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I left the question hanging. No way was I going to answer that. “What did you mean before, about what happened yesterday?”
He frowned. “You were at the scene of a fatal accident.”
My fists tightened reflexively. “How do you know that?”
He cocked his head. “You haven’t seen?”
“Seen what?”
He took his phone from his pocket and swiped the screen a few times, then passed it over. The browser was open to an online celebrity magazine that showed a photograph of me comforting the woman from the traffic accident yesterday while the paramedics performed CPR on her companion. It must be the photo the paparazzo from the accident scene had taken. I scanned the text. Fortunately, there was nothing concrete, although it included plenty of speculations about why I might have been there, such as research for a film and reconnecting with an old friend—a theory the article’s author considered to be supported by the earlier photograph of Liam and me outside the fire station.
My heart sank. Why couldn’t they leave me alone?
“I didn’t realize,” I said dully.
“Hey.” He touched my hand as he took the phone back. “Seriously, you okay? That would be a hard thing for anyone to see, and to have had the paps there like vultures is sickening.”
I flinched away from him, feeling a pang of guilt at the hurt that crossed his face. He was only trying to be nice. “I’ll be fine.”
He gave me a searching look, then nodded. “You know where to find me if you ever want to talk.”
“Yeah.” I tried to think of something to say, but my mind was blank.
“I’m heading up to the falls soon,” he said.
I pressed my lips together. “They’re lovely. It’s a really beautiful spot.”
“You’ve been there?” He sounded surprised.
“Just once.”
Eden passed us our coffees, and I thanked her and headed for the exit. Aiden walked alongside, falling into step with me as we left the building. The discomfort in my gut grew. Did he intend to follow me all the way to the fire station?
“If you want to get your mind off what happened yesterday, you should come with me,” he suggested. “I’d love to have company.”
“Uh.” I thought fast. While I hadn’t consciously made the decision to wait, it didn’t feel right going back to the falls until I’d cleared up the past with Liam. “Thanks for the offer, but I have things I need to do.”
Things I need to do? Jeez, could I be any more vague?
I turned a corner and the fire station came into view. Relief flowed through me, followed quickly by dread as Aiden rounded the corner too.
“I can wait,” he said easily. “I’ve got the day off today. My friends hit the clubs in Queenstown a little harder than I did, and they need to rest.”
This guy really couldn’t take a hint. Was he just that bad at reading body language, or did he not care that I didn’t want to spend time with him?
I picked up the pace, eager to get inside the fire station. “Thanks for the offer, but I really will be busy all day.”
The twin garage doors were open, the ambulance and fire engine visible. A pair of men stood near the station, talking. Liam and Zane.
Liam glanced up and caught my eye, then his gaze settled onto the man beside me and narrowed.
“Hi, Liam,” I called. “I brought you coffee.”
Scowling, he folded his arms over his chest and sauntered toward us. “Morning, Kennedy.” He tipped his head to me, then glared at Aiden. “Who’s this?”
Aiden stuck out his hand. “Aiden Waldron. I’m a friend of Kennedy’s. We ran into each other at the coffee shop.”
I widened my eyes in a silent attempt to convey to Liam that he was not, in fact, my friend. He must have sensed my distress because he put a hand on my shoulder. The warmth of his touch soaked through me, feeling like a sip of water after days in the desert.
