Thorned Embrace, page 6
She exhales like I’ve lifted a giant weight from her shoulders, but I don’t understand why.
I tilt my head towards her. Needing to know what is going on inside her mind, I ask, “What?”
Shaking her head, she takes a few steps away from me until she’s standing in the middle of the kitchen. She huffs, tossing the letter onto the counter across from us. “Now we have to wait until the morning to check it out. They’re closed already.”
My ears perk at the word we. Realizing my opening, I offer, “What time should I pick you up tomorrow?”
“Does eight thirty work, or do you like to sleep in on Sundays?”
The fact that she’s given any thought to me at all sends a rush of delight through me. I don’t think I’d be able to sleep in, knowing that she’d be awake waiting for me. “Eight thirty is perfect.”
A smile tugs at her lips, and I think she’s about to say something else.
Her eyes shift past me and widen as a small gasp leaves her lips. “Is that what time it is?”
I peek over my shoulder, glancing at the clock. It’s almost nine. I turn back to her, realizing she must be starving as a trickle of hunger nips at my awareness. “Time flies when you’re having fun.”
She smiles, eyes dropping to her lap. My gaze follows hers, and she threads her fingers in front of her. “This was fun.”
When she says nothing else, I stand. A gentleman knows not to overstay his welcome. “I’m glad we are one step closer to figuring the letter out.”
She moves silently to follow me, but I’m aware of her presence at my back. “Thank you for that. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“I don’t doubt for a second that you would have figured it out on your own.” Bending down, I slip my shoes back on.
Peaking back at her, I suppress a grin from spreading across my face. Her gaze is traveling over me appreciatively. She’s checking me out again.
Standing, I don’t say a thing as I open the door and lead the way back down the stairs and into the storefront. When we reach the front door, I turn to face her.
She stops short, closer than I expect her to be. There’s always been a counter separating us in the past, and I can’t deny that I enjoy her proximity.
“Thanks again. Maybe you can come help me plant flowers again sometime?”
Her offer sends a wave of jitters through my stomach. “I’d like that.”
“Really?” Her voice is hopeful, and she stares up at me with wide eyes.
“Really.” I would never admit it, but tonight is the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Spending time with her is like stepping outside on the first day of spring after the snow has melted away.
She stares up at me through her lashes, taking a step closer. I freeze, terrified that any movement will scare her away. One hand raises from her side, and she moves so slowly I don’t know what she’s doing until her hand runs through my hair. A single strand had fallen out of place. I was so occupied with her; I hadn’t even noticed.
She smiles, pulling her hand away. “There.”
She pauses, her small hand tightening into a fist. “Perfect.”
In an instant, I am on fire. The need to kiss this woman burns through me. My will power breaks and I lift my hand to reach for her when vibrating cuts through the silence.
Her hands move to her pocket and she pulls her phone from it, breaking eye contact with me to check the screen. “Sorry, it’s my mom. I was supposed to call her.”
Knowing she has times set up just to talk to her mom tugs at my heart.
“It’s not a problem. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She waves at me and answers the call. “Hey, Mom.”
Turning, I click the lock on the door and pull it open. I wave once before I step out the door and into the darkness.
CHAPTER NINE
I BITE MY lip, trying hard to catch my breath. Tonight did not go the way I thought it would. My thoughts are chaotic, but I fixate on one fact.
Aiden Cole almost kissed me.
I can’t even process that information. Especially not while I’m on the phone with my mom.
“Is everything okay? You were supposed to call me an hour ago.”
A hint of guilt hits me, and I shake myself to pull my thoughts back to the present. I can’t believe I lost track of time and forgot to call her.
I shake my head, even though she can’t see me. “Yeah, everything’s fine. I just got caught up with some stuff.”
“What stuff?” She probes, and I immediately regret saying anything. My mom is like a dog with a bone if she thinks I’m not sharing every detail with her. She lives an hour away, and our nightly phone calls make it feel like we aren’t so far apart.
I run a hand down my face and lock the front door. I can’t tell my mom I just spent the entire evening with a man I spend most nights complaining about. Or that we are going out again tomorrow. Can I?
I shake my head again, knowing she wouldn’t understand. I step around the counter and walk into the back room. As I reach for the light, my eyes land on a suit jacket hanging from the back of a chair.
Shit.
“Hang on a second.” Grabbing the coat, I run for the front door. Maybe I can still catch him. I flip the lock and step out into the chilly night air. I glance at the parking lot, but it’s already empty.
Folding the jacket carefully over one arm, I step back into the shop and lock the door once more. Shrugging, I make my way back inside. I’ll see him in the morning. I can give it back to him then.
A flutter stirs in my stomach and I stop mid step.
No.
I refuse to believe it. There’s no way I’m getting butterflies over seeing Aiden again. Today has been a day full of surprises.
I rush back to my phone. “Sorry, I’m here.”
Her voice comes out in a rush. “I almost called the police. I was so worried.”
Rolling my eyes, a sigh escapes me. She’s always been a drama queen. “Relax, I only set the phone down for a moment.”
“When you didn’t hear me call out for you, I got nervous.”
Laughing, I reply, “I stepped into the shop. I couldn’t hear you.”
There’s a frown in her voice as she replies. “Why are you down in the shop so late? You aren’t working still, are you?”
“No. Of course not.”
She releases a pent up breath, and so do I. My mom thinks I work too hard, but she doesn’t understand how badly I want my business to succeed.
“Good. Then why were you in the shop?”
My head falls back, exasperated, as I head back upstairs to my apartment. Once again, I’ve said too much. I opt for the truth, because I’m a terrible liar. “I saw a client left something behind and I went to grab it.”
It wasn’t the full truth, but it was close enough.
“Working late, just like I thought.” I can feel her gloating from here.
“Mom.” I groan. Why can’t she ever let anything go without a fight?
“Lilly Marie, I’m just looking out for you.” I know she just threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. “If I don’t, who will? You?”
I laugh as I remove my shoes and close the apartment door behind me. “You worry too much. I’m fine.”
“You can’t run yourself into the ground forever.”
I chew on my lip. She’s not wrong. “I know.”
She doesn’t continue to lecture me, so I add. “After this event, everything will be different. I just know it.”
“I hope so. For your sake.”
My eyes fix on Aiden’s jacket. Curiosity buzzes in my fingers, and I run them across the fabric. It’s unbelievably soft. I know it must have cost an arm and a leg. I place Aiden’s jacket on the back on the couch, careful not to wrinkle it.
I tear my eyes away and step into my bedroom. “So, how was your day?”
She talks for a few minutes, mentioning her boyfriend Thomas briefly, before moving on to talk about her dog, Sophie.
“Enough about me. How was your day?”
“It was great. I’ve been working on designs for some clients.”
“Who are the clients?”
There’s a clatter in the background. “Are you doing the dishes?”
“Of course I am. No time to waste.”
I roll my eyes. At least I come by this trait of being unable to be idle naturally. “Are you using the wireless earbuds I got you for Christmas?”
She huffs, but it doesn’t lessen how proud I am of her. “Look at you stepping into the future.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She dismisses my comments. “Don’t avoid the question.”
I sigh and pull my hair out of its bun before throwing myself onto the bed. “It’s Abby Stephens and Spencer Grant.”
She sharply inhales and a dish clatters in the sink. “What kind of event is it?”
I deliberately left out that the event I’m working on is a wedding, because she is the biggest gossip I know.
She’s trying to read between the lines, but I’m a vault. She won’t get this news from me. “Just a party for their friends and family. I think her parents have an anniversary coming up.”
“Hmm.”
There’s skepticism in her voice, so I continue. “It’s kind of unreal to be working on such a big event with Aiden.”
I bite the inside of my lip. My mom doesn’t miss a beat. “Aiden Cole?”
“Yeah Mom, who else would bring in that big of a client?”
She huffs and shuts the water off. “I don’t see why you work with that insufferable man.”
I shake my head, glancing around my room for help, but find none. “He’s my biggest client. Plus, He’s really not that bad.”
“Not that bad? Is that why you’ve spent the last several years complaining about his never ending list of demands?”
I shift nervously, trying to get comfortable. I have said all those things, haven’t I? “I’m not sure I would still be in business without him.”
The words hit me like a ton of bricks. I’ve never said them out loud, but I’ve known it for a long time. Aiden Cole saved my business, and he probably doesn’t even realize it.
Guilt rears its ugly head. What have I ever done to show him how much I appreciate his repeat business? Be rude and snarky? Argue about everything?
In that moment, I know it’s time for a change. Maybe all this time Aiden wasn’t the jerk, maybe I was.
“Don’t say that, Dear. I’m sure it’s not true.”
A man says something in the background before she speaks again. “Thomas says hi.”
“Hi, Thomas.” I stare up at the ceiling. Thomas may have moved my mother an hour away to be closer to his job, but he makes her happy and treats her right, so I can’t complain. He’s also kind of awesome in his own weird way.
“Lilly says hi.” She pauses, then adds, “so what did Abby leave behind?”
“What?” My brows wrinkle in confusion.
“You said a client left something behind.”
This woman. I blink in disbelief. The dog has found the bone. “I never said the client was Abby.”
“Then who was it?”
She has me backed into a corner and she knows it. A sigh leaves my lips and I throw caution to the wind. What’s the worst that can happen? “Aiden.”
“Aiden Cole?”
“Yes, Mom. How many Aidens do you think there are in Aspen?”
My question is rhetorical, and she knows it.
“It’s a little late for business hours, isn’t it?” Irritation and suspicion weave through her words.
Chewing on my cheek, I search for the right answer. Anything that will appease her. “It wasn’t all work.”
Instantly, I know I’ve said the wrong thing. “Is he trying to woo you now to get cheaper prices out of you?”
Of course, she would assume the worst. I should have eased her into the idea of a friendship with Aiden.
Or whatever this thing is that’s forming between us.
I don’t allow those thoughts to continue. Now isn’t the time.
“He isn’t trying to woo me.” At least I don’t think he is. My stomach flips uncomfortably again, and I try not to read into what that means. “Also, who says woo anymore?”
She ignores my attempt at a distraction. “A man like that is only after one thing.”
I think I know what she’s about to say, but she surprises me. “A better deal for his clients.”
I can’t hold back the subsequent laughter that follows. Tears blur the edges of my vision. “He isn’t trying to manipulate me into giving him better prices.”
I hesitate, thinking about him rolling up his sleeves and helping me plant flowers. “He actually offered to help me with some chores around the shop.”
She’s silent for a moment as my words sink in. “Really?”
She says it like she can’t believe it, and honestly neither can I. If anyone had said to me this morning that Aiden would help me do anything around the shop or make me feel anything resembling butterflies, I probably would have laughed in their face. “Yeah really. You should have seen it. He was wearing a suit and everything.”
There’s a smile in my voice, so I know it’s time to change the subject.
“Wanna hear about my design ideas for the event?”
Whatever she was about to say falls away forgotten. No one loves my designs like my mom does. “Of course I do!”
We talk for another twenty minutes and she never mentions Aiden again. Much to my relief. He’s been on my mind more than I care to admit, and I don’t need to explain something to her that I don’t quite understand yet myself.
She yawns and I know that’s my cue. “Hey it’s getting late. I’d better let you go.”
“Try to get some rest. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you.”
My smile turns into a yawn of my own. “I love you too. Talk to you then.”
I end the call and toss my phone onto the bed beside me. I know I need to get up and shower, but for just a moment, I lay there. Letting the events from the last couple of days float through my mind.
My eyes close and I’m tempted to just pull the covers over me when my phone vibrates. I open one eye, rolling onto my side to grab it.
Who would text me so late?
Aiden’s number pops up on my phone. He’s never texted me before, not once. I don’t even know why I have his number saved in my phone. But a smile forms on my lips that my number is in his phone too.
*Check your door.*
Excitement rushes through me. My heart thumps erratically in my chest. Jumping to my feet, I run through my apartment, skipping the shoes and several steps on the way down. I skid to a stop in front of the door and pull it open.
My head swivels, panning across the parking lot, but he’s not here. Disappointment settles heavy in my chest. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but an Aiden-less doorway wasn’t one of them.
I’m about to close the door, but a brown sack catches my attention out of the corner of my eye. Leaning down, I pick it up and take it inside.
I click the lock before running back upstairs.
I flip on the kitchen light and set the sack on the counter. A faint smell tickles my nose, and I open the bag just as my stomach grumbles. Two small cardboard boxes sit at the bottom of the bag. I pull the first one out and the scent of sweet and sour chicken makes my mouth water. Then I pull out the second tub, finding a serving of rice. I check the side of the container and it’s from my favorite hole in the wall restaurant.
How did he know?
I shake my head, a smile spreading across my face. This man. This man.
I have to know.
Reaching for my phone, I type out a quick message.
His reply dings my phone less than a minute later.
A laugh bursts from my lungs, a hand moving to my mouth in shock. What is this man doing to me?
I feel like a giddy teenager over a simple text message. I force myself to put my phone down.
Don’t text him back.
The image of him sitting alone in bed waiting for a response spins in my mind. My heart sinks. I can’t just leave him on read, even I’m not that cruel. And I already decided I was going to be less of a jerk to him.
I stare at my phone on the counter for several long moments before picking it up. Unable to resist the urge to text him back any longer.
His reply is instant.
Running a hand down my face, I blow out a hard exhale. I want to text back, but I don’t want him to think I’m just texting him to talk to him.
The perfect excuse comes to mind.
I stare at my phone, eagerly awaiting his response.
Grabbing my food, I move to the coffee table and settle myself in front of it. I take a bite and moan with pleasure. There’s a reason this is my favorite. Setting down my fork, I type out another quick message.
I choke on a mouthful of rice, staring at my phone with wide eyes. Did Aiden Cole just ask me on a date?
Another text immediately follows the first.
I sigh a breath of relief, but a hint of disappointment lingers. I try hard not to think about why that is. This is Aiden Cole, after all. I wouldn’t even want to go on a date with him. Would I?
Searching for a distraction, I reach for the remote and click the TV on. I don’t even notice what’s on when my phone dings with a notification again.
My heart flutters in my chest. I didn’t want the conversation to end, but it was late.
Nervous anxiety runs through me at the prospect of what tomorrow will bring.
Setting my phone down, I turn my attention back to the TV as much as I can. My thoughts keep flickering back to the last few weeks.
I feel like I’m seeing a whole new side of Aiden, and I don’t exactly dislike who I see.
CHAPTER TEN
MY FEET SHUFFLE along the carpeted floors of my bedroom as I pace back and forth. I don’t even know why I’m nervous. It’s not like this is a date.
