Gideon Senior looked at her for a moment and then a slow smile eased across his face. “Yes, m’dear, I believe you’re right. Let’s pack up your stuff. I’ll—er—drive you home.”
As they strolled to the door, followed by Fiona and Gideon, Iva turned to speak to her. “Would you like to have lunch sometime soon? I’d love to talk with you about your palmistry—maybe learn a little bit from you. Salton did some palm-reading tonight, and it was just as fascinating as the ones you did. And I’d like to show you these runes I picked up as well.”
“I’d love to have lunch,” Fiona said, meaning it. “How about on Monday? I don’t open until three on Mondays.”
The two Gideons exchanged glances as though they weren’t sure whether to approve or disapprove of this alliance—but, Fiona noticed with a private snicker, neither of them had the nerve to say anything.
She hugged Iva goodnight, and pressed a kiss to the smooth cheek of Gideon’s grandfather—a little sorry to see them go, but very glad to have their grandson to herself.
The last thing she heard before the door closed was Gideon Senior’s demand, “What the hell is a rune, anyway?”
Sixteen
Later that night,much later, Fiona smoothed a thick lock of hair off Gideon’s forehead, looked deeply into his eyes, and said, “I acted like a fool earlier today.”
She faced him, lying on her side, propped up on one elbow.
He kissed her mouth, swollen and pink from passion, and replied, “I wouldn’t sayfool…but whatever you want to call it, I confess I expected the utopia to take a turn for the worse. But I didn’t expect you to come back so soon.” He sighed, pulling back slightly, running his hand down her arm. “I thought I’d be waiting a week or two…and the thought was unbearable.”
She smiled at him, but there was more than a hint of shame around the corners of her mouth. “I was afraid. I still am, I suppose…but I couldn’t stay away—and I realized I was just playing a game with you. I don’t want to play games with you, Gideon. I can’t promise you I won’t be afraid again—because I probably will, regardless of where this goes—but I can promise you that I won’t play games like that ever again.” Her voice was low, rumbling, husky, and heavy with emotion.
He looked away for a moment, gathering his thoughts, curling his fingers around her long, slim hand. “Tonight made me realize how much I care about you…and how much a part of my life you’ve become.” It was probably more than that, but Gideon wasn’t ready to verbalize it just yet. Not to her, and not to himself.
Her eyes flickered down, then back up to look at him, and the intensity in them was gone, replaced by laughter and perhaps, in the deepest part of them, a bit of fear. “Your grandfather is such a dear. And Iva issolovely. She is the neatest lady—I’m so glad to know her, too. They are ridiculously cute together.”
Taking his cue from her—the subject was over for now—Gideon smiled and yanked lightly on a long copper coil, then rolled onto his back. “You and she are two peas in a pod with all your new-age stuff, and that scares the hell out of me and my grandfather. I’m not sure Wicks Hollow will survive you two reading runes and picking out Tarot cards.”
It occurred to him at that moment—surprising that it never had before—how alike Fiona and Ivawere…and how alike he and his grandfather were. Was there a parallel here?
A shiver sneaked up his spine and he shoved that thought away. He was feeling amazing things about Fiona, but he certainly wasn’t ready to admit she was the love of his life.
Not quite.
“It’spickingrunes andreadingTarot cards,” Fiona corrected him with a giggle. She rolled backward, threw her arms enthusiastically wide and looked up at the ceiling with a joyous smile. “I think we’ll have a lot of fun terrorizing you two Naths, mark my words.”
“That’s just what I’m afraid of.” His words sounded glum, but in fact, her joy made him feel warm and expansive and so very content. It glowed onto him—from her blushing skin and over the sheets, covering him with a blanket of happiness.
But her next words whisked that blanket away.
“Gideon, tell me about your mother. And father. You never talk about them…and when I was reading your grandfather’s palm and mentioned his one child, he seemed a little—well, uncomfortable about it.”
He went cold.
He didn’t really want to talk about his parents. They didn’t matter. They weren’t part of his life any more—thanks to his father—and they certainly weren’t going to be part of his legacy.
“My mother is I guess what you’d call a hippie,” Fiona continued, her voice steady and quiet as she laid there, her face directed toward the ceiling. “She lives in Costa Rica with her partner—currently a man, though she’s been known to hook up with a woman. She weaves baskets and reads palms and makes quite a comfortable living off the tourists. He’s an electrician, and works for one of the resorts.”
She turned toward him and started to stroke his arm, lightly running her nails up and down, from wrist to elbow. His hair lifted in the wake of the sensation, and the rhythm soothed him.
“My mother—Claudia—raised me with the notion that men are disposable and dispensable. Good for sex once in awhile, and moving heavy things, and whistling for the dog when he wouldn’t come. That’s about it.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle at the last part of her comment. “Very practical. Not something I’d expect from you, my dear.”
“I can be very practical, Gideon, and you know it. In fact, I’m learning to be more practical every day now that I’m a small-business owner. Look at how quickly I called you when I found that skeleton. Pretty practical if you ask me…to call my attorney when I find a dead body.” He could hear the lilt of laughter in her voice. “And please don’t change the subject on me. I really want to know about your parents. Tell me.”
“My mother’s dead. Suicide.” Even after twenty years, he could barely say the words.
“Gideon.” Her voice was just right—not gushingly sympathetic, not shocked. Just…right. It gave him the courage to speak further.
