Page 45 of When Our Stars Aligned

I open my mouth to say something, but it would be a lie. I know I’m not the easiest to work with. I’m demanding of my employees. I expect them to come in early and stay late. After all, if I don’t have much of a life, why should they? I bark out orders rather than asking nicely. I know I’ve let the resentment of my past fester into anger and I know I need to work on my shitty attitude.

I think back to how I’ve changed since Aly popped into my life. I’ve cut my hours to match hers. I even bought my crew lunch two times this week. Aly suggested it would be a good morale booster. You should’ve seen their faces when I put out a spread of various sandwiches and sides. I swear they worked harder than ever before.

I was irritated during the first few weeks of meeting Aly. I didn’t know why, but then somewhere along the way, I’ve recognized that foreign feeling I get when I’m around her. Peace. Something about this woman brings me a type of calm and peace I’ve never felt before in my life.

“There is one thing, though,” Carter says, turning serious. “Have you talked to Aly about her past?”

“Like her childhood, or her friendship with Jess and Jacob?”

“No, like past relationships.”

I shake my head. “That hasn’t come up. Why? What do you know?”

“It’s not what I know; it’s just a feeling that I get. I don’t think she left Georgia just for the new job, especially since this is onlyfor a year. I think there’s more to her story. I think someone may have hurt her.”

I stiffen in my seat, my hands balling into fists. If someone so much as laid an unwanted finger on Aly, I will make sure they regret it.

Carter holds up his hand. “I don’t think anyone’s physically hurt her. I know what a woman who’s been physically abused acts like and that’s not it. I do think someone messed with her, mentally or emotionally.”

“What makes you think that?” I’m still angry. Maybe no one physically harmed her, but mental and emotional abuse is still abuse.

“I can’t really explain it.” He shakes his head. “It’s more of a feeling. You probably wouldn’t notice because she’s less reserved with you.”

I stare at Carter’s face for a minute. “Yeah, you lost me.”

“When you’re around, she’s bubbly, happy, funny. She jokes a lot. She’s a lot quieter and subdued when you’re not there.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen her quiet or subdued.” From the moment we met, she’s been doing and saying little things to tease me or egg me on. She’s always trying to get a rise out of me and she never seems fearful of my reaction. Not that I would ever do anything to hurt her.

“Exactly! Which is why you wouldn’t see that other side of her that the rest of us see when you’re not around. I don’t think she’s purposely being two different versions of herself. No matter what, she’s still Aly. But with you around, I think she feels free to be one hundred percent herself.”

“Interesting…but why?”

“I think she feels safe with you.” He takes a sip of his beer.

Pride swells in my chest. I want her to feel safe with me.

“If you want my advice, go slow and get to know her better. Ask her out on a date. I know she’s claimed to have sworn offmen, but I think it’s just a defensive thing. If anyone has a chance with her, it’s you.”

A date. I haven’t been on one of those since high school. I wouldn’t even know how to ask her, and what if she says no? I have a lot to think about.

***

Much to my dislike, I ended up taking today off to allow my hand to heal from yesterday’s mishap with the nail gun. I didn’t injure my dominant hand, but it’s still a pain in the ass to lay down flooring with one hand that looks like an oven mitt.

I thought a lot about what Carter said yesterday. His words really resonated with me. There’s something about Aly that draws me in and I need to find out what it is for both our sakes. So, I decided to ask her out on a date. Okay, I didn’t exactly ask her out. That just kind of fell into place.

Aly got home early and said she was hungry. I mentioned that I was in the mood for tacos. She said she was picky about Mexican restaurants because she doesn’t like cilantro. I also hate cilantro because to me, it tastes like soap. Apparently, the same goes for Aly. I don’t know why I am surprised to find that she and I have yet another thing in common. It’s like we are programmed to like and dislike the same things. Anyway, I may have strongly hinted that we should check out my favorite Mexican restaurant and here we are.

“So, you’re telling me that you actually picked out your sister’s husband? Aren’t big brothers supposed to be like super protective of their sisters dating?” She scoops some salsa on her chip. As she bites into it, her eyes close in pure enjoyment, which sets off a stirring in my pants. I can’t believe my body’s acting like I’m twelve years old all over again.

I clear my throat to answer her. “Well, I didn’t shove him in front of my sister’s face and tell her to marry him. Grant and I met in basic training. We hit it off when we first met and I just knew he would be great for my sister.” Yeah, I didn’t like to think of her dating, but I figured I could at least give her an example of the type of guy she should date. Grant is an all-around stand-up guy.

“How did you introduce them?”

“After basic training, we both went our separate ways for our specific training. We kept in touch and both ended up stationed in San Diego a few years later. I took him home on leave with me, and the rest is history. They dated for a while—a lot of it had to be long distance—but they’ve been happily married for two years and are expecting twins in February.”

“That’s awesome. He’s not a Seabee like you?” she asks. Since moving in, Aly has asked me random questions about my time in the Navy. I was surprised when she knew that a Seabee meant construction battalion, but it turns out that she’s pretty well versed in military lingo.

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