“You take that job in Texas yet?” Ethan asked.
“No. I have six more weeks until I have to give them an answer.”
Ethan turned off his tablet, and they headed for the truck. “That’s a long time to wait for you.”
Ryan grinned. “I like to think I’ll be worth it.”
Ethan chuckled. “I’m sure you do.”
CHAPTER FIVE
“SEE,” FAYRENE SAID as she and Ryan went down the front stairs of city hall and out onto the street. “Wasn’t that satisfying?”
Ryan chuckled. “Strangely, yes. I didn’t expect it to be.”
“You have good aim.” While her eggs had drifted off course, Ryan had hit the bull’s-eye nearly every time.
Now that she’d made the decision it was okay to have a casual relationship with him while he was in town, she was able to relax and enjoy the tingles and zaps she felt in his company. When they reached the street and he took her hand in his, she hung on tight.
This was nice, she told herself. Four years was a long time to go without dating. She should do this more often. Hang out casually. All she needed was a series of interim guys. Although to be honest, she couldn’t imagine any of them being better than Ryan. Not just in the looks department, but in how he acted. She supposed there was a reason people said that character mattered.
“Where to now?” he asked.
She glanced at her watch. It was nearly noon. “We have time to get lunch and still find a good place to watch the parade. Because it’s Easter tomorrow, there are a lot of bunnies.”
“Live bunnies?”
“A few of those, but mostly people in bunny costumes. Dozens of them. Entire families dress up like rabbits. It’s pretty cool.”
“Seriously?”
“How could I make that up?” she asked. “You’re going to see the parade. And there’s the Bonnet Brigade.”
“I don’t think I want to know what that is.”
“Women in bonnets, of course. Some are handmade, a few are bought. They’re all lovely. And huge.”
“These aren’t regular hats?”
“Not exactly. You’ll have to see for yourself.”
“I can’t wait.”
They walked down Katie Lane to Fourth and reached the park. Food vendors were set up along the parade route. They debated the traditional burger or hot dog versus more exotic street food.
“This is what my sister’s been talking about,” Fayrene said as they waited in line for the first elephant ears of the season. “Having a food cart of some kind.”
“She’s a chef, right?”
She nodded. “She found a trailer on eBay and is thinking of putting in a bid. She would have to remodel it pretty quickly to be up and running for the summer.”
“Good for her. You come from a line of strong women.”
“The town inspires us.”
With their parents dying so unexpectedly, there hadn’t been much choice. Either they would get strong and survive or be sucked under by grief.
Ryan handed her an elephant ear. The confection was still warm and covered with powdered sugar. She juggled the paper plate and napkin, then led the way to a bench in the sun. Although it was sunny, the temperatures were still cool in the shade.
“We probably should have started with something more nutritious,” she said before taking a bite.
“So says the Jelly Belly queen.”
She grinned. “I’m not their queen. It’s more about worship.”
He chuckled. “Tell you what. We’ll have salad later.”
“You’re lying. Guys don’t eat salad on purpose.”
“Yeah, but saying it sounds good and, with luck, you’ll forget.”
“So you’re playing me.”
His humor faded. “I’d never do that, Fayrene.”
She wanted to believe him. So far Ryan had shown himself to be one of the good guys, and she didn’t want that to change. He was smart, handsome and single. Why wasn’t he married? Or at least in a committed relationship?
“Did you have a girlfriend back home?” she asked.
He finished chewing and swallowed. “No. I dated in high school but nothing serious. I did have someone in college.”
Fayrene would guess Ryan was only a couple of years older than her, which meant college hadn’t been all that long ago.
“What happened?”
“We were engaged.” He shrugged. “She cheated.”
“I’m sorry,” she said automatically. “How did you find out?”
“I was friends with the guy. One afternoon I went to go see him. It was strange because we didn’t hang out all that often. I just wanted to go to his dorm room. Maybe subconsciously I sensed what was going on. I don’t know. When I walked toward his door, she stepped out. They were kissing, and it was pretty obvious what they’d been doing.”
She winced. “That’s awful.”
“I was heartbroken. She apologized and said it had been a onetime thing, but I didn’t believe her.”
Fayrene touched his arm. “I don’t get it. Why cheat? Why not just break up?”
“That’s what I said. She kept telling me I was the one. But we both knew she was lying. I ended things.”
“Ever tempted to get back together with her?”
“No. I don’t revisit the past. I graduated and moved on. I was recruited to work for a large alternative energy company in Kansas. I was there about three years. But it wasn’t a good fit. I quit and went back home to think about what I wanted. I had a lot of interviews. Now there’s a job waiting for me in Texas when I’m done here.”
Because he was moving, she thought. That was the point of this. Ryan was safe because he wasn’t permanent.
“You move around a lot,” she said. “I haven’t lived out of the state.”
“I think I’m looking for where I want to settle down,” he admitted.
They finished their elephant ears, then went and explored what was new at Morgan’s Books. While the rest of the world had embraced e-readers, in Fool’s Gold, Morgan’s store was going strong.
Fayrene pointed out the display of books by local mystery author Liz Sutton, who was married to their mutual boss, Ethan. With Ryan’s hand still holding hers, they made their way to the parade route.
The sidewalks were crowded with locals and tourists. People were setting up chairs and settling on curbs, waiting for the parade to start.
“The best place is back by the library,” Fayrene told him as they walked back up Fourth. “You can sit on the stairs until it’s time, then stand up and have a great view because of the elevation.”
“Always with the plan.”
She laughed. “My parents used to bring us here when we were kids. It’s kind of a tradition.”
“Are your sisters going to join us?” he asked.
“No. Ana Raquel is in San Francisco, and Dellina is working today.”
They wouldn’t be together long enough for him to meet her sisters, which was kind of too bad. She had a feeling both of them would like him.
He tugged her to a stop. People moved past them as Ryan stared into her eyes.
“Thank you for trusting me with the Hopkins family parade spot,” he said, before lightly kissing her.
She leaned into him as she felt the warmth of his skin against herself. The touch was brief—just enough to get her tingling all over. Then he stepped back and they were walking again.
* * *
AS FAYRENE HAD promised, from the library steps they could see the whole street. There were bunting and flags. Religious symbols comfortably shared space with images of rabbits and eggs. Fool’s Gold welcomed all, Ryan thought, sitting next to her as more people filled in around them.
The scent of barbecue mingled with the sweetness of spring flowers. Everywhere he looked there were families or groups of friends, all anticipating the parade to come.
“Which is first?” he asked. “The rabbits or the hats?”
“The rabbits. There are more kids in that part of the parade, and they don’t wait well.” She turned to him, her hazel eyes bright with amusement. “One year my parents rented bunny costumes for all of us and we were in the parade.”
“I’d love to see the pictures.”
“I could show them to you.”
Her mouth tempted him, but he knew he couldn’t indulge again. Every time he kissed Fayrene, he wanted to take things a little further. This was a family event, he thought with a grin. Having sex on the steps of Fool’s Gold Public Library was out of the question.
“Where does a family of five rent rabbit costumes?” he asked.
“There’s a costume and party store in town. They have a big storage facility filled with rabbit costumes. One year there was a fire in the warehouse, and everyone panicked. For a while we thought the costumes had been ruined. But they were fine. All they needed was a little airing out.”
“I have this vision of the parade route being lined with clothes racks filled with rabbit costumes.”
“It was the parking lot.”
“I’m glad they were saved,” he told her.
He still had her hand in his. He looked down and took in the sensible short nails and the absence of any rings. Fayrene wore earrings most days but didn’t seem to feel the need to jingle and clink when she walked. There were no half-dozen bracelets or necklaces. For work she dressed professionally and for play...
He tried not to picture her heart-shaped butt in the tight jeans she wore today.
“What are you thinking?” she asked.
A question he couldn’t answer, he told himself. Not honestly. “What happens in three or four years?” he asked instead. “When you have your business where you want it and you’re ready to settle down. Are you planning on getting married?”
“I hope to,” she told him. “I want the usual things. A husband, a couple of kids.”
“Interesting, because I have no interest in a husband.”
She laughed and leaned against him. “You know what I mean. I like the idea of being part of a family.”
“Renting rabbit suits for the parade?”
“That would be fun. What about you?”
“The same. Except maybe for the rabbit suits. If I’m not in Fool’s Gold, people will be confused.” He put his arm around her. “My mom bugs me regularly for grandchildren. We have a lot of extended family up where they are. I spent summers with my grandparents pretty much until high school. She’s already talking about when she has grandkids to spoil over the Fourth of July.”
“That’s a lot of pressure.”
“I can handle it. Plus I’m the youngest, so she’s really focusing on my older brothers. Jeff is married, but Neil isn’t and is he going to be in trouble if he hits thirty without a bride.”
He paused and kissed the top of her head. “Does it bother you to hear me talk about this?”
She looked up. “Because of my parents? No. It’s nice. I think I’d like your mom.”
“She’s the one who holds us all together. My dad isn’t much of a talker, so Mom was always the one who checked on us and made sure we were okay.” He smiled as memories vied for his attention.
“When I was fifteen, I borrowed the farm truck and promptly plowed into a tree. My mom was hysterical, alternating between making sure I was going to be okay and trying to come up with ways to punish me. My dad told her he would handle it and led me to the barn.”
Fayrene winced. “Did he hit you?”
“Not him. That would have been too easy. Instead he led me to where all the farm equipment was stored. It was dirty from the last hay harvest that had ended a few days before. He told me I had to clean all of it. By myself. And while I was doing it, there wasn’t to be any music. I was to work in silence and think about what I’d done.”
He remembered that discussion. “At the time I was furious. I thought my dad was being unfair. But by the time I was done, I’d learned my lesson. Both the punishment and the thinking had been good for me. I guess my dad thought so, too, because he came out the last couple of days and helped me.”
She smiled at him. “Okay, I think I’d like your dad, too.”
“He’d like you. He’s always had a thing for blondes. And he is a big believer in schedules and organization.”
She angled toward him so that their knees touched. “Why do you want to be away from them?”
“I don’t. But you can’t do what I do from Colville. I have some ideas for wind turbine design. I want to make them more efficient. I want to experiment with different blades. Small changes can make a big difference. For that I need a company—or at least their money.”
“You’re an artist rather than an entrepreneur,” she said.
“An artist?” While he liked the sound of that, it wasn’t exactly true. “I’m more a geek than an artist.”
Her hazel eyes widened slightly. “I wouldn’t say you’re geeky.”
“Thanks. You’re right about the rest of it. I have no drive to open my own business. I don’t like all the logistics that go with it. The day-to-day details aren’t interesting. I’d rather spend my time with the design work or out in the field doing the testing.”
“Not me,” she told him. “I like all of it. I even like paying my bills. I use a computer program that keeps track of income and expenses. I can compare my monthly billing to my projects and see how much I’m growing. It’s exciting.”