“Yeah, well I’ll leave you to it. Try not to work too hard.” Breck shot him a smile. “And if you finish working before dinner time, drop over. I’ll be heating up the grill around seven.”
“I might do that.” Anything to avoid his empty house.
As Breck clattered his way down the metal steps leading to the building site below, Aiden picked his phone up again. No new messages. His heart dipped. Right now he’d take any morsel of hope she had to offer.
He pressed on the message icon, wanting to read the one from last night again, when Breck’s footsteps on the metal staircase got suddenly louder. He quickly slid his phone into his pocket and looked up, frowning.
“Did you forget something?” he called out, right as the door to the outer office opened. Five footsteps across the space to his own door, and Breck was pushing it open.
Except it wasn’t Brecken at all.
“Brooke?”
“Hey. I’ve been looking for you all over.” She smiled at him, lingering in the doorway. “I tried the house, and scoured the beach. I was going to give up after trying here and call you.
“You could have messaged.” He raised an eyebrow, enjoying the way her cheeks flushed at his words.
She slowly shook her head. “Not for this. Some things should only be said face to face.”
For a moment he wondered if she planned to give him the brush off. But then he thought of that message. “They should? What kind of things?” He stood up and walked around his desk, resting on the front of it, his long legs stretched out before him. He wanted to walk over to her, to pull her close and drag whatever it was she’d come to say out of her.
Stop. He needed to let her take the lead.
“I wanted to say thank you for keeping Nick last night.”
“That could definitely have been said in a message.” He tipped his head to the side. “Where is he anyway?”
“Ember came over to watch him for a while. He had a good time last night, by the way. Though when I asked him what you did, he told me ‘what happens at Aiden’s stays at Aiden’s.’” She narrowed her eyes in a mock-frown.
“We swam, ate crawfish, and watched The Lego Movie. It was wild.” Aiden winked. “But you know, you could have joined us. You’re always welcome.”
“I wanted to.” She took a tentative step forward. He grasped tightly onto the desk to stop himself from doing the same. Christ, she really was killing him.
“What stopped you?”
“I didn’t know if you were only being polite.”
“Polite? That’s a new one on me. I’m not sure anybody’s called me that before.” He tapped his fingers as they still held the wooden desk. The muscles in his legs flexed, as though they were ready to walk over to her, whether he liked it or not.
“I don’t want to give Nick the wrong idea, either.” Her fingers twisted together. “Though I’m not sure what the right idea is.” She laughed nervously. “Am I making any sense to you? I don’t feel like I am.”
He looked at her for a minute. At her silken hair falling in waves past her shoulders, at her flushed face and her tan skin. She couldn’t be any more adorable if she tried. He was literally clinging to the table right now. “You don’t know what idea Nick might have,” he repeated. “About us.”
“Yeah. Exactly.”
“But you don’t know what the idea is.” His voice was deadpan.
She bit her lip. “When you put it like that, I make no sense at all.”
He stood taller. “One thing I’ve found in business is if you want something you have to be clear. Let the other person know in no uncertain terms.” Was he leading her? Controlling her? He hoped not.
“That sounds like a good idea.” She sighed. “This would’ve been so much easier to do by text message.”
“But this sort of thing can only be said face to face,” he said, reminding her of her own words. “Whatever it is.”
She took another step forward, her eyes wide like a scared colt. “Do you still care for me?” she asked him, her voice trembling.
He nodded. “Of course I do.” It took every ounce of strength he had not to ask her if she felt the same.