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“Do you want a banana?” Aria held one out to him.
“Yep. Thank you.” He smiled. “I’m going to take it all.”
Aria’s brows lifted slightly. “Ice cream fan?”
“Gareth loves ice cream,” Kayleigh said. “When we were kids, he used to bribe us for our ice cream when we’d have it for a treat.”
“What sort of things would you bribe them with?” Aria asked.
“It depended on who I was talking to.” Gareth put two scoops of ice cream in his bowl. “Most of the time it was doing their chores. I washed lots of dishes and took out a ton of garbage when I was a kid.”
“Was it worth it?”
Gareth winked at Aria. “When it comes to ice cream, it’s always worth it.”
Aria’s cheeks pinked slightly as she gave him a shy smile. “I’m more of a brownie or cookie person myself.”
“Which is why we have brownies here too,” Janessa said as she slid a container toward Aria.
Gareth noticed that Aria didn’t pile ice cream on her brownie, so it was clear she wasn’t perfect. However, he could deal with that particular flaw.
When they went downstairs to watch the movie, Aria settled onto the large, overstuffed loveseat, and after a moment’s hesitation, Gareth approached her.
“Do you mind if I set here?” he asked, wanting to give her the chance to say no.
Without hesitation, she smiled up at him and said, “Nope. Not at all.”
That was good enough for him.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Aria wasn’t sure what to make of Gareth’s request to sit beside her. There were plenty of other seats in the large rec room. The space held a couch, a couple of love seats and two armchairs. Layla had a special chair that was decorated with the figure of her favorite princess. It was front and center, facing the television where the movie she’d chosen was playing.
Janessa was in one armchair, sitting with her legs drawn up and her heels on the edge of the cushion. Her bowl of ice cream balanced on her knees. Kayleigh and Charli sat on opposite ends of the couch.
“How are you finding the clinic?” Gareth asked, then pointed at her with his spoon. “Be totally honest.”
“I think it’s really going well,” she said. “I’m feeling more comfortable with the appointment software. I’m placing a stock order this week, so we’ll see how I manage that.”
“Just remember that if Jay gives you a hassle over anything, it’s not personal. And if you need someone to battle him for you, go to Janessa. Or, alternatively, you could come to me. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to wrangle over the budget with him.”
Aria didn’t want to have to butt heads with Jay, but she really didn’t think there should be much to debate over ordering stock. After all, she wasn’t trying to order a new x-ray machine or anything. Since she’d started working there, she’d become familiar with what supplies the clinic was using. She would order based on what they needed and hope that Jay understood.
Because Jay spent most of his day in his office, Aria hadn’t interacted much with him at work. From what Janessa had explained, Jay handled all the billing and administrative stuff. She also hadn’t socialized with Jay since he hadn’t come to the house like Gareth and Kayleigh had. Getting to know him would come in time, she was sure, but she didn’t feel the intense desire to know more about him like she did with Gareth.
Aria had no idea what his actions meant. Was he just being friendly because she was a new employee and a friend of Janessa’s? That would make the most sense, because Aria wasn’t sure she could believe that Gareth would have any interest in her beyond either of those reasons.
Though she might have wished differently, Aria would assume that Gareth’s overtures were for friendship, and she’d respond in kind. She still wasn’t sure she was ready for another relationship, regardless, but it was nice to know that she could feel something for a man.
After she finished her ice cream, Aria glanced over to see Gareth had finished his, too. He’d had twice as much as she’d had, making it clear just how much he really liked the treat.
“Let me take that upstairs for you,” Aria said, holding out her hand for his bowl.
After a moment, he handed it over to her. “I’ll come up with you. I need to get a drink.”
Aria collected empty bowls from the others while Gareth took orders for drinks from the others. Together, they climbed the stairs and went into the kitchen. While Aria rinsed the bowls and put them in the dishwasher, Gareth pulled glasses down from the cupboard and started to fill them.
“Do you enjoy living here with Janessa and Charli?” Gareth asked as he set a full glass on the counter.
