Ofcourseshe knew about that. Nothing stayed a secret from the church ladies.
“It’s not a date,” I said.
It wasn’t.
I had invited Ryan out for a coffee. The box of muffins stuffed in my bag was simply a polite gesture after he’d insisted on paying for coffee last time. It wasn’t like when I’d baked for Aiden. Ryan would talk about farm things I didn’t understand. I’d prattle on about books he wouldn’t read. The farmer was kind and easy to talk to, but we had nothing in common.
Yolanda croaked a laugh. “Not a date, she says. That won’t be what everyone thinks when they see you with him.” She blew a puff of smoke into the sky. “That won’t be what Aiden thinks.”
“Well, I don’t really care what Aiden thinks. That big beast can just…just…” Ugh, why did thinking about him always turn me into a raving fool? “He can just shove off!”
“Oh, pet. Give him time.”
“To what? Treat me like trash again? No thank you. I’d rather enjoy my veryplatoniccoffee with my veryplatonicfriend, Ryan.”
She smirked. “Maybe I should head into town early to take over the cake stall. When word gets out, I wouldn’t mind seeing the reaction of your big beast.”
“Like clockwork,” I muttered.
There he was—the big beast himself.
Every Saturday morning, at precisely 10:20 a.m., Aiden parked his truck a decent hike away from the village markets before heading inside to load up a box of groceries. Sometimes, Harry joined him. Most of the time, he wandered around alone, looking like the cramped, hot hall was the last place on earth he’d rather be.
My plan to wait nearby, casually glancing at my phone—well, there’d been a hiccup to deal with. Aiden might have been on time, but I was behind schedule. My ballet flats scuttled quicker along the uneven stone path.
Panting, I managed to call out, “Aiden!” I waved. “Wait!”
I didn’t want him getting any closer to town. Jogging wasn’t for me, but some exchanges weren’t meant to be seen by the prying eyes of people passing by. I’d be dodging enough questions when people saw me with Ryan. I wasn’t about to add Aiden back onto the Person of Interest list, too.
He flicked the car door shut. Furrowed brows and grey eyes turned.
“Hi! Sorry!” I tried to gulp in some air. “Sorry. I wanted to catch you.” I unhooked the strap of my bag, took out the box of muffins, and then rummaged through the rest of my junk to find what I needed.Aha!There, under the balls of wool. “Here.”
Aiden stared at the brown paper package in my hand. “You…bought me a…gift?” The crease between his brows deepened.
I snorted a laugh. “No.” In his dreams. “It’s your shirt.”
He stared at me.
I jiggled the package. Why wasn’t he taking it? “I washed and ironed it for you.”
“It’s…wrapped…”
“I’m learning that certain people in this town are very keen to read into a situation. If they see me give you a shirt… Well, you can imagine.” I shoved it at him. “Pretend it’s mail. Make up any story you want if someone asks.”
“But you washed it.”
“Andironed it. I know most people hate ironing, but I sort of love it. There’s something so satisfying about watching all the creases smooth out. And you can listen to an audiobook or put on some music…” I trailed off with a nervous laugh. There was thatramblingagain. Even when Aiden stood like a blank wall, he coaxed too many words from my mouth. “Your shirt is as good as new!”
His whole face drooped. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear he was devastated. “But your smell won’t be in it anymore if you’ve washed it.”
Um… “That’s the whole point, isn’t it?”
Heaving a sigh, he took the package from me. “What’s in the box?” He nodded at my other hand.
“Muffins!” I grinned. “I tried out a new recipe with an apple crumble topping. I baked them for Ryan—”
“You baked apple muffins for Ryan Hollyoak?” His nostrils flared from a deep breath in.
