And Iâm sorry about the lock. Iâll take it down.â He starts to get up. âIâll do my best to keep Bingley out.â
âNo, itâs fine. I overreacted.â
âAre you sure?â
âYeah, Iâm sure.â
CHAPTER 12
âS o when do I get to meet Marla?â I ask. âLike, for real.â
âOh, uh â¦â Aidan doesnât look up from his newspaper. âSoon, I guess.â
I push down the handle on the toaster. âMaybe she could come over for dinner tonight,â I suggest casually. âDidnât you say you were off?â
âYeah. But I think she works.â
Iâm not giving up. âWell, could you ask her?â
He ignores me, pretending to be deep into his reading.
I think for a second. âActually, never mind. Iâm going out later to see about getting a phone. Iâll drop by her store. Itâs off Spring Garden Road, right?â
His head whips up. âHow would you know that?â
âShe told me. She asked me to come visit her sometime.â
âYou said you guys didnât get a chance to talk.â
âUm â¦â Thankfully my toast pops up. The breadâs not done enough, and I slam the handle back down. âWe didnât. It was literally two sentences. She just mentioned it on her way out the door.â
He gives me a long look then says, âI have to go to the bank. Iâll drop in, see what her schedule is.â
âGreat.â I smile. âWhat should we have? Or I guess the real question is, what brand of pasta sauce does she like?â
My little joke goes unnoticed. Heâs distracted. I can tell by the way his eyes are flitting over the page. Does he feel tricked? Well ⦠he kind of was. But I want some answers . Iâm hoping heâll spill the beans knowing Iâm going to be around Marla. Can he risk not telling me himself?
âSheâs pretty,â I say, spreading peanut butter on my toast.
âHuh?â
âMarla. Sheâs pretty.â
âYeah.â
âWhereâd you meet her?â
âAt the bar,â he answers.
âOh.â I play dumb . So much for that plan . âWas it love at first sight? Did your eyes meet across a crowded room?â
Again he ignores me. Probably too busy planning how heâs going to get to Marla and coach her so they have their stories straight.
âDo you ever think about going home?â he asks suddenly.
It throws me off. Apparently he wasnât thinking about plotting with Marla at all. âTo River John?â
âYeah.â
âNo.â
âYou havenât thought about it once?â He says it like he doesnât believe me.
âNo,â I repeat. âI havenât.â
âBut the bakery. You loved that place. I always pictured you taking it over and running it someday.â
âWhat? You honestly thought that?â Offended, I throw my knife into the sink. âI would have hoped youâd have greater aspirations for me.â
âYou make it sound like it would be the worst thing in the world.â
âIt would.â
âSo you donât ever want to go back?â
Is he serious? My mind is blown. âNo, not while Vince is still around.â
âRight.â He nods. âOf course ⦠but if Vince wasnât there?â
âWhere is this coming from? Why are you even asking?â
âI dunno,â he sighs. âI was just thinking.â
âAbout what ?â I ask incredulously. âYouâre actually telling me youâd consider going back.â
He shrugs. âWe moved a lot when I was a kid. I know I was only there for four years, but it was the only place that ever felt like home. I donât like the city.â He goes back to reading his paper.
Iâm stunned. Aidan thinks of River John as his home? After all the shit that went down? And he thought Iâd want to spend