Summer Days (Fool's Gold #7)

“Don’t think I’m doing your chores for you, missy. I got tricked into that enough when you were young.” Rita laughed.

“Would I do that?”

“In a heartbeat.”

* * *

WHAT RAFE KNEW ABOUT the workings of a carnival could fill a teacup and still have room left over for plenty of cream. Given that, he wasn’t sure how he’d been roped into assisting with the setup. But here he was, in the middle of town, helping a bunch of guys he didn’t know unload equipment and pitch tents.

The rides of the carnival were set up in the park’s parking lot. He knew enough about building to have figured out why. The ground was level and the asphalt provided support. There were a dozen or so rides, including an impressive Ferris wheel. The booth games, or whatever they were called, were being placed along the main street of town. Food vendors were setting up on the other side, which meant plenty of foot traffic for everyone.

“Do you even know what you’re doing?”

He looked up from connecting bolts to find Heidi watching him. At the sight of her, his gut tightened and heat coiled a little farther south.

“I can tighten a bolt.”

“Just make sure you do so with the understanding you’re now working in the time-honored tradition of bringing fun to millions of people everywhere.”

He stood and moved so close that she had to lean her head back to still meet his gaze. “Is there a secret handshake or a manual I should read? A code of ethics?”

“There’s always a code of ethics. I’m not sure you’d follow them.”

“I’m a very honorable guy.”

She snorted.

“Hey,” he protested. “I am.”

“We’ll see.” She tapped the side of the stand. “Do you know what this is going to be?”

“No.”

“It’s the dart game. Balloons are pinned to a board. You throw a dart and try to puncture a balloon.”

“If I win?”

“You get a very fancy stuffed animal and bragging rights.”

“Seems like a fair trade.”

Her green eyes sparkled with laughter. He liked how she smiled, and she seemed happy and excited to have the carnival in town.

“How come you’re not introducing me to your friends?”

She took a step back. “What are you talking about? You’ve met nearly everyone.”

“Sure. Glen showed me around. Are you afraid of what people will think?”

“No. It’s not that. The carnival is made up of a very close group of people. There are no secrets. Gossip runs rampant. If I were to introduce you, there would be a lot of questions and even more assumptions. I didn’t think you’d be comfortable with that.”

“About last night,” he said, lowering his voice.

She shook her head. “I’m a big girl, Rafe. I wanted to. There was no seduction involved. You have nothing to feel bad about.”

“I don’t feel bad. But I do want to be sure that you’re okay.”

“I’m fine. Why don’t we talk about how you’re feeling?”

“I’m a guy. Articulating my feelings isn’t in my genetic makeup.”

“Rafe? There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you.”

Rafe turned and saw a tall, slender, well-dressed blonde walking toward him. If there’d been a wall nearby, he would’ve banged his head against it.

“Hello, Nina,” he said instead.

His matchmaker put her hands on her hips. “You’ve been avoiding me.”

“I didn’t have anything more to say.”

“But I did.” Nina smiled at Heidi. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Nina Blanchard, Rafe’s matchmaker.”

“Heidi Simpson,” Heidi told her. “It’s so nice to meet you. I don’t think I knew you were coming to Fool’s Gold.”

“I didn’t know, either,” Rafe said, not sure why Nina had shown up, but knowing the reason wasn’t going to be a good one for him.

“It was an impulsive decision,” Nina admitted. She smiled at Heidi. “Rafe is being very difficult.”

“I’m not even surprised,” Heidi told her. “Rafe is a really stubborn guy. If you want him to pay attention, you’re going to have to take charge.”

“Hey!” Rafe stepped between them. “Maybe we should all stop talking about me.”

Heidi shrugged. “I thought you liked being the center of attention.”

“You thought wrong.” He took Nina by the arm. “Let’s go get coffee.” He glanced at Heidi. “I’ll deal with you later.”

She looked unrepentant and a little smug as she smiled. “If you think you’re up to it.”

He took Nina to the Starbucks on the corner, bought her a nonfat latte, then they sat outside at a shaded table.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, when she’d added her artificial sweetener and stirred her drink.

“I told you. You’ve been avoiding me.”

“I said I was done with your services. I’ll pay you whatever is owed, but I don’t want you getting me any more dates.”

“Because of Heidi?”

“What? No. Because of a lot of things.”