Two of a Kind (Fool's Gold #11)

One of the servers returned with two margaritas, a beer, chips, salsa and guacamole.

Noelle reached for a chip. “I don’t get wanting to leave. I love it here.”

“You just arrived,” Isabel said. “Give it twenty years.”

“I’ll love it more, I swear. If only I could find the right guy.”

“I hear Mrs. Hendrix is taking applications,” Consuelo said, thinking she couldn’t wait for Ford to find out about his mother’s plan. That was going to be quite the show.

“I haven’t met Kent,” Noelle said, then lowered her voice. “But I couldn’t date Ford. Isabel’s still in love with him.”

Consuelo wondered if Ford knew and, if he did, what he would think about that tidbit of info.

Isabel glared across the table. “I’m not. I haven’t spoken to the man in years.”

“You were in love with him.”

“It was a crush.” She looked at Consuelo. “I was fourteen and he was engaged to my sister. She cheated on him, he left town and I wrote him. End of story.”

“It’s not really the end of the story,” Noelle said confidentially. “She has feelings.”

“I feel like I’m going to have to lock you in a closet or something.”

Consuelo sipped her beer. “Don’t make me separate you two.”

Noelle leaned toward her. “You said that so casually, but it was totally scary. How do you do that? You’re petite and yet completely intimidating. I admire that.”

“It’s a lot of training,” Consuelo said, knowing that she’d learned how to take care of herself early on. Growing up on the street meant figuring out how to survive. One of her favorite movies was The Shawshank Redemption. Whenever she got into a tough spot, she reminded herself she had to get busy living or get busy dying. She’d always chosen to err on the side of living.

“You could still date Kent,” Consuelo said, to distract them.

“I haven’t met Kent,” Noelle admitted again.

“He’s nice enough.” Isabel scooped salsa onto a chip. “He’s a typical Hendrix. Tall, dark hair and eyes. Good-looking enough, I guess.”

“But not Ford?” Noelle teased.

Isabel rolled her eyes. “I’m ignoring you.” She turned to Consuelo. “He’s a math teacher. Has a son. Reese. He’s eleven or twelve. There was a divorce, and I don’t know much more.”

“Maybe I’ll go apply,” Noelle said. “Of course then I’ll be one of the many. The potential for rejection seems huge.” She raised her eyebrows. “What about you, Consuelo? Any interest in either Hendrix son?”

“No, thanks. I’ve known Ford a long time and he’s not my type.”

“Why not?”

“The last thing I want in my life is another swaggering soldier.”

Noelle poked Isabel in the arm. “Does Ford swagger? Does it make your heart beat faster when he does?”

“You’re really annoying, you know that?” Isabel turned to Consuelo. “Kent isn’t a soldier.”

“It wouldn’t be a good fit,” Consuelo said lightly. In truth she knew there was no way a guy smart enough to be a math teacher would be interested in a woman like her. Especially a man with a child. He would take one look at her, see her for what she was and walk away. It had happened before.

Isabel sighed. “I’ll bet you walk in the room and all the men turn and stare.”

“With their tongues hanging out,” Noelle added. “Must be nice.”

* * *

THE SUN WAS still high in the sky, but large trees provided shade. Felicia smoothed her napkin across her lap, trying to convince herself there was no reason to be nervous. She’d had sex with Gideon—this was only dinner. Shouldn’t it be easy? After all, they were both wearing clothes.

But from the second he’d picked her up, through the drive to the Hibiscus Winery, to being seated at this lovely outdoor table, she’d found herself unable to think of a single thing to say.

Maybe it was how Gideon looked. He was wearing dark-wash jeans and a long-sleeved pale blue shirt. Not dressy but not completely casual, either. His shaggy hair had been trimmed, and he’d recently shaved.

Because this was a date, she thought. And she didn’t know how to be on a date.

“This is nice,” he said, glancing around.

Trees shaded the west side of the patio. Beyond them and north of the property were vineyards.

“The trees are mostly indigenous,” she said. “Various pine, white fir and California black oak. Black oak is one of the more useful trees in the area. Over fifty species of bird are thought to use the trees, and the acorns provide a substantial part of the winter diet for squirrels and black-tailed deer. The California black oak has adapted to the wildfires that used to be common in this part of the country. Its thick bark provides protection from smaller fires, and it grows back easily after a major fire.”

She paused. “Which is probably more than you wanted to know about a local tree.”