Best of My Love (Fool's Gold)

by Susan Mallery

  Destiny’s voice cracked. “N-no. It’s a mess. I’m a mess. I really need your help.”

  * * *

  “YOU SURE YOU know what you’re doing?” Destiny asked, her voice doubtful.

  “He’s fine,” Shelby assured her, before Aidan could admit that he was clueless.

  He still wasn’t sure how everything had changed so quickly. One minute he’d been trying to convince Shelby they couldn’t be lovers—what kind of twisted world had it become that he was saying that to a beautiful woman he desperately wanted?—the next they were driving to Destiny’s house.

  The new mother looked exhausted. She was pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. Shelby had taken the baby from her and handed it over to him, then had started making tea.

  Aidan held the six-week-old in his arms, careful not to wake her. He had to admit, she was a beautiful little thing, with a tiny nose and a sweet mouth. As long as she stayed asleep, he could handle this.

  Destiny sat at the kitchen table. “Kipling’s been gone for two days. He offered to cancel his trip, but he’d been looking forward to the conference. I said everything would be okay. And Starr’s busy with her life, so it’s just been me and Tonya. She’s a really good baby, but half the time I don’t know what I’m doing. What if I break her?”

  Shelby spooned tea leaves into the mesh basket, then set it inside the pot. The kettle on the stove was already starting to make a low whistling sound. She turned off the heat and poured the water into the teapot.

  “You’re not going to break her,” Shelby said. “Destiny, you’re one of the most organized people I know, but you need to learn to ask for help. You’ve just had a baby. Everything is new and scary and you don’t have to do this alone.”

  “I know.” Destiny wiped away tears. “It’s just I feel like such a failure. I’m tired all the time.”

  “Do you get any sleep?” Aidan asked.

  “A couple hours every now and then.”

  “Not nearly enough.”

  Destiny sniffed. “Starr’s a teenager. I don’t want to ask her for too much. She needs to be having fun with her friends. But her birthday’s coming up and I can’t find the time to plan it like I should and I’m trying to write a couple of songs and there’s all kinds of prepublicity for the tour and I’m fat!”

  She started crying again, this time covering her face with her hands. Shelby pulled up a chair next to her. After wrapping her arms around her, she drew in a breath.

  “Let me see if I understand the situation. You’re dealing with a baby. You’re breastfeeding, so you have to get up every couple of hours to do that. You’re cooking for your husband and your sister, taking care of Tonya, taking care of the house, all the while you’re trying to write new music, planning a national tour, doing publicity for the tour and maybe rehearsing the songs with Starr? There’s also her birthday and you’re trying to get back into shape after, hey, giving birth.”

  “Uh-huh. Oh, and they sent over DVDs with the choreography on it. I have to learn that.”

  Aidan felt exhausted just hearing the list. “Get a housekeeper,” he said. “And a part-time nanny. You’re going to need one for the tour, so find one now so you’re comfortable leaving the baby with while you’re performing. Tell Kipling to get his ass back here. He’s the dad. He needs to take a little more responsibility. You’re right about Starr. She’s a teenager. Let her live her life. Shelby and I can handle the birthday party.”

  Both women stared at him. Destiny’s mouth dropped open.

  “What?” he asked defensively. “Was I supposed to be just listening?”

  Shelby smiled. “No. You were supposed to be fixing and you did a very good job.”

  * * *

  SHELBY SKIMMED THE Pinterest board. People were so creative, she thought happily, making notes as she studied different music-themed cupcakes. The crisis with Destiny had been managed, and one of the results was that she and Aidan were planning Starr’s sixteenth birthday party.

  Aidan had suggested a music-themed party and Shelby agreed. They were going to have a lot of fun with that. They’d decided on the 1950s as their musical era, which opened up so many possibilities.

  Amber walked into her office and took a seat. Her business partner wore a loose yellow shirt over jeans. Her hair was pulled back, her makeup light. She was barely showing, but she radiated a contentment Shelby hadn’t seen before.

  “You’re glowing.”

  Amber laughed. “Thank you. I feel good. Healthy. The morning sickness is gone, thank goodness. That was awful. How are you doing?”

  “I’m great. Business is fantastic, as you know. My teens are doing wonderful work with the cookies. I want to start putting a schedule together for the summer tourist season. We have the food cart for the festivals and some of the other projects we’ve been talking about.” She held up her hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it all.”

  She expected her business partner to tease her about her plans, but instead she seemed to crumple a little.

  “I’ve made a decision,” Amber said as she squared her shoulders. “I know it’s the right thing to do, but it’s going to mean a lot of changes.”

  Shelby didn’t like the sound of that. “What kind of changes?”

  “This pregnancy is so unexpected. So life-altering. I want to experience it fully. I want to be there for my baby.” Amber drew in a breath. “Shelby, I’m going to sell the bakery and I’d like you to consider buying it from me.”

  * * *

  AIDAN HAD PROMISED that riding a BMX bike up the side of a mountain would clear her head. Shelby was less sure. Mostly because she wasn’t able to think at all. Or breathe. But maybe that was the point. Maybe all the panting and gasping and dealing with the shooting pains in her leg were meant to distract her from the indecision she’d been wrestling with for the past couple of days. And if they were, they were working.

  It was a beautiful day. Sunny and cool. Signs of spring were everywhere. Buds and new leaves covered the trees. Wildflowers carpeted the ground. She could hear birds calling to each other, and a light breeze whispered through the branches.

  All of which would have been much easier to observe if she weren’t so worried about falling off her bike.

  “Stay in the middle of the trail,” Aidan called from behind her.

  She didn’t know which was more annoying—the instruction or the way he was barely breathing hard.

  She was in shape, she told herself. She worked out. Although apparently not enough, she thought as she bounced over a rut in the path. She rounded a corner, then came to a stop when she saw the trail went up the mountain. Pretty much in a straight, vertical line.

  Aidan pulled up next to her. “I promise, the view is worth it.”

  “Couldn’t we just buy a postcard?”

  He laughed.

  The sound made her smile. Being here like this, even on a bike, was good.

  “My butt’s going to hurt later, isn’t it?” she asked.

  “No pain, no gain.”

  “That’s total crap, invented by a masochist. You can’t convince me otherwise.”

  He pointed to the top of the trail. “Can you make it?”

  “Let’s find out.”

  She began to peddle. Her thighs screamed in protest and her lungs soon followed. She kept her head down, focusing only on the next couple of feet. Up and up. Eventually she would get there.

  “Come on, Shelby,” Aidan called. “Just a few more feet.”

  She made it over the crest of the trail and found herself staring down at the town in the valley below. A view that would be a lot prettier if she stayed conscious.

  She lowered the bike to the ground, then pulled off her helmet and braced her hands on her trembling thighs as she gulped in air.

 
; Aidan passed her a bottle of water. “Drink slow. A sip only.”

  A sip? Her throat was dry, her body hot and her heart racing. None of it in a good way. She took the bottle and straightened, then parted her lips and let mouthfuls of the cold water pour down her throat.

  “Shelby, stop—”

  That was all he got to say before she felt the first spasm. She dropped the bottle and clutched her stomach. Seconds later, all the water came up as she vomited.

  The retching continued for several minutes. When she was done, she collapsed to her knees and braced herself with her hands on the dirt.

  “I hate biking,” she managed between gagging and coughing.

  “It doesn’t seem to be your sport,” he agreed. “Can you sit?”

  She rolled onto her butt and rested her head on her knees. She was hot and sweaty and humiliated. What was she supposed to say after something like that?

  He kneeled next to her and used a damp cloth to wipe her face, then handed her the bottle of water.

  “Sip,” he said firmly. “Wait twenty seconds, then sip again.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  His mouth turned up. “Don’t be. It happens a lot. Nobody listens and then they pay the price.”

  “I’ll never doubt you again.”

  He laughed. “If only that were true.”

  She got down a few sips and began to feel better. The mountain air cooled her and her heart rate returned to normal. Even the view was more appealing than it had been.

  And while she would love to sit and admire it, there were decisions to be made and things to talk about.

  “Thanks for offering to help with Starr’s party.”

  “Are you kidding? It’s going to be the best. I’ve gone online and looked around. There are a lot of great things we can do.”

  “I never thought you’d enjoy planning a party for a sixteen-year-old girl.”

  He touched his chest. “You wound me. Why wouldn’t I? I like Starr and turning sixteen is a big deal. I wonder if Kipling’s teaching her to drive.”

  Shelby started to take a drink of her water. She put down the bottle and stared at him. “No! We are not having that conversation. Don’t you think there’s enough going on without us dealing with whether or not Starr learns to drive?”

  “She has to learn. I just worry that Kipling doesn’t have time. Not with Destiny and the new baby. Starr shouldn’t get lost in all of this.”

  “Now I feel guilty,” she admitted. “You’re being more sensitive than me.”

  “I’m a very sensitive man.”

  “Apparently.”

  All humor aside, he had a point. Starr needed to learn to drive. It was a rite of passage for every kid in America, plus it would be a big help at home. Destiny was already overwhelmed. Shelby could understand that. Hearing her to-do list had been shocking. Wasn’t it enough to have a new baby, a new husband and a half sister in the house? But there was everything else.

  “It’s really hard when you’re a better person than me,” she grumbled. “Fine. We’ll talk to Kipling about the whole driving thing.”

  “I am pretty amazing,” Aidan said with a grin. “You’re very lucky to have me.”

  “All I hear is buzzing,” she told him.

  He laughed.

  The happy sound drifted across the mountains. She sipped her water and let herself enjoy the moment. A couple of problems solved, and a few more waiting in the wings. Wasn’t that always the way?

  “Ready to talk about it?” he asked quietly.

  She knew what he meant. The “it” in question was Amber and the bakery. “Sure.” Not that she knew what to say.

  “You kind of have to go first,” he told her. “I can guess, but I’ll probably get it wrong.”

  She looked at him and smiled. “You’re saying the W word. Won’t you be drummed out of your gender?”

  “Not if you don’t tell on me.” He touched her face, then lowered his hand to the ground. “What are you thinking?”

  She was thinking that it felt nice to be with him. That she’d puked up her guts and he was still right there. She was thinking he was a great guy and she’d done well when she’d chosen him. She was thinking she didn’t want the friendship to be over in six months. Oh, sure, they’d still be friendly, but it would be different. He would be dating and she knew that would change everything. They wouldn’t have organized time together, like now, and she would miss him.

  There were other thoughts, too. Swirling images of their kiss and how that kiss had made her feel. She’d known he was right to pull away. That getting involved on a physical level would change everything. But... How was she supposed to forget? How was she supposed to let it go? It wasn’t the wanting that haunted her, it was the rightness of it all.

  Which was nothing but a distraction. A handsome distraction, but a distraction all the same.

  “I don’t know what to do about the bakery,” she admitted. “I know what I want. But is that what makes sense? I’m still in shock, of course. I didn’t see this coming. I knew Amber was pregnant, but it never occurred to me she would walk away from her business.”

  “You want to buy her out.”

  Not a question, she thought. A statement. But then, guessing that was hardly a challenge. Aidan knew her.

  “There’s so much that could be done there. Ways to expand the business. But Amber’s the one with all the experience. Maybe there’s a really good reason she didn’t do all this before. Maybe my ideas are stupid and if I implement them, the business will completely fail.”

  His dark eyes were gentle. “Do you really believe that?”

  “Sometimes. I don’t know what to think. I don’t know what to do. I’m excited and scared and confused, all at the same time.”

  “Let’s look at this another way,” he said. “What don’t you want?”

  Talk about the right question at the right time. She drew in a breath. “I don’t want to be stuck.” She smiled at him. “Which I believe I get from you. I don’t want to be stuck somewhere that makes me unhappy. I’m not saying I don’t want to work for someone else. That might be okay, depending on who it was. I don’t know. I love my job, but sometimes I feel too contained. I have all these ideas and maybe some of them are crazy, but some of them are really good. I want the chance to experiment, to try new things. I want a fleet of food carts at every festival and my cookies shipped across the country. I want to be synonymous with happy good times. Okay, not me. The business.”

  “Breathe,” he told her. “You can’t make any of it happen if you don’t breathe.”

  She did as he suggested, then took another sip of water. “What are you thinking?”

  She had to ask, because she couldn’t tell just by looking at him. But she knew whatever he was thinking, it was kind and supportive. She wasn’t afraid of what he would say. Even if he told her he thought buying the business was a mistake, she would know he meant well. That he only wanted the best for her.

  She would have to remember this feeling. When their six months were over and she went looking for a man to fall in love with, she wanted to feel just like this when she was with him. Safe and cared for. And she wanted to make him feel the same way.

  “I think you should buy the business.”

  That was a lot more blunt than she’d been expecting. “How can you say that? What do I know about running a business? What if I do everything wrong? What if everyone quits and no one ever buys another cookie from me again? I’ll die broke and alone and humiliated.”

  “That’s the positive spirit we all admire.”

  She glared at him. “Is this you being funny? This isn’t funny. This is very serious.”

  Aidan didn’t look the least bit impressed by her outburst. He stretched out his legs in front of him and
smiled. “Did I mention breathing? That’s rule number one. After that, everything else is easy.”

  “What do you know about breathing? You have a successful business. It’s easy for you to say what I should and shouldn’t do. You’re not the one who’s going to fail.”

  “Neither are you. You want this, Shelby. You’ve wanted it for a long time. You talk about being stuck. Well, you were stuck with Amber. You wanted to fly and she never wanted to get off the ground. I’m not saying you were right and she was wrong. We won’t know that for a while. But this is your chance. Run with that. Not that many people get the opportunity to go for their dream. This is your moment. Grab it with both hands.”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it. What was she supposed to say to that? If this was her dream, then she was a fool to let the chance get away from her.

  “I’m scared,” she admitted. “Really scared.”

  “All the more reason to go for it.”

  Was he right? Or maybe that wasn’t the correct question. Maybe the real question was, how would she feel if she never even tried?

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  SHELBY HAD NEVER considered herself an overly emotional person. She’d been through a lot in her life and she’d had to deal with some horrible situations. Because of that, she’d spent time in therapy. She was pretty confident that she understood how her psyche worked. She watched people, tried to understand them and respond appropriately. She almost never sat in a business meeting fighting the urge to cry.

  Yet here she was blinking rapidly, hoping she didn’t look as upset as she felt. No, not upset. Touched. Grateful. She’d come to Fool’s Gold with nothing. She’d been accepted, taken in and welcomed in every way possible. Even if she tried to forget, she was reminded over and over again.

  “Business valuation is both simple and complicated,” Sam Ridge was saying. “There are the tangibles. The value of the equipment, the value of the inventory. As this is the bakery, I’m assuming most of your inventory is disposable.” The former NFL Super Bowl–winning kicker smiled. “I’m thinking brownies rather than cars.”