She grinned. “A little.”
“Are you sure? Because I don’t want to cause problems between you and your brother, or your old man.”
“I’m sure. And I know Ashley wouldn’t want you couch-surfing, either.”
“How’s she doing?”
Aidan watched Lydia struggle with an answer, even taking a sip of her orange juice before answering. “She’s okay, I guess. Maybe you should call her.”
“Yeah, maybe.” He slapped his hand on the counter and forced a smile. “I’m running to the corner market for a few things before we head out. You guys need anything?”
Scotty walked in at that moment, a towel wrapped around his waist while he scrubbed at his hair with another. “What’s going on?”
“I’m heading to the market. You need something?”
They were all good, and as soon as Danny was gone, Scotty gave his sister a look. “I didn’t hear any yelling.”
“It’s all good,” she said. “And I’m supposed to apologize for causing a scene yesterday.”
“I guess I’m supposed to accept it, then.”
Aidan shook his head at the strangeness of the Kincaid family dynamics and went into the living room space. The apartment was too open concept to give them any real privacy to make their half-assed apologies, but he didn’t need to stand at the island and watch. He knew it wouldn’t take long. Scott and Lydia both had tempers with a low flash point, but they also burned out almost as quickly.
Sure enough, in less than two minutes, the siblings were laughing and Aidan exhaled a deep sigh of relief. The storm had passed. This one, anyway.
“Why do you have a ceramic bear on your back deck with dead flowers in it?” Lydia was asking.
Aidan could see Scott shrug from where he sat on the couch. “It was a gift from a woman I dated a while back.”
“Interesting gift.”
“Black bear. Yellow flowers in it. It was supposed to be a Bruins thing.”
“That’s sweet,” she said. “How come you broke up?”
“She just wasn’t the one.”
Aidan laughed. “She wasn’t the one whose name he said in his sleep is what he means.”
“Screw you,” Scotty shot back. “I’m going to get dressed. Try not to spill all my secrets, Hunt.”
“I’m heading out,” Lydia told him. “But I’ll talk to you later.”
Scotty waved goodbye before disappearing into his room, and Aidan stood as Lydia walked toward him. “Feel better now?”
“Yeah, I do. I don’t like fighting with my brother, believe it or not. And I love Ashley, but I can’t kick Danny while he’s down.” She shrugged. “I guess I should mind the bar and my own business.”
It was close enough to what Scott had said so he had to fight not to grin. “I don’t think minding your family’s business is a bad thing. I wouldn’t mind mine interfering now and again.”
“It’s their loss,” she said in a quiet voice rich with sincerity.
The affection she clearly had for him shone in her eyes and it kicked his heart rate up, even though he knew it only came from having known each other for so long. “Thanks.”
“I should head out and let you guys get ready for your pedicures.”
Aidan chuckled. “Not quite that glamorous. We’re helping Rick Gullotti build a wheelchair ramp for his landlords.”
“Hot day for it.”
