)(18)

“Is she how you remember?”

He thought about the feel of her in his arms. How she’d kissed. He remembered her laughter and her spinning in the middle of an empty storefront.

“She’s better.”

* * *

JULIA HELD OUT her arms. “Congratulations, Patience. This is everything you’ve wanted.”

Patience hugged her boss. “I know. I’m so excited.” She’d gotten the lease from Josh and had taken it over to an attorney that morning for a quick review. The next order of business was telling the woman she worked for that she would be leaving.

“What’s your time frame?” Julia asked, releasing her.

“Six weeks,” Patience said. “Maybe eight. I thought I could work part-time for a while, if that’s okay with you.” She held up her hands. “I feel like I’m leaving you in a lurch.”

“You are, but so what? This is like winning the lotto. You can’t turn your back on opportunity. We’ll talk about who would do best with each of your clients. After we do that, you can call all your regulars and let them know what’s happening.” Julia’s good humor faded slightly. “Just don’t let them go over to Bella’s place.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Patience murmured, eager to avoid that particular conversation.

Bella and Julia were sisters. Estranged sisters. They owned competing salons in town, which required the good citizens of Fool’s Gold to be careful if they wanted to keep the peace.

Patience promised to contact her clients within a couple of days and left the office. She’d come in on her day off to tell Julia what had happened. Now she had a thousand things to do and no idea of where to start.

As promised, Great-Aunt Becky’s lawyer had sent the check overnight. The money was currently sitting in her checking account. Ava had already researched where to put the money for Lillie’s college fund, and they would pay off the mortgage at the end of the week. Once the lease was signed, they would start ordering the equipment and talking to a contractor about remodeling the store.

Patience stepped into the salon, prepared to get her purse and move to the next item on her list. She was stopped by a tall blonde waiting by her station.

“Your mom said I’d find you here.”

Patience saw her friend Isabel and laughed. “No way. When did you get back?”

“Yesterday.”

They hugged.

“Did I know you were scheduled for a visit?” Patience asked, excited to see her friend.

“No. It was kind of unexpected.”

Isabel lived in New York and worked in marketing. Like Patience, she’d grown up in Fool’s Gold and still had family here.

Patience glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearly eleven-thirty. “Want to get an early lunch and catch up?”

“I was hoping you were going to say that,” Isabel admitted. “I have so much to tell you.”

“I can’t wait to hear it.”

They took the short walk to Margaritaville and were shown to a quiet booth by the window. After ordering diet soda and guacamole, they pushed aside the menus and looked at each other.

“You first,” Patience said.

Isabel tucked her long blond hair behind her ear and shrugged. “I’m not sure where to start.”

Patience had known the other woman all her life. Isabel was a couple of years younger, so they’d never hung out in school, but shortly after Ned had walked out on Patience, leaving her with a newborn, Isabel had flunked out of UCLA and returned to Fool’s Gold. They liked to joke that their moments of disgrace had brought them together. They’d been friends ever since.

“Before I tell you my sad tale,” Isabel said, “I want to see pictures.”

Patience laughed and handed over her phone. Isabel flipped through the photos. “She’s getting bigger by the minute. She’s so pretty. Tell Lillie I can’t wait to see her.”

“I will.”

Isabel passed the phone back. Their server appeared with drinks, chips, salsa and guacamole. Isabel waited until they were alone to put her left hand on the table and wiggle her fingers.

“I’m getting a divorce.”

Patience stared at the bare ring finger. “No. What happened?”

“Nothing dramatic,” Isabel said, her wide blue eyes filled with sadness, but no tears. “Eric and I are still friends, which is pretty sad. I think the truth is we were always friends. We got along so well we wanted to believe friendship was enough, but it wasn’t.”

“I’m sorry,” Patience said, studying the other woman. There was more, she thought. Something Isabel wasn’t telling her. Not that she was going to push. When her friend was ready, she would get to it.

“Me, too. I feel stupid and lost. My parents have been married something like a hundred and fifty years.” She gave a rueful smile. “Okay, more like thirty-five, but still. Maeve has been married twelve years and keeps popping out babies. I’m the family failure.”

Patience pushed the guacamole toward her. “Is that why you’re visiting? Because of the divorce?”

“Some of it. My parents have decided it’s time for them to follow their dreams. Maeve and I are grown and they don’t want to wait until they’re too old to travel. So they took their ‘rainy day’ fund and bought themselves tickets on a cruise around the world.”