Chapter 21
21
Daniel
A s much as Daniel wanted to rationalize what had happened between himself and Aria, he couldn’t shake the guilt that lingered after he’d gotten upset with her. Aria was a saint. She didn’t bring it up after he’d apologized. She didn’t behave any differently around him.
It went to show that Aria was perfect for him. If he believed in soulmates, he would go so far as to say she was divinely created just for him.
The more he dived into the curriculum and what was actually offered to him in terms of the scholarship, the more he realized that she’d given him the best gift possible. She’d pushed him to do something out of his comfort zone and, in the process, helped him come to terms with a future he’d long since given up on.
How could he not fall head over heels in love with the woman?
His fury over her going behind his back seemed utterly ridiculous at this point. And he knew he’d be making it up to her for the rest of their lives.
Daniel shook his head, a smile pulling at his lips as he strode forward to check out at the cash registers. The hardware store was fairly empty this morning. Normally, he’d be working with the horses, but he’d noticed a few things in the barn that needed repairing and opted to run the errand before he forgot.
There had been no sign of Aria when he’d left, but that was normal around breakfast time. She was more of a night owl than an early riser—something that might end up changing if he had anything to do with it.
Nothing was going to wipe the smile off his face today. He and Aria were in a good place, and it was only getting better. Daniel was looking toward the future—with her by his side—and it didn’t feel strange or daunting in the slightest.
He nodded to the clerk and whistled as he exited the building to head for his truck. Maybe he should get Aria her favorite coffee. She’d probably like that. There was nothing like a fresh cup from the local shop. And he knew exactly what she usually ordered.
Daniel dropped off the supplies in his truck and then headed for the coffee shop.
His steps slowed when he noticed a familiar figure exiting from the building, coffee in her hand. His smile widened and he took a step toward her until someone else exited with her.
The man was tall and wearing a suit. Not a hair was out of place on his head—coiffed in a slick-backed style that screamed he had money. He was good-looking. Even from where Daniel stood, he could tell.
Aria had turned to face the man, so it was impossible to see her expression. Was she smiling at this stranger? Flirting with him? How did they know each other?
A knotted feeling twisted around in his gut, and he stepped back out of view in case Aria turned around. He didn’t want to get caught spying on her. She’d either tease him or get upset with him—neither of which he was interested in taking place.
The longer Daniel watched, the sicker to his stomach he became. He wanted to tell himself that this was nothing—perhaps this guy was someone from her hometown and they’d bumped into one another. Or he was involved with her father’s case. But why wouldn’t he simply call? Why come all the way out to Copper Creek to see her?
His thoughts swirled with the worst-case scenarios, and he withdrew into the closest shop to get his bearings. This feeling, the ache in his chest, was more than simple jealousy. It was something else. That familiar feeling of betrayal from when Aria had taken his drawing and submitted it came back—but it wasn’t quite the same thing, either.
Aria didn’t owe him anything. She didn’t have to tell him that she was having coffee with a male friend. They were dating, but they weren’t married. Of course, she wouldn’t come out and tell him her plans if they didn’t involve him.
And yet there was something off with his rationalization of the situation. He could feel it in his bones. Something wasn’t right. Aria owed him something . This sort of situation shouldn’t be swept under the rug. They needed to be open with each other.
His hands clenched into fists. Thankfully he hadn’t acted on his urge to march up to the man and clock him. Daniel could be level-headed. The guy hadn’t done anything wrong.
At least not yet.
Daniel could wait. He’d have to. Aria would come as planned to dinner and tell him about the friend she met for coffee. Then he’d admit with embarrassment that he’d been jealous when he caught them talking. She’d tease him and they’d keep on with their lives.
He gave himself a nod as if doing so would be all he’d need to do in order to convince himself of this new narrative. Then he pushed out of the shop and headed back toward his truck. He refused to become the monster he’d been when he was a hotheaded teenager.
Daniel’s leg bounced as he sat on the couch. He’d been antsy ever since he’d gotten done with his work. He’d waited for Aria to return from her outing, watched for her, but she hadn’t returned until after lunch.
She didn’t even look in his direction when she got back. He’d expected her to stop over by him to tell him how her day had gone or what she’d been up to, but when she didn’t seek him out, he couldn’t help the way his heart reacted.
Something was wrong.
Whoever it was that she’d met with had caused it, he was certain. Still, he refused to jump to conclusions when it came to Aria. She was an adult. If there was a problem, she would have spoken to him.
He launched off the couch and paced in the small area, running his hands through his hair until he was sure he looked a mess.
Daniel didn’t like this feeling—the sense he got that his life was unraveling. That was a ridiculous notion, and yet he got the distinct impression that was exactly what was happening. There was no proof of it. He didn’t have any way of knowing that something had changed with Aria. So why couldn’t he shake the feeling that everything was about to change?
He glanced at the clock on the wall. Normally, Aria would be here by now.
The tension in his shoulders only continued to increase with each second that ticked by. He was overreacting. Logically, he could understand that. Sure, she’d slipped off at an early hour without telling him. Then she’d met with someone he didn’t know. And when she’d gotten back, she’d avoided him.
But was that really something to be worried about?
Yes.
Yes, it was.
He shut his eyes tight and focused on slowing his heart rate. If she didn’t arrive in the next ten minutes, then he’d go track her down to make sure she was okay. By then she would be an hour late and he wouldn’t look like an overprotective jerk of a boyfriend.
By the ninth minute, he was moving toward the door and that was the very second he heard her knock.
Strange. Lately she just walked in.
Daniel slowed his steps as he approached, then he grabbed a hold of the knob and pulled. Aria stood out in the cold, carrying a pot with a lid. Steam escaped out the sides into the cooler temperature.
She smiled at him, but it wasn’t like the ones he’d grown accustomed to. This one was very much like the fake smiles she’d given him when they had first met. His whole body went rigid. This wasn’t his Aria.
Something was undeniably wrong.
Daniel stepped aside, his eyes drilling into the back of her head as if that would be enough for him to be able to see what she was hiding. Unfortunately, it did nothing.
Aria flitted about the kitchen as he shut the door behind her. She rambled on about being late and making excuses, but none of them registered as he watched her antsy movements. Her hands trembled.
“Aria,” he said softly.
She didn’t appear to hear him as she shoved a drawer shut and brandished a ladle for the chili she’d brought.
“Aria,” he said louder this time. When she didn’t look up at him, he swept over to her and pried the ladle from her grasp. “Aria, are you going to tell me what’s bothering you?”
She hadn’t fought him when he took the serving spoon from her. But she also wouldn’t meet his eye. All she did was shrug. “I didn’t sleep well.”
His eyes narrowed. Of course she didn’t. “Does that have anything to do with the fact that you got up earlier than you usually do?”
Aria’s eyebrows rose as she took a quick breath. He could practically see the blood drain from her face in real time. This was it. She knew she’d been caught. She couldn’t back out now.
Oh, how wrong he was.
She shook her head. “No.” Her focus dipped to the bowls in front of her. “Are we going to eat before it gets cold?”
“I saw you, Aria.”
Her body stiffened at his side, and he could see her shutting down. It hadn’t taken much at all for her whole demeanor to shift right back to what it had been when they were barely friends.
“I saw you in town. Why were you up so early?”
“I told you, I wasn’t sleeping well. So I went to get some coffee.” She was still avoiding him. Why wasn’t she willing to talk about that man? He got the sense that the stranger was the cause of all this turmoil and yet she wanted to keep it a secret.
He reached out and grasped her hand, holding it as she finally looked at him. His gaze searched hers even as she squirmed beneath it. “And who were you with?”
She squeezed her eyes shut, then blew out a breath. When she opened them, the cool, collected, closed-off Aria stood before him. “He’s my ex,” she said flatly. “Now, can we eat?”
“No, we can’t. Something’s going on.”
She groaned with exaggeration. “He was in town. He wanted to meet to catch up. Nothing happened.”
“You can tell yourself all the lies you want, but you can’t lie to me. I can tell when something is bothering you.” Daniel still held her hand firmly in his grasp. He couldn’t say he wasn’t surprised by her confession. Aria wasn’t from here. The fact that she bumped into her ex here was strange, to say the least. At least she wasn’t trying to hide who the man was.
Then a dark thought populated his mind, and without thinking, he inched his face closer to hers.
“Is there still something between you?” Even he could hear the hurt and jealousy in his low tone. He wasn’t proud of it, but he needed to know.
Aria jerked away from him before he could read whatever it was that flashed in her eyes. “Of course not,” she snapped. “There’s nothing between us.”
Guilt coated her tongue. He could definitely hear it in the way she spat the words at him. She was hiding something, and he’d figured it out. He wanted to yell and scream. He wanted to throw a tantrum about her sneaking around on him. But he couldn’t.
All he felt was hollow.
She must have read that helplessness in his eyes because her own grew cold and calloused. “You know what? I’m not hungry after all.” Aria shoved the bowls away and pushed past him. “I don’t have to explain myself to you. And you shouldn’t be following me around. Where’s the trust? Hmm? Come find me when you realize what a fool you’re being.” She hustled out the door like she expected him to detain her.
And he let her go.