Chapter 19
nineteen
. . .
Poppy
At the sound of the doorbell, I sped down the steps to the front door in my robe. No other time was I ever running late, except, for some reason, when it came to Aaron Hayes. Luckily, Simon didn’t beat me there; in fact, he had been oddly quiet so far this evening.
Catching my breath, I threw the front door open, startling Aaron on the other side. I opened my mouth, words dying on my lips.
He raised his eyebrows, but his eyebrows weren’t what I was looking at.
He’d shaved. His jawline was visible and much more angular than I remembered.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yes! Of course. Give me one minute, and I’ll be ready,” I said, out of breath.
Aaron looked me up and down. “Nice duckies.”
I glanced back down at my old robe. It was soft and fluffy, but I’d also had it for the past decade, if not longer. Feeling my face heat, I swiftly turned back up the stairs to finish getting ready. My dress was already laid out on the bed. Slipping it over my head, I checked my phone one more time, trying to see if Hannah had called me back yet.
Ever since I’d agreed to go to this party, I wondered if it was a huge mistake. It probably was. This wasn’t usual. Then again, nothing of this project had been.
My phone shook in my hand, but it wasn’t Hannah.
I trust my decisions.
I used to find the affirmation notifications on my phone to be my favorite part of the day. Now, I was pretty sure they were listening to me.
Setting my phone aside, I turned back to my mirror, fixing the way my dress lay before reaching for the small red jingle bell earrings I’d set out. With little plaid ribbons above each one, the bells even jingled, though it wasn’t the same ring my phone would make if Hannah managed to call me back.
Hannah had definitely been keeping something to herself lately. We were both busy. I was consumed by the cabin, and I’d heard that there had been an uptick in Home Haven Hotline calls since the Holiday line had been promoted.
I would have to find time to talk to her soon and get to the bottom of whatever was going on. Because Hannah always said she was okay, whether or not she was. She smiled, even when she was raging.
But I had never seen Hannah quiet.
One thing was for sure: I knew what Hannah would tell me anyway if she did call back.
Live! she’d very likely scream at me. Look right at that man in front of you, who looks at you like you’re the most brilliant thing since sliced bread, and take him to bed! Live and forget that lowlife, balding assbag who hasn’t reached out to you in years and is probably having horrible sex with that chick from four counties over. Do it for all of us, Pops!
Or something like that, I’d imagine.
Walking down the stairs, I could already hear a new conversation, along with the jingle of my holiday earrings. I fixed the back of one of the earrings that hadn’t quite clipped. Once I got it, I let it hang with the tiny trill it made.
“It’s nice to meet you, Aaron. Officially, that is.” Simon chuckled.
“Yes,” my mother agreed. “We’ve heard enough about you.”
I cringed, and from what I could see, so did Aaron.
“I was going through a few things. I acted a bit childish.”
I scoff-laughed, and it echoed down the steps.
Aaron’s eyes caught on me, scanning over my face and down to my simple flat shoes with the bows.
“What?” I asked. “Am I overdressed?”
Aaron shook his head quickly. “No. Sorry.” He coughed.
“All right there, Aaron?” my well-meaning yet socially awkward stepfather asked, reaching out a hand as if he was more than willing to pat him straight on the back.
Aaron put out a hand to stop him before he could manage it. He turned back to me. “You look great. I was telling your parents what an ass I’d been, but they’d already heard all about that.”
Heat rose to my cheeks.
“Honestly, for a while there, messing with Poppy was a highlight of my day. Though, I admit, I could’ve been a bit more professional about it,” Aaron said, using my word.
At this rate, the word would have no meaning. There was less and less intention behind it every time one of us said it, broken down into letters and sounds, as if we were tramping all over it.
“And not ruined most of my orders,” I added, as if a joke, though it came out much more serious than intended.
“Not my best choice,” he agreed.
“Are you doing better now?” Mom cut in. “My daughter hasn’t come home with nearly as many complaints as of late. Then again, she hasn’t been coming back home most nights it seems with your cabin keeping her busy.”
“Mom,” I whispered, though was certain she heard me.
“That’s good to hear,” Aaron said, unconcerned at the subtle insinuation.
“Family is so important. It’s nice that you were able to come back to the area,” my mother went on.
“Ah, yeah. My sister has been making sure to check in,” Aaron said. “It’s been good to have the company at the house, whether or not I thought so before. Poppy’s been a real … great friend. I’ll be sure to repay her for the kindness that she has shown me, even when I haven’t been the most gracious host to her.”
“That’s very nice of her,” said my mother, albeit a little stiff, not expecting such an answer.
“The holidays can certainly be lonely. This was around the time Marylin and I met.” Simon smiled, reaching to take Mom’s hand.
She rubbed the back of his hand with a smile at him.
“It’s game night, you know,” said Simon. “If you don’t have to leave for your party, I could break out the Scrabble for a round.”
My mouth dropped open before I could stop it.
Aaron somehow beat me to find words. “We could?—”
Reaching for the edge of his jacket, I attempted to pull Aaron back to the front door for a hasty exit. “We’re going so we aren’t late to Aaron’s friend’s party that he planned specifically for tonight. Aaron can’t miss it.”
“Too bad,” said Simon. “Thought I’d offer. Maybe another time.”
Aaron paused before he nodded, though I had a feeling we both knew that wasn’t true. Soon, I’d be done with my project, and we’d go our separate ways.
Since when wasn’t that the expectation?
Then again, when had the professional expectation included accompanying the client to a holiday party on your night off?
“I appreciate the invite,” Aaron replied.
I slipped on my long wool coat that I never got to wear on the job, for fear that I would get it dirty.
Mom hugged me tight. “Have a wonderful holiday party, sweetheart,” she said before letting her voice drop lower. “You call if you need anything.”
“I’ll be good. Love you, Mom,” I said into her shoulder before she finally released me. I turned to Aaron with a nod toward the door. “Let’s go.”
He looked at me once and then again, doing a double take at the look I gave him by the time we got to the truck. He opened the door and waited for me to get in. I was still looking at him with a combination of suspicion and concern when he buckled himself in and started the car. Warm air immediately started to blow out of the vents.
“What?” he asked me, glancing up at the rearview as if he thought he had something on his face.
“Nothing,” I said with a shrug. “I was just wondering, since when do you have manners?”
“I’m not an asshole all the time.”
“Just to me?” I asked.
“You’re a special case. Your parents were nice.”
“Since when was I not nice to you?”
“Not the same,” Aaron said, glancing at me again. He chuckled, and for a moment, the tension between us dissipated. “I can’t help it if you make it so easy.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, is that so?”
His eyes glanced down to my lips, painted a glossy red.
My breath hitched, wondering if he was thinking about the same thing I was—the last time we had sat this close to one another. Our lips touching, fitting so perfectly against each other’s. So soft and smooth like—like?—
“Can’t decide if I like the duck robe or this better.”
“Right.” I shook myself out of it. I forced a laugh. I reached for the dial on the radio, turning the volume up before I looked down at the gearshift, still in park. “Ready to go?”