A Fool's Gold Wedding - Susan Mallery Page 0,10
mom has a separate office off the garage. It meant we could invite friends over and make as much noise as we wanted, but she was always close.”
Joaquin looked at her, then at the house. “Sounds idyllic.”
“It was just a regular kind of childhood.” Something he hadn’t had, she reminded herself. “Do you ever wish you’d been different than you are, which I guess means being ordinary?”
“Not often, but I wonder what it would have been like to not be so unusual. Only I wouldn’t give up what I do.”
“I think if you have to be born different, being smart isn’t so bad.”
“I agree.”
They walked into the house. Abby tried to see it as Joaquin would, but everything was too familiar. She knew what it felt like to sit on the sofa and where they put the big Christmas tree every year.
He looked around, glancing up at the high ceilings and peering at the huge dining room.
“It’s nice.”
“Thanks. The rec room is back here. That’s where all the craft magic happens.”
She led the way to the kitchen where she planned on grabbing drinks and snacks. Her mom was there, making tea.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Abby.” Liz smiled warmly. Her gaze moved to Joaquin. “Ah, the mysterious Dr. Kincaid, I presume. We have you in our clutches at last.”
Joaquin moved toward her, his hand outstretched. “Nice to meet you.”
“You, too. Welcome to Fool’s Gold. How are you liking our little town?”
“It’s very appealing.”
“We like it.” Liz checked the teapot on the counter, then replaced the lid. “The words are not flowing well today and I’ve run out of excuses to avoid my office. Unless you need my help with something?”
Abby ignored her hopeful tone. “Mom, go. You know you’ll feel better once you start writing. Joaquin and I are going to finish the place cards and start on the birdseed holders.”
“You have all the fun. I have to figure out why my serial killer wants to do in a perfectly nice botanist.” She gave Abby a brief hug, then picked up her tea. “Good to meet you, Joaquin. Let me know if you need anything.”
He nodded.
Liz walked out of the kitchen. Joaquin turned to Abby.
“That was about the writing, right?”
Abby laughed. “Yes. I promise you my mother isn’t going to kill anyone in real life. She’s very sweet. So I was thinking iced tea and cookies to keep up our energy. Or do you only eat vegan?”
“No vegan,” he said with a smile.
She did her best to ignore the faint fluttering sensation in her belly. What was it about that man? she wondered. Her reaction was so confusing.
They went downstairs to what had been the playroom and was now kind of a catch-all craft-storage-junk space. There were a couple of long tables and folding chairs and a storage unit full of craft supplies.
Abby set out their snacks on one table and directed Joaquin to the other.
“There are two main projects,” she told him. “The place cards. I was hoping to finish them a couple of days ago, but got distracted.” By the thought of him blowing into her world, she reminded herself. If only she’d known it wasn’t going to be difficult duty at all.
She showed him the stack of finished cards. “It’s pretty simple, if a little tedious. Just glue on the bead flowers. You can see the design on the completed cards. You’ll need tweezers. Just put a little glue on a paper plate and use a toothpick to cover the back of the beads.” She hesitated. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
They were standing unexpectedly close, she thought as she stared into his dark blue eyes. She wasn’t sure when that had happened, not that she was complaining. Joaquin was nice to look at and he was much less crabby and annoying than she’d first thought. In fact, he was fun to be around.
He gave her a slow smile. “I’m sure. I showed up with little warning, disrupting your schedule. The least I can do is earn my keep.”
“You are nothing like I thought,” she said without thinking, then groaned. “What I mean is I thought you’d be more, ah, formal.”
“I can be. I usually am.” He frowned. “For some reason, I’m more comfortable around you.”
“You are?”
“Yes. You’re easy to talk to.” He gave her a sheepish smile. “I like that I can make you laugh.”
“Oh.” Her heart gave a little hop. “I like that, too.”
They stared at each other for a couple of heartbeats, then Abby told herself