I couldn’t stop smiling the next day on my way to work. When I was first paired with MagicMama on Book Boyfriends Wanted, a part of me wondered if it was Goldie, but I thought the odds were not in my favor. When she didn’t reply, I forgot about it altogether.
But when she started talking, I knew it was her. And I knew shutting her out after lunch with Dick and Arthur was bad. I had to talk to her and try to explain. I tried to reach out to Arthur, but he ignored me. I had to protect my mom, which meant not having her end up with a guy who was no good for her.
Goldie rushed in just in time for our morning meeting. She was definitely frazzled looking, and as soon as our meeting started, I learned why.
“Our entertainment for the weekend canceled. I got the message last night,” she said.
“Is it real?” Eve asked.
Goldie nodded. “I called them this morning. Their guitar player broke his hand. It’s just bad luck. We need to see if we can find another group to play.”
“Were these guys big headliners?” Theo asked.
“Headliners, yes, but they weren’t big,” I provided. I was the one who found the band and booked them. “They’re out of Boston and set up their own small tour of the northeast. They’re good. Lots of talent. Will they reschedule for later in the summer?”
“They’re not sure how long it’ll be before the guitar player is back at it. Sounds like it wasn’t a bad break, but it might require more extensive healing time than a normal person because of how much he uses his hands.” Goldie looked like she was going to fall apart at any moment.
“We will figure it out,” I assured her. “I’ll make some calls and check with some of the bands and singers we’ve already been in touch with. There were a few that wanted to come but we’d already filled spots. Maybe one of them has an opening this weekend.”
Goldie nodded as I stood, effectively ending the meeting. I filed out ahead of everyone else, my phone already in my hand as I scrolled through numbers to find someone who could fill in at the last minute.
An hour, half a dozen phone calls, and some serious negotiation later, we had the spot filled. The band was from Syracuse and supposed to be off for the weekend after having spent the last month on the road. They’d replied to earlier requests, but by the time they chose a weekend, it was already booked with other events. They were looking forward to the chance to come to MacKellar Cove, even if it was on the heels of one trip and right before a new one.
I took the information about the band, along with the contract they already signed and emailed back to me, and headed to Goldie’s office.
She was on the phone when I stopped in her doorway. She waved me in, so I took a seat across from her desk while she finished her call. After a minute, she hung up and raised her brows at me.
“I got a band,” I said without preamble.
“Oh, thank God. I thought we were going to be in big trouble.”
I shook my head. “All handled. Contract is signed and everything. We’re good.”
“Thank you so much. The mayor already heard about the cancelation and was threatening me. This saves my ass.”
“And what a fine ass it is.”
She breathed a surprised laugh. “You’re too much.”
“Not even close. So, um, about yesterday…”
“Yeah, what were the odds we were matched?”
I was going to tell her about Dick, but if she wanted to talk about us, I could get on board with that. “Well, good, apparently. We do work well together, both at work and not at work.”
“We’ve only been on one date.”
“True, but date two is very, very soon. And I’m hoping I can convince you to agree to date three next week.”
“Waiting until next week? Are you playing it cool?”
I snorted. “Hardly. I just know weekends aren’t really options for anything through the summer. Hedging my bet that you will be willing to go out during the week again instead of rejecting me over the weekend.”
“Smart man.”
“I do know you, Goldie. I know a lot about you.”
“Yes, you do,” she whispered. “Thank you for helping with this today.”
“It’s my job. I hope you know I do my job because I enjoy it, not because you’re my boss.”
“I’ve never wondered about that. I consider myself lucky to have such an amazing team. We all work very well together.”
“And that’s why you don’t want them to know about us?”
She nodded and chewed the inside of her lip. “I am worried about Levine firing me, and I know he’d do it. I don’t think anyone will go to him, but if it’s public knowledge, he’ll find out.”
“I understand.”
“Are you sure? Because yesterday you were angry. I thought we were okay, but after lunch—”
“That had nothing to do with you,” I interrupted her.
“It didn’t?” Her eyes narrowed, and she tilted her head.
“No.”
She was silent for a minute, studying me. “Bad news. You said in our messages last night maybe he got bad news. Did you get bad news?”
I sighed heavily. “Sort of. My mom’s boyfriend asked Arthur and I if we would give him our blessing to ask Mom to marry him.”
Her brows shot up. “Wow. That’s… Dick. And you don’t like him.”
“It’s not that I don’t like him, but he’s just not right for my mom.”
“I’m sorry, Patrick. You told him you couldn’t agree?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t get a chance to say anything. Arthur said yes for both of us, and I didn’t know how to say no. I thought he was on my side. And he’s not answering my texts. I even went to O’Kelley’s last night, but he left work early.”
“He’s avoiding you.”
“Yep. But none of that had anything to do with you. I apologize for making you feel like it was your fault.”
She shook her head, her blonde waves tumbling over her shoulders. “It’s okay. I’m relieved to know. And I’m sorry you’re in such a tight spot.”
“I’ll figure it out.” I stood and closed my tablet. “What time do you want to leave for lunch?”
“Noon?”
“Sounds good.”
She smiled as I turned and walked out of her office. Noon couldn’t come fast enough.
Goldie was beautiful when she laughed. It didn’t happen often at work, but getting her away from the office made her light shine just a little brighter. She was gorgeous.
“I can’t believe you did that,” she said, trying to calm the laughter that still bubbled through her.
“I was not a great kid. My dad and I were close, and when he died, I kind of took advantage of my mom being overworked and exhausted all the time. Skipping school as a fifth grader was the least of her worries. Even though I got caught and blamed the dog we didn’t have.”
“Wait a minute, you didn’t even have a dog? You told the school you were home because your dog was sick and you didn’t even have a dog?”
“I told you I wasn’t a great kid,” I said with a laugh.
Goldie chuckled again. “I’m really happy to hear you’ve changed.”
“Who said I’ve changed?”
“Well, you’ve never called in to work because your nonexistent dog was sick.”
“I have other motivations for going to work these days. School was not nearly as much fun.”
Her cheeks turned red. She ducked her chin.
I grinned and waited for her to look up again. When she did, I said, “My fifth-grade teacher was not nearly as sexy as my boss is.”
Her cheeks darkened. She bit her lip. My cock rose. Damn, this woman. She had no idea the effect she had on me.
“I want to say thank you, but my fifth-grade teacher was this really old lady who hated kids and had been teaching forever and was miserable, so she was a low bar.”
I laughed. “My fifth-grade teacher was cute. She was nice and sweet and very positive.”
“Jeez, I’m feeling a little jealous.”
I scanned her figure and shook my head. “Trust me, you have nothing to be jealous of.”
Her eyes widened at my tone. She sucked in a quick breath. She met my gaze as her lips parted. “You make me feel like I’m half my age and half my size.”
“I wouldn’t want you as much if you were either. You’re exactly who I want to be here with right now.”
Her lips turned up at the edges. “Thank you.”
“I mean that, Goldie. I will keep telling you until you believe me.”
“I’m starting to get it.”
“Good. So, when can we do this again? Preferably at night when I can kiss you senseless and take advantage of you.”
She breathed a laugh and shook her head. “It’s only taking advantage of me if I say no, and so far I haven’t been saying no.”
“Good. Then say yes again and let me take you out next week.”
“Okay.”
“Tuesday and Thursday?”
“Two nights?”
“Yep. If you’re agreeing to go out, I’m taking advantage of it and getting two nights with you.”
“I thought you went to guys’ night on Thursday.”
I reached across the table for her hand and slid my thumb over her wrist. “If you really think I’d rather be with them than you, I have not been clear about my intentions. They’re not at all honorable, but they will be a lot of fun.”
She laughed, her breath hitching when I tightened my grip on her wrist.
“I want to take things slow with you, but I’m not sure I’m strong enough,” I admitted. “I want you so much, Goldie.”
“I don’t want you to go slow.”
“Why don’t you come to my place for dinner on Tuesday?” I asked.
She took a deep breath and nodded. “I’d really like that.”
“Good. Me, too.”
The events planned for June were relatively tame compared to Memorial Day weekend or July and August, but June was still busy. The band made it into town without any issues, and things were moving along well. Since it was a quieter weekend for events, no one was scheduled to work, even though we were all available if necessary.
My mom insisted on attending every single event to support me. When I mentioned I was off for the weekend, she insisted I give her the inside tour of what was going on and refused to listen when I said there wasn’t anything going on that wasn’t public. So, I was spending my Saturday afternoon with Mom, Dick, Arthur, Sharon, and the kids.
I wasn’t complaining, though. The kids ran around and had fun in the park. All three of them wanted their faces painted, then whined when they almost immediately rubbed it off. Sharon rolled her eyes and took them back for touch-ups. With half the other kids in town.
Dick went to get food, leaving Mom, Arthur, and I alone for a few minutes. I still hadn’t spoken to my brother since our lunch, but I obviously couldn’t do that in front of Mom.
“Dick asked me to marry him,” Mom said once the others were gone.
“What did you say?” Arthur asked.
She looked between us. She smiled and looped her arms through each of ours and started walking. “He said he spoke to you boys.”
“He did,” Arthur answered for us. Again.
“And that you said you only want me to be happy.”
“We do, Mom. That’s what matters to us,” Arthur said.
Mom smiled at him. “Thank you, sweetie.” She turned to me. “It’s not like you to not have anything to say.”
I shrugged. “Arthur is saying it all.”
She chuckled softly. “Which means you don’t want to tell me what you think. Because you don’t like Dick.”
I almost laughed out loud at her unintended comment, but I kept it in. “It’s not that I don’t like him, Mom. I just don’t know if he’s right for you.”
She nodded. “I understand that. He’s very different from your father.”
“Yeah. In every way.”
“True. He’s loud, and he inserts himself into things. He doesn’t really know when to stop talking or when to hold his opinions. And he’s always sneaking things to the kids when we tell him not to.”
“See? Exactly.” She got it.
“Life would have been so different if your father hadn’t died. I wish for that all the time, but it’s not reality. He isn’t coming back.”
“I know, Mom,” I said. The pang in my chest still ached when I thought about my dad. I didn’t have a lot of memories of him. More feelings that were tied to memories that had faded over the years. What I knew was he adored my mom, and Arthur and me. He lived for us. And when he died, it nearly destroyed my mom.
“Dick asked me out for a long time before I agreed to date him. He’s the kind of man who wears you down.”
“And you want to be with someone like that? Someone who has to convince you to date him?”
She shrugged. “I wasn’t willing to see who he was. I resisted letting someone into my life.”
“Well, now he’s here to stay.”
“Maybe not. I haven’t given him an answer yet. I wanted to talk to you boys. Find out what you were really thinking.” She tightened her grip on our arms.
“If he makes you happy, that’s what matters, Mom,” Arthur said diplomatically. “We don’t have the right to choose your happiness for you. We’re no longer children. You have your own life.”
She put her head on his shoulder and said, “Thank you, Arthur. That means a lot.”
I felt the pressure of the truth bearing down on me. I could tell her how I felt, or I could bow out and hide behind my brother. If I admitted the truth, Dick would be gone. That was the best thing for everyone.
“I—”
“Hi, everyone,” Goldie said from off to the side of us. “I’m Goldie. I saw the three of you and wanted to say hello.”
As much as I was happy to see her, the timing sucked. Still, I forced myself to smile at her and introduce my mom and brother. “Goldie, this is my mom, Teri, and my brother, Arthur. Have you two met?”
“We haven’t,” Arthur said, releasing Mom to hug Goldie. “I have been wanting to meet you for months. Thank you, again, for passing my resume on to Hudson.”
Goldie laughed. “You’re so welcome. I’m glad it all worked out. Hudson is an amazing person.”
“He is. He’s a great boss. Which I hear you two have in common. My little brother sings your praises constantly.”
My cheeks burned. I forced my face into a sour smile that no one believed.
“Oh, you’re that Goldie,” Mom said. “Patrick is always talking about you. He adores you. Um, working for you.” Mom winced as she looked at me, which fooled absolutely no one.
“Thank you,” Goldie said. “This is my son, Paul.” She grabbed the arm of a tall boy a few feet away.
I never would have guessed he was her son. He had dark hair and dark eyes. Everything about him was different, except his height. But then he smiled, and I saw Goldie in him. “Hi. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, Paul. You’re so tall,” Mom said. “How old are you?”
“Fifteen.” Paul looked more than a little uncomfortable with the questioning. And with being there in general.
“He is horrified to be here with me. Because teenagers aren’t supposed to have parents. They just appeared out of nowhere, without anyone to take care of them for the first decade plus of their lives.” Goldie rolled her eyes at her son.
“Mine were the same way,” Mom said. “It’ll change when they get a little older. Arthur’s still pretty independent, but Patrick’s my mama’s boy.”
“Mom!” I blurted. The last thing I needed was for Goldie to think I wasn’t my own man.
“Oh,” Mom gasped, as if remembering who she was speaking to. “I just meant he’s no longer worried about me being around. He won’t pretend not to know me these days.”
“Who’s this pretty young thing?” Dick said, walking up from behind us and shouting loud enough to turn half the heads in the park.
“I’m Goldie. And this is my son, Paul. Patrick works for me at the tourism department.” Goldie smiled and waited for Dick to introduce himself.
Dick went all in and wrapped Goldie in a hug. “Well, damn, it’s good to finally meet you.” He stepped back, the drinks he’d brought over still in his hands. “I hope I didn’t get anything on your clothes. I was just so excited. Patrick talks about you all the time.”
Arthur snickered. Mom stepped forward and pulled Dick away from Goldie. Goldie shot me a look, and I nodded, confirming that was exactly who she thought it was.
“Patrick is a wonderful man,” Goldie said.
“He is,” Sharon said, joining our little group with her hands full of children. “I’m Sharon. Arthur’s wife.”
Arthur reached for Katie, the two-year-old, and she went willingly to him.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Goldie, and this is Paul.” Goldie grinned at my nephews, neither of whom were paying her any attention. Henry went straight to Dick, and Nicholas, the four-year-old, hung on Sharon’s leg.
“You’re Goldie? Patrick’s Goldie?” Sharon asked, her grin wide and bright. Until she realized what she said. “I mean—”
“Patrick’s Goldie? What does that mean, Mom?” Paul asked.
“Patrick and I work together, so they know my name from that. It’s all she means, honey.” Goldie smiled at her son, ignoring us for a minute.
Paul shrugged. “Okay. Weird, but okay. Can I go find Sam now?”
“Yes, go find Sam. Text me if you guys go anywhere other than the park.”
“Okay. Bye.” Paul disappeared into the crowd, barely waving before he left.
“Teenagers,” Goldie said with her flaming cheeks.
“It’s just how they are,” Mom said. “Why don’t you wander with us? Patrick was going to give us the behind-the-scenes tour for today.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head when Goldie gave me a questioning look.
“I’m sure that’ll be wonderful, but I’m actually meeting up with a friend. Her daughter is my son’s girlfriend, so we’re going to pretend we’re not spying on them together.”
Mom laughed. “Good plan.”
“You got yourself a smart one, Patrick. I like her,” Dick shouted.
I nodded and flashed Goldie a look of apology. She smiled back.
“Well, it was nice meeting all of you. I’m sure I’ll see you around. Enjoy your behind-the-scenes tour.”
I widened my eyes at her, but she just grinned and winked at me before following Paul into the crowd and disappearing.
“I can see why you’re in love with her,” Mom said. “She’s very nice.”
“Nice to look at, too,” Dick added.
I rolled my eyes. Kill me now. I agreed with Dick.