They walked down to the lake. As usual, children were feeding ducks, young couples picnicked on blankets in the shade of trees, and a few joggers made their way along the bike path.
Montana paused to take in the familiar scene. This had always been her home. She’d tried living somewhere else, briefly, and hated it. She knew some people left for the big city and she was sure any large urban area had its charms. But this was where she belonged.
She was aware of Simon standing next to her. He didn’t say much, which wasn’t a surprise. What she hadn’t expected was how much she didn’t mind his quietness. It was oddly relaxing. She was also aware of his height and his broad shoulders, but told herself not to be silly. Becoming interested in Simon as anything but a project for Mayor Marsha was just plain stupid.
If he kept glancing at her, it was probably because he was waiting for the next burst of factoids or wondering if there was going to be a town history quiz. There was no way he was… She frowned. If she hadn’t known better, she would have sworn Simon was looking at her mouth. Not possible, she told herself. No way she could attract a man like Simon.
Not that she would mind, but if the other men in her life hadn’t found her to be attractive enough, she figured she would be woefully lacking in Simon’s eyes, too.
She motioned to the trucks parked along the side road by the lake. “They’re setting up for the Fourth of July celebration. Fool’s Gold is known for its festivals. I don’t know how many we have every year. A lot. There’s the Book Festival and the Waterskiing Festival. The Fall Festival, which is before the Halloween party.” She glanced at him. “It’s fun.”
“An active community.”
She couldn’t tell if he meant that in a good way or a bad way, and decided not to ask.
She led him back to the main street and started pointing out various businesses before continuing her discussion of the town. “Mayor Marsha is the longest serving mayor in the state of California. The festivals are run by my friend Pia. It’s a big job and, now that she’s pregnant, it’s even more difficult. Although she has a new assistant, which is helping.” She searched her mind for some other factoids. “My family was one of the founding families, on my dad’s side. Not counting the matriarchal tribe, of course. There’s Morgan’s Books.”
She led him to the store and showed him the window display of Liz Sutton, their resident mystery writer.
“Have you read her?” she asked.
Simon shook his head and shifted so he was on her other side. “Is she any good?”
“Of course. She’s fabulous. She’s married to my brother, Ethan. They have one son together and are raising her two nieces. It’s complicated.”
“Most family relationships are.”
“Tell me about it.” She started walking again and Simon fell into step beside her. “My dad passed away eleven years ago, so it’s not surprising my mom has started dating. It really would have been okay, only she seemed fine alone and now we have to get used to this and it’s strange. I want her to be happy, but it’s the whole parental thing. She talks about her dates and we want to be supportive, but then she talks about kissing with tongue and I just want to cover my ears and hum.”
She came to a stop. “You’re a medical professional. Why is hearing about parents having sex so creepy? Okay, not creepy exactly, but strange.”
“I don’t have an answer to that.”
“Didn’t you go to medical school? Don’t they have a class on this?”
And then it happened. Simon smiled at her. His lips curved, there was a flash of white teeth and a surprising dimple on his unscarred cheek.
Montana felt a sudden rush of sensation in her midsection. Not attraction exactly, but not disinterest either. The smile was unexpected and very appealing. It made her want to hear his laugh and maybe even make him smile again.
“I must’ve missed that day,” he told her. “Sorry.”
“You work at a hospital. You could ask around.”
“Is it really that important to you?”
“I don’t like feeling uncomfortable. Especially around my mother. I love her and we’re really close. And I feel like a really good daughter would be able to talk about her mother’s dating life.”
“Not even a good daughter is expected to discuss tongue.”
She laughed and saw he was smiling again. Suddenly the morning seemed a little brighter, the sky a little bluer.
They came to a stop at the corner. Montana walked over to push the Walk button, then returned to Simon’s side. “Where were you before you came to Fool’s Gold? I heard you travel around a lot.”
The pedestrian signal changed and she and Simon started across the street. As they reached the other side, he stepped around her.
“I was in India.”
“That counts as travel,” she admitted. “You go all around the world?”
“I go where I’m needed. I operate on whomever needs my help the most. Mostly children. But adults as well. After I leave here, I’m set to go to Peru.”
That sounded very altruistic. “So you’re a giver?”