Two of a Kind (Fool's Gold #11)(76)

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“IF YOU DON’T focus, I’m going to hit you,” Consuelo said, glaring at Ford.

“Sorry.”

He gripped the punching bag more securely. Just as she shifted into position, he stepped back.

“It’s my mother,” he admitted.

“Do I look as if I care?”

“You heard about the booth?”

“Everyone heard about the booth, and we’re all laughing at you. Now, can we get back to the workout?”

They were supposed to be sparring together. When he’d been too distracted for a decent round or two, she’d suggested they move to the punching bags.

“Consuelo, you don’t understand. She’s taken applications from different women and sorted through them by likable attributes. She’s been emailing me the information and then following up to see if I’ve called them yet.”

Ford was about thirty-three, over six feet tall and all muscle. Although she would never admit it to anyone, she was pretty sure he could take her. So it was unexpected, to say the least, to watch him practically tremble at the thought of his mother sending women his way.

“Tell her no,” she said.

“My mother?”

“Isn’t that who we’re talking about?”

“I can’t. She won’t understand. She went to a lot of trouble.”

“It was a booth for two days. She had fun. It’s not like she was in an Iranian prison on a hunger strike.”

“She’s my mother.”

Now he was giving her a headache. “We’ve established that. If you say she’s your mother again, I’m going to hit you in the balls. Is that clear?”

Ford stepped closer to the bag, as if that would offer protection. Idiotic man.

“What do you want?” she asked, digging deep for patience she didn’t naturally possess.

“Her to leave me alone. I made the mistake of mentioning I was moving out, and she wants me to move back home. I already spent a few days there. It’s not going to work.”

“And you can’t tell her?”

“I don’t want to hurt her feelings.” He narrowed his gaze. “Before you get on me about that, you wouldn’t hurt your mother’s feelings, either.”

“No, I wouldn’t.” Assuming she were still alive, Consuelo would want to do everything in her power to make her mother happy and proud of her.

“So you have two problems,” she said. “Living quarters and the women. Let’s take them one at a time. Where are you going to live? You can’t stay in the house.”

Ford and Angel were going to kill each other, which she could live with, but then she would have to clean up the mess, which annoyed her.

“I’ve got a lead on an apartment. I’ll know if I got it in a couple of days. It’s above a garage, very private.”

“Sounds nice. So don’t tell your mother where you’re going to be.”

His expression turned pitying. “This is Fool’s Gold. There are no secrets. Even if I don’t tell her, someone else will.”

Consuelo began unfastening her gloves. Obviously there wasn’t going to be a workout with Ford this morning. When he was done whining about his problem, she was going for a run. A long one. Then she was going to soak in the big tub in her bathroom. Later, there would be wine. She was sure of it.

“There’s a difference between lying and withholding information.”

“Not a big one,” Ford said.

“Then you’re going to have to deal with her knowing your whereabouts. It’s a small town. It’s not like you’ll have distance on your side.”

“I never should have moved back.”

She glared at him. “No, what you never should have done was promise me a workout and then gotten all girly about your problems.”

“I’m sharing something personal here.”

“Cry me a river.”

“You’re not very feminine.”

“That makes one of us.” She drew in a breath. “Okay, this isn’t working. You’re getting an apartment and you’re going to have to deal with your mother dropping by. Do you see another solution?”

“No.”

“Great. Problem solved. Or if not solved, then something we don’t have to talk about anymore. Next, the women applying to marry you. You know, if we’d recorded this conversation, all you’d have to do is post it on YouTube and they’d run in the opposite direction.”

“Why do I remember you being more helpful?” he asked.

“Hell if I know.” She dropped her gloves to the mat and flexed and opened her hands. “Have you talked to any of them?”

“The applicants? No. Why would I?”

“I don’t know. Because you need to get laid and they’re offering. They can’t all be bad.”

“I don’t want to get married.” His voice was two parts stubborn, one part whine.

“All right. I’ll bite. Why not?”

“I just don’t.”

“Okay. As long as it’s a good reason.” She decided if she moved just a little closer, she could nail his groin with a quick kick. Then the issue of having children would be off the table. But despite his annoying honesty and soft spot for his mother, she sort of liked Ford. If she couldn’t enjoy hurting him, there was no point in causing the pain.