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I’m distracted by this line of thought when Aiden’s eyes find mine again, something in them making me feel as if he had more to say from before Sophie interrupted, like he stillwantsto say it. It makes me even more curious about what it might have been.
“I should get a shower,” he tells us, giving us a smile that doesn’t quite meet his eyes. “Don’t want to be late.”
“Okay,” Sophie mumbles, still looking dejected.
“Thanks for the coffee,” Aiden tells me, his expression still hinting at what remains unspoken.
“It’s black coffee,” I answer, making a face. “I don’t know if you should be thanking me.”
“Right.” His smile is warm, and it makes me feel similarly. “You girls have fun today,” he says, bending to kiss the top of Sophie’s head. “Stay out of trouble.”
I don’t say anything more as I watch him leave the kitchen, and I might be embarrassed by the way I’m watching him, if not for the fact that I catch him peeking back at me one last time before starting to climb the stairs.
I down the rest of my coffee in one go, letting it linger in my mouth as thoughts bounce around my skull. One question stands out more than anything else, though, one I suspect I’ll be wondering about for the rest of the day, if not longer.
Just what had Aiden been about to say?
—
It was a great idea to bring Sophie here. She looks happier than I’ve ever seen her, and I think that maybe Aiden was right when he said she would like to get out of the house. She’s cheered a little since we left, but not entirely, currently busying herself with an elaborate sand castle she’s making with the variety pack of beach toys she had stashed away at the house.
I’m distracted while I watch her, the memory of Aiden’s expression and the soft way he’d said my name weighing on my mind. I might be making what happened earlier seem like more than it is, but the way Aiden has been keeping his distance from me has left me in a constant state of unease, and I’m not even sure why. I’d like to say it’s because I’m worrying about my job... but I’m not sure that’s the whole truth. Deep down, I think I just miss talking to him. It’s probably silly of me to be so preoccupied by it; it’s more likely that he was just going to tell me that we should pretend it never happened, which would most likely be the best course of action.
Even if it is easier said than done.
Sophie’s earlier zeal has died down a bit since we had lunch, but not enough that she’s made any indication that she’s ready to head back yet. She’d probably stay out here all day if I let her.
“Hey, kid,” I call finally, brushing the thoughts of Aiden far away. “I need to put some more sunscreen on you.”
She makes a face. “I’m not burning.”
“You think that, until I get you home later and you look like a lobster.”
“Fine,” she huffs, pushing up from the sand and dusting off her hands before she comes to sit with me on the blanket.
She gives me her back, wrapping her arms around her knees and tucking her chin against them. I grab the bottle of sunscreen from my bag nearby, squirting some into my hands beforestarting on her shoulders that have already started to turn a shade pinker than they should be.
She winces, and I cluck my tongue. “See? We caught it just in time.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she grumbles.
“Are you having fun?”
She shrugs. “Yeah.”
“Wow, way to rain on my parade,” I tease. “You sound like I have you out here pulling weeds.”
“I don’t know...” She sighs. “I wish Dad could have come.”
I pause in what I’m doing, sympathy panging in my chest. There is part of me that still thinks it isn’t my place to pry into their relationship. That I should do my job and earn my paycheck and not worry about anything else—but it’s hard. Especially with the way I’ve grown to care for this spunky kid who might be smarter than I am.
Not to mention the way I’m still thinking about how her feelings might align with mine from another time; a time when I, too, had wanted nothing more than to spend more time with the people whose attention should be a given. I finish applying the sunscreen thoroughly before I wipe the remainder on my towel, alerting her that she’s good to go. She doesn’t immediately move, still staring out at the slow roll of the waves against the shore like she’s lost in thought.
“You can talk to me you know,” I offer tentatively.
She shrugs again. “It’s nothing.”
“Secrets don’t make friends,” I say seriously. “And we’re friends now, right?”
