Best of My Love (Fool's Gold, #20)

“Thanks.” He glanced around the table. “I’m thinking about making changes in what I offer tourists. Most of my tours are adventure-based. Outdoor activities. While a lot of women enjoy that sort of thing, there’s a whole indoor market I’ve been ignoring. Fay, my office manager, and I did some brainstorming. What if I had things like girls’ weekends where we co-oped with other businesses in town to offer a night or two at the lodge, a spa experience with dinner somewhere?”


“Why wouldn’t women just book it themselves?” Larissa asked. “Why go through you?”

“To make it easier.”

“Not good enough,” Taryn told him. “You need to be able to offer a unique element. What’s your next overnight tour?”

“I’m taking a group camping next weekend,” he said.

“Why can’t they go camping by themselves?”

Shelby thought Aidan might get defensive, but he stayed completely relaxed.

“I provide the equipment. I’m the tour guide. We explore a few old ruins that are hard to find. I take care of pretty much everything. They just have to show up.”

“But camping is more complicated than a spa weekend,” Patience said. “I think the spa weekend could work, but it needs a unique element.”

“Like parasailing with shots,” Felicia offered.

They all stared at her.

“What?” she asked. “Alcohol is a part of many sporting events.”

“What about focusing on romance and couples instead?” Patience asked. “A romantic tour of Fool’s Gold. Maybe with a gourmet picnic and champagne. Of course, it would have to be self-guided. You’d get in the way.”

Aidan grinned. “I agree.”

“What about the best spots to kiss in town?” Larissa waved her fork. “You know, having something like that would be fun. I’m sure a lot of couples come to camp or ski and while the wife is happy, it’s more for the guy. Having a romantic tour would balance things.”

Taryn nodded. “You could have packages ready, so it could be a last-minute addition. If you choose the menus for the picnic lunches or dinners in advance, Ana Raquel could keep the supplies on hand.” She raised her brows. “You were planning to use her services, weren’t you?”

“Uh-huh. Shelby likes her work.”

He scribbled a few notes, so he didn’t see the looks exchanged between the women. Shelby did, though, and knew what they were thinking. That Aidan had reached the point where he trusted her opinion.

She wanted to say it was just a friendship thing, but honestly she was getting tired of repeating herself. Not to mention the fact that they were now more than friends. A lot more.

They continued to talk about different possibilities. Aidan asked questions. When they were finally finished, he insisted on paying for lunch.

“It’s the least I can do,” he told her friends. “Thank you for taking the time to talk to me.”

He and Shelby walked out of Jo’s Bar. He smiled at her. “I appreciate you setting that up. I have a lot to think about.”

“More ideas than you can use?” Shelby teased.

“Absolutely, but that’s a quality problem. They’re nice women. I like them.”

“I like them, too,” she said. That odd lurching in her stomach returned, but she ignored it. “I like us, as well. What we’ve accomplished.”

His expression turned predatory.

She laughed. “Not just that. Everything else.”

“But that was good.”

“It was. The best ever.”

She thought he might make a joke, but his expression turned serious. He touched the side of her face with his fingers, then lightly kissed her.

“It was,” he agreed.

For a second, she couldn’t breathe. Before she could figure out what was wrong, the feeling passed. But questions lingered. What on earth was wrong with her? This was Aidan. Her friend and now lover. She knew him. She liked him. She was comfortable around him. They were good together and she didn’t want that to change.

*

“I’M SO HAPPY,” Amber said, brushing away tears. “Ignore the waterworks. These days I cry at everything.” She took Shelby’s hands. “I know selling was the right decision, but if I’d had to sell to anyone but you, I would have had regrets. As it is, I know you’re going to grow the business into something amazing.” Amber laughed. “And change everything. I can’t wait to see where you are in a year.”

Shelby swallowed. “Thank you for everything. I promise that the heart of the business will always be the same. Even if the outsides change.”

They hugged.

Trisha Wynn, the attorney handling the sale, rolled her eyes. “I have to say, this is the first time there’s been hugging at a meeting like this.”

Amber wiped her eyes. “Don’t pretend you aren’t moved.”

“I’m a lawyer. I’m immune to emotion. Now let’s sign our paperwork, ladies.”

They all sat at the large table in Trisha’s conference room. Shelby couldn’t believe how quickly everything had come together. Once the business had been valued, she and Amber had settled on a price. The fact that Shelby was paying with cash rather than a loan helped speed things along. As for the money she’d borrowed from her brother—that had been accomplished with a single page note and even more hugs.