“I meant to text you,” Jade slurred. Every year they promised to catch up between Summer’s Passing parties. It never happened. Sadie doubted they had much more in common than the yearly shindig.
“This year. We’ll do it this year,” Sadie assured her.
“For sure.” She held up a water bottle filled with a brownish liquid and shook it. “I started way early.” She seemed to notice Aiden and stuck her hand out, wobbling slightly in a pair of wedge sandals. “Hi. Jade.”
“Aiden.”
Jade held his hand longer than the social norm, then turned to Sadie and blurted, “He’s superhot.”
Aiden’s deep chuckle near Sadie’s ear caused the fine hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end.
Jade beamed up at him. “That wasn’t a whisper, was it?”
He shook his head. “Afraid not.”
Before Jade could embarrass herself further, another “Sadie!” interrupted them. Sadie turned to greet more once-a-year friends and introduce Aiden to everyone in as vague a manner as possible. This is Aiden. He works at Axle’s. Almost everyone knew the place, and had good things to say about the store, and about Axle. Sadie watched in awe as Aiden answered questions patiently. The man did not know a stranger. They had that in common. She hoped he ended up with Axle’s. He deserved something good in his life. Her smile faded. So did she, for that matter. They both did.
“Sadie, hey.”
She turned toward Rick’s voice. He approached, a bottle of beer in each hand. “Brought you a Yuengling,” he said, his smile hopeful. Too hopeful.
She heard Aiden finish up his conversation before slipping his hand into hers.
Rick blinked, out of surprise, at their linked fingers. He weighed the bottles in his hand. “I guess…I brought beers for both of you,” he said, his smile tight.
“No, thanks, brought my own,” Aiden said, pointing out the six-pack at his feet.
Sadie’s heart hammered. “I’ll have one,” she said out of guilt. Oh, the guilt.
He nodded at Aiden. “I’m Rick.”
“Aiden.” He was taller than Rick, his thick hair making a mockery of Rick’s thinning scalp. His everything made a mockery of their host. Aiden was a great-looking guy. She shut her eyes and reminded herself not to compare. Still, it was hard to accept that she was standing with the last two men she’d kissed.
There was no comparison. Aiden won that battle hands-down. At the thought of his hands, her mind wandered off. She caught it by the tail and dragged it back before it got too far.
“Aiden and I are…” She hadn’t meant to start the introduction that way, and had no words to finish the sentence. What were they? Friends? Coworkers? She smiled thinly.
Aiden picked up the slack. And choked her with it. “Getting married.”
He did not just tell Rick Hammond they were getting married. Only he did. She recovered on the outside, or at least she hoped she did. The false smile on her face felt as if it might crack and fall to her feet at any second.
“Well.” Rick looked from Aiden to Sadie. “I guess congratulations,” he said, trying to mask the hurt she could see on his face. “Sadie always told me she was never getting married.”
Aiden squeezed her hand. Curiously, the part of Sadie that wanted to slap him had surrendered to the part of her enjoying the warmth of his palm. “She told me the same thing, didn’t you, sweetheart?”
Sweetheart? That might be pushing it. Sadie gave Aiden a warning glare. He ignored it.
“How long did it take?” Aiden asked her. “Two, three weeks to wear you down?” Keeping their hands intertwined, Aiden wrapped her arm behind her back and pulled her to him. “She couldn’t resist me.”
He really did smell good, she thought as he brought her against the wall of his strong chest. Wait. She was supposed to be upset. Or something.
She inched away from him when Rick offered a generic “Guess when you know, you know.” His smile was tight. Sadie remembered their handful of dates in January and February and felt another pang of guilt. Using someone to salve her wounds, when she knew he felt something for her, was reprehensible. Sadie should have broken it off early, or never gone out with him at all. Rick was a nice guy. A really nice guy. And she hated hurting him. But, nice or not, he hadn’t made her pulse shake like a pair of maracas.
Not like Aiden.
Rick pointed out the food tables and tubs of ice where they could stow their beers and took his leave. Sadie blew out a breath, feeling like a dirty liar.