When We Met (Fool's Gold #13)(24)

Her shoes were one of her favorites. A Jimmy Choo Vero pump. The front was white, the back was black and there was a gold trim that swept across the top of the shoes before looping around to the back.

“Damn,” Angel said. “You don’t mess around.”

“What?” she asked, glancing down at her dress. “This is casual.”

He gave her a slow, knowing smile. “Naked is casual. This is a show.”

“Then I hope you’re entertained.”

“More than you know.”

He released her fingers, then placed his palm on the small of her back. “Shall we?”

They walked through the lobby to the rear of the hotel where Henri’s was located. It was a restaurant to go to for ambience and food, not the view, Taryn thought as they were shown to a booth in a back corner.

The space was subtly lit with soft music and the kind of waitstaff that prided itself on excellent service.

Once they were seated, a forty-something woman took their drink orders before disappearing as quietly as she’d arrived.

Taryn leaned back in the booth and crossed her legs. The one disadvantage of her dress was that it tended to ride up a little if she wasn’t careful. Although tonight that might be a good thing. Angel played the game well. Maybe too well. She had expected to be the one in charge.

Which was the problem, she thought. If she was in charge, she had trouble being interested. She was the boss during the day. She didn’t want that same role at night. But giving up control left her feeling vulnerable and uncomfortable, so she avoided relationships where the man wanted control. Probably why she was thirty-four and had never been in love. The emotion required too much of her.

“That’s a lot of thinking,” Angel said, his cool gray eyes studying her face.

“I’m working things out.” She tilted her head. “Explain the SUV.”

He surprised her by sighing deeply. “You know that old saying ‘no good deed goes unpunished’?”

She nodded.

“A couple of weeks ago I talked to Mayor Marsha about getting involved in town. I wanted a volunteer activity.”

And the surprises kept on coming, Taryn thought.

Angel’s expression turned sheepish. “It’s how I was raised. Small town, people took care of each other. Once I knew I was staying here, I wanted to be helping people. She suggested the Future Warriors of the Máa-zib.”

Taryn laughed. “Future what? Are you serious? Is this weapons training for teenaged boys?”

“I wish. I figured it was a program for young men.” He hesitated for a second, making her think there was something he wasn’t telling her, but then he continued. “There are stages. Acorns, Sprouts and so on up to Mighty Oaks. The adult is called a Grove Keeper.”

Angel was a big, scary guy. He had scars and secrets and he was the last person she could imagine volunteering to work with children. The fact that he had done so made her even more interested in him.

“Good for you. So what’s the problem? I can’t imagine you being worried about a bunch of unruly boys.”

Angel shifted on his seat. “They’re not boys. They’re girls. Little girls. My Acorns are seven-year-old girls. They earn beads for activities. The keeper handbook is pink.” He began to speak faster and the tone of his voice tightened. “They’re supposed to learn regular stuff like knots and map reading, but there are also beads for face painting and families and...” He paused, then shuddered. “The feminine cycle.”

Taryn was relieved their drinks hadn’t arrived yet, because if she’d been drinking, she knew she would have started to choke. As it was, laughter spilled out of her. “The feminine cycle?”

He glared at her. “It’s not funny.”

“Oh yeah. It is.”

“We don’t talk about the cycle this year.”

“Good, because seven seems a touch early. So you’re a Grove Keeper.”

Their server arrived with a vodka martini for her and a Scotch for him. She asked if they would like more time before ordering. Taryn nodded through bursts of laughter.

“I tried to get out of it,” Angel admitted when they were alone. “What the hell was Mayor Marsha thinking? I don’t know anything about little girls. I’m in over my head. Denise Hendrix is in charge of the council. The first season is only two months and she wants me to see it through. Then I can quit and they’ll find someone else for the girls.”

“So it’s only for two months. That’s something.”

He glared at her. “I’m not a bead kind of guy.”

She lightly stroked his upper arm, mentally giving herself a moment to enjoy the warm skin over impressive muscle. “You’ll be fine. They’re just little girls.”

“Easy for you to say. You used to be one.”

Physically, Taryn thought. She’d been a child. But emotionally, she’d never been young. She hadn’t had the chance. In her house, being vulnerable meant dangerous things. She’d grown up fast and had learned the value of remaining invisible as much as possible.

But that wasn’t Angel’s problem and it wasn’t as if she was going to tell him about her past. No one knew about her father—not even Jack.

He reached for his Scotch, then put it down. “That’s why I got the SUV. In case I have to drive them somewhere.”