Just One Kiss by Susan Mallery Page B

friends. It was that kind of place where children were safe walking around on their own.
    He scanned the crowd, then spotted Lillie. She was talking to a couple of other girls. She looked up and saw him, then waved enthusiastically. She said something to her friends and hurried over.
    “Hi! You’re here.”
    “I wanted to talk to you about my research.”
    They walked together toward her house.
    “Zack’s been different lately,” Lillie told him. “I knew you’d said something to him.”
    “We had a talk.”
    She gazed up at him expectantly.
    “He’s not stalking you or acting weird,” Justice told her. “He likes you.”
    Two days before Justice had met with Ava, the school counselor, Zack’s parents, the kids’ teacher and Zack himself. What everyone had quickly discovered was that Zack liked Lillie. He wasn’t trying to be stalker-guy. He was a kid with a crush.
    His parents had been understanding and promised to teach him that staring at the object of his affection wasn’t the best way to win her over, and Justice had agreed to share the results of the meeting with Lillie.
    “I don’t understand,” Lillie said. “Why doesn’t he just talk to me?”
    “He likes you.”
    “But he’s a boy. Boys are strange.” She wrinkled her nose. “This isn’t like TV, is it? With kissing?”
    “There’s no kissing.”
    “Good. Mom keeps saying that one day I’ll look at boys different, but I don’t think so.” She looked up at him. “Thanks for helping me. I guess I just need to stay out of his way.”
    “He should be better now. Less intense.”
    “That’s good.” She smiled. “Are you going to send me a bill? I’ve never had a bill before.”
    “No. I did this one because I know your mom.”
    “That’s nice. Thank you.”
    They had reached her house. He paused on the sidewalk.
    Lillie was bright, friendly and sweet. A great kid. The kind of kid who made people who didn’t want children second-guess their plans.
    “I need to get going,” he told her.
    “Okay. Thanks, Justice.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    He walked back the way he’d come. Maybe Ford was right. Maybe Fool’s Gold wasn’t the kind of place either of them should settle. But leaving—he couldn’t. Not yet. The draw was too powerful, his need too extreme. He would have to remember to be careful and make sure he kept those who mattered to him safe.
    * * *
     
    P ATIENCE SAT CROSS -legged on the sofa. She had a pad of paper and a pen. In front of her was a can of diet soda. She was walking that tightrope of needing the caffeine and slipping into jittery madness.
    “The equipment is ordered,” Ava said, holding up a folder. “I have all the receipts here. I’ve created a calendar with delivery dates. The plumber and electrician have to come in first, so we need to know where everything is going.”
    Patience drew in a breath. “Right. So we need to finalize placement. What do you think?”
    “I think you should get another opinion,” her mother told her. “Ask Justice what he thinks. He used to be military. He’s used to slipping in and out of places. He should have a good idea about room flow and what can get in the way.”
    “Oh, I hadn’t thought about that.” Not that she minded a reason to see Justice. “You’re right. He’ll bring a fresh perspective. I’ll call him later and set up a time.”
    “Perfect.” Her mother flipped open her folder. “Between the construction and the equipment, we’ve used up most of our budget.”
    “I know. We knew that was going to happen.”
    Decent, professional equipment didn’t come cheap. Then there were all the supplies that went with opening a coffee place. Cups, mugs, glasses, tables, chairs, napkins, cases, a dishwasher.
    “We have the money to pay for staff,” Patience said, “and our reserve fund. I won’t be taking a salary for at least the first couple of months.”
    “Don’t worry about the bills around here,” her mother told her. “I’ll cover