Until We Touch (Fool's Gold #15)

Later she would see Jack, then Kenny. By the end of the day, her hands would be tired, but that came with the job.

Her fingers moved against smooth skin. The oil—a calming blend with a nice moisturizer—always left her skin silky.

She liked the differences between her clients. Sometimes she wondered what things would have been like if she’d actually gone into massage therapy instead of going to work for Score. She wondered if she would be at a spa of some kind or out on her own. While her room at the company was hers to do with as she liked, it wasn’t exactly the same as having her own business. Of course, the upside of that was she also didn’t have to worry about her budget. If she wanted a new table or different linens or new anything, she simply had to tell Sam and he ordered it for her.

But to be her own boss would be a different kind of challenge, she thought. First she would have to get certified. Easy enough. She had the education and the work experience. One day, she told herself. One day.

She pressed in around Taryn’s scapula. The tension there surprised her.

“Why aren’t you relaxing?” she asked.

Taryn sighed. “Sorry. I have stuff on my mind.”

“Like?”

“The wedding.”

“I thought Dellina would be handling the details. No one plans a party better.”

“It’s not the planning. It’s the having.” She raised her head and looked at Larissa. “I can’t decide. On the one hand a big wedding would be nice, but doesn’t a small one make more sense? It’s not like Angel and I are twenty.”

“All the more reason to do what you know you want. Taryn, seriously, you don’t do anything small. It’s not your style. Have a dream wedding that makes us all envious and wear a killer dress. We need that in our lives. You’re our inspiration.”

Taryn smiled, then lowered her head. “You’re very good to me.”

“I’m your friend. Be happy. March your skinny-assed self down a long aisle somewhere fabulous. Have a band and your Acorns as bridesmaids.”

“They’re Sprouts.”

“What?”

“The girls. They were Acorns last year. They’ll be Sprouts this year.” The Acorns, or Sprouts, were part of a group called Future Warriors of the Máa-zib. It was Fool’s Gold own version of scouting, based on the ancient tribe that had first settled in the area.

“Whatever. Have your Sprout bridesmaids and little tuxedo-decorated truffles as favors for the guests. Go for it—just because you can.”

Taryn raised her head again. “How do you know about tuxedo decorated truffles?”

Larissa grinned. “I have two married sisters. I went through all this twice. When it comes to a wedding it’s all about the dress and the details.”

“I guess. It just feels weird.”

“Because you never thought you’d fall madly in love.”

Taryn put her head down. “Maybe. Mostly.” She sighed. “Angel is so amazing.”

“Yes, he is,” Larissa said, thinking that he was also a tiny bit scary. Taryn was his equal. There weren’t many women who could say that.

She moved down her friend’s back. “Jack won’t mind if you have a big wedding,” she said quietly.

Taryn tensed, then relaxed. “I hate it when you read my mind.”

“It doesn’t take a lot of skill. You’re family, which is sweet, but you were also married before. That makes it weird.”

“A little,” Taryn admitted. “You know how much I love him, just not that way. I never did.” She paused. “He was good to me. I was able to trust him and I don’t trust easily. Our wedding was like our marriage. Very quick and purpose driven.”

Larissa knew that Taryn had gotten unexpectedly pregnant. Jack being Jack had insisted they marry.

“Would you have stayed with him?” she asked. “If you hadn’t lost the baby?”

“I have no idea. Probably not. One of us would have gotten restless. I was still in shock about being pregnant and then married. I hadn’t figured any of it out. Before I could, the baby was gone.”

“That must have been hard,” Larissa said, thinking she would be crushed. No matter how her mother made her crazy, the other woman was right about one thing. Larissa did want to get married and have kids. The problem was she couldn’t see a way to get from where she was to there.

“It was,” Taryn murmured. “I felt so guilty for getting pregnant in the first place. Then to lose the baby.... I filed for divorce the same day.”