Over the last week they’d found every moment they could to sneak off together. Reggie was convinced Aaron was sneaking of with Tara, so he hadn’t said anything to her. Everyone assumed he was with Tara, except for Monique, who only rolled her eyes whenever Kacey said she was going to be busy “studying” all day. Honestly Kacey hadn’t gotten much of any work done since giving in to her desire for Aaron.
She hurried out of the office and found Monique filling the ketchup containers at the bar.
“Hey, I’m going to take the deposit and then I’m gone for the day.”
Monique stopped tapping one ketchup bottle onto another. “Gone for the day? I thought you were at least staying through the lunch shift.” Monique’s tone of voice had lost its frigid nature in the week since the party.
Kacey strolled over to her sister. “I’ll work the night shift to make up for it.”
“Don’t you need to work on your thesis tonight?”
She did. She was so far behind from where she needed to be that on any other day she’d be pulling her hair out. But she still had time to finish and get the next section turned in to her professor. Aaron left to go home the next day and she could pull an all-nighter and work all day Sunday and get her work done.
If she wasn’t too torn up about him leaving.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got plenty of time to get things done.” Kacey looked over her shoulder toward the door leading to the kitchen, where Sabrina’s voice could be heard giving directions to the cooks before they opened for lunch. “Just tell Momma I’ll be back later.”
“You’re going to see him, aren’t you?”
Kacey stopped in the middle of turning away to stare at her sister with a raised brow. Monique hadn’t called Kacey on her sneaking around, and Kacey hadn’t brought up her sister’s secret phone calls and sudden need to delete all of her browsing history on the computer. She hated fighting with her sister, but if Monique had her secrets then Kacey could have hers.
“I’m sorry, is that judgment I hear in your voice?”
Monique grunted. “Believe it or not, it’s concern. You sneaking around with Aaron isn’t right.”
“I’m not sneaking around with Aaron, I’m going to Chattanooga. I need to interview someone at the tourism office and the department of commerce for my thesis.”
All true, but Aaron had agreed to make the trip with her.
Monique scoffed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “I still don’t think it’s right. If you just told Reggie—”
“Who’s calling you, Monique?”
Monique eyes narrowed, and her glossed lips pressed into a line. “I’m worried about you.”
“And I worry about you. But we’re both adults and we can make our own decisions.”
“Just because I’m not telling you what’s happening with me right now doesn’t make what you’re doing right. Reggie is going into business with him and you two are hiding things from him. That’s wrong.”
Kacey ignored her guilt. Reggie’s business and Kacey’s love life were completely different things. Once Aaron left, the fact that she’d slept with him a few, okay, several times wouldn’t matter.
“I’ll be back later.” Kacey grabbed her purse from beneath the bar and stalked toward the door.
“Last time you said you knew what you were doing and you ended up looking foolish and heartbroken,” Monique said. Kacey froze but didn’t turn around.
“Face it, Kacey, the reason you’re the good sister is because you’re the one looking for the same thing Reggie has. Someone to fall in love with and make a happily-ever-after. Aaron isn’t that guy. And by the time you realize that, you’ll be crying in your bedroom just like you did last time.”
Kacey’s hand balled into a fist. She turned to glare at Monique, who only watched with a sympathetic look in her eyes. If there’d been malice in her sister’s face, she could have handled that better. She could fight that. Not the sympathy.
Kacey gritted her teeth and shoved through door into the heat and the sun. She blocked out Monique’s warnings. She wasn’t in love with Aaron and she wouldn’t fall in love with him. But she wouldn’t let her sister’s doubt ruin her last day with Aaron.
• • •
Reggie’s lawyer slid two copies of the new contract across the conference table in his office to Aaron and Reggie. “Well, gentlemen,” he said. “Once you two look these over and agree on the terms, we can finalize the merger.”
Aaron grinned and skimmed over the first page of the contract. He couldn’t believe how far he’d come. The business he’d started on a whim years ago would be an actual player in the freight industry, and he’d laugh at everyone who’d scoffed at him being just a truck driver—all the way to the bank.
Aaron nodded. The first few pages looked good to him. “I’ll take a copy home for my lawyer to review. Though I doubt she’ll find any issues.”
Reggie slapped Aaron on the back, pushing Aaron forward. “We’re really doing it.”
“Yes, we are.”
“I’ll admit, when you first brought this up I wasn’t sure, but the projections of the profits we’ll make, plus the broader reach we’ll have, will instantly put us at the top of many businesses’ lists.”
“I told you it would, Reggie. This merger is good for both of us.” Aaron rolled up the contract and tapped the paper on the desk. “I should have the signed copy back to you by the end of next week.”
“Hand-delivered or scanned?”
“Probably scanned. I know Marcus really wants me to make it back next week for his baseball game, but I’ve got to make sure things are good back home.”
Disappointment clouded Reggie’s eyes. “I understand. But if you stuck around and coached them, they could make the playoffs.”
Aaron nodded. “They can make it without me. They’re good.” He glanced at Reggie’s lawyer. “Thanks for helping us with this.”
“My pleasure.” The middle-aged guy stood with Aaron and Reggie, and they shook hands.
After the lawyer left, Reggie turned to Aaron. “Want to celebrate with lunch at Momma’s Kitchen?”
Aaron smiled but shook his head. “No, I’m going in to Chattanooga this afternoon. I ordered some team shirts for Marcus and the guys. I want to surprise them with them tonight.”
“Guilty conscience, huh?” Reggie smirked.
Aaron grinned and rubbed his jaw. “Hey, even though I won’t be there, I want them to look like a team.”
“I hear you. Have fun in town. I’ll see you in the morning before you roll out.”
“Most definitely.”
“You taking Bertha to Chattanooga?”
Aaron shook his head. “Nah.”
“Then how are you getting there? You need a ride?”
Saying that Kacey was taking him sat on the tip of Aaron’s tongue. He hated keeping the secret from his friend, but revealing things today would only ruin the potential deal. Especially after he and Kacey had spent the last week sneaking around to keep Reggie in the dark.
“I’ve got a ride. I’m trying that new app where people pick you up.”
“Are you sure? That’s crazy.”
“If the person looks crazy, I’ll call Tara or someone to take me.” Aaron grinned.
Reggie laughed. “Tara would love to take you. I know that’s who you’ve been sneaking off with.” Reggie’s big hand slapped Aaron’s shoulder. “You thought I didn’t know you were sneaking off to see someone? Come on, Aaron, I watched you sneak it in with women while we were in college. Not that I blame you. She’s fine and you’re single.”
“Yeah…” Aaron hedged. Yet another lie to his friend and business partner. “I’ll check you later, all right?”
They shook hands and gave a one-armed hug before Aaron left and made his way to the park, where he helped Marcus and the rest of the team practice. That’s where Kacey said they’d be least likely to be spotted when she picked him up. He strolled through the park to the front entran
ce. Not soon after, Kacey’s green Honda Accord pulled up. Kacey’s bright smile, visible through the windshield, had his own lips curving upward.
Damn, he was falling into the trap. He felt the downward spiral just as sure as he felt the sun on his face. Even more surprising, what freaked him out was not that he was falling, but that he wasn’t freaked out about knowing he was falling. If he were in town a few more days, he would come up with reasons to settle here. Spend the days working in the office letting other drivers pull the loads so that he could go home and cuddle with Kacey on the couch after coaching the baseball team. All would be great—until the itch to do something different settled in. The itch always came. A few months with Kacey would be great, but it wasn’t worth hurting her like he’d done to Denise.
Aaron leaned his hands in the open passenger window and bent over. Kacey turned to face him with a sexy twist to her lips.
“Need a ride, handsome?”
“I’m waiting on a friend of mine,” he said.
“Girlfriend?”
“More like special friend.”
“Well, since your special friend is coming, I’ll just leave.” She eased the car forward.
Aaron jumped back. “Hey, hey!”
The car stopped, and Aaron leaned into the door again. She watched him with a teasing glint in her eye.
“Yes?” She drew out the word. Aaron loved this silly side of her, when she wasn’t stressed out from work or school.
“Forget my special friend. I’d much prefer to ride off with you.”
“I bet you say that to all the ladies.” She unlocked the car door. “Get in.”
“Now, hold up a second. Before I ride off with some sexy lady, I need to check out the ride.”
She raised a brow. “Oh, really?”
“Yeah. I’ve watched you get around town on a bicycle the entire time I’ve been here. This is the first time I’ve seen you behind the wheel of a vehicle. I’m a trucker and the safety of the ride is the most important thing.”
Kacey rolled her eyes, and Aaron laughed. He was only giving her a hard time as he pretended to check out the vehicle. He was pretty sure that as meticulous as Kacey was about everything else, her car would be in excellent condition. He gave a cursory glance at the tires and frowned. The tread was way too low.
“Kacey, get out of the car.”
“Are you seriously checking out the car?”
“Just get out of the car for a second.”
Her huff of frustration was audible even over the hum of the engine. She got out and dragged her feet around to where he stood. “Yes?”
“When was the last time you changed the tires?”
She shrugged. A sure sign that he wasn’t going to like whatever she said next. “I don’t know. I bought it pre-owned two years ago. The previous owner mentioned something about tires, but I never got around to it.”
“Why not?” He couldn’t believe someone would actually neglect their tires that long.
“I don’t drive often. Most of the time I’m riding my bike around town.”
He pointed to the tires. “These are not safe. You need to change them.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll change them.” She sounded about as convincing as a kid saying they wouldn’t peek at their birthday presents.
“I’m serious, Kacey. I’ve seen what can happen during bad weather when cars on the road have old tires. They hydroplane in the rain. The driver loses control and can cause a major pileup. It’s nothing to play around with.”
“I hear you. I’ll do something.” Again with the voice that didn’t convince him.
“Kacey, promise me you’ll change them. I would go crazy if you were hurt because of a preventable accident. I can’t even begin to think about that happening to you. Please, for me.”
Her mouth fell open, and her eyes grew wide as silver dollars. Aaron snapped his mouth shut. Those words weren’t supposed to sound so…caring. Granted, he did care about her, but he sounded like Reggie worrying over Camila. When had he started feeling that way about Kacey?
“Okay, I’ll change the tires.” Her low concession finally convinced him she was telling the truth.
A weird tension pulsed between them. He could see the question in her eyes. What was going on with them? They’d agreed to have a little fun, not get serious and protective. Get it together, Aaron. You are not that guy.
He gave her his carefree grin and a half shrug. “Good. I can’t have my only special friend in Resilient, Tennessee, hurting herself.”
The mood was broken as Kacey smirked and rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Come on, enough with the three-point inspection. Let’s go already. Unless you’re too afraid to ride in my car.”
“I’ll ride, but no speeding, tailgating, or texting while driving.”
“I don’t do any of that anyway. But thank you for the driving lesson, Mr. Henderson.” She said the last part in a silly, childlike voice. “I never would have thought of that.”
Aaron wrapped his arm around her waist and swung her around. Kacey yelped then giggled. “Stop it, Aaron.”
“You want to play, I’ll show you how to play.” He slowly set her feet back on the ground. She sighed and rested her hands on his shoulders. A bone-deep feeling that Kacey in his arms was right on all levels swept through his body.
He let her go and stepped away before he got lost in that feeling. Fell further into the trap. Kacey either didn’t notice his retreat or didn’t care because she just laughed and started toward the front of the car. “Let’s go.”
Chapter 20
“I can’t remember the last time I came down here,” Kacey said to Aaron.
They were sitting along the riverfront in Chattanooga. Nearby, seven fountains sprayed water at the base of the city’s public art exhibit that paid homage to the Trail of Tears, the time when the Native American tribe of Cherokees were forced out of the south. Aaron had been to Chattanooga several times and always liked coming to the Riverfront. He turned away from staring at the fading sunlight reflecting off the river to look at Kacey. She leaned forward with her arms on her thighs. Hair escaped from her ponytail and clung to the side of her face with every breeze.
While she’d interviewed people for her thesis, Aaron had hung out in the waiting areas. At the tourism office, the receptionist had openly flirted with him, until he mentioned being a truck driver. After that, her interest in her computer had increased tenfold. Aaron didn’t care, he wasn’t interested in hooking up with her, but it reminded him of the way people scoffed at his hard work. Even more reason to make his business a success. He hated lying to Reggie, but Kacey was right—if they’d told him the truth knowing they wouldn’t become anything serious, the deal would have been ruined. He’d worked too hard to let that happen.
Aaron used his finger to slide a few tendrils of hair out of Kacey’s face. “That long?”
“Yeah. We came once in high school to see the Passage Memorial and visit the aquarium. I remember thinking this entire place was beautiful. But now, if I ever come to Chattanooga, I go straight to whatever appointment I have and then go back home. I don’t stop to enjoy the scenery.”
“Whenever I visit a new town I always take the time to visit the local sights.”
“Really?” The pitch of her voice rose.
“Really. It’s why I drive. I like seeing new places and meeting new people. I’ve been to every state in America.”
She sat up and gave him a disbelieving look. “You can’t drive to Hawaii.”
“I know that. I took a cruise to Alaska and a friend of mine has a place in Maui and invited me there for a week a few years ago.”
“That’s a nice friend.”
Aaron shrugged. “She’s big on house parties, so there were about a half a dozen of us there for the week. But we had a good time.”
“Was it a couples’ party?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Half a dozen is six people. Just wondering if it was couple
s.” She broke eye contact and glanced down at the long blue and green skirt she wore.
There’d been three guys and three ladies that weekend, but they weren’t really couples. He’d only known Carla, whom he’d met in California the year before during a job. They’d had a quick bit of fun before he’d left the state and hooked up again when he’d come back. That week was a blur of parties, drinking, and acting like a spring breaker on the beach. He still kept in touch with the guys from that weekend.
“I guess you could say that.”
A line appeared between her brows, and she stared at the fountains. Aaron used to tell the story of his weekend in Hawaii to all of his male friends. Reggie would usually ask if Aaron still kept in touch with Carla or if he planned to go back to see her again. He’d always been proud of his history with women. The frown on Kacey’s face made him wish she’d never seen that side of him.
He tugged on her elbow, but she resisted. Aaron tugged harder. “Come on over here.”
She tried to glare at him, but he gave her the smile that usually got him what he wanted. She rolled her eyes and shook her head but let him tug her over against his side. Aaron kissed her forehead and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. He was going to miss her. A lot more than he’d missed any other woman. The thought was petrifying and not because he’d never felt that way before, but because he didn’t know if she’d miss him just as much as he’d miss her.
“How are things going with your thesis?” he asked.
Kacey stiffened against him. “Coming along.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m just a little behind, but I’ll get caught up this weekend.”
When he was out of town. He knew he’d pulled her away from her studies and sometimes her work at Momma’s Kitchen. Selfish of him, yes, but honestly he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could before this thing ended.
“Are you ready to go home?” she asked.
“I always look forward to being back home, but this time I’m not too anxious.”
“Why?”
Getting Janiyah straight about Liz topped the list. That wasn’t going to be fun, but Kacey didn’t need to hear that. “Baby fever is running rampant in my family. My youngest sister texted me today to say I had to be in town for the gender reveal party she’s having in two weeks.”
From One Night to Forever Page 16