Finding Perfect Read Online Free PDF

she told him. “Dealing with the weather. We get a lot of snow in the winter. Can we keep the roads open, that sort of thing.”
    He chuckled. “Why do I know all those displaced kids will be hoping we can’t?”
    She smiled. “Snow days are fun. Did you have them in Seattle?”
    â€œEvery few years.” He leaned back in his chair.
    â€œI’ll take care of everything,” she told him. “Earn the big salary you’ve given me.”
    â€œYou’re already earning it.”
    â€œI was over the summer. Less so now. Anyway, this is great. The town will be grateful.”
    â€œWill they put me on a stamp?”
    The smile turned into a grin. “Stamps are actually a federal thing, but I’ll see what I can do.”
    Raoul thought about the kids he’d met that morning. Especially the little redheaded boy who had flinched, as if someone hit him. He didn’t know the kid’s name, so asking about him would be problematic. But once the school reopened, Raoul could do some checking.
    He remembered Pia’s teasing comment about moving the school to his house. This was close. It would be moving to his camp.
    â€œWant to drive up to the camp with me?” he asked. “We should go and see what changes have to be made.”
    â€œSure. If there’s anything more than basic cleanup and refurbishing, I’ll have Ethan meet with us.”
    Raoul nodded. Ethan was Dakota’s brother and the contractor Raoul had used to refurbish the camp.
    Dakota stood and collected her handbag. “We can have a couple of work parties, for general cleaning andprepping. Pia has a phone-tree list that would make the CIA jealous. Just tell her what you need and she can get you a hundred volunteers in about an hour.”
    â€œImpressive.”
    They went out, only to pause on the curb.
    â€œMy car is at the school,” Raoul said.
    Dakota laughed. “We’ll take my Jeep.”
    He eyed the battered vehicle. “All right.”
    â€œYou could sound more enthused.”
    â€œIt’s great.”
    â€œLiar.” She unlocked the passenger door. “We can’t all have Ferraris in our garage.”
    â€œHow about cars built in the past twenty years?”
    â€œSnob.”
    â€œI like my cars young and pretty.”
    â€œJust like your women?”
    He got in. “Not exactly.”
    Dakota climbed in next to him. “I haven’t seen you date. At least not locally.”
    â€œAre you asking for any particular reason?” He didn’t think Dakota was interested. They worked well together, but there wasn’t any chemistry. Besides, he wasn’t looking to get involved, and for some reason he didn’t think she was, either.
    â€œJust to have something to share when I sit around with my friends and talk about you.”
    â€œA daily occurrence?”
    â€œPractically.” She shifted into First and grinned. “You’re very hot.”
    He ignored that. “Pia was saying something about a man shortage. Is that true?”
    â€œSure. It’s not so bad that teenage girls are forced to bring their brothers to prom, but it’s noticeable. We’renot sure how or when it started. A lot of men left during the Second World War. Not enough came back. Some people attribute it to a rumor that the site of the town is an old Mayan village.”
    They drove through town. Dakota took the road that headed up the mountain.
    â€œMayan? Not this far north,” he said.
    â€œThey’re supposed to have migrated. A tribe of women and their children. A very matriarchal society.”
    â€œYou’re making this up.”
    â€œCheck the facts yourself. In the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, part of the mountain opened up, revealing a huge cave at the base of the mountain. Inside were dozens of solid-gold artifacts—Mayan artifacts. Although there were enough differences between these and the ones found