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“No. I was just going for a walk.”
Gareth had also changed out of the clothes he’d been wearing at church. His jeans and thick jacket looked much more appropriate for the chilly day than what she had on.
“Do you want a tour of the town?” Gareth asked with a smile. “I could give you one. It won’t take too long.”
“Uh…” The thought of being in the warmth of his car was definitely appealing. “Sure.”
“C’mon.” He nodded his head toward an SUV that was parked at the curb a little way in front of her.
She followed him and slid into the front seat when he opened the door for her. Warmth surrounded her, and she realized that he must have heated seats. The scent of a light masculine cologne lingered in the air. She recognized sandalwood as part of the cologne because it was a scent she really loved.
As Gareth settled behind the wheel, he picked up a pair of gloves from the console between them. “Here. Put these on until your hands warm up.”
The gloves were large on her, but they were lined and felt wonderful on her cold fingers. “Thank you.”
“I don’t want to lecture you, but you really do need to make sure you’re dressed warmly enough before you go walking outside.”
“I know.” Aria sighed as she hugged herself. “I wasn’t thinking. I just needed some fresh air.”
Gareth guided the SUV away from the curb. “Is everything okay? We missed you at lunch.”
The care in his voice touched her. “I… Well, I’m more of an introvert, and I just needed a little time to myself.”
“That’s understandable. As long as that’s all it is.”
“Yeah. I’m fine.” That wasn’t entirely the truth, but Aria had a feeling that if she tried to give voice to everything she was feeling, she’d end up crying again. “Thanks for rescuing me when I didn’t even know I needed it.”
Gareth chuckled. “You’re welcome.”
“Am I keeping you from something?”
“Nope. I was heading home.” He came to a stop at a stop sign and seemed to debate which way to go before turning left. “Let’s start our tour on Main Street.”
She’d seen bits of the town while driving around with Janessa, but Gareth was definitely giving her a more thorough tour.
“We’ve got lots of little shops in the town,” he said. “But if you want to visit them, check their hours. The bigger stores keep the usual hours, but the smaller shops aren’t open all the days and times the bigger ones are.”
He drove down the street slowly, giving her time to appreciate the quaint look of the shops and restaurants. As he pointed out certain places, he filled her in on who owned them. He lifted his hand in greeting to people a couple of times, telling Aria who they were. She knew she’d never remember all the names that had been tossed her way over the past few days, but she supposed she had to start somewhere.
Aria found that she was enjoying her time with Gareth as much as she was enjoying the tour of the town. That wasn’t a good thing, but she couldn’t be bothered to care right then.
Gareth likely saw her as his little sister’s friend and his newest employee, so as long as she kept her feelings to herself, she didn’t think it would hurt to acknowledge the little crush she was developing on him.
Actually, Aria was relieved to realize that even after Tim had shattered her heart, it was still capable of feeling something, even if was just a crush. She wasn’t sure if she could trust anyone with her heart just yet, however, so a crush was safe as long as it didn’t grow into something more.
Or if it did, she couldn’t let anyone know about it.
CHAPTER NINE
Gareth wasn’t sure what to make of Aria. When he’d spotted her walking down the sidewalk, she had seemed… lost. But not lost as in lost in a new town. She’d been walking with her shoulders hunched and head bent. Her reaction when he approached her made it pretty clear that she’d been lost in thought, not taking in the sights Serenity had to offer.
When Janessa had showed up without her after church, Gareth had just assumed that she’d wanted a break from everything. He understood that. Even though he’d grown up in the town with his large family, there were times when he was over it and needed a break, too.
“So, did you know everyone in your high school?” Aria asked. “Like were the same kids there for every year?”
“There were a bunch of kids who were with me from kindergarten right through until graduation. But there were also plenty of kids who were only around for a few grades.” He glanced over at her, noting how she had her gloved hands clenched in her lap. “What about you?”
“We moved around a lot, so I didn’t graduate with people who I’d known for years.”
