Page 6 of Brides and Brothers
She dug out her phone and, with a few taps, ran a search of Aiden’s name on her social media sites. Nothing but his business profile.
“How old are you?” Camille blurted.
Aiden chuckled, not lifting his eyes. “Is that an important qualification for computer repairmen?”
She cringed and gave an awkward laugh. “Never mind.” The letters were messing with her. She shouldn’t have read them.
He pushed a button on her computer, then leaned back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head. “I’m just shy of thirty. And let me guess: you’re about twenty-one.”
“Try twenty-six,” she said. “And let me tell you, it’s refreshing to know there are decent males over twenty-five in the area.” She was almost ready to amend the verdict she’d made over an hour before about not getting involved with a Peterson.
“I’d like to think I’m decent.”
“Hmm, it does make me wonder. There has to be something wrong with you if you live in Cherish, Montana, and aren’t married by now,” she joked, half serious. Cherish wasn’t as bad as she made it sound, but its inarguably small-town culture was unique to the place.
Aiden held up his hands. “‘Judge not, that ye be not judged.’”
Camille smirked. “Oh, there is definitely something wrong with me. I’ve got a list of weaknesses a mile long.” One, she hadn’t gotten into the doctorate program she’d applied for. Two, she and her mother were estranged. Three, she was unlucky in the dating department. Her high school crush had been the limit of the magic in her life. Not to mention she had myriad trivial problems, like the thyroid medication she’d forgotten to pick up before the pharmacy closed.
Aiden held up one finger and pushed a few buttons on the laptop keyboard with the fingers of his other hand. “Your computer has a virus. You didn’t renew your antivirus software. I’m uploading a free version for the time being that should do the trick. Then we’ll get your computer all cleaned up for you.”
“See?” she lamented. “Weakness number five million and one: I can’t remember to update my computer.”
“You came to the right place,” Aiden said, winking at her. “And now I get to hear all about that list of weaknesses while the software downloads.”
The wink was obviously an innocent gesture, but she wasn’t immune. Her heart raced when Aiden wheeled his chair around the desk and positioned himself right across from her.
“What’s weakness number five million and two?” he asked. She was about to open her mouth when he shook his head. “I’m joking.”
“Well, it’s definitely not smoothie making. I noticed you haven’t tried the drink I brought you. I thought you were starving.”
He reached and picked up the smoothie, his nose scrunching as he brought it closer to his mouth.
“You can’t make that face until you’ve actually tried it,” Camille said.
“Should I add some sugar to it first? To, uh, cover the vegetable flavor?”
She shook her head and waited as he put his lips around the straw and finally tasted her signature smoothie.
His eyes widened. “You had me there for a second. This isn’t a smoothie; it’s a milkshake.” The straw went straight back into his mouth, and his expression turned from wary to indulgent. He paused long enough to say, “Tell me about yourself. I know you’re Amy’s sister and just moved back to the area but not much else.”
“Not much to tell.” If she wasn’t careful, he might discover her dominant boring trait. It was better not to say anything than to incriminate herself.
Aiden trilled his fingers on his chair. “Since you insisted on staying, I suppose we can just sit and stare at each other while we wait for your computer to get up to speed. Or... we could make the most of our evening with a little conversation.”
Camille bit her lip. Should she leave? She could come back for her computer, couldn’t she? Or would it be better to torture herself in the company of a guy who was clearly out of her league while she dreamed of living in his house? She inched forward in her chair, ready to make an excuse and bolt.
Aiden
Aiden waited for Camille to take the bait. Earlier he had scrolled through a dating app for a whole ten minutes before deciding it would be a lot easier for him to find a wife for each of his brothers than for himself. No one seemed right. He hadn’t thought himself picky about appearances, but he couldn’t see past the images to the person behind them. Aiden considered himself a family guy and needed someone who would easily integrate into his life. He had just given up when Camille had called. No algorithms could have calculated someone as perfect as the woman in front of him, though the jury was still out on her baking abilities.
She was dressed in frayed jeans with a stylish top and just a hint of makeup around her eyes. Her blonde hair fell in soft curls a few inches below her shoulders. He’d even caught her genuine smile as she’d looked at his scrapbook. She resembled Amy only in her light coloring and short stature. Her features were more defined, and she held an air of maturity that came only with age and experience. He needed to do a little more digging before he was sure she was worth the chase.
Unfortunately, his suggestion to talk had made her uncomfortable. “I can go first,” he said, turning his smoothie cup in his hand. “You already know my age. Do you want the watered-down version where I just highlight a few hobbies?”
“How long will the computer update take?”
“A while.”
