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I’ll pick you up in five.
Aiden!A grin splits my cheeks at his bossy butt. I’m still in my work clothes.
Be ready when I get there. I don’t like leaving Owen home alone for long.
Dropping my phone, I run to the bedroom and whip off my jeans and long-sleeved shirt in record time. I dash into the small bathroom and switch on the water to take a lightning-fast shower.
In two minutes, I’m out and towel-dried, then I use the smallest amount of the special lotion Cass makes for me on my arms and chest and elbows. It smells like the beach mixed with the gardenia bush in my mother’s backyard, and my eyes close at the heavenly scent.
I will pay her so much money to make more for me.
I just have time to pull on a sundress dotted with light pink flowers and a denim jacket, shove my feet into a pair of white canvas tennis shoes, and pull a brush through my hair, before I hear the sound of his truck through my open windows.
Stopping at the mirror, I slide light pink gloss over my lips and check my face. I managed to keep my eyeliner and mascara somewhat intact through my quick shower. Licking my fingertips, I gently scrub away the black flecks under my eyes.
I pause at the cabinet and give Edward a scoop of dog food. “Back later, Ed.”
Grabbing my phone, I head out the door. I’m halfway down the stairs when I freeze in place, and my breath stutters. Aiden is on the other side of the glass door looking like a fucking male model in faded jeans and a white tee with an unbuttoned plaid shirt on top.
Opening the door, he steps inside and stops when he sees me on the stairs. For a heartbeat, we’re frozen, taking each other in. The familiar heat rises around my neck, and we’re in that place again, alone, with the energy building around us, growing in intensity.
We both speak at the same time.
“Sorry, I wasn’t quite ready,” I start.
“Did I give you enough time?” he asks.
We both exhale a laugh, and for as much time as we’ve spent together these last few days, I don’t know what to say next. My fingers fidget, and I curl them lightly. It feels like he’s picking me up for a date, and I’m sure my cheeks are pink.
Finally, he breaks the spell. “Are you ready? Owen’s waiting for us.”
“Yes!” The mention of Owen helps me remember how to move, and I hurry down the rest of the stairs, meeting him at the door.
He waits for me to reach him. The faint scent of cedar and soap meets my nose, and I glance up, meeting his gray-blue eyes. The grumpy, bossy man who was all in Bull Jones’s face this afternoon appears a bit lost.
“You’re really pretty.” His voice is quiet, and he lifts his hand to touch my sleeve. “I like this dress.”
The air around us thickens, and my breath disappears. I wonder if he’ll kiss me again. His gaze drifts to my lips, and I sway a little closer. I want him to kiss me…
He steps back, holding the door. “Owen.”
One word is all it takes.
“Right.” I force a smile. “Nobody wants a cold burger.”
He follows me out, lightly touching my lower back as he holds the truck door for me. We should get to his house where his son is waiting to have his dinner, where I won’t be alone in my stairwell beside the Star Parlor, where magical things seem to happen—which neither of us believes in anymore.
CHAPTER11
AIDEN
“My friend Ryan’s mom makes this for her work.” Owen is on his knees at the picnic table turning the pages of theEureka Gazette.
Britt’s beside him holding a beer and looking way too pretty for burgers in my backyard. The two of them slowly peruse the thin local paper, as Owen holds Zander and tries to understand this nearly extinct form of mass communication.
“Piper wanted to be a journalist from the time we were in high school.” Britt scans the pages containing mostly public notices, police reports, and a few local articles and photos sprinkled throughout.
Speaking of high school, when I saw her on the stairs tonight, I felt like I was going on my first date all over again. My eyes landed on hers, and she looked so fresh and pretty and she smelled so good, I momentarily lost the ability to form sentences.
