Chapter 4
FOUR
AARON
Shading in part of the logo mock-up he was finally almost done with, Aaron stretched his neck from one side to the other. His foot tapped on the bar across the bottom of the stool he currently occupied.
“Oh my God, stop,” Vi said with a groan.
Charlie chuckled from where she sketched in a notepad beside him.
He stopped fidgeting but sighed and set his iPad on the counter.
Vi sat behind the cash register, but there hadn’t been a customer in hours.
The girls had already cleaned and restocked as needed, and there weren’t any classes until this evening.
Though, the after-school program would start soon.
In the meantime, there wasn’t much else to do but hang out.
He glanced at Vi, who was smirking at her phone. She’d been texting and swiping for the past hour. He leaned over, trying to get a peek at her screen. “Exciting times on Love Hunters?”
“Eh…” She shrugged. “I’ve been flirting with this guy for a few days, but I think he’s looking for more than I want right now.”
“You know,” Charlie started, “it wouldn’t kill you to try an actual relationship.”
Her cousin just rolled her eyes; they’d had this discussion more than a couple times over the years.
But Violet was content with just having fun for the time being.
Something Aaron could use more of, actually.
He’d thought about using the app—he’d even downloaded it already—but he wasn’t sure what he wanted.
“Aaron, stop with the tapping,” Vi said, grabbing his wrist.
He hadn’t even realized he was tapping the end of his pencil on the counter top. “Sorry,” he muttered before setting it down and getting to his feet. He needed to move around. “How does that app work, exactly? I mean, is it mostly just people looking for hookups or…”
Charlie and Vi both stared at him in shock. The former smiled though as she asked, “Are you ready to start dating?”
Aaron opened his mouth then shut it again, unsure what to say. The truth was, he didn’t know. He didn’t like being alone, and he wasn’t above admitting he missed sex. Especially when he had to ready for exactly, but I want to try… something.”
“Then, you should try this app,” Vi said with a nod. “Just make sure you’re clear about that when you set it up and start talking to people. Be honest with them.”
Pulling out his phone, he unlocked the screen and stared at the app icon.
He’d made an account a while back, but he hadn’t actually set up a profile.
Now, he opened it, wondering where to start.
An idea sparked, and he looked up at his friends.
One who knew him better than most, who’d forgiven him and moved on.
The other… Vi had said she’d forgiven him too, but things still weren’t back to normal with her. She could hold a grudge longer than anyone he knew. But she was also the only one in their friend group, apart from Wyatt, who had a lot of experience dating. Particularly through this app.
Not letting himself second-guess the decision, he held out his phone toward her. She cautiously took is with a raised brow, almost like she thought it was a trick.
It wasn’t. Aaron had no idea what he was doing, and he could admit he needed help. Charlie was the first girl he ever really asked out, and that had turned into an eight-year relationship. Before her, he’d fooled around with a couple people, but it was never anything serious.
“I think maybe just…” He glanced awkwardly at Charlie. Was this weird to discuss in front of her?
As if reading his thoughts, she waved him off. “No judgment here, promise.”
Nodding, he took a deep breath and told Vi, “Just… fun for now. I don’t think I’m ready for more yet.”
“I need to add a picture.” With a smirk, Vi said, “Am I going to see something I don’t want to if I scroll through your photos?”
Aaron crossed his arms. “I don’t know what you do or do not want to see.” When she narrowed her eyes, he chuckled. “Oh come on, Vi. I keep all those in a private folder like the adult I pretend to be.”
“Wait, did you keep…” Charlie trailed off.
“Of course not,” he said quickly, realizing how that sounded. “I was just trying to make a joke.” With a wince, he added, “I wasn’t even thinking about the fact that you’re the only one who’s ever sent me anything.”
“All right,” Vi said, ignoring the entire conversation. “Looking for a good time with women. Are there any features or interests you’re wanting?”
He shrugged and started pacing. “I don’t know.”
“Well, what’s your type?”
Aaron froze and turned to stare at her. “Really?”
“I mean, is Charlie even your type? You just asked her out to stop her from dating your brother, so…”
And there it was.
“Vi,” Charlie hissed.
“No, that’s fair.” Aaron shook his head, stepping closer. “I don’t think I have a type as far as appearances go. Ideally, someone who has a bit of an interest in art, or at least doesn’t hate it. Other than that, I don’t know. Is there an ‘open to finding out’ option?”
He’d meant it as a joke, but Vi started typing as she said, “I can work with that. What are your top qualities?”
Scratching the back of his neck, he lowered his gaze. “Um…”
“He’s an artist,” Charlie said for him. “He loves spending time with friends and family. And he’s loyal.”
Vi scoffed and muttered, “To himself maybe.”
Aaron sighed and grabbed his phone. “Forget it.” He picked up his iPad and pencil as well, turning to leave. “I’ll see you guys at the cookout Friday.”
“No,” Charlie said, reaching for his arm. “Don’t go.” When he faced her, she glared at the woman who was more like a sister to her than a cousin. “Please, Vi. You’ve got to stop this. If Aiden and I can forgive him and move on—”
“What?” Vi snapped. “I should too?” She stood from her stool and started toward the classroom connected to the shop.
“Except, you’re all forgetting something.
” She whirled to face them at the doorway.
“You two weren’t the only ones hurt in that mess.
I was lied to, manipulated, and no one considered the fact that I’d lost one of my best friends after the wedding too. And I didn’t get any sort of apology.”
Before anyone could respond, she left the room, likely going to take out her frustration on some clay. Aaron’s stomach twisted. She was right; he hadn’t even considered how much all this had affected her.
“Just give her some more time,” Charlie said as he began to follow after Vi. “Let her calm down first.”
Aaron hesitated, but in the end, he trusted her to know how to handle this. Even though he hated it. Charlie was the Violet whisperer. Nodding, he set his stuff back down.
“Okay, let’s finish this profile.” She snatched his phone with a grin, turning it so his face unlocked the screen.
He laughed. “Right, because the two of us know how to do this.”
“Hey, I spent a couple months on the app and had multiple dates.”
He snorted. “You hated every second of that and ended every date by going to Aiden’s.”
She rolled her eyes. “I didn’t hate it all.”
“Oh, yeah, that one dude who had like fifty-seven cats sounded nice… and perfectly sane.”
“It was fourteen,” she said. “And he was actually really nice.”
“And a decade older than his profile picture.” Aaron leaned against the counter. “Babe, you got catfished by the crazy cat guy.”
She just kept typing for a moment, then she grinned. “I got you a match.”
Aaron’s brow creased. “What? You published the profile? Why didn’t you let me see it first?”
“Because I didn’t want you to overthink this.” She handed his phone over. “Her name is Deidre, and she’s cute. She’s twenty-three and lives one town over. Her page says she’s exploring options and not sure exactly what she’s looking for at the moment.”
Taking the phone, he looked at Deidre’s picture and information. “She’s a receptionist who loves music and art, she enjoys DIY crafts in particular, and she really loves animals.” He shook his head in disbelief and met his friend’s gaze. “There’s no way it was this easy to find someone.”
“Okay, I admit, I got lucky,” Charlie said with a soft laugh. “But she seems legit, and she’s free tonight if you want to get lucky.” She waggled her eyebrows.
“You’re such a weirdo.” But even as he said it, he couldn’t stop smiling when sending Deidre another message.
“And you actually work from home as a digital artist?” Deidre asked later that night as they walked around her small town, appreciating the cool autumn evening.
He’d picked her up at her place for dinner earlier, and it had been a surprisingly nice time.
When she’d suggested walking the few blocks home with her, he couldn’t say no.
It was in the sixties today, and even with the sun below the horizon now, the temperature hadn’t dropped too far yet “Yep. Studio Barnes.”
“Was it hard to get that started?”
Aaron tilted his head back and forth. “It wasn’t easy, but I had a lot of support from family and friends.
Between college and knowing most of the shopkeepers in Perrington, I had a decent network in place.
And since I’d started working on things for fun as a teenager, I already had a portfolio too. ”
“That’s really cool,” she said, swinging their hands between them. “I’ve been thinking about starting like an Etsy shop or something for my crafts, but I don’t know if anyone would actually be interested.”
“It can be scary for sure, but you never know until you try. My friends thought the same, and now both are successful artists who own their own shop and teach classes.”
She stopped walking and turned to face him. “Wait, are you talking about Happily Ever Crafter? I’ve been there. Many times, actually.”
Aaron smiled and nodded. “Yeah, my mom used to own it. Now, my friends do.”
“That’s actually awesome.”
He clenched his jaw, trying not to react to her repeatedly using the word actually. At first, it had been kind of cute, but it was getting old fast.
Clearing his throat, he started walking again, nearing her small home.
They followed the cobblestone pathway up to the front porch and paused at the door.
She pulled her keys out of the purse hanging from her wrist but then hesitated.
Biting her lower lip, she looked up at him with big brown eyes. “I had a really good time tonight.”
“I did too,” he said, meaning it. It had been fun, but he didn’t think there would be a second date.
She was attractive, but beyond a physical reaction, there wasn’t a spark.
And he didn’t want to lead her on, especially when they had gotten along so well and had a lot in common.
Running his thumb across the back of her hand, he decided to give a partial truth.
“But I need to be honest… I’m not really looking to start a new relationship. ”
Deidre stared at him for a moment. Long enough that he thought she was going to be mad, tell him off or something, but then she smiled. “Okay.” She shrugged and took a step closer. “Look, I get it. I’m honestly not sure what I want either.”
“Oh, okay, good.” He didn’t want to hurt her. He was happy that his first first date was out of the way. It had been nice enough, and it did relieve some of the worry that he would be horrible at this.
“Well, that’s not actually true.” She looked over long enough to unlock her door then toss her keys into the purse once more. Her fingers landed on his chest, inching up to his shoulder. “I know I want to invite you inside.”
His brows rose.
“I know that’s forward, and a lot of people don’t actually like that. But I mean… we’re both here, we’re both consenting adults, and if we both want to…”
Aaron’s pulse quickened. “I…” He swallowed, knowing this was just another first to get out of the way—first sex with someone since Charlie. Taking a slow, deep breath, he nodded. “Lead the way.”