meet him?”
“Remember I told you I had a meeting with a guy? He’s that guy.”
“Sweet!” Tyler bounced in his seat. “That’s so awesome. I can’t wait to tell my friends.”
“I’ll take a picture with my cell,” Ethan told him. “You can e-mail it to them.”
“All right!” Tyler stared out of the front of the truck. “Are we there yet?”
Ethan laughed, then turned into the mostly empty parking lot. The camp would officially open on Saturday when the first inner-city kids arrived. The day camp for locals began on Monday.
Initially, Ethan had wondered at the wisdom of mixing the overnighters with kids from town. His sister Dakota who ran the camp for Raoul, had explained that it was a good learning experience for both groups. Usually small- town kids and inner-city kids had almost no contact, except possibly during regional and statewide play-offs. Getting them involved with each other now meant expanding their world view before they made up their minds about what the world was like.
Ethan parked between a Ferrari and his sister’s beat-up Jeep. Tyler was out of the truck before the engine was off, jumping impatiently as he waited for Ethan.
“Is that his car? It’s really cool. I like the color.”
They walked into the main building, where there was a big living area and the dining room. The offices were in back.
As they made their way down the hall, Ethan studied the walls, the fit of the windows and looked for anything that needed touch-ups before the camp opened. He’d already walked the property with the job foreman, creating a punch list of things that needed to be finished. From what he could tell, it was all done.
Raoul’s office door stood open. Ethan walked in and found the other man sitting on the corner of his desk, rather than behind it. Josh Golden was there, too. They both looked up when he and Tyler entered.
“Hey, Ethan,” Raoul greeted, standing and holding out his hand. “Thanks for making the drive.”
“No problem.”
The two men shook hands. Ethan turned to Josh and did the same, then put his hands on Tyler’s thin shoulders.
“This is Tyler,” he introduced, pausing before adding, “my son.”
Raoul greeted the boy, while Josh looked as stunned as a cartoon character going off a cliff.
“Your son?” Josh repeated. He mouthed “Who?” over Tyler’s head.
“His mom is Liz Sutton.”
Tyler shook hands with both men, then stared adoringly between Raoul and Josh. “You’re both really famous.”
“I’m better looking,” Josh said easily. “And smarter. Raoul’s kind of homely.”
Raoul grinned. “I could snap you like a twig. If it wouldn’t make a mess, I’d do it right now.”
Tyler stood as if mesmerized by the thrill of the moment.
“What are you doing here?” Ethan asked Josh.
“Talking to Raoul about a pro-am golf tournament. Pia’s been on my ass about it.” Josh hesitated, glanced at Tyler, then cleared his throat. “I mean butt. She’s been on my butt about getting him to sign up. She seems to think people will care that we have some ex-quarterback playing. I think they’ll find it boring.”
“He’s threatened,” Raoul said, settling back on the corner of the desk.
Ethan grinned. “He sure is. Probably scared he won’t be Fool’s Gold’s favorite son.”
Josh frowned at Tyler. “Do you hear a buzzing sound? Not conversation. Something more annoying.”
Tyler laughed.
“I’m playing in the tournament,” Raoul told Josh. “Want to put your money where your mouth is?”
Ethan shook his head. “You might not want to bet against Josh. He’s pretty good at golf.”
“So am I.” Raoul sounded confident. “How about five thousand a stroke? The winner donates the money to the charity of his choice.”
“Done,” Josh said easily. He turned to Ethan. “You playing?”
“No, but now I’ll be watching.” He glanced at Tyler. “We’ll have to talk about who we’re willing to bet on.”
Tyler looked between the two competitors. They were both tall and muscular. Josh was what his name implied-golden. Blond hair, hazel eyes. Raoul was dark. Ethan had worked out with them enough to know they were well matched physically. Each could bench press about three hundred pounds. As could he. But he worked out because he liked it. Sometimes it seemed like Josh and Raoul were in the gym because they had something to prove.
“You’ll pick me,” Josh declared easily and winked at Tyler. “They’re going to talk business for a while. Want me to give you a tour of the place?”
“Sure,” Tyler said eagerly. “You’ve been here before?”
“A few times. You think a guy like Raoul could do this all on his own?”
Tyler laughed.
Raoul sighed. “You’re overcompensating again. Should I feel sorry for your fiancee?”
Josh’s grin turned cocky. “Ask her yourself. She’ll tell you how satisfied she is.”
Josh and Tyler left. Ethan and Raoul settled at the small conference table in the corner, a stack of folders between them.
“Is Josh always like that?” Raoul asked, obviously amused.
“Since he was a kid. Underneath the cocky exterior, Josh is a great guy.”
Raoul nodded. “He’s been a big help with the camp. I’ve never set up anything like this, but his work on the cycling school gave him a lot of good ideas. Not that you need to tell him that I said that.”
“I won’t.” Ethan flipped open the first folder. “We’ve worked through the punch list. I’ll take a look around, but from what my foreman told me, we’re done with the refurbishing.”
“You promised me a camp I’d be proud of,” Raoul told him. “You were right.”
They went through the various projects. The next phase was more bunkhouses and clearing an area for an ice skating rink. Raoul wanted the camp to go year-round. Ethan made notes of what he wanted to double check, including housing for the overnight staff.
“You still thinking of putting in a house for the camp director?” he asked.
Raoul shrugged. “I would, but Dakota said she’s not interested in living on-site. She prefers her place back in town.”
Ethan studied the detailed map of the camp. “There’s plenty of room for a couple of houses, if you decide you want to stay here all year.”
“I’m with your sister. I’d rather be in town.”
Ethan chuckled. “Don’t want to give the kids that much access?”
“No. They’d never leave me alone.” Raoul leaned back in his chair. “If I decide I want to build a place instead of buy, would you give me a bid?”
“Sure. Got anywhere in mind?”
“I’m looking at a few lots. There are a couple of old houses that have potential, but they’d need gutting or close.”
“I can do either.” Ethan closed the folder. “You sure you want to settle in a small town? Fool’s Gold is pretty different from Dallas.”
“I like it here,” Raoul admitted. “I’ve traveled a lot, seen most of the world. I’m looking for a home base. Something permanent.”
Ethan would guess Raoul was in his early thirties. His football career had been a stunning success, so money wouldn’t be a problem. “I have three sisters,” he said lightly. “Stay away from them.”
Raoul laughed. “Spoken like an older brother.”
“You got that right. Besides, there are plenty of other women in town. A lot more women than men, in fact.”
“I’ve noticed that. Lots of pretty ones, too. Anyone else you want to warn me about?”
Ethan thought of Liz, her shiny red hair, the scent of her skin, the way she tasted when he kissed her. He remembered her passion, her cries as she came, the flash of anger in her green eyes as she’d pointed out that what they’d done was fifty kinds of stupid.
The memories were enough to heat his blood. He found himself wanting to see her again. No. Not see. Make
