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Chapter 12
As Aria coaxed the old engine to life, she tried to think of a topic of conversation that might keep her and Hunter on peaceful grounds. She shifted into gear and started out of Wildwood Park.
“How’s everything at the Outside Inn?” she asked.
“Sugary and chatty.”
She smiled. “Mrs. Higgins is very social. Her husband Hank used to be that way too, so together they were a force to be reckoned with. They just loved running the inn and having guests over. They also used to host a big town Christmas party every year.”
“I’m guessing hot chocolate was involved.”
“A hot chocolate fountain, in fact.” She shot him an amused look, only to find him watching her with an intent gaze. The last time he’d looked at her like that had been the night of Porkchop’s rescue.
Warmth swirled through her. “So…you’re from New York?”
“No. I just live in Manhattan.” A sudden tension radiated from him, and he looked out the side window. “I was born and raised near Chicago.”
“Does your family still live there?”
“No.”
“Where do they live?”
“I don’t know.”
A strange pressure constricted her heart. “You don’tknowwhere your family lives?”
“That’s correct.”
“But…” How was that possible?
Even when she’d distanced herself from her mother and sisters after her father’s death, she’d always known exactly where they were. She’d sent them her contact information in Denver. Andknowingher family was in Bliss Cove—that home was still a possibility, a destination, a refuge—had been one of the few things that kept Aria’s faint hope alive during months of fear and despair.
“How can you not know?” she asked.
“It’s not important.” Hunter’s broad shoulders moved in a shrug. “I left Chicago years ago anyway.”
Aria stopped at a red light, suppressing the urge to ask more. Did he have any family at all? It was none of her business, even though the idea of him being alone in the world elicited a pang of sorrow.
“How long have you lived in Manhattan?” Pressing the accelerator, she turned toward Dandelion Street.
“Ten years. I moved to the East Coast for college.”
“My sister Callie went to Harvard too.”
“How do you know I went to Harvard?”
Heat flushed her cheeks, though she had nothing to lose by telling him the truth.
“I looked you up. You’re pretty fancy with all your accomplishments and awards.” She shot him a glance. “Not to mention your status as one of New York’sMost Eligible Bachelors Under Thirty-Five.”
He gave a self-deprecating chuckle and shook his head. “The firm likes that kind of thing. Good publicity.”
“They must also like all the photos of you out on the town with various beautiful women.”
He slanted her a glance. “You sound jealous.”
“I have nothing to be jealous of.” Aria shifted, her chest tightening with discomfort. “I wanted to find out more about you so I’d know what I was up against.”
