A Fool's Gold Wedding - Susan Mallery Page 0,9
at her.
“Abby!”
And there it was. A quick kick in the gut that told her he was just as wow as she remembered.
“Hi. So I have some craft projects I really need to get done in the next couple of days. You’re welcome to join me, but if the thought of that makes you want to run screaming into the night, I’ll totally understand.”
He stepped out into the hallway and closed the bedroom door. “I’ve never done crafts. I’m looking forward to learning about the process.”
She felt her mouth drop open. “What? Everyone’s done crafts. You had to, in school or something.”
“Not me. I didn’t go to that kind of school.”
“What kind did you go to?”
“I was tutored from the time I was about three, then I went to a private school with an accelerated program. I was in college by the time I was ten.” One shoulder rose and lowered. “No crafts there. I’ve seen people do them in hospital waiting rooms.”
Sadness gave her a little bump in the heart. While she appreciated that he was brilliant and all, what kind of life had he been living? Had there been any time for fun or friends or just being a kid? Only asking those questions seemed judgy and a little rude, so she just nodded.
“Makes sense. I promise, in the next couple of weeks, we will get you proficient in the world of crafts.”
“Thank you.”
They headed out of the hotel and started toward her old neighborhood.
“Did you grow up here?” he asked.
“Uh-huh. Born and raised. Right now I’m staying with my folks. I move into my own apartment on September first. It’s going to be fun, but strange, you know? I’ve always lived at home or in a dorm or with friends. But it will just be me.”
“Worried about being lonely?”
“Not really. I have a lot of friends and my parents will be three miles away.” She looked at him. “You’ve been on your own since you were a kid.”
“It was easier for everyone.”
“Were you ever lonely?”
Something flashed in his eyes and he turned away. “Occasionally. I was always younger than the other students, and something of a freak, as you can imagine.”
She wanted to tell him he was wrong, only she suspected he had a very clear view of his past.
“It must be better now that you’re older,” she said.
“It helps.” He flashed her a smile. “At least the white coat fits.”
Yes and she would guess it looked pretty darned good on him.
“Where did you go to college?” she asked.
“Stanford for undergrad. I did some advanced studies in Oxford before attending Johns Hopkins Medical School. What about you?”
“I, ah, went to UCLA, then did my student teaching in the San Fernando Valley. Not, you know, impressive by comparison.”
He stopped and smiled at her. “Abby, you are incredibly impressive just as you are.”
Really? Really? She smiled. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Tell me about your parents.”
An easy topic, she thought happily. “They’re great. Ethan, my dad, is the oldest of six kids. He runs a wind turbine company outside of town. My mom is Liz Sutton.” She paused.
Joaquin looked at her blankly. “Should I know the name?”
“I wondered if you would recognize it. She’s a famous mystery writer. She’s supersuccessful and you can’t ever mess with her because she so knows how to hide a body.”
He chuckled. “I’ll remember that.”
“You should.”
They turned into the quiet neighborhood where she and her folks had lived for the past decade.
“They’re really good people. My biological mom died when I was little and my dad passed away a few years ago.” He’d died of cancer, in prison. Something Abby didn’t feel any need to go into. “Liz and Ethan adopted me and Melissa when I was eleven and she was fourteen. They have a son together—Tyler. He’s my age. He’s in Europe right now, with his friends. He’ll be back for the wedding, then he’s going to Washington, DC, where he’ll be an intern with the senior senator from California. Now that I think about it, I’m the only one of my siblings to stay in Fool’s Gold. I’m just that kind of girl.”
“You went to UCLA. That’s not close.”
She smiled. “I went because they made me leave. Otherwise, I would have gone to college right here.”
She paused in front of the familiar big house. It looked like a happy place, she thought, with well-kept gardens and lots of windows. There were plenty of bedrooms and a huge dining room for family gatherings.
“This is it. My