Just One Kiss (Fool's Gold #10)

A few minutes later Patience carried over two lattes and a plate of cookies. The other woman was thin enough that she wasn’t sure Noelle ate things like sugar or chocolate, but her mother had raised her to always offer a snack with a beverage.

“Thanks,” Noelle said, taking the mug. “I love what you’ve done with the store. It’s inviting without being fussy.” She smiled. “I’m much more a fussy type of person.”

Patience smiled. “Sounds like you’d have a lot in common with my daughter. She has every stuffed animal she’s ever owned.” Most of them were currently curled up with Justice—a place Patience wouldn’t mind being herself, she thought with a sigh.

“I can respect her commitment to the child–stuffed animal relationship,” Noelle said, her blue eyes bright with amusement. She took a sip of her latte. “It’s perfect.”

“Thank you. The machine makes it easy. It was a huge part of our start-up costs, but worth it. You mentioned you were thinking of opening a store yourself. Is that still going to happen?”

Noelle nodded. “I’ve signed a lease. I’m hoping to get my place open by mid-August.” She took a breath. “It’s a Christmas store. The Christmas Attic.”

“I love it,” Patience said. “It’s perfect for this town. You’ll bring in some tourists all year round and then go crazy at the holidays.”

“I hope so. That’s why I want to open plenty early. So I can get myself together in time for the holiday rush.” She took another sip of her drink. “There’s a lot to do to get started.”

Patience leaned toward her. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through. I thought I was drowning and I barely have any inventory compared to what you’ll be doing.”

“I’ve been having lots of fun figuring out what I want to carry. There are several national and international gift shows. I’ve gone to a couple and was seriously overwhelmed. Now I’m talking to distributors and looking for artists. I want to have more unique items, if possible.”

“Sounds ambitious.”

“It is. I hope I’m up to it.”

Patience hesitated, not wanting to pry. “Do you come from a retail background?”

“Not at all.” Noelle hesitated. “I’m a lawyer, or I was. I grew up in Florida and moved to Los Angeles.”

Lawyer to retail? Patience would bet there was a story that went with that decision. “You have both coasts covered.”

“The southern part of them.”

“How did you end up here?”

“I put a pin in a map. When I opened my eyes, it was stuck in Fool’s Gold, so here I am.” She sipped again. “I was ready to make a change.”

Which didn’t give Patience much information and left her with a lot of questions. But Noelle didn’t seem to want to share her entire life story. People from other places expected privacy. It took them a while to figure out that in a small town, there weren’t many secrets.

“I’m glad you found us,” she said instead. “And I can’t wait for the store to open.”

“My grandmother helped raise me and I remember she always talked about what it was like when she was little. She grew up in New England. Their house had an attic. She made it sound like a wonderful place, filled with old treasures. I want to re-create that. Sort of. You know, in an upscale, appealingly retail kind of way.”

“Of course.”

She studied Noelle. The other woman was pretty, if a little too pale. More ethereal, she thought, then glanced at Noelle’s left hand. There wasn’t a ring and she couldn’t tell if she saw a slight indentation where one had been or was imagining it.

“Did you bring any family with you?” she asked.

“No. There’s just me. I packed up my place in L.A. and moved it all here. I’m renting here until I get the store up and running. I was a little nervous about being in a new town, but everyone has been very friendly.”

“It’s a Fool’s Gold thing. We’re welcoming.” Patience picked up her latte. “You know, there are a few new businesses in town. You and me. My friend Isabel is running her family’s wedding-gown store. It’s called Paper Moon. It’s not a permanent move for her, but she’s been thrown into the retail world, as well. We should start a support group. I’ll talk to Mayor Marsha about it.”

“Really? That would be great. I keep reading statistics about how many new businesses fail. I don’t want to be one of them.”

“Me, either,” Patience said. “I’m terrified I’m going to really screw things up.”

“I don’t think you have to worry. I’m hearing wonderful things about your store. But if you get nervous, let me know if I can help.”

“I will,” Patience told her. “Thank you.”

Noelle laughed. “I’m not being all that nice. I might need you to return the favor later this year.”

“I’m happy to do it.”

Noelle looked around. “I think I was very lucky when I picked Fool’s Gold. This town is exactly what I was looking for.”

“I’m glad, too,” Patience said, even as she wondered what Noelle wasn’t saying. There were mysteries in the other woman’s past. An interesting story. No doubt she would find out what it was with time.