Aidan (11 page)

My mother leans forward in her seat and drops her voice to a whisper for some strange reason. “Liza quit. She handed in her notice during a meeting. She called Lee a blind fool and said she wasn’t going to waste her whole life waiting on him. Apparently, he’s been frantic to get her back, but she’s not taking his calls. She’s also not staying at home because he’s been going by there trying to see her.”

I know my eyes are huge as I say, “Wow. I can’t believe Liza quit. She loves working at Falco. And what is Uncle Lee doing without her? She handled everything for him. I bet he’s chasing his ass all day long now.” When I see my father’s scowl, I realize I’ve let another curse word out. It’s hard to believe a man raised on the streets is so particular about that. “Sorry, Dad,” I toss in, and he winks.

“It’s been tough on Lee,” my father admits. “We’ve already gone through a string of temps, but he keeps finding fault with them. The office is a mess right now. No one stays long enough to get anything done. I’ve been spending my day answering the phones, if you can believe it.” He gives me a hopeful look. “Maybe you can take over for a while until we figure something out. At least Lee isn’t likely to fire you.”

“Of course, I will,” I readily agree. “Although don’t expect a miracle. I have no idea how Liza managed to run everything so seamlessly. I can answer the phones while I attempt to figure it out. In the meantime, he needs to step up his efforts to find her and grovel. He must have been a jerk for her to quit.”

“He claims he doesn’t know what caused it,” my dad says, not sounding convinced.

“Oh, he knows all right,” my mom murmurs. “Liza has been in love with that man for years. You’d have to be blind not to see it. She’s basically been the woman in his life, with none of the perks that come along with it.” Turning to Dad, she says, “Remember how excited she was when he asked her to accompany him to that charity ball last year? They made such a striking couple. I know she hoped it would be a turning point in their relationship, but nothing ever came of it. I just don’t understand your brother at all,” she finishes with a disgusted shake of her head.

We talk for a few more minutes before I go upstairs to unpack. My suitcases are still sitting where I left them in my bedroom. I really need to get my own place now. I hear my phone chime in my purse, and I pull it out to find a text from Aidan.

It’s ridiculous how mushy a flipping text can make me feel. I’m supposed to be putting distance between us, not gushing like a teenager would over a text from her first boyfriend.
But that’s what this feels like. New. Exciting.
I should say that I’m staying home tonight and make some excuse not to see him. Instead, my fingers fly across the screen.

I just manage to stop myself from adding a smiley emoticon. I’m so screwed. Would it be so bad, though? Does he really need to know my entire medical record to go out with me? Isn’t the STD talk the extent of what you share with someone? It’s not as if we’re getting married tomorrow or anything that serious. We’re simply spending time together, both in and out of bed. Perhaps I’ve been making this more complicated than it needs to be. After all, we may decide we can’t stand each other, and that will be that. No need to start blurting out stuff that doesn’t concern him. For the first time since my cancer diagnosis, I’m going to live in the moment and not worry about tomorrow. Don’t I deserve some measure of normalcy? I feel a wave of relief at my decision, along with a nagging sense of something akin to guilt that I’m somehow deceiving the man I’ve come to care about, but I push it aside. It’s just casual, right?

“Tell me why we keep coming here?” I wince as I see Misty waving from behind the bar. “I barely made it out of here with my clothes on the last time.”

Max Decker, Lucian’s attorney and our friend, laughs. “No kidding. She scares the hell out of me. I told her I was engaged, and she offered to have a threesome. Said to bring Rose in, she’d love to get to know her better.” Raising a brow, he adds, “I don’t think she has any idea who she’s dealing with there. I doubt Rose has left home without carrying a gun since she was five years old.”

Lucian shrugs his shoulders as he returns Misty’s wave. “Yeah, she offered the same thing to me. Lia’s actually met her once, and she thought it was hysterical. She said something like, ‘good luck with that,’ and chowed down on her cheeseburger.”

“She’s been working with Rose every day for months now, so that’s bound to wear off on her soon,” Max points out.

“It’s damn sure enough to make you keep your dick in your pants, isn’t it?” I smirk. I’ve no doubt Rose could kick all of our asses if she wanted to.

Misty arrives at our table carrying a tray of beer and our usual burgers. Her tiny shirt is struggling to contain her huge tits, and I swear when she moves I think I see a nipple. And those shorts. How in the hell does she even sit down in them? They’re so tight she must have to lie on the bed to zip them up. She’s rocking the big hair tonight and could easily pass for an ’80s rock slut. I’ve barely processed these thoughts when our tray is on the table and she’s sitting on my lap. “Aidan. Holy shit, you’re back. Sugar, I’ve just missed you so much!” Before I can protest, her mouth is on mine. My hands are flailing as I attempt to move away from her. For such a tiny thing, she’s surprisingly strong. Her arms around my neck are like fucking zip ties.

“Mis—ty, stop,” I choke out as I desperately try to avoid her tongue. Good Lord, the woman is mouth raping me right here, and my two idiot friends are doing nothing but laughing their asses off. I get to my feet thinking I’ll shake her off my lap, but I can’t believe that she manages to hold on. “Let—go,” I wheeze out and finally see Luc stagger to his feet to help me out. He’s laughing so fucking hard it takes him precious moments to regroup, but finally, he’s prying her hands from around me.

“Misty, hon, let’s give Aidan a chance to breathe. I’m sure he really appreciates your . . . warm welcome, but he’s going through a shy phase. You might be overwhelming him a bit.”

“Yeah, he’s found Jesus lately and is doing the whole chastity vow,” Max adds. “In another few months, he’ll be a born-again virgin so don’t derail that process.”

That seems to get Misty’s attention. She moves away from me as if she’s just been told I have a scorching case of crabs. I swear she stares at my crotch for all of two minutes before shaking her head. “That explains so much, sugar.” In a whisper that is more like a shout, she says, “I thought maybe something was wrong with your equipment. I’ve hugged you several times, and you’ve never been . . . excited.” She stands up straight and thrusts her huge tits in the air. “And believe you me that never happens. Why didn’t you just tell me that you were a virgin?” Fuck, every nearby table is riveted by this conversation. I might as well toss my man card on the floor and set the bastard on fire.

“I’m not,” I hiss, but she cuts me off before I can finish defending myself.

She pats my arm as if I’m some damn poodle. “I think it’s sweet, really I do. But I like my men with a little more experience. I’m not up to training someone green behind the ears. Now if you get yourself a woman and get that cherry popped, let me know. Then maybe I can work with that.”

Luc shakes his head as if to tell me to take what she’s giving me and keep my mouth shut. What choice do I have? If I say Max is lying, she’ll be all over me again. In this bar, the lesser of evils is for Misty to believe that my cock has never seen the light of day before, much less a pussy. So I lower my head and do my best to look embarrassed. Actually, it’s not that hard considering the amount of people who now think I’ve never fucked a woman. “Thanks for understanding,” I mumble. My two dickhead friends look as if they’ll fall on the floor in a fit of laughter at any moment, but Misty thankfully appears blissfully unaware.

She unloads her tray finally then gives one last shake of her head. I hear her say, “What a waste,” under her breath as she walks away.

When she’s out of earshot, I cross my arms and glare at Max. “A virgin, really? Where in the hell did that come from?”

He puts a hand over his mouth, smothering a grin. “Hey man, I panicked, and it’s all I could come up with. It didn’t exactly look like you were in the position to be picky with her sucking your tonsils out of your throat.”

“I thought it was pretty good,” Luc chokes out. “Did you see how fast she got away from you? I would have thought to someone like Misty that would have been as good as a green light. I’m amazed that she was that . . . repulsed.”

“So this is what being a loser feels like,” I say as I look around the bar. “I bet I couldn’t pick up a single woman in this bar tonight even if I begged.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Luc inclines his beer bottle toward a table in the back. “Those cougars look mighty interested in bringing you into manhood. If I were you, I wouldn’t walk that way. If you’ve got to take a piss, do it out front.”

“Shit.” I laugh, finally seeing the humor in what has just occurred. “I told you we need to stop coming to this place. Next time we have a guys’ night, we’re sticking to somewhere like Hooters. Those girls are professionals. They give you a pretty smile, shake their ass, and wait for the big tip. I’ve never been mauled by anyone from there.”

Max takes a bite of his burger and then wipes his mouth before saying, “You should have just told us you were saving yourself for Kara Jacks. I thought we were all friends, but neither Luc nor I knew that you were . . . involved with her.”

My good mood falters as I think of Kara’s arms around me at my mother’s funeral. I’d spent the day with my father, but as if by mutual agreement, we hadn’t discussed my mom. Neither of us was ready for that. Instead, we’d worked in the yard, and then had lunch together at a local steakhouse. I had made sure the hospice care removed all the medical equipment and had a cleaning company clean the house from end to end while we were at the funeral. My father didn’t need to be faced with that. As if sensing where my thoughts have gone, Luc claps a hand on my shoulder and squeezes. I actually want to hug him when he cracks a joke to lighten the mood. “You know if Kara hadn’t dyed her hair, I would find it pretty damn weird that you’re seeing my wife’s twin. Hell, it’s still strange.” He thumps his fist lightly against my arm before adding, “I remember you hitting on Lia before we got married.”

Both Max and I chuckle at his wry expression. I hold my hands up to protest my innocence. “I’ll admit it’s a little strange, and even Kara commented on it when we met in Charleston. But you gotta admit, they don’t really resemble each other much anymore.”

Luc looks skeptical. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt on this one because I don’t want to dwell on the alternative. So how exactly did you two meet and surpass the acquaintances stage?”

I shake my head.
Women in no way have the market cornered on gossip
. Men are every bit as nosy. “She was staying in Lee’s house in Charleston, and I was just down the beach. We met in a bar one night and kind of hit it off. We hung out for a few weeks until I left.”

“Sounds neat and tidy,” Max interjects.

I know he wants to say more but doesn’t want to keep referencing my mother’s funeral, and I certainly don’t want that either, so I find myself volunteering additional information. “We had dinner together every night after that. We either cooked or dined at one of the local places. I enjoyed spending time with her; she made me laugh.”

“You really like—like her, don’t you?” Luc asks in surprise.

God, is this grade school?
“Yeah, I guess I do. I didn’t know if I’d see her again when I left. She seemed to want things to end at that point, but then she was there yesterday . . . and I don’t know. We’ve decided to see where things go.”

Max’s jaw drops as he says, “You’re saying you’re going to date her? Like a relationship and the whole bit?”

I pick up one of the stale pretzels from the bowl in the middle of the table and toss it at him.
Surely, Max hasn’t thought I’ve been celibate all these years while pining for Cassie? Would he really have no clue what I was up to during the first twelve months I was away?
So
not a virgin.
“Man, that’s just insulting that you’re so amazed. You do know I’m not actually the virgin you told Misty I was, right? I’ve entertained quite a few women through the years.”

“Hookers don’t count,” Luc jokes.

“Fuck you,” I deadpan. “Escorts aren’t hookers, at least in Asheville. Hell, you should know that. I believe you met your lovely wife through one of those very services, didn’t you?”

Luc grits his teeth. “Touché,” he grumbles.

I enjoy the direct hit I’ve scored for a moment, before admitting, “I promised my mother I wouldn’t close myself off to finding someone. She was convinced that Cassie wasn’t ‘the one’ and she wanted me to keep an open mind. So when Kara reappeared and the attraction was still there, I decided to give it a go. I’ve come to care about her, and I want her in my life.”