Two of a Kind (Fool's Gold #11)(12)

Cool, gray eyes turned glacier. “You really want to take me on?” Angel asked.

“Any day, old man.”

Felicia glanced at Justice, who shook his head. This was familiar territory with Angel and Ford. They exchanged banter and insults, staged ridiculous competitions and generally drove each other crazy.

As Angel was probably forty or forty-one, the “old man” comment was simply part of their fun.

“Can we get on with the meeting?” Justice asked. “If you two can hold off on your playtime for a few minutes. Felicia, bring them up to date.”

They spent the next two hours talking about the business. Ford had a few leads on potential corporate clients, and Angel had some interesting ideas for team-building exercises. When the meeting finished, Ford and Angel went off to wrestle or race or something that required one to win and the other to lose. Felicia shut down her computer, then looked at Justice.

“I’ve seen Gideon.”

Justice studied her. “Okay.”

She thought about mentioning they’d had sex but didn’t think her friend wanted that level of detail. “I might continue to see him.” Hopefully with and without clothes, she thought. She wanted to get to know him better. Perhaps not the traditional sequence for a relationship, but she hadn’t found any traditional path that worked for her.

“I know you want to protect me,” she continued, “but you can’t. It’s important that I learn in my own way. Make my own mistakes and suffer the consequences.”

“As long as you’re admitting Gideon is a mistake.”

She sighed. “You know what I mean.”

“I do. Look. I’ll admit I don’t like the guy very much.”

“You don’t know him.”

“I know what he did to you.”

She rolled her eyes. “I picked him up in a bar. I practically begged him to have sex with me, and he complied. He did nothing wrong.”

Justice winced. “Could we not talk about that part of it?”

“Why not? It’s the reason you’re upset. Justice, I was twenty-four. It’s not unexpected I would have sexual relations with someone by that age. I wasn’t irresponsible. You had no right to barge in back then, and you’re not invited to do the same now. I love you. You’re my family. But I’m twenty-eight years old and you don’t get to tell me what to do with my personal life.”

Justice opened his mouth, then closed it. “Fine.”

She waited.

“I mean it,” he grumbled. “I won’t say anything about Gideon. You can see him if you want.”

She resisted pointing out she’d just told him she didn’t want his opinion or involvement. “Thank you.”

“Just wait to have sex with him this time, okay? Get to know him a little.”

She did her best not to smile. “You’re probably right.”

“I am.”

* * *

LIKE MANY THINGS in Fool’s Gold, Jo’s Bar defied expectation. Instead of catering to men and their love of sports, Jo’s served mostly women. The lighting was flattering, the decor feminine and the large screens were tuned to shopping shows and reality TV. Men were welcome, as long as they retreated to the back room where there was a pool table and plenty of TVs showing sports. If they insisted on staying in the front of the house, they were expected to keep quiet about the signs counting down the days until the new season of Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders—Making the Team.

Felicia liked the bar. When she came here, it was to meet her friends. Because in the few months she’d been in town, she’d made friends. Women who didn’t seem to mind that she was socially awkward and often said the wrong thing.

She sat at a table with Isabel, Patience and Noelle. They’d already put in their orders and each had a soda or iced tea.

“I’m thinking Labor Day,” Noelle said, stirring her diet soda with her straw. She laughed. “A traditional Christmas holiday.”

Noelle planned to open a new store in town. The Christmas Attic would celebrate the season. Like Felicia, Noelle was new to Fool’s Gold. The tall, willowy blonde was friendly and funny, but there was something about her eyes. Felicia would guess secrets but had no idea what they were.

Isabel, also a blonde but a little curvier, had grown up in the area. She was back in town for a few months helping her family with Paper Moon—a wedding gown boutique. Isabel was irreverent and self-deprecating. She was the one who teased first and laughed the longest. Felicia secretly admired Isabel’s sense of style and easy grace.

Patience had made Felicia the most nervous at first. The pretty brunette was the single mother of a ten-year-old girl and engaged to Justice. When Felicia had first arrived, Patience thought there was more to her and Justice’s relationship than friendship, but their siblinglike connection had become apparent. Since then, Patience had welcomed Felicia to her world and had made her feel welcome.

“There will be lots of tourists,” Isabel was saying. “We fill up for all the major holidays, and Labor Day is when people want that last rush of summer. Which is why it’s called the End of Summer Festival. I think you’d get a big crowd in the store.”

Noelle sighed. “I hope you’re right. Maybe it’s too early for people to be thinking about Christmas.”