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Polly pulled a face. “O-kaaay, won’t waste my money buying his book, then.”
“You are so shallow.” Alice rolled her eyes.
“Justgo. Stake your claim and leave me to my own mischief.” Polly gave Alice a little nudge in the small of her back.
The Wells family were leaving. Carts’ eyes searched her out across the milling crowd with a questioning smile that made his lean face almost handsome. Alice sighed. If only she could fall in love with someone like Carts—a solid, dependable, respectful guy. As she neared them, she saw Aaron throw back his head and laugh at something Archie said. It showcased the play of muscles in his neck.
Solid, dependable and respectful flew out the window.
As she drew to a halt just shy of Aaron’s elbow, his scent tickled her nostrils, the warmth of his body soaking into her like sunshine. She sensed him glance down at her but she kept her gaze pinned sweetly on the Bendts.
“Well, I guess Alice and I should get going—we’ve promised to meet some friends for lunch.”
They had? Alice felt her head bobbing on her shoulders like those nodding dogs people used to put on the dash of their cars. The next moment she froze as Aaron’s hand circled her waist. His fingertips felt like they were burning a hole in the silk of her blouse, right through to her skin. “Hon, we mustn’t be late for Jason and Sash. They’ve reserved a table at Seashells.” He made an apologetic face at Archie and Miranda. “Birthday gig.”
Who the heck were Jason and Sash?
“No problem,” Archie said. “See you at the office on Monday, Aaron. I’ve allotted a time for us to meet and go over cases. 7 a.m. sharp. I’ll make sure my P.A. puts on croissants and coffee.”
“Perfect. Can’t wait to get started.” And with a charming farewell to Miranda, Aaron was propelling Alice towards the door.
“Shouldn’t you say goodbye to Oliver?” she queried when they were out in the foyer.
“Nope.”
“How about your Dad and Andrea?”
“Nope.”
“That’s a bit churlish.”
“They won’t even notice. They’re too busy basking in Oliver’s reflected glory. Come on.”
Aaron’s hip jostled hers as they walked. In fact, wherever there was a contact point it felt like a zap of lightning had hit. His hand on her waist, the light pressure of his arm around her back, the nudge of his armpit against her shoulder. It made her want to melt into him and rip her body away all at once.
Outside, she catapulted out from under his arm.
Aaron looked at her, perplexed. “That bad?”
“What?”
“Do I smell?”
Yes, delicious.“No. Why do you say that?”
“I drank too much last night. I cleaned my teeth but…” He fumbled in his pocket and got out a packet of tic-tacs. “Want one?”
Alice shook her head.
He shovelled a handful of mints into his mouth.
“Al?”
“Yes?”
“I’m not feeling the best right now.”
“How much did you drink?”
