Page 10 of Brides and Brothers
Chapter 5
Aiden
Aiden had imagined Camille wouldlook exactly like she had the night before, so he wasn’t prepared for the dressed-up version. Her appearance made him stumble for words. He cleared his throat. “Are you all set?”
Camille nodded and stepped outside, shutting the door behind her.
“How was your day?” Aiden asked.
“Not a single problem with my laptop, thanks to you.”
“Sounds like a win.” They walked side by side down two flights of stairs toward his freshly washed Jeep Cherokee. He held the door open for her, and she climbed inside. The first few minutes of driving passed in uncomfortable silence. He wondered if their friendly banter the night before was going to be a part of their second date.
He stole a glance at her. “You look great tonight. I mean, I thought you looked great last night, but tonight—well, you look great.”Smooth, Aiden. Real smooth.
Camille laughed under breath and turned to look out the window. “Thanks.”
“I thought I’d give you a choice for dinner. We can either go to a quaint little diner for burgers and milkshakes, or I know a classy sit-down Italian restaurant. I hear women are suckers for Italian.”
“I love Italian, but would you mind terribly if I opted for the burgers and milkshakes?”
Aiden grinned. “A girl after my own heart. What was the clincher? The burgers or the milkshakes?”
“The milkshakes.”
“You’re in luck. They have the best huckleberry milkshakes I’ve ever had.”
When they arrived at the diner, Aiden reached to open the restaurant door for her, but someone on the other side beat him to it.
It was his brother Daegan. Aiden wanted to whimper. He just couldn’t get a break.
Daegan’s gaze went from Aiden to Camille, and his lips curved into a sly grin.
Aiden put his hand on Camille’s back and ushered her past his brother, giving Daegan a look to steer clear. He didn’t want to scare Camille off by introducing her to his brothers just yet. Unfortunately, Daegan took his glare as an invitation to follow them across the black-and-white checkered floor to their table.
“Excuse me,” Daegan said before either of them could sit down in their booth. He smoothed his strawberry-blond hair off his forehead.
Camille turned to face him and missed the way Aiden jerked his head toward the door in an attempt to get Daegan to back off.
“I don’t normally do this kind of thing,” Daegan said, putting one hand on the table and leaning forward, “but life is too short to pass up moments like this.” He fished in the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a card. “If this guy doesn’t treat you right, give me a call.”
Camille accepted it, and Aiden leaned over her shoulder to read what it said. The nameJeremy Joneswas printed across the top. It included a clearly photoshopped image, Daegan’s phone number, and a full list of stats, including weight and height—also slightly embellished. Now Aiden definitely wasn’t going to introduce Daegan to Camille.
“Thanks,” Camille said, sliding the card into her purse.
Daegan gave her a suave smile and made his exit.
“The only thing he left off his card was a crazy meter,” Aiden muttered under his breath. He was pretty sure Daegan had made the card back in middle school and had been saving it for just the right opportunity.
Camille grinned. “This is the first time I’ve seen a business card for dating. People are getting more creative.”
“Or desperate.” He cringed, thinking of himself. “I hope you aren’t going to ditch me for Jeremy.”
Camille gave him a quick shake of her head. “Don’t worry, Jeremy and I can meet up later.”
“I see how it is.” Aiden’s sarcasm earned him a laugh.
They sat across from each other in the booth and went over the menu. After collecting Camille’s order, Aiden went to the counter and purchased their meal, complete with milkshakes. He turned around, and Cade was at the table hitting on Camille. He should’ve known the twins would hang out in the same vicinity. Aiden strode purposefully to his seat and glared at his brother.
