Page 40 of Heating Up (Nugget)
“I thought we should put on a show . . . you know, to demonstrate that we’re over them.”
“Everyone is staring at us.” She walked away, her face red as a pomegranate.
He went to join the party and get himself a slice of pizza. Dana had already wandered that way, and he noticed she was getting quite a few looks, especially from his sister. Colin had opened the cooler, which was loaded with soft drinks and beer. Aidan grabbed two brews, thinking Dana could use a little alcohol.
The whole setup—the pool, spa, outdoor kitchen—was an excellent place for a party. Impressive without being over the top. Another couple with a little girl joined the group. Aidan went over to introduce himself.
“You must be Sloane’s brother. I’m Samantha, and this is my husband, Nate, and this is Lilly.” The little girl held her arms up to Aidan, so he put down the drinks, lifted her, and held her against his hip.
“Nice to meet you. You’re the hotel people.” They owned a fleet of hotels, including the Lumber Baron, and were Brady’s bosses.
“That would be us,” Nate said. “How you liking Nugget and the fire department?”
“So far, so good.” He glanced over at Dana and saw her sitting at an umbrella table alone. “Brady’s making pizza. Come on over and grab a drink.” Aidan led them over to the oven.
“Here, let me take her from you.” Nate collected Lilly, who had attached herself to Aidan like a barnacle. “She likes you. Lilly’s usually shy around people she doesn’t know.”
“Kids just love my brother.” Sloane grabbed Aidan by the arm. “Can you help me with something over here?”
She dragged him to the other side of the pool. “What’s with you and Dana?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing, my ass. Why are you kissing her in the middle of my dinner?”
“I didn’t realize I had to get permission from you to kiss a pretty woman. Did you call to ask me whether you could kiss Brady?”
“Give me a break, Aid. You’re going through a bad breakup and she’s going through . . . a fire.”
“Sue and I have been broken up for nearly seven months. And in case you forgot”—he looked at his watch—“she’s married to someone else now.”
“Don’t do this to Dana. Don’t use her to get back at Sue.”
“Clearly you don’t know Dana. And as far as getting back at Sue, she doesn’t give a shit who I’m kissing.” Oddly enough, it didn’t bother him. He’d been too busy enjoying the kiss with Dana to even let Sue enter into the picture.
“I don’t get you.” Sloane threw her arms in the air and walked away.
He went to grab the beers he’d set down and join Dana, who was no longer sitting alone. The woman, Harlee, was with her, discussing something about clothes, but she got up to go when Aidan joined them.
“What was that about?” he asked Dana.
“She liked my dress and wants to give me stuff she doesn’t wear anymore.”
“That’s nice. Hey, I’m sorry about Griffin and Lina. I never would’ve intentionally put you in this situation. But it seemed to go okay.”
“It’s not like we’re enemies or anything. It’s just delicate, but Lina was gracious about it.”
“How long were you and Griffin together?”
“I wouldn’t say we were ever together, just dated. Griffin was always too hung up on Lina. Before me, they’d been a couple, then broke up while she attended USF. After she transferred to the University of Nevada, Reno, they got back together.”
Aidan nodded. “You still have feelings for him?”
“Nope,” she said, but Aidan didn’t much believe her.
It seemed to him that she tried a little too hard to avoid Griffin. Hey, not his concern, although he hated like hell that he’d put her in a difficult position. Then again, all social situations seemed to be painful for Dana. She interacted with people just fine, but he got the impression she felt like an outsider. He didn’t know why; the townsfolk were pretty inclusive.
“I’ll get us some pizza,” he said.
