Two of a Kind (Fool's Gold #11)(47)

She wondered if she’d seen him that day. Or around town. There were so many children in Fool’s Gold. He might be a friend of Lillie’s or—

Gideon spotted her. His expression of both relief and panic had her walking faster. As she approached, the boy looked at her, too, and smiled.

The smile had her stumbling to a stop. She recognized it. Recognized the shape of his mouth, his eyes.

“You must be Felicia,” the boy said. “Gideon was telling me about you. I’m Carter.”

Felicia knew, even before he said the words, but still she had to hear them. “Carter?”

“Uh-huh. Gideon’s my dad.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“YOUR DAD?”

Carter shrugged. “Yeah, I know. Weird, right?”

Felicia glanced at Gideon, but he wasn’t talking. His gaze seemed locked on the boy, and if his trapped expression was any indication of what he was thinking, she would suspect he was seconds from bolting. A sniper rifle would make sense to him. An attacker would be quickly disabled. But a son?

Carter slipped his hands into his front jeans pockets. “My mom was Eleanor Gates. Ellie. They met when my d—Gideon was stationed in San Diego. He went overseas and then she found out she was pregnant. She always said he was a good soldier and she didn’t want to get in the way of that.”

Carter looked at Gideon. “Special Ops, right? That’s what she said, but she wasn’t sure. You didn’t talk about it much.”

“Need to know,” Gideon said, then cleared his throat.

Carter flashed another smile. “And she didn’t need to know. Kinda like in the movies. Anyway, she was pregnant and didn’t want to get in the way. She said if you wanted to be with her, you’d come back.”

The smile faded. “When you didn’t, she decided not to put your name on the birth certificate. But she told me. You know, when I was older.”

Felicia could hear the words and understand their meaning. But absorbing them was more difficult than she would have thought. Gideon had a son. Even without Carter’s story, she could see the physical similarities.

“Where is she now?” she asked, afraid she already knew the answer.

“She died,” Carter said simply. “A year ago. My best friend’s parents said they’d be my foster parents, so that worked out. I lived with them. Only now they’re getting a divorce and moving out of state. Neither of them wanted to take me, so it was find my dad or go into the foster system.”

He sounded confident, Felicia thought. But she saw the telltale tremble in the corner of his mouth.

“How old are you?” she asked.

“Thirteen. But I know stuff. I’m not a kid.”

“In many cultures you would be considered an adult male by now,” she said. “Usually there are rituals to mark the passage from one stage of life to another. Here we consider adulthood to start at age eighteen, although it isn’t difficult to become an emancipated minor.”

Carter stared at her. “Okay,” he said slowly. “You’re agreeing I’m not a kid?”

“Not exactly. How did you find Gideon?”

“That was easy.” He picked up the backpack at his feet and opened it. “I had his picture and his name. Once I knew about the divorce and having to find a new place to live, I went online and did some research. I’m good at computers and stuff.”

“Obviously,” Felicia said as she took the picture. It showed a younger version of Gideon with his arms around a pretty brunette. She was smiling with that “in love” glow Felicia had seen in other women but never in her own eyes. She passed the picture to him.

Gideon took it, then nodded slowly. “It’s Ellie.”

She knew there was no point in confirming the relationship. Carter was obviously related to Gideon. Not that he was prepared to take on a child, she thought. There had to be a next step and she had no idea what it was.

It was nearly eight on a Sunday night. She’d planned to go home and sleep for at least twelve hours. Maybe longer. But what about Carter?

Mayor Marsha walked up and smiled at Carter. “Hello, young man. I’m Mayor Marsha and you’re Gideon’s son.” She held out her hand.

“Carter,” the teen said, shaking hands with her. “How did you know I was here?”

“I know everything, Carter. After you’ve been here a while, you’ll accept that.” She looked between him and Gideon. “I see the resemblance. Based on your wide-eyed expression, Gideon, I take it you didn’t know about Carter.”

“No,” Gideon said. “I didn’t.”

“Then you have a lot to take in.” The mayor turned to her. “You’re exhausted, dear. This has been quite the weekend. But successful. Your first festival went extremely well.” She turned back to Carter. “I admire your initiative. However, I’m sure you’re aware there are consequences for your actions.”

Carter sighed. “I didn’t want to go into the foster care system. You hear stories, you know?”

“I do know. But there are also laws, and you’re still a minor. Plus, leaving a note for your guardians isn’t going to reassure them.”

“How did you know I left a note?”

She smiled. “Didn’t you?”