Page 96 of Northern Stars

“And Aiden?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Put on your damn boxers. People can walk by the windows and see your balls.”

“Right, of course. It’s good to see you again, Karl,” I said, reaching out a hand toward him for a shake.

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “There’s no way I’m touching your hand. I’m honestly going to go bleach my brain and pretend this interaction never happened so I’m able to sleep tonight.”

Fair enough.

30

Hailee

“You bangedAiden Walters on the steps leading up to your apartment last night?” Kate gasped as we sat at the front desk of the inn during Kate’s evening break. I’d just finished my shift and was filling Kate in on the craziness of the past twenty-four hours.

“I banged Aiden Walters on the steps leading up to my apartment last night.”

“Oh, my goodness.” Kate sighed, flopping back against the couch. “How romantic. That’s someTheNotebookmaking out in the rain type of love. You two were pulled together like force-packed magnets, and the wind ripped your clothes off, and his Special K accidentally slid into your Lucky Charms.”

I arched an eyebrow. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving, and I’d just finished stocking the cereal for the morning. I really want some Froot Loops.”

“You’re losing focus.”

“What can I say? I’m a Pisces. My mind floats away. Okay. Continue. What happens next between the two of you?”

I shrugged. “I’m still processing it and trying to figure out what this means.”

“What? No, no, no. You two just reconnected in the most romantic way. Now is not the time to be logical!”

“It’s very much more romantic in your mind than it actually was, I think.”

“Hailee Rose Jones. Aiden screwed you on a staircase after telling you that you are his dream come true. You cannot tell me that’s not romantic and sexy.”

“I’ll admit, it was a little bit sexy when he lifted my body up on the railing and, well, railed me. He did it so effortlessly, too. As if I weighed nothing more than a feather.”

“You were light as a feather, and I bet that man was as stiff as a board where it matters most.”

“Kate!”

“I’m just saying!” She narrowed her eyes. “How long was this board of his?”

I felt my cheeks heat as I bit my bottom lip. “I’m not answering that.”

“That means it’s a long, long board.” She smirked. “If you don’t marry this man, I will.”

I stood and shook my head as a slight chuckle left my lips. “I’m done talking to you. I’ll see you later.”

“I hope you run into some Special K on your walk home!” she hollered.

As she shouted that, an elderly woman named Joan overheard, and she said, “I could really go for some Special K.”

“I bet you could, Joan,” Kate agreed. “I bet you could.”

The next fewdays were a comedy of errors while I tried to avoid Aiden. Whenever he’d show up at the inn, I’d duck and dive out of his view. Sometimes we’d make eye contact, he’d smile, and I’d quickly shut my eyes like a paranoid freak. He didn’t show any annoyance, though. I needed time to process the situation. I wanted to make sure I was in the right frame of mind to be for Aiden what he needed me to be. I didn’t want to stumble into a conversation about us without a clear mind.

---