33
Somehow Lou made it through the next few days at work. She tried to ignore her feelings for Aidan, pretend that nothing had happened between them and get back on friendly terms with him. If only nothinghadhappened, it would be a lot easier – if she didn’t have constant flashbacks to that kiss that made her skin prickle every time she was reminded of the solid weight of his body pressed against hers, the taste of his tongue in her mouth, the scratch of his stubble against her face.
But she had to put that out of her head, remind herself that she didn’t want a man in her life, and concentrate on trying to get back to normal with Aidan. She loved her job, and she didn’t want anything to sabotage that. Besides which, Bo was Jack’s best friend, so she’d have to see a lot of Aidan socially too and she didn’t want things to be awkward between them.
She could see that Aidan was also making an effort to put it behind them and by Friday, she felt they were back on an even keel – which was just as well because Jack was spending the day with Sheena and Liam tomorrow.
‘Doing anything for the weekend?’ Aidan asked her, walking out with her at the end of the lunch shift.
‘Nothing very exciting. Just Netflix and chill tonight,’ she said, then blushed. ‘I mean literally.’
Aidan laughed.
She wasn’t slated to work the lunch service tomorrow, so once Sheena picked Jack up to go to Tralee, she’d have the day to herself and she was looking forward to a lazy day curled up with a good book. ‘How about you? Any big plans for your child-free weekend?’
‘I’ll be here slaving away, as usual. But tomorrow I’m planning on using the time between lunch and dinner to work on some dishes.’
‘Wow, you really don’t get the concept of time off, do you?’
He grinned. ‘Yeah, I’m all about the fun.’ He stopped at the entrance to his flat, his key in the lock. ‘Actually, I was wondering if…’ He hesitated, giving her a wary look.
‘What?’
He shook his head. ‘Never mind. I was going to ask if you’d like to join me, but…’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah. Not how you want to spend your one child-free Saturday off, I’m sure. Ignore me.’
‘No, I’d love that.’
He frowned. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Totally.’ She didn’t know if this was Aidan offering an olive branch, but either way, she’d take it. It was something she’d genuinely love to do, plus it was a perfect opportunity to get them back on a firmer footing.
Sheena picked Jack up early the following morning. He’d sprung out of bed, full of excitement about going to Aqua Dome and had babbled non-stop about it throughout breakfast.
‘Be good for Sheena, won’t you?’ she said, leaning in the car window and ruffling his hair.
‘Yep.’
‘Okay, have fun! You too, Bo.’ She stood back and waved them off.
She spent the morning reading and pottering around the house, and arrived at the restaurant in the afternoon just as the last of the staff were leaving after lunch service.
She experienced a pang of envy as she stepped into the kitchen, the bright overhead lights illuminating the shiny surfaces, the big professional burners, the gleaming pots and pans. It must be amazing to have all this constantly available to you. It felt strangely intimate with just her and Aidan, and she had a moment of panic that this was a bad idea.
‘Hi!’ He greeted her with a friendly smile. ‘Good night last night?’
‘Yes, lovely. I watched the newKnives Outmovie on Netflix.’
‘Oh, I haven’t seen that yet. Was it good?’
‘Yeah, I really enjoyed it, though I couldn’t make head or tail of what was going on.’
She shrugged into her white jacket and put on an apron while Aidan assembled ingredients on the counter.
‘Jack’s so excited about going to Aqua Dome today. It’s so kind of your parents to take him.’
