coffee place. You’ll want to go there and support a local business.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t think Patience liked me.”
“She barely met you.”
Felicia studied him. “Are you sure she knows we’re just friends?”
“Of course. I told her.”
“Well, then, I’m sure everything is fine.”
He thought maybe Felicia was mocking him, but it was hard to tell. She was pretty much always mocking him.
They walked into the Starbucks and approached the counter. “How long do I have?” he asked. “When are you going to abandon me for your selfish plans?”
“I don’t know. I want to figure out what I’m going to do with myself by the end of summer.”
“That’s not very long.”
“Justice, you’re opening a business, not launching a new government. I can have everything organized in two weeks. Maybe less.”
He chuckled and motioned for her to place her order. Now that Felicia was in town, he could get serious about CDS. Once all the plans were in place, he would let Ford and Angel know and his partners could move to town. He wondered what the residents of Fool’s Gold were going to say about having men like them hanging around.
* * *
SHE WASJUST so stupid!
Patience threw packing material onto the floor and shoved the mugs onto the counter, then resisted the urge to stomp her foot. It had been nearly twenty-four hours. What was the military term? Radio silence? Whatever it was, she hadn’t heard from Justice at all. No visit, no phone call, not even a text. The man had vanished completely. No doubt making himself happy with his beautiful friend.
Patience told herself she’d been right to decide to end things. Unfortunately, she also wanted to see him. To tell him in person. Or maybe just because she liked being around him.
“No!” she said aloud. “I don’t want to see him.” At least not very much. But he was busy with Felicia.
Felicia. Talk about a stupid name. And she was stupidly tall. Who was that tall? And seriously, were her eyes really that color of green?
Patience kicked the empty box, sending it sliding across the room, then sank onto the floor and covered her face with her hands. The real problem here was her, and she knew it. She’d made love with Justice impulsively and now she was suffering the consequences.
Sure, he’d been good to her since moving back to town. Attentive, even. Nice to her mother and her daughter. But they hadn’t talked much about his personal life. He’d claimed to have never been married, but what else did she know about him? For all she knew, he was currently having his way with the overly tall, too-beautiful byotch who had shown up the previous day.
That image made her stomach hurt, so she tried not to think about it. She had to get herself together. The dishwasher was going in soon. Once that was done, she would be training staff, then opening her business. That’s what mattered. Moving forward. Living the dream. Possibly running over Felicia if she had the opportunity.
“Hey.”
A hand touched her shoulder at the same time she heard the voice. She screamed and tried to scramble away, only to find herself staring into Justice’s amused gaze.
“How did you get in here?” she demanded, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Through the door.”
“I locked it.”
“I knocked, but I guess you didn’t hear me.” He shrugged, then sat down in front of her. “I wanted to see you.”
“So you picked the lock on my door?”
“Uh-huh.”
A man with a variety of skills wasn’t always a good thing.
She pushed her hair out of her face and wished she’d put on something more classy than old jeans and a T-shirt with a glittery surfboard on the front. Plus, she wasn’t wearing makeup. Not that any of that would make her look like Felicia, whom she hated a lot.
“How are you?” he asked.
“Fine.” A lie, but she was okay with that.
“Seriously?”
“Sure. I’m great.” She tried to smile, but wasn’t sure she succeeded.
He reached for her hand. “About yesterday.”
That was supposed to be her line. “About yesterday. It’s over, skunk-dog.”
Only before she could speak, he brought her fingers to his mouth and kissed her knuckles. Then he gave her his best slow, sexy smile. “Impressive.”
Tinges zigzagged down her arm to her chest and belly. She ignored them and the need to swoon. “Okay,” she said cautiously. Maybe she would wait to hear what he had to say. Then she would end things.
“Just okay?” He studied her, then nodded, as if he’d figured out what was wrong.
She wasn’t sure that was a good thing. “I wasn’t sure what to think. Everything happened so fast.” She glanced around, hoping to find something on fire, or see an alien landing. Anything to distract him from her confused emotional state.
“I’m sorry about the timing of Felicia’s arrival,” Justice told her, his blue gaze steady.
“Me, too.”
He continued to study her. “You know she and I are friends, right? She’s like a sister to me. Always has been. Just friends. There’s never been anything between us.”
Patience felt herself start to lean toward him, then forced herself to pull back. “You mentioned something about it,” she admitted. A long time ago, when the information hadn’t seemed very important. It was much more significant now.
“We worked together and we’re family. I’ll always be there for her—like you’re always there for your mom.”
If he was trying to make her feel better, he was doing a fine job. She gave him a real smile. “Thanks for telling me that.”
“I didn’t want you worrying.” He kissed her hand again. “I’m not very good at this.”
“At what? Sitting on the floor? Because you seem to be a natural.”
He chuckled, then leaned in and kissed her mouth. “Being with someone like you. Someone regular.”
“You usually sleep with superheroes?”
“I usually don’t stick around until morning.”
