27
MAX
“Okay, so what do you think about the weekend?” I ask Aiden.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, are you working, or are you going to want to take part in some activities we have here?”
“Dude,” Aiden says. “We? Are you lumping yourself in with the true Penrose Beach people?”
I laugh. “They do a great job of pulling people in. Aside from the sea and relaxation that comes from it, there’s a camaraderie here that I’ve only gotten a small glimpse of.”
Aiden raises his eyebrows. “So you haven’t officially been inducted into their ranks?” He reaches over and picks up half of my sandwich taking a bite. “Wow, that’s really good. What kind of sauce is that?”
“I’m not sure. And sadly, no inductions. I’m sure I can pick out the people who oversee that part though,” I say jokingly.
“I’ve never been here for the opening weekend of Penrose Beach, and I’m super curious about it. That they let people who live here test everything is a genius idea. I mean, there are so many things that could go wrong, and why not fixthem now, especially to have those first few weeks to go smoothly?”
“That’s what I said. I just hope the couple at the bed-and-breakfast can fix what they need before their customers come in.”
“Well, we could always go help,” Aiden says, taking a sip of his coffee.
“That’s true,” I say. “It’s not like I have much more to do today. Talia is waiting for a few more supplies, so the progress on the apartments upstairs is stalled for today.”
Again, Aiden’s face when I mention Talia makes me want to laugh. It’s kind of a starstruck, frozen-in-time type expression. Is he terrified of her?
The door to the coffee shop opens, and his widen before he ducks down to hide in our table.
“What’s your problem?” I ask. “It’s me.”
He puts his index finger to his lips, shushing me. “Shut it.”
I turn slightly to see who he’s hiding from and look back at him with a grin. “It’s just Talia.”
He rolls his eyes at me. “It’s never just Talia.”
I lean forward. “Wait a second. Do you have a crush on her?”
It sounds like we’re still in high school even though we’re in our early thirties.
“Will you stop being so loud?” he whispers.
“I will when you tell me what your deal is with Talia.”
He still has his head ducked down a bit as he stares at his cup. He takes a quick glance at my contractor, who’s in line for a coffee. It makes me feel good that people are coming in now that they can see what this place is supposed to be. And the coffee is some of the best I’ve had, which is saying something with my extensive yearly travel schedule. The sandwich is delicious as well.
“Talia and I were good friends every summer when we’dcome down to stay, and I might have thought she was one of the funniest people I’d ever met.”
“She cracks jokes?” I ask. She’s always so serious.
Bobbing his head back and forth, Aiden says, “She has more of a dry humor. You know me though. Easy to please and always ready for a laugh.”
“So have you been on a date or anything?” I ask, trying to get some kind of information.
Aiden frowns. “No, nothing like that. We’ve just been working—well, I’ve just been working—the past few years and haven’t made it down here. It was never anything serious.”
“And you want there to be something more serious,” I say with a grin. “Like, say, a kiss or two?”
