A Fool's Gold Wedding - Susan Mallery Page 0,20

told him. Which translated to she wanted it to be love. One without the other seemed stupid and wasteful. “Not marriage, but in an important relationship.”

He looked at her for a long time before nodding. “I understand.”

“I hope so.” Many guys didn’t. They thought she was playing a game or was too weird. A few had been fine with her limitation and had been happy to explore other options. There was a lot of fun to be had that wasn’t going all the way.

He kissed her again. “So no hotel room.” A statement, not a question.

“Not tonight.”

He touched her face, then ran his thumb across her bottom lip. “Good for you. I’m glad you think you’re worth waiting for.”

He got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side and helped her out. When they were standing on the sidewalk, he pulled her close and kissed her again. The wanting flared to life, leaving her weak at the knees.

“I’ll see you tomorrow after my meeting with Simon,” he promised as they walked to her front door. “I believe the votives will be ready for their second coat.”

“You’re getting into the craft thing, aren’t you?”

He flashed her a grin. “I have to continue to earn my reputation with my hands.”

CHAPTER SIX

JOAQUIN HAD A restless night. His time with Abby had left him uncomfortably aroused, but more disturbing to his sleep had been her confession.

A virgin. She was twenty-two—not ancient, but still surprising. Knowing her the little that he did, her decision made sense. She was secure, happy and had a solid sense of herself. She wanted more than just a night with someone. He respected that and found her even more appealing because of it. He was a little surprised to find himself fighting a primal urge to claim what no man had and keep her for his own.

What did that even mean? That he wanted to marry her? He barely knew her. He liked her—how could he not—but marriage?

Fortunately the morning brought with it a different kind of distraction. He was meeting with Simon at eleven and he wanted to spend the time between now and then brushing up on Simon’s work history and the fellowship opportunity.

He arrived at Simon’s office right on time and was shown in to him immediately.

“Joaquin.” Simon rose and shook hands. “We enjoyed dinner last night.”

“As did I. Thank you for the invitation.”

They sat across from each other, the large desk between them. Joaquin found himself not sure what to say. Normally in a social setting, he was uncomfortable, but this was different. He had to figure out a way to bring up the program. Maybe he should have brought Abby along with him. She made things go more easily.

Simon leaned back in his chair. “Before you arrived, Abby came to see me. She wanted advice on how to deal with you.”

“I don’t understand.”

Simon smiled wryly. “I think she assumed because we were both surgeons, I would have some insight. She’s a very sweet young woman. She babysits for us, and our kids love her. She’s part of our family.”

Joaquin sensed there was a message in the words but he had no idea what it was.

“I did a little research,” Simon said unexpectedly. “I thought it was surprising that a man with your talents would take off three weeks to come to a place like Fool’s Gold. Abby thinks it’s because of your brother’s wedding, but I wasn’t so sure. You could have flown in the day before, attended the wedding and then gone home.”

He pulled a folder out of a drawer. “You applied for the fellowship.”

Joaquin sensed the conversation had taken a dangerous turn but he wasn’t sure why that might be true. He’d wanted to better himself—get more training. Why was that bad? Still, he decided to be cautious.

“Yes, I did.”

“You were turned down.”

“Yes.”

Simon flipped open the folder. “You have excellent qualifications but the director of the program thought you lacked heart. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To convince me you should have been accepted? Abby and the wedding were...what? A means to an end? A lucky break?”

“The convergence of events seemed to favor making a personal connection,” he said carefully. “I did want to attend my brother’s wedding.”

“And Abby?”

Joaquin stiffened. “She has nothing to do with this. I didn’t know about Abby until I met her. I’d heard of her, but I had no idea I’d be spending time with her.” He stared at Simon. “Abby is separate from

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