He grinned and stood. With her hands still in his, he gently pulled her to her feet. She stared up at him, tilting her head to the side. “I think we should start over.” Dropping her hands, he lifted his right hand out and said, “Hello. My name is Aiden McFarlane. Pleased to meet you.”
A giggle slipped from between her lips and she lifted her hand, placed it in his palm, and gave him a firm shake. “I’m Amelia Smith, but my friends call me Lia. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance also.”
He did not let go of her hand, but instead, drew her closer to him. He watched her smile slip as her eyes lifted and searched his. “Now, we can start anew. No more misunderstandings, no more misjudgments.” With that, he wrapped his arms around her, offering a hug.
She hesitated for only a few seconds before sliding her hands around his waist and resting her cheek against his chest. He felt her body relax and before he could think about it he kissed the top of her head. Her body, lined up with his and snugly wrapped in his embrace, felt right. Once more, he was struck with how differently he felt and acted around her. He had never offered just comfort and friendship to a woman that he was attracted to in the past, but in this moment, he gave no thought to taking it further, only wanting to offer what she needed right now.
After a few minutes they slowly separated and he held her gaze. “Thank you for sharing your story with me,” he said. “And as much as I’d love to continue to sit and talk with you, you truly look exhausted and I know Emily will need you in the morning.”
She nodded and escorted him to the front door. Opening it wide, she looked up and he leaned forward, placing his hand gently on the curve of her waist and kissing her forehead. When he pulled back, he realized he might have been too touchy feely with her, but the soft smile on her face said it was alright.
Smiling in return, he headed out of her house and down to his truck. A strange sense of rightness filled him and he could not wait to see her again.
That night, lying in bed, Lia was filled with a sense of contentment. It had been such a relief to unburden her complicated feelings for Carl to someone who did not judge her harshly. She had been surprised at how understanding Aiden had been.
Rolling over in bed, she sighed. It had been a long time since she had had any friends and now, it appeared that Baytown offered a wealth of them. It had also been a long time since she had spent any time with a man in anything other than a professional relationship. And now, it appeared that Baytown was offering that as well, with Aiden.
9
Lia sat at her desk Monday morning, still exhausted from the weekend’s anxiety. She and Emily had spent all day Sunday together, and while she had gone over the rules for when she and Emily became separated, she did not want to make that their entire day. So together they had watched Disney movies, baked cookies, and spent hours cuddled up on the sofa.
Even though it had been a good day, she was still tired from not sleeping well. Images of Emily wandering lost had filled her mind only to be replaced by the sight of Aiden striding toward her with Emily tucked safely in his arms.
Shaking off the thoughts, she got back to work. She managed to get halfway through the files for Finn’s Pub, when Mrs. Markham called on the intercom.
“Ms. Smith? Mayor Banks has called to say that he would like to stop by at one o’clock this afternoon. You don’t have another appointment so may I tell him that you will be available?”
Nodding, she agreed. “Yes, that will be fine.”
Self-conscious about her appearance, she glanced down at her attire. Always one to dress professionally, she had on black pants and a simple, silk blouse today, not feeling the desire to wear anything fancier. With flats on her feet instead of her usual heels, she felt at a disadvantage knowing the Mayor was coming. Oh well, this is Baytown and everyone keeps telling me that things are more laid back here. I guess this is my chance to see if that’s true.
Looking at the clock on her desk, she noted that it was almost noon. She had grabbed a yogurt on the way out this morning, but now wondered if she could make a trip to the pub for one of their sandwiches. Of course, the idea of seeing Aiden again did not make that an unattractive choice.
Before she had a chance to decide, Mrs. Markham’s voice came across the intercom again.
“Ms. Smith? Aiden McFarlane is here with your lunch. Should I send him back or would you like him to leave it with me?”
Her heart leaped at hearing that he had come to see her and she was surprised at the giddiness in her voice when she replied, “Yes, please. Have him come back. Thank you.”
It had been a long time since she had felt the spark of excitement at seeing a man but had no chance to prepare before Aiden stepped through her door. Just like the last time he was here, his hair was brushed back and his blue eyes were shining. This time, though, his smile brightened her day. His Finn’s Pub t-shirt pulled tight across his chest and it was impossible to not notice his bulging arms. As her gaze drifted downward she smiled too, observing a large, plastic sack that she knew contained a delicious lunch held in his grip.
“Wow,” she exclaimed, rising from her chair. “To what do I owe this surprise visit?”
“I just couldn’t wait to see you again,” he replied, stepping forward and placing the bag on her table.
She laughed, and said, “That’s honest…and very sweet.”
“If you really want to know,” he said, “I’ve given a lot of insincere flattery over the years. But, with you, I find myself just wanting to be honest.”
She smiled in reply but remained silent, leaning over to peer into the bag as he began pulling out the contents. Two wrapped sandwiches, a container filled with fresh cut French fries, two slices of cheesecake with raspberry sauce drizzled on top, and two cans of soda.
“Oh, my goodness. You really did bring a full lunch. And since I see two of everything, am I to assume that you’re going to stay and eat with me?”
“I’d love to, if you don’t mind.”
She held his gaze for a moment, feeling at ease with his presence in her office and the sweet gesture of lunch. “Let’s get out of this little office and use the conference room.”
Together they scooped up all the lunch items and carried them into the other room, setting them around the conference table. Within a few minutes they were both enjoying the delicious food, as well as each other’s company.
Aiden laughed as he told antics of he, Brogan, and Katelyn as little kids growing up in Baytown. As Lia encouraged, he threw in some stories about the Baytown boys, loving the way her face lit up when she smiled. It was hard to imagine that he had ever seen her as a stuck-up, uptight person when the reality was that she was warm, friendly, and had a great sense of humor.
Her beauty held his attention as well, her curves barely hidden under the blouse and pants she wore. She wore subtle makeup and her long hair was pulled back from her face, both exemplifying her clear skin. Surprised to see her in flats instead of heels, their height difference was more pronounced and he towered over her, making him feel like a protector. He recognized that was a caveman attitude, so he wisely kept that idea to himself.
He liked seeing her relaxed and enjoying herself. When was the last time I sat with a woman that I was interested in, for the pure enjoyment of just being in their company? The fact that he could not answer his own silent question made him ashamed.
“So, I’ve been talking. Now it’s your turn.”
Eyes wide, she exclaimed, “My turn? I think I did enough confessing on Saturday night to last a lifetime!”
He shook his head. “Nah, that was about the last couple of years. Tell me something about the Lia from long ago.”
She bit her bottom lip and rolled her eyes, definitely not knowing how seductive that little maneuver was to him. He inwardly groaned, but kept his eyes focused on her face hoping she would talk.
“I was born and raised in Virginia Beach,” she began. “My dad was a civilian who worked for the Marine Aviat
ion Training. I have one older sister who’s married to her high school sweetheart and they have three children. My mom worked for many years in daycare, so she was a perfect choice to be able to take care of Emily when I went back to work.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Seriously? That’s all you’ve got? I tell you about dropping a crab into the middle of Katelyn and Jillian’s tea party when they were five years old and you tell me where your dad worked? I tell you that Brogan and I were running from one of the farmers after having nabbed some of his watermelons out of his field and I got my pants caught on the barbed wire fence, and you tell me you have a married older sister? Somehow, I don’t think our stories are quite the same.”
She giggled and said, “Are you calling me boring?”
He leaned back in his chair and stretched his long legs in front of him, crossing one booted foot over the other. “No ma’am, I’d never call you boring. But I do think you’ve got some stories you are hiding.”
“Well, I once challenged my sister to a tree climbing contest. I was determined to win, even though my face got all scratched up in the process.”
He looked at the tiny scar through her eyebrow and she saw his unasked question. Laughing, she touched it self-consciously and said, “Yes, this is my reminder.”
“So you were daring?”
“And kind of competitive,” she admitted. “There was this one time that my sister and I were playing darts and she beat me. I was a sore loser and it made me angry, so I threw my remaining dart toward her feet. I never came close to hitting her, but she jumped back screaming anyway.”
With a grin on his face he said, “So there’s a temper behind that professional countenance. Should I be concerned?”
“Well, the last time I was in Finn’s, I did notice a dartboard near the front.”
“Is that an invitation for us to play?” he asked, loving the light now shining in her eyes. “And what happens if I win?”
She threw her head back and laughed heartily. “I suppose we’ll just have to play and then you’ll find out.”
“It’s a date,” he said. Her smile remained at the turn of phrase, but in truth he wanted it to be more than that. Uncharacteristically nervous at the prospect of asking her out, he cleared his throat. “Speaking of dates, I’d really like to take you on one.” His hands gripped the arms of the chair, fighting the urge to wipe his sweaty palms on his pants. Staring at her face, he held his breath as he awaited her answer.
“A date?” she asked, a crease settling in her brow as though uncertain what the word meant.
“Yeah, a date. You know, where I drive to your house and pick you up and take you somewhere nice to eat?”
“I...um... I don’t know. I haven’t been on a date for over seven years.” She grimaced, and said, “That makes me sound like such a loser, doesn’t it?”
He hated that she felt that. “Not at all. You were a devoted wife and are a devoted mother.” She smiled, but didn’t say anything, and it occurred to him that this might be her letting him down gently. It had been a long time since he had had to work so hard to get someone to go out with him. In fact, it had been a really long time since he had actually asked a woman out on a date that was not just a casual hookup. He opened his mouth to crack a joke, to relieve the tension of her turning him down, but she spoke first.
“I’d love to go on a date with you, Aiden,” she said. “There’s a teenage girl that lives across the street from me that babysits when I need her. I’d need to give her a couple of days notice to make sure that she could watch Emily.”
His breath left his lungs in a whoosh and his smile widened. “Good, good. Uh…do you think you should give me your phone number so that we can settle on the details once you know when you can get a babysitter?”
She pulled out her phone and they quickly exchanged numbers. Feeling lighter than air, he stood and grabbed all the trash from their lunch, shoving it back into the plastic bag. She rose from her seat as well and walked over, leaning back to stare into his face, her smile matching his. Her eyes moved over his shoulder to the clock on the wall and she startled.
“Oh, my goodness, I’ve got to get back to work. I have an appointment in just a few minutes.”
“No worries,” he said. “I’ll give you a call and we’ll set up our date.” Just like the other evening, he leaned over, placed his hand on the curve of her waist and kissed her forehead. Turning, he walked out of the conference room and back through the lobby.
Just as he reached the front door it opened and to his surprise he looked up to see the Mayor. With a nod of his head, he greeted, “Mayor Banks.”
Corwin blinked, visibly surprised to see him there, but his eyes dropped down to the plastic bag in his hands and he came to his own conclusions. “I see your brother has got you making deliveries now.”
Refusing to be irritated by Corwin’s misplaced sense of humor, he quipped, “When you’re the co-owner of a business, as I am, I can pretty much do whatever I like. Especially bringing lunch to a very nice lady.” Glancing over his shoulder, he called out a goodbye to Mrs. Markham and headed out into the sunshine. Walking back to the pub, he could not help but wonder what brought the Mayor to Lia’s doorstep.
Lia was still shocked by Aiden’s invitation to dinner and barely had a chance to celebrate before Mrs. Markham walked Corwin into her office. Standing, she greeted the Mayor and invited him to sit.
“Mayor Banks, it’s nice to see you again. Has the Town Council come to a decision as to what they would like me to do?”
For a quick moment, irritation flashed across his face before being replaced with a sigh of resignation.
“Yes, Amelia,” he began. I brought the results of the audit to the Town Council and they are concerned. The vote was unanimous that they want the financial discrepancies to be found. I am reticent to bring this to the public but know that if someone from the inside is stealing from us we must know who.”
She remembered his announcement at the music festival that he was running for re-election and could only imagine that an opponent would use the publicity of mismanagement of town money against him.
“In case the Town Council made that decision, I have already created a proposal based on forensic accounting procedures and what would need to be done. A timeline, which I must warn you will not be short, for me to be thorough and my fees are attached.” She pulled out a file from her desk drawer and handed it to him. “I would suggest you call another meeting of the Town Council and have them look over my proposal. I will be available for any questions they might have.”
With a curt nod, he stood and extended his hand. “I thank you in advance for your professionalism and also ask for your continued discretion. I will call an emergency meeting of the Town Council, but I can assure you that we will be accepting your offer. I will call you within two days to let you know of the decision.”
With that, he walked briskly out of her office and she heard the front door open and close. She grinned, knowing that Mrs. Markham would be in her office momentarily and she was not disappointed. Seeing the older woman walking in with an arched eyebrow, she could not help but giggle.
“Well,” she said. “Unless I’m mistaken, it looks like I’ll be doing work for the Town Council.”
Shaking her head, Mrs. Markham replied, “You’ll find that doing business in a small town is very different from the large accounting firm you’re used to. I know you’ve already figured that out from the clients that you have seen but let me warn you that, while the Town Council will want your expertise, you’ll run into roadblocks at every turn when it comes to the Mayor and the town’s various department offices.” Grinning, she added, “This will be interesting.”
Her mind reeling, she realized that she had a lot of work to do to finish up several clients’ files on her desk so that she could clear off her calendar to be able to work on the town’s books. Thankfully, she had already hired another accountant to work with her and he would be starting soon
.
She spent the rest of the afternoon in an epic battle between keeping her mind on her job and her thoughts off a date with Aiden. By the end of the day she had finished her files, in spite of the fact that her thoughts of Aiden had won out more often than not.
10
Friday evening, Aiden pulled into the driveway of Lia’s house. Glancing down at his attire, he hoped the blue dress shirt and khaki pants were suitable for their dinner. Earlier, standing at his closet, he realized how much of his life was spent in casual clothes. Jeans and t-shirts for when he was at work, and the same for when he was out having a good time. Other than his friends’ weddings, it had been a while since he had needed to dress up.
He walked briskly to the front door, barely knocking before the door was thrown open. Looking down, he grinned widely as Emily greeted him with a smile of her own.
“Mr. Aiden!”
He knelt down, opening his arms for a hug. She rushed into his embrace and he picked her up, stepping across the threshold. Leaning back so he could peer into her face, he asked, “How was your day?”
She immediately began to tell him of all that had happened in her first-grade class that day and he grinned at her enthusiasm. A noise on the stairs sent his gaze upward and he barely heard Emily say, “Isn’t Mama pretty?”
His voice raspy to his own ears, he said, “Yes. She’s beautiful.” Hearing a little giggle, he looked back at Emily and added, “Just like you.”
Emily clapped her hands and he set her feet onto the floor, standing just in time to greet Lia as she approached him. Her makeup was heavier but still subtle and her thick hair fell in waves down her back. He watched as she nervously ran her hands over her dress. The little black dress’ V-neck did not show cleavage but fit snugly to showcase her breasts. It narrowed at the waist then flared out in a full skirt over her hips and down to just above her knees. Paired with black, high-heeled sandals she looked classy and delectable.
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