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So, she had her own money—that was a check in the pro column.
“Zach didn’t mind you asking out his rival?”
Steve’s grin only grew. “I waited until the verdict came in. Kind of.”
“Kind of? What does that mean?”
James answered for Steve. “He kissed her at the bar after closing arguments and made a bet with her about the outcome.”
Steve shrugged. “I watched part of the trial, so I knew it was a sure thing. Luckily, she was too proud to admit defeat and took the bet.” He leaned back in the booth with a smug expression. “And the rest, as they say, is history.”
“She sounds great. I can’t wait to meet her someday.”
“That could be arranged if you’d come for the Fourth.”
Aiden shook his head. “I can’t.”
“If you have the girls that weekend, bring them along. I’ve got air mattresses, hammocks, and sleeping bags—we’ll make room.”
“That’s not it. They’re going to Wisconsin to see Susan’s parents.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
The problem was he didn’t want to be around people for that long a period of time, but how did he spin that without sounding like the antisocial prick he really was?
“I’ve just got a lot going on,” was the best he could come up with.
“If you change your mind…” Steven reiterated.
He appreciated his friend not pushing.
“I’ll let you know if I do.”
Chapter Two
Aiden
He pulled up to the address Brianna had sent him and took out his phone.
Aiden: I’m here.
Brianna: Nicole’s mom wants to know if you want to come in while I finish up.
Aiden: What are you finishing up?
Brianna: Nic’s letting me borrow some clothes. Btw, her mom is single, too. Just come in and say hi, Dad. It’s good manners. You want to set a good example, right?
Aiden: No, not really.
Brianna: DAD!
He and Susan had already raised them to be polite. She didn’t need him to model that behavior anymore. Which was probably a good thing, since he wasn’t much of a role model these days.
And what did the woman being single have to do with anything?
“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,”he muttered his favorite line from Hamlet as he shut off the car.
He took his time exiting his Audi A8, and ambled up the walk, the whole time sensing a trap.
