Page 8 of Brides and Brothers
“I’m going to pay you with the green stuff too.” Camille grimaced. “And not the smoothie kind either.”
Aiden shook his head. “I’m happy to help. You don’t owe me anything.”
She narrowed her eyes with mock suspicion. “You can’t fix my computer, can you?”
He chuckled. “Very funny. It should almost be done.” Aiden wheeled his chair back to his desk, set his smoothie down, and pushed a few more buttons. “The antivirus software cleaned up a few bugs. I’m going to restart the computer now, and we should be good to go.” He glanced at his watch and inhaled deeply. “The banana bread should be ready too. Want to join me on my back porch for a slice while we wait for your laptop to reboot?”
Camille ran her hands down her jeans. “That sounds nice.”
Aiden left Camille alone in the office for a few moments while he took out the bread and gathered a paper towel roll to use as napkins and a knife for cutting. He stopped at the office door to show Camille back out the front door. They would take the long way around the house to avoid walking through the messy kitchen, not to mention encountering a curious brother or two.
Once in the backyard, Aiden pointed to a cast-iron bench. The sun was setting over the mountains, and it made for the perfect backdrop. Camille slid onto a seat and took the banana bread from his hands. She sliced and served it to him.
“Is serving me part of the payment?”
Camille nodded. “I’m just making sure you get the best part of the bread at the right thickness. I’m kind of a foodie.”
Accepting his slice, he lifted it to his mouth and savored his bite. “Wow. This is amazing. This isn’t bread. It’s cake.”
“The brown-sugar topping is my favorite. But I make up for the sugar with the whole wheat.”
Aiden devoured his bread in four quick bites and helped himself to a second piece. “The frontier people knew what they were doing when they bartered for food. This is the best banana bread I’ve ever had.”
Her eyes lit up at his compliment. “I sense you’re pretty easy to please when it comes to baked goods. I’m surprised you don’t make your rounds at the college apartments. There are hordes of girls who are dying to find a guy to cook for.”
Aiden grinned. “I almost wish I were that kind of a guy. Thankfully, I’m perfectly capable of buying food.”
She heaved a sigh. “It must be a real burden, buying food instead of preparing it.”
Her teasing smile made him feel brave. “It’s not hard. I’ll even show you how it’s done. Can I take you to dinner tomorrow?” His gut tightened as soon as the invitation left his lips. Would she say yes?
“Yeah, I could go for dinner.”
He breathed out his relief in a slow, indiscernible breath. “I thought you’d say no, and now I don’t know what to say next.”
“I’m a little surprised myself. I’m usually more cautious around strangers.” She pursed her lips, but he caught a hint of an amused smile.
“I understand,” he said, taking the half-empty bread pan from between them and setting it on the ground. He put the paper towel roll on top of it. “No one really likes first dates. I don’t know if it’s the bad reputation, but they never turn out great. I have another proposition. Let’s make tonight our first date, and then tomorrow won’t have the same awkward firstness about it.”
A small laugh bubbled out of her mouth. “I don’t know. I’m enjoying this too much for it to be considered a first date.”
“Only people who have experienced too many first dates like we have can appreciate that fact.”
“Hey, I’m no old maid.” She swatted his arm.
He scooted closer to her and squinted. “Tell me what an old maid looks like, and I’ll decide whether I should amend my statement.”
She peered right back at him. “Hmm, twenty-nine, dark-brown hair, and an obnoxious grin.”
He laughed hard and shook his head. If this was what dating Camille was going to be like, he was ready to sign on the dotted line.
