Page 11 of Brides and Brothers
Cade grinned back. “Maybe I’ll see you around,” he said, facing Camille once more. Camille’s half smile, half grimace satisfied Cade, and he strutted away.
“Is it just me, or did he look at lot like the last guy?” Camille frowned.
Aiden understood now why Camille had been so funny about finding a decent guy to date, what with his brothers loose in the area and her being so beautiful.
Instead of discussing his embarrassing family connections, he cleared his throat and switched the topic to Camille’s classes. They chatted for a few minutes before a waitress, a pretty brunette who wore an old-school apron and a disposable paper hat, arrived with their food. She pushed Aiden’s shake closer to him and made a show of pulling napkins out of her apron while she leaned into him. “Have you been here before?” She directed her question only to him. “Isn’t the atmosphere perfect? It’s a hidden gem.” She settled the napkins next to his plate and began unwrapping his burger for him.
“I’ve got it,” Aiden said.
“Course you do,” she said in a motherly tone, but with Aiden at least six or seven years her senior, the tone irked him. “Let me know if I can get you anything else.” She trilled her fingers and spun away.
Aiden met Camille’s bewildered gaze. “Maybe we should’ve gone for Italian,” he said.
They shared an awkward laugh and dug into their dinner. When Aiden finished his burger, he pulled out a coin from his pocket. “My dad used to play the penny game with me when he’d take me out for food after my football games. Want to try it?”
“How do you play?” Camille asked.
“We take turns flipping it. If it lands on heads, you get to ask me a question. If it’s tails, you get to make a confession. The only rule is to keep it PG.”
“So that’s how dads get teenagers to talk to them.”
Aiden chuckled. “It worked for us.” He pushed the coin toward her. “Ladies first.”
She scooped up the coin and rubbed it between her hands. “For luck,” she explained. “No confessions from me.” She released the penny and bent over to see how it landed. “Oh no! Tails!”
Aiden sipped from his milkshake to hide his smile.
“Let me think.” She snapped her fingers. “I got it. I don’t like brussels sprouts.”
“What a shocking confession.” He winked and took the penny. He put it on the tip of his thumb and flicked it into the air. It spun a few times and landed on his open palm. Without looking, he flipped it onto his other hand. “Heads.”
“Fancy,” Camille said. “You didn’t cheat, did you?”
“Not a chance.” Aiden laughed. “Here’s your question. Do you have a favorite hobby?”
“Baking, but you already know that. I also enjoy hiking. The two hobbies balance each other out. What about you?”
“Gotta flip to ask,” Aiden said, tossing her the penny.
She tried to catch the penny by smashing it between her hands and almost spilled her milkshake in the process. “Whoops!” She managed to catch her drink and drop the penny. “At least I got heads. What’syourfavorite hobby?”
Aiden rested his chin on his fist. “I like to fish and hike. When I was younger I played basketball and football, and I still do when I get the chance. I’m pretty boring most of the time.”
“Not boring—just busy building your career, I’d guess.”
“Something like that.” Talking about himself was uncomfortable, but the alternative was boring her with stories about his brothers. He grabbed the penny, eager to switch the topic back to her.
Tails. He sighed. “I accidentally shot my brother in the leg with a BB when I was twelve. It’s still there.” He felt no guilt. After the dating-card fiasco, he and Daegan were even.
Camille gasped. “No way!” She caught the coin this time with a little more finesse and flipped it. “Yes! Heads. All right, here’s my question: what are you most scared of?”
He’d filled his mouth with ice cream and choked on the question. Dozens of fears raced through his mind. Grant getting hurt. A bad harvest. Flynn trading his family for his band. Aidan swallowed and said carefully, “My greatest fear is not being enough for those who rely on me.”
Camille analyzed him with a long look. “Do you take on more responsibilities than you have time and energy for?”
Aiden forgot about the game for a minute and answered. “I just do what has to be done and hope it’s enough.”
Camille’s eyes were curious, but she quietly pushed the penny to him.
