Just One Kiss (Fool's Gold #10)

The statement had the advantage of not only being true, but sounding so rational. It sure beat “I’m going to throw up from nerves” or “Never, ever open your own business.”


She’d reached the place of panic, which was a little scary. With two days left before the opening, where did that leave her to go? Extreme panic? Extreme, extreme, icky panic?

Either Patience was doing a good job of pretending to be normal or Melissa was really polite, because the eighteen-year-old only smiled.

“I’m happy to be working here,” she said. “It’s a cool job that’s going to be lots of fun.”

“Saving money for college?” Patience asked. Melissa was working through the summer.

“I am. I go in late August. UC San Diego. My mom is a little nervous about me going out on my own. I keep telling her I’ll be living in a dorm and not to worry, but you know how she gets.”

Patience wasn’t close friends with Liz Sutton-Hendrix, but they’d known each other most of their lives. Liz was a few years older. Technically Melissa and Melissa’s younger sister, Abby, were Liz’s nieces. A few years ago Liz had moved back to Fool’s Gold to raise them when their dad went to prison and their stepmom skipped out on them.

Complicating everything was Liz’s relationship with Ethan Hendrix and the fact that he had a son Liz had never told him about. They’d worked through their issues and were happily married. Patience understood Liz’s worry about her oldest going away to school. She didn’t think she would ever be emotionally prepared to let Lillie move out.

“You might want to go talk to Isabel at Paper Moon,” Patience told the teen. “She had an unexpected experience at UCLA. You need to avoid what she did.”

Melissa laughed. “It didn’t go well?”

“She had beautiful highlights and a fabulous surfer boyfriend, but didn’t do so well with the going-to-class part.”

“That’s never good.”

“It’s not.”

Melissa shook her head. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m big on being responsible. I would never blow off class for a guy.”

“Good for you. Picked a major yet?”

“I’m looking at a couple of different options. What I do know is that I’m going to law school. I’m thinking Harvard.”

“Ambitious. You don’t want to be a writer like your mom?”

“I think I have just enough of her skill to write a good brief.” Melissa untied her apron. “I’ll be here at four opening morning.”

“Me, too,” Patience said. “You sure you can get up that early, then go to class?”

Until high school was over in June, Melissa would work mostly on weekends and a couple of evenings. But she had wanted to work on opening morning.

“You’re going to be super busy. You know how the town loves a grand opening,” Melissa said. “I can be sleepy for one day.”

“Thanks.”

The teen waved, then left.

Patience watched her go, thinking Liz and Ethan must be so proud. They had three great kids.

She finished loading the mugs and plates, then turned on the dishwasher. Their last practice run had gone well. She’d kept the numbers small and by invitation only, and they’d worked out a few kinks with the espresso machine. The rest of her coffee would be delivered tomorrow morning, along with most of the food.

Patience pressed a hand to her stomach and wondered how she was going to get through it. Talk about being on edge.

But despite her nerves, she knew she’d made the right decision. Great-Aunt Becky had given her a wonderful opportunity. The store had been her dream for a long time. She wanted to be a part of the fabric of Fool’s Gold. To be one of the small businesses in town. To have a place in people’s memories.

Because that’s what this place was about—making memories. Mrs. Elder, the head librarian, had been the one to hand Patience her first Judy Blume book. Years later, Patience had been in Morgan’s Books when she’d realized her feelings for Justice weren’t just friendship. She’d been fourteen, it had been a Tuesday and they’d been browsing. He’d turned to tell her something. She remembered how blue his eyes had been and how his hand had accidentally brushed against hers. She’d felt the tingles clear to her heart.

Later, in high school, she’d had her first kiss in Pyrite Park, after the Fourth of July fireworks show. A couple of years later, when she’d realized she and Ned would have to get married, she’d gone window-shopping at Jenel’s Gems. Not that they’d bought her ring there. Ned had claimed it was too expensive and why did she need an engagement ring? He’d purchased a plain gold band somewhere in Sacramento and she’d convinced herself it was enough.

Good and bad memories, she thought. But all in this town, and she wanted future generations to remember being at Brew-haha. Which meant she was going to have to pull herself together and survive the terror of opening in the first place.

She walked into the main part of the store only to find someone stepping through the unlocked front door. Patience recognized the tall, beautiful redhead at once.