Just One Kiss (Fool's Gold #10)(49)

“It is. She’s a logistical expert.” He turned back to the stunning redhead. “You’ve saved my ass more than once.”

“Just doing my job.” She smiled at Patience. “As I’m sure he’s already told you, I worked with Justice when he was in the military. Then we both went to work for the private security company. Now we’re here.”

“How very special.”

Patience pressed her hand against her stomach. It was writhing again, but this time for very different reasons. She’d never experienced jealousy before. Not like this. When Ned had announced he was leaving, she’d been stunned and upset, but not jealous. Her pain had mostly been for her daughter—losing her father before she’d even gotten to know him.

It was her ability to let go that had convinced her she hadn’t loved Ned at all. Theirs had been a marriage of convenience, brought on by her pregnancy.

This time was different. This time the jealousy burned hot and bright. The need to throw or possibly destroy was still there. Reminding herself this was her store and any damage would be hers to fix helped keep her in check. As did her basic grasp of normal behavior. But she was furious and devastated. Crying and screaming seemed equally likely outcomes.

She felt her control slipping and knew she had to get away from the happy couple. Or at the very least, get them to leave so she could throw up in private.

“You two probably want to catch up,” she said with what she hoped was a smile. “Don’t let me keep you.”

Not her most subtle moment, she thought. But she wasn’t in a position to be picky.

“Are you all right?” Justice asked.

“Peachy.”

His frown deepened.

Not knowing what else to do, she walked over to the front door and held it open. “You should show Felicia around town. Fool’s Gold is really lovely this time of year.”

“I’ve seen some of the town,” Felicia said happily. “It’s charming.”

“Isn’t it?” Patience motioned to the exit. “And it’s waiting for you to go explore. Bye-bye.”

Justice hesitated for a second, then walked out. Felicia paused to smile at Patience.

“It was wonderful to meet you. I look forward to spending more time together.”

“I can’t wait,” Patience lied, then slammed the door shut behind them.

Silence was everywhere. Silence and pain and the sense of having been a complete idiot.

The facts were really simple. Justice had lied when he’d moved to Fool’s Gold all those years ago, and he was lying now. Okay, withholding was more accurate, but so what? In the end, he hadn’t told her the truth. Not about who he was or why he was around.

A case could be made that while he was in the witness protection program, he couldn’t be honest. But since then? He’d never called, never come to see her. That was a really big clue about his character.

She drew in a breath and paced the length of the store. Okay, she could figure this out. She’d had sex. She’d been smart and insisted on protection, so she wasn’t pregnant. Basically a man she found attractive had given her fantastic orgasms. Yes, he was also a complete dirtbag, cheater, liar, skunk-dog. So based on this new clarification of his character, her choices were really simple. Keep pining for said skunk-dog or find a functioning brain cell and move on.

Which would be easier said than done, she thought grimly. But she was tough. Or if she wasn’t, she would be by the time she was over him. And over him she would get. She’d already been to this dance with Ned, and there was no way she was going back.

* * *

JUSTICE STOOD ON the sidewalk with Felicia. “Where do you want to start? A tour of the town? Or would you rather go to your hotel?”

“I’ve already been to the hotel,” she told him. “I went there first.”

“You found it.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Yes, I was able to manage the drive here all by myself and then locate a hotel. My ability to navigate public roads has never been called into question before.”

He laughed, then pulled her in for a hug. “It’s really good to see you.”

She sighed. “It’s nice to be missed.”

He released her and they started walking down the sidewalk. “Knowing you, it would be silly of me to tell you anything about the town’s history.”

“Of course. While scholars disagree on the original settlers, the first documented residents were the Máa-zib tribe, a matriarchal society. In the 1300s, the women migrated north, seeking a life away from their Mayan roots.”

Felicia kept talking, but Justice tuned her out easily. A habit born of practice, he thought contentedly. Felicia was one of the smartest people in the world. But with brilliance came a need to share what she knew, and that could get old.

On the bright side, she had one of the best minds for logistics he’d ever seen. She’d joined his special forces unit as a support member. Give her a time and place and Felicia could get anything, anywhere in the world. She would anticipate delays and plan for the unexpected. She was so good that when they had joint task force operations with other branches of the military, she was the one who ran the logistics.

She was also socially awkward and a little bossy, but he could put up with that. If Patience was the girl he left behind, Felicia was his family. They’d been close nearly from the first day they’d met. His favorite sister, he thought. They knew and understood each other.