Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
AIDAN
According to everyone else, Bones is closed for a plumbing repair, but truthfully, I convinced Maurice to close up shop.
We’ve had a few secret meetings since we last spoke about buying me the place, and he seems to have come around to the idea.
It will take a little updating, and probably a fresh coat of paint, but the bones of the establishment are good.
Unfortunately, I’ll only be able to get away with closing the bar for a few days before people start asking questions. I’ve never publicized any of my philanthropic work, other than the donation I made to the park for a new walking trail.
This time, I don’t want it to look like charity.
While part of me is doing this to take the burden from Maurice’s shoulders, I also really want to create something that’s mine.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the plans I have for the renovation, and I’m really excited to get started.
I’m just not sure how to break the news to everyone about Maurice stepping down.
Shadow Hills doesn’t adjust well to change.
Things have remained nearly the same since the day I moved here, and I hate to be the one to shake things up, but at the same time, I’m tired of everyone seeing me as the town hermit.
It’s just like Maurice told me; Bones is a watering hole for this town—an important staple of Shadow Hills and its people.
If there’s a way for me to maintain the value of Bones and introduce myself as less of a loner, then that’s what I’m going to try to do.
I just hope I can prove myself worthy of such a challenge.
This mindset is what gave me the brilliant idea to invite everyone over to my house for the Super Bowl party.
It’s nerve-wracking, because up until this point, no one other than Raegan and Joanna have been inside my house, but my hope is that opening up my home will show that I’m willing to be open myself.
I don’t want to be the loner everyone thinks I am anymore.
I value the friendships I’ve built, and I want to show that I can be relied on.
I realize I need to prepare. I have no snacks, no drinks, and I’m not sure I even get the damn channel the game is playing on. I only recently decided to get cable tv, given how little I watch it.
I make a list of everything I’ll need and run to the grocery store.
A petite old woman with long gray hair rings all my items up and gives me the senior discount.
She thought it was hilarious. Then, once I’m home, I get to setting everything up.
I can’t decide whether or not the coffee table should remain in the center of the room or out of the way; I move it three times.
Still not satisfied, my mind wanders to the amount of seating options.
I arrange the small lounge next to the couch, only this makes the room look crowded.
After attempting a Jenga-like method of feng shui for fifteen minutes, I give up, leaving the room exactly as it was to begin with.
The next step is the food. I bought three types of pickles for a charcuterie board, having not been able to decide, and I made sure to buy several premade appetizers that didn’t require cooking from the store.
Luckily, the type of food one serves for a football game is simple: lots of dips, chips, and any meat that’s bite sized will do.
The ice maker is full and the drinks are in the fridge by the time I hear the first knock at my door. It’s Layton and Simone. Layton’s holding a giant bowl of fruit salad while Simone beams at me, eager to come inside.
“Do you have to invite us in?” she asks, channeling her mixed up knowledge of vampires on TV.
I pretend to be amused and laugh off her comment. “It’s actually the other way around.”
She shuffles her feet and sinks beneath hunched shoulders. “Whoops.”
I beckon them across the threshold and take the bowl from Layton, holding it awkwardly as the two of them stand in my living room. “You can take a seat anywhere you like,” I say, and we all relax a little.
I was just getting used to hanging out casually with the guys, so upgrading to hosting feels like I’ve skipped a few necessary steps in the learning process.
Layton’s eyes scan every inch of the sitting area, his mouth slightly agape. “Damn, Aidan. This place is nice.” He reaches to touch the low hanging chandelier and manages to tap one of the fixtures.
“Sorry, it’s a bit cramped,” I apologize, but he brushes it off. He’s taking in my house like it’s an amusement park rather than a museum, and I feel a little less like a specimen whose cage has been invaded.
I realize I’ve been gripping Simone’s salad bowl anxiously, so I try to relax by moving into the kitchen.
Removing the cling film from the bowl, I drop a wooden spoon in with the fruit mixture for serving.
I hear the front door opening again, and when I walk back to the living room, Raegan and Jamie are here.
“I let myself in,” Jamie says to no one in particular before getting distracted by the vegetable plate I placed on the coffee table. “Ooo tiny cucumbers.” He bites into one with an emphatic crunch. Raegan scolds him with a playful slap to his bicep, and I look away.
“I thought Joanna would be with you,” I say to Raegan.
She peers at me pointedly as she brushes a stray hair from her face. It’s gotten longer, but not as long as Joanna’s, and much darker. Joanna’s hair is the perfect blend of chestnut brown with natural blonde highlights.
Raegan’s expression turns too curious for my liking, so I school my features to apathy.
“Jo is on her way,” she tells me. “She lost track of time reading, apparently.”
“Was it that vampire book you were telling me about?” Jamie asks.
I try not to show how interested I am in Joanna’s whereabouts by moving pillows out of the way for everyone to sit comfortably.
Raegan responds to Jamie’s question as they sit together on the velvet lounge. “Not the one I’m reading. I picked out something different for her at the bookstore today.” She then casually looks back to me. “She seemed very interested in vampire romance.”
I freeze, clutching a handful of pillows as one falls to the ground out of reach. Joanna’s reading a vampire romance?
Jamie nuzzles her cheek. “Are their werewolf romances?”
“Absolutely,” she says, pressing her nose to his, “but none that compare.”
“Okay I’m out.” Simone stands up, drawing all attention to her. I momentarily forgot anyone else was here. “There’s way too much romantic tension in this room right now. I thought we were going to have girl time while the boys watched the game.”
Raegan frowns, looking guilty. “You’re right. Let’s go into the kitchen while the men discuss…whatever it is they talk about when we’re not here.”
Simone’s demeanor relaxes as she follows Raegan into the kitchen. She stumbles on the fallen pillow and bends to pick it up, placing it on top of the pile I’m holding with a reassuring smile.
There’s a sudden knock at the door, and my heart skips a beat.
I rush to stash all the pillows in a closet, forcing them onto a shelf and closing the door hastily.
At some point since the start of our arrangement, I’ve developed this odd sensation before seeing Joanna.
It’s like nervousness or maybe excitement?
I look forward to getting to see her. We’ve fallen into a routine I’m comfortable with, and I’ve enjoyed every second of it, but I still find myself craving more.
It’s as if something is missing. I’ve already been as close to her as physically possible, yet it feels like I’m not close enough.
There’s another boundary I haven’t been able to cross, and I can’t figure out what it is.
For now, I need to remind myself that I’m happy with our no-strings agreement the way it is. I just have to set aside the complex feelings that are starting to surface if I want to keep it that way.
I make sure to open the door for her before anyone else can.
Tonight, she’s wearing casual clothing, just a sweatshirt and what looks to be the bottom half of a jogging suit.
Her hair is down around her shoulders. She looks completely at ease, and I’m caught off guard by the sudden desire to hug her. She just looks…soft.
“You made it.” I’m standing in her way, awkwardly gawking, but I can’t make myself move.
She touches her neck nervously, and her lips part. I’m dazed by every move she makes.
Finally, she gestures to the foyer behind me. “I guess I should—”
“Right.” I step back, but only enough to let her by. Her shoulder brushes against my chest, though it's a fleeting touch, and I pray it will be enough to get me through the night. Except the more space she puts between us, the worse I feel.
I follow her into the den, and she points to the furniture that’s been rearranged. “It looks different,” she starts, then corrects herself, “than I thought it would.”
Ah, yes. No one else knows she’s ever been here.
Luckily, her comment goes right over Jamie and Layton’s heads.
“The, uh, girls are in the kitchen,” I tell her, stumbling over my words.
She nods gratefully and heads into the other room.
I release a heavy sigh as I watch her go. Between the secrecy and my increasing desire to touch her, it’s going to be a long night.