Page 31 of Almost True
The walk? It got me. It did.
Nate had once told me that I only ever dated suit-wearing vampires and that was why I’d always found his best friend and Army buddy, Eric Wolfe, to be so hot. Truly, I’d had a crush on Eric from the minute I’d seen him, but he’d been married then, so it wasn’t like I’d ever had a prayer. He was just such a strong, capable man, and he didn’t saunter or swagger around. He didn’t need to. Nate’s point about the vampires wasn’t wrong, though I doubted Chadwick or any of the men from my string of bad dates and failed relationships really hunched over their computers all that much. They were Wall Street types, always interested in me for my business connections and considerable wealth. They had the designer suits and shoes, and the attitude to match.
Aidan had that thing Eric had. He seemed completely capable of anything. He probably knew how to change his own oil and fix his furnace, and he clearly knew how to keep things alive. All skills I couldn’t even begin to attempt.
My parents would scoff at the idea of doing any of that, savemaybegardening. But they’d want a garden full of things other people mostly took care of with a small section for roses or a greenhouse with orchids that required minimal effort beyond occasional attention and clear instructions from a paid housekeeper or gardener.
Aidan stopped a few feet from me and set his hands just above the worn-in utility pants riding his hips. “I know it looks a mess right now, but we’re getting there. We’ll have the terraces done today, and we’ll begin building the rock wall. It should be shaping up by late next week, and you’ll have your space to yourself again soon enough.”
“I’m not worried.”
“Good. And I hope Luca wasn’t a bother. It was very kind of you to invite him in.”
“He’s great. He seems very smart.”
A smile flashed but his eyes widened. “Yes. I’m just trying to keep up.”
I chuckled at the chagrin on his face. “I doubt that. You seem like a good dad.”
His brow furrowed. “You think?”
“I do. He seems very comfortable in his own skin. Happy.” That wasn’t a given for all kids, and I imagined all the more so for a child who’d lost one of his parents.
His eyes caught mine, our gazes locking. I wasn’t sure how, but we stood only a foot or so away now. Had I moved closer, or had he?
“Thank you for saying that. I hope it’s the case.”
I nodded, my heart fluttering for no good reason except I was finally standing closer to him. Not close enough, but the distance between us had beat out a low-level pulse of disappointment since the second time I’d seen him. I wanted to erase all of it. To start over.
And that’s what I decided. No more of this tiptoeing. Maybe we couldn’t dive in and date—maybe he wouldn’t have done that anyway, now that I knew he had a son to think about. But we could be friends, couldn’t we?
“Can we start over?”
His eyes narrowed. “How so?”
I huffed out a breath to calm my racing heart. “It’s been weird since we had coffee. I’m so glad to see you after so long. And even if it’s not what I’d want, I would like for us to at least be friends. We’re going to see each other every day for the next few weeks at least, and it just seems silly to be at odds like this. Don’t you think?”
He squinted back, all seriousness on that gorgeous face, but nodded. “Sure. Yes. I do agree.”
I pressed my lips together to stay the grin. He didn’t seem completely pleased by this, but frankly, I wasn’t either. It was only a better option than nothing.
“Good.” I held out a hand, like we needed a handshake to seal the deal.
His eyes practically burned into my own, but he slipped his hand in mine. My heart jumped and twisted as butterflies took wing as his palm slipped against mine. His strong fingers, roughened with work and the labor of his job, brushed against my wrist before we both raised and lowered the connection between us.
And then we let go. And I knew very well that friendship wouldn’t ever be enough for me.
CHAPTERSEVENTEEN
Aidan
The Night in Bloom planning meeting wrapped up at just after one. Today, we had the fire chief, sheriff, and a few people from the mayor’s office in to make sure our designs were up to code. Since the event was outdoor at a park to begin with, we rarely had issues, but always best to get buy-in before we actually began assembling pieces.
“That went better than I expected,” Dahlia said quietly as she piled her things into a large purse.
“That it did. Not sure who we should thank for Carolyn being in a generous mood, but we’ll take it.”
The usually persnickety staff member from the mayor’s office typically fought us on everything. Half the reason we had the chief and sheriff come was to make sure she heard them say they approved our plans in tandem with their actual signatures—this way, there’d be no claims of coercion. And would one normally think coercion was involved in getting approval for floral displays at a local park for a fundraising event? No. No one would not.
