A Fool's Gold Wedding - Susan Mallery Page 0,24

in the park, there was an elephant.

“That’s not possible,” he said, staring at the massive creature and the small pony next to it.

“Her name is Priscilla and that’s her pony, Reno. They’re a thing. She lives out on the Castle Ranch with the goats and horses. It’s nice. At the holidays she takes part in the Christmas parade. She even has a costume.”

He looked at Abby. “How do you get a costume on an elephant?”

“With a ladder and lots of hook and loop closures. The women in town made it for her. She’s also in the live nativity, which is so great.” Abby grinned. “One year they used a toy poodle to represent the Baby Jesus. I thought it was charming, but some people were offended so that didn’t happen again.”

They explored the booths selling everything from lavender soap to jewelry to local honey.

“Tell me about your weekend,” Abby said as they waited in line to get lemonade.

“It was good. We went to a Giants game and they won. We walked around down by the wharf.”

“So you had a good time?”

“We did.” He glanced at her. “I can’t remember the last time Davis and I did anything together. Even when we were kids. We weren’t into the same things and I was gone a lot. I never knew what to say to him.”

“You were lonely.”

“Some.”

“It’s easy to forget how to be friends with the people you care about,” she told him. “Now that you’ve remembered, you can stay in touch more. Melissa’s not just my sister, she’s my best friend, and I wouldn’t—”

Without warning, she dropped his hand and took off at a run. She launched herself at a tall, dark-haired guy and laughed as he swung her around. Joaquin felt a strong kick in the gut and had no idea what to do. Beating up the other guy seemed inappropriate—nor was he sure he had the skill set. But the need was still damned powerful.

Abby pulled the man toward him, dancing and smiling the whole way. “Joaquin, you’ll never guess. This is Percy and his girlfriend, GraceAnn. This is Joaquin. He’s Davis’s brother and the best man.”

She dropped Percy’s hand and returned to Joaquin’s side. “Percy was Melissa’s first boyfriend. They were very cute together but sadly not as cute as Percy and GraceAnn.”

GraceAnn, a beautiful young woman with dark hair and skin, shook her head. “I think Melissa’s cuter than me.”

“She’s not,” Percy and Abby said together, then laughed.

“Percy has family in the area,” Abby said. “It’s complicated, as many relationships are. So he’s home visiting but also for the wedding.” She hugged GraceAnn. “Wait until you see the bridesmaid dresses.”

GraceAnn leaned against Percy. “Did you talk her into pink?”

“You know I did.”

The women laughed.

The four of them talked for a few more minutes, then Percy and GraceAnn excused themselves. Joaquin watched them go, still dealing with what could only be described as jealousy. He’d never felt that before, so wasn’t sure, but it was the word that came to mind.

“What?” Abby asked as he handed her a lemonade. “Are you all right?”

“Yes. No.” He drew her away from the crowd to a quiet area by the park. “It was hard to watch you throw yourself at another guy.”

“Throw myself.” Her eyes brightened with humor. “Were you jealous?”

“Yes.”

“Really?” She smiled up at him. “That makes me happy.” She set her lemonade on the ground and pressed her hands against his chest. “There’s no one else, Joaquin. There hasn’t been for a while. I don’t know what exactly is happening here, but I like being with you.”

He put his drink next to hers, then wrapped his arms around her. “I like you, as well. Very much.”

She stared into his eyes. “Good to know.”

There was more he wanted to say—more he should say—but instead of speaking he kissed her. She melted into his embrace and parted her lips. He swept his tongue inside, already anticipating how good kissing her would feel. There was something about touching her, being touched by her, that was better than being with anyone else. A combination of who she was and how comfortable he was around her, he supposed.

The kiss went on longer than it should have, given that they were out in public. Reluctantly, he drew back.

She was flushed and her gaze was unfocused.

“You’re a really good kisser,” she said, leaning her head against his shoulder. “It’s the doctor thing, right? You’re probably so sexy in your white coat that you’ve dated a zillion