Three Little Words (Fool's Gold #12)

FORD STARED HELPLESSLY as Isabel wiped away tears.

“It’s so unfair,” she said, her lower lip trembling as she spoke. “All of it. Now I know why she’s been avoiding me. She knew. All this time she knew she was going into business with someone else and she never said anything.”

They were in the living room of her house. A relatively large room with big windows, but Ford felt as trapped as if he were locked in a five-by-five cell. He didn’t know what the hell he was supposed to do to make her feel better and he couldn’t walk away.

Madeline had called him less than half an hour ago. She’d said Isabel had gotten a call and had left the store in tears. Madeline hadn’t known what had happened, but she’d been worried about her boss. Ford had come running, only to find Isabel as devastated as Madeline had suggested.

“I can’t believe it.” She crushed the tissue in her hand, then looked at him. “I can’t believe it.”

There was raw pain in her eyes. He desperately wanted to fix the problem, only he couldn’t begin to figure out how.

“I’m sorry,” he said, dropping to his knees in front of her. “I’m really sorry.”

She nodded. “I know. It’s nothing about you. It’s me. God, what’s wrong with me? First Eric and now Sonia.”

“You’re not the reason either of them acted the way they did.”

“I know that in my head, but my gut tells me something else.” She lowered her head and he saw tears fall onto her fingers. “It’s like the death of a dream.”

She raised her head. More tears spilled from her blue eyes. “No. It’s not like the death of a dream. It is the death of a dream. We had everything planned. It’s why I came back.”

She shook her head. “Okay, part of the reason is Eric. I wanted to get away from the city, but still. I thought...” She swallowed. “I believed in her. In what we were going to do, and she dumped me for someone with more money.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He knew there was something he was supposed to be saying—he just didn’t know what it was.

“She wasn’t your friend,” he murmured, holding on tight and wishing that was enough. “A real friend would never do this to you.”

“I kn-know.” Her voice caught as she burrowed into him. “That makes it worse. I lost my business dream and a friend all in the same conversation. Why didn’t she tell me before? Why didn’t she hint?”

She drew back and stared at him. “Is it me? Did I make this happen?”

He felt her pain and wanted to rip out his own heart, if that would help. He wanted to find the Sonia bitch and— He swore, knowing he couldn’t take out his temper on a civilian. Especially a woman.

“It’s not you,” he told her, touching the side of her face. “You did what the two of you agreed to. You followed the rules.”

“I keep doing that,” she said dully. “And getting screwed. Maybe I need a new plan.”

She got up and walked to the window. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned back to him. “Have you ever wanted something this much, only to lose it?”

He rose and shook his head.

“It sucks,” she told him. “It sucks a lot.”

He believed her and a part of him envied her ability to feel that kind of passion. Because the truth was he’d never wanted anything all that much. What he desired came easily, and when he was tired of it, he walked away. He’d done it all his life. A revelation that didn’t help Isabel at all.

* * *

ISABEL TURNED BACK to the window. Ford didn’t have any answers, and she should stop badgering him for them. She was about to tell him she would be fine, when someone knocked on the door.

“I’ll get it,” Ford said quickly and hurried to the front of the house. Seconds later he reappeared with Patience at his side.

Isabel brushed away her tears. “Calling in reinforcements?”

He shrugged. “I was afraid I couldn’t handle it.”

“You did great.”

Patience hurried to her. “What happened? Are you okay?”

Isabel told her about the call and what Sonia had said.

“That’s unbelievable,” her friend said. “What a bitch.”

“That seems to be the general consensus.”

Patience led Isabel to the sofa, then looked at Ford. “I’m okay to stay the rest of the day.” She turned back to Isabel. “He’s getting that trapped, uncomfortable look.”

“I’m not,” he said defensively.

Isabel managed a smile. “You did great. Thank you.”

“You sure?”

“Very.”

She crossed to him and kissed him. “Thank you for not running screaming from the room while I was crying.”

He hugged her. “I’m sorry.”

“I know.”

“See you later?”

She nodded and he left. “Want some tea?” she asked her friend. “It seems to be the right thing to do in a crisis. Make tea.”

“Sure.”

They went into the kitchen. Isabel put water on to boil and dug out a selection of tea bags. Patience found two mugs and put them on the counter.