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Which is good because I can put in the hours at work that I need to without being tied down to a woman.
“I don’t think you believe me,” I say.
“What? That you no longer have women coming out of your ears?” The tilt of Aria’s brow as she concentrates on her computer screen tells me she’s almost ready to drop this conversation.
“Yeah.”
She shakes her head. “It’s none of my business.”
I shift in my stance. Talking about this isn’t fun, but it needs to happen at some point, and because I’ll be spending more time with Aria, I’m running with it now. “But you made it your business with Elisha.”
“Who?”
My mouth clamps down hard before I open it again. “You remember the redhead? The one who has perfect aim with water bottle guns?”
Aria brings her fist up to her forehead, grinning. “That was so funny. You had it coming to you.”
“I did. I deserved it and the breakup that happened that night as well.”
“Oh. Sorry.” A look of remorse coasts over her eyes before a smile dances at the corners of her mouth.
“You’re not sorry,” I counter.
She breathes half a laugh. “I’m not. Well, only because she deserved to know the truth.”
“She did. She didn’t deserve to be treated like that by me. I was a jerk. To her,” I pause, “and to you.”
She’s not picking up what I’m laying down, that I really do feel bad about the way I was back then. “And to the leggy blonde at the wedding?” she asks.
“Yes, her, too. And I want you to know that the woman at the wedding, Gelsey? We’ve only ever been friends and she engages in PDA with everyone. Her aunt, slobbery kisses from her mini schnauzer, everyone.”
“Okay. Makes sense,” she says.
I can’t read her right now, but I don’t know if she believes me. And I hate that she can’t trust me yet.
“Also, I wasn’t trying to make you uncomfortable by bringing Elisha into the shop so soon after the first woman I brought in. I honestly thought it was Grammy’s turn to work for Camilla that day, not you.”
“So, you were hoping I didn’t know you were dating her, so you could hit on me later?”
“No. That wasn’t it.”
Aria doesn’t say anything, just quirks a small smile and hands me the plate. I thank her and go sit down.
I take a couple of bites and sigh again, this one barely suppressed. She’s sitting on a barstool at the counter, concentrating on her laptop screen.
I can’t hold it in any longer. “This cheesecake is incredible.”
She nods and gives a polite smile, then returns to her computer.
I take another bite, unable to suppress another groan. “Seriously. It’s the best I’ve ever had.”
Her gaze sweeps over me with such intensity, I’m reminded of the photo shoot. My stomach does a flip-flop, exactly like it did when I saw the photo of us on the billboard. Exactly like it did when she was in my arms in that corseted dress.
“You know how we have to do that dinner for the committee and VIPs the week before the festival starts?” I say around a bite. I point at the cheesecake with my fork. “We should serve this. Camilla’s a baking god.”
Now a wide smile from Aria. “We need to figure out the main dish first, though. Maybe cheesecake won’t even go with what we decide. Oh, and I got the budget information from them, the amount we can spend. Did you get that?”
“Yes. And I say we decide on something that goes with cheesecake, not the other way around.”
