by Gina Wilkins
Though his answering smile looked a little forced, she told herself she’d struck the right note. If Aaron was worried that she would make it awkward for him to leave when he decided it was time, she wanted to reassure him she would not. Just as Andrew had driven away with a friendly, standing invitation to return any time he liked, she wanted Aaron to always feel welcome here. By all of them. If she had a few pangs about wishing things were different, that he could be more than a long-distance friend who popped in and out of her life occasionally—well, no one needed to know that. Especially him.
Both of them jumped when a car door slammed unexpectedly in the next driveway. Shelby hadn’t seen anyone get into the vehicle, but she’d been looking at Aaron. She doubted that he’d gotten a look at the driver, either, before the car backed out of the drive and sped away faster than the posted resort speed limits would have sanctioned. She looked at the front door of Cabin Seven, thinking she might see Terrence Landon, but the door was closed. There was no way to know if he’d seen her and Aaron.
She glanced at Aaron, who gave her a wry shrug, which she returned. Getting into her own car more quietly than the other driver, she made the very short drive home, noting in relief that all the windows were darkened in the family houses she passed. It wasn’t that she owed any explanations for where she’d been or what she’d done, but some things just needed to remain private. Privacy was in short supply here in the family compound, she thought wryly. It was something she’d accepted when she’d made the decision that she wanted to work in the family business. Maybe someday she would get a place outside the resort and drive in to work every day, as Hannah had done when she’d been married to the evil ex, but for now Shelby was content where she was. Even if she had to sneak into her trailer at nearly 1:00 a.m. just to avoid those knowing looks tomorrow, she thought, doing just that.
She didn’t expect to get much sleep that night, but she didn’t mind. She would be quite content to lie nestled in her bed, the extra pillow cuddled in her arms, a blissful smile on her face as she drifted in replays of the most perfect night of her life. No thoughts of the past or future allowed, just a mental replay of every touch, every kiss, every husky groan. Even if she never had the pleasure of making love with Aaron again, she would commit each one of those precious moments to her memory.
* * *
Aaron was half surprised that he didn’t smash his thumb with a hammer sometime before lunch on Saturday. As experienced as he was at laying shingles and driving nails, his inability to direct his entire attention to the task put his digits at risk more than once. Fortunately, he was able to hide his concentration issues from his boss for the day. Bryan Bell seemed satisfied with Aaron’s work as the morning progressed.
The roof decking was in good shape, so the prep work went fairly quickly. Cabins One, Two and Three were all standard truss-roof construction, which were easier to reshingle than the A-frames closer to the lake. When Aaron offered initially to be the one climbing around on the roof, Bryan set him straight quickly enough. “I’m fifty-three, boy, not a hundred,” he said flatly. “We just got Dad to quit climbing up on roofs last year, when he turned eighty.”
Aaron smiled apologetically. “I wasn’t implying that you were too old to be up here. Just volunteering to do the grunt work.”
Bryan dropped a heavy bundle of asphalt shingles on the roof and pulled his hammer out of his tool belt. “I’ve been doing grunt work around here since the place opened when I was in junior high. Never wanted to do anything else.”
Nodding, Aaron ripped the wrapping off the shingles and got to work, trying to focus on anything other than his complicated feelings about Shelby. It helped that he and Bryan talked easily while they worked, mostly about fishing and hunting in east Texas, two of Bryan’s favorite hobbies. The resort was busy on this nice Saturday, and the sounds of voices, cars and boat motors underlay their conversation, but Cabin Two was in a somewhat secluded spot across from the motel, not on the water, so they were able to work in relative privacy. From the rooftop Aaron had a good view of the pool and the fishing pier, both of which were popular that morning.
Bryan didn’t bring up Shelby’s name, nor did Aaron, even though she was never far from his thoughts. He kept mentally replaying her cheery comments about her plan to “politely” and “somewhat regretfully” shoot him down to convince her family she wasn’t looking for a man. He’d tried for the rest of the night to convince himself that he was relieved she felt that way, that he certainly wasn’t on the market for anything more, himself, that he’d be a fool not to appreciate the no-strings-attached vacation fling Shelby seemed to be offering. Exactly what he wanted. Right?
Which didn’t explain why he’d punched his pillow a few times during the night as if blaming it for his inability to sleep.
It was just after one o’clock that afternoon when Bryan looked toward the main road and grunted. “That’s Lori’s car. Looks like she’s just getting home from last night. She tells her folks she’s staying with friends from college, but...” He shrugged.
Because he was pretty sure he knew exactly whom Lori had spent the night with, Aaron kept his mouth shut.
“Listen to me, gossiping like an old hen,” Bryan said with a rueful grunt. “Guess you’re just an easy man to talk to. But considering Hannah’s situation, I’m hardly one to talk about my brother’s kids.”
Figuring the older man was referring to his daughter’s ill-fated marriage and ugly divorce, Aaron stuck with his no-comment policy, merely reaching for another shingle. He certainly didn’t want to encourage the conversation to wind around to where Shelby had spent most of the night.
Bryan stood and pressed a hand to his back while wiping his dripping forehead with his other arm. “I need a break. Let’s go get some lunch. Sarah said she’d have food ready for us when we got hungry.”
They’d been working steadily since a twenty-minute restroom, shade and water break at ten, and both of them were flagging. Pop had been by a couple of times to “supervise” and offer his help, but Bryan had sent him on his way. Maggie had brought cold bottles of water several times, but had been too busy with her own chores to linger, and everyone else was occupied with the weekend rush.
Leaving their tools safely stashed, they climbed down from the roof and headed for the marina building, stopping in the restroom to wash up before eating. Even after washing, Aaron felt grubby in his sweat-stained T-shirt and dirty-kneed jeans, his hair damp and cap-creased. Still, he was surprised to find himself the target of several disapproving frowns from various members of the Bell family when he walked into the grill.
Did he look that bad? He resisted an urge to sniff his own shirt. He was used to being greeted with almost overwhelming enthusiasm by these people. The chill he sensed now took him aback.
Maybe they had somehow figured out what had taken place between him and Shelby last night and were expressing their disapproval. Despite her claims that her family had no say in her social life, perhaps a cabin in the heart of the resort hadn’t been the best place for them to have their first intimate encounter.
Taking a quick headcount, he saw that the frowns were coming from Shelby’s parents, her grandmother and her aunt. Bryan looked a bit baffled. No one from the younger generation was present at the moment.
Because it would look questionable to turn and bolt now, he proceeded into the grill, taking an empty seat at a table next to Bryan.
“Hi, everyone,” he said.
C.J. studied him from over the tops of his glasses. “I understand you’ve been talking with my son.”
Caught off guard by this comment he hadn’t expected, Aaron said, “I’ve spent some time with Steven while I’ve been here. Sat with him for a while yesterday. Why?”
Sarah cleared her throat and Aaron noticed only then that her eyes looked a bit red-rimmed. “Steven told us this morning that he’s leaving
the resort as soon as his leg is healed. He’s talking about training to fight wildfires, or—” she had to swallow before finishing “—or maybe joining the military.”
“Yes, he mentioned that to me,” Aaron admitted.
“And you encouraged him?” C.J. demanded.
“I neither encouraged nor discouraged him. Not my place. I simply listened.”
Sarah spoke again. “When I pointed out to him that you work for your family, he corrected me. He said you aren’t working for anyone at the moment. He implied that you don’t think working for family is a good idea.”
“I didn’t say that, either,” Aaron replied, keeping a firm grip on his patience. He would not get defensive, he promised himself. He understood that the family was still in shock over Steven’s announcement, especially coming so soon after the accident in which they could have lost him permanently. “I’m simply not interested in the investigation and security business. It mostly involves sitting behind a computer or in endless meetings or business presentations, and that just doesn’t appeal to me. Unlike Andrew, I’m not the big-desk-in-a-corner-office type. Doesn’t mean I think it’s a bad idea, just that it’s not something I aspire to. I’m sure Steven’s given a lot of thought to the type of career he wants to pursue.”
He didn’t know when Shelby had entered the diner behind him, but when she spoke, he figured she’d heard at least part of his explanation.
“Would everyone please stop glaring at Aaron?” she demanded in exasperation. “He had nothing to do with Steven’s decision to find another job. We’ve all known for some time that Steven was getting restless, long before Aaron showed up here.”
“Well, of course you would defend Aaron,” Mimi murmured, looking archly from him to Shelby. “As much time as you’ve been spending with him this week.”
Thinking of the most recent time he’d spent with her, Aaron studiously avoided looking toward Shelby.
“What’s everyone doing in here?” Lori wandered in, looking as carefully put together as always, even on a Saturday afternoon, in a see-through shades-of-gray-swirled top over a darker gray camisole and gray linen pants. Both her fingernails and the toenails revealed by her black sandals were painted silver. “Why do you all look so serious?”
The family spun to look at their youngest member, and Aaron was briefly relieved that the attention had turned from him. His relief was short-lived.
“Have you been seeing that Webber boy again?” C.J. demanded of Lori. “After we made it very clear that you should steer clear of that troublemaker?”
Lori whirled toward Aaron, her expression stormy. “You told them?”
He winced when all eyes focused on him, again with palpable disapproval. “I didn’t say anything,” he assured Lori in a mumble.
“Eileen Copping saw you making out with that boy at the burger drive-in last night,” Mimi said with a touch of smugness that she was the one who’d reported Lori’s misbehavior. “She called me this morning, and of course I felt obligated to tell your parents.”
Sarah glanced at the few other diners in the place before looking at her younger daughter. “We’ll discuss this with you later,” she said in a low voice.
Lori tossed her head defiantly. “You can say anything you want, but I won’t stop seeing Zach just because none of you like him.”
With that pronouncement, she turned and stalked out of the diner without looking back. After which everyone turned back to Aaron. He cleared his throat.
“You knew Lori was seeing Zach?” C.J. asked in disbelief.
“I didn’t know his name,” Aaron countered. “I ran into the two of them in town one day and she asked me not to mention that I’d seen her. Because it was none of my business, I agreed.”
“Humph.” Mimi gave him a stern shake of her finger. “You should have figured out when she asked you not to say anything that she was up to something. That right there was your clue that you shouldn’t have agreed.”
“Mimi, it wasn’t Aaron’s responsibility to tattle on Lori to the family,” Shelby said in exasperation, plopping in the chair beside him as if to solidify her endorsement. “You’re being unfair.”
“I’m going to have to side with Shelby on this one,” Bryan declared. “Aaron doesn’t want to get in the middle here. Now, how about feeding the boy? He’s been up on the roof of Cabin Two all morning in the heat helping me with the shingles.”
Grateful for the support, Aaron nodded slightly to Bryan and patted Shelby’s leg beneath the table. She covered his hand with her and gave a little squeeze.
She looked nice today, he thought fleetingly. She wore a pastel-plaid tailored top with cap sleeves, sand-colored jeans and green flats rather than her usual shorts. Though he had to admit he missed seeing her legs.
“I’m sorry, Aaron,” Sarah said contritely, drawing his attention away from Shelby. “They’re right, we shouldn’t be ganging up on you this way. I’ll get your lunch.”
He supposed he’d made a convenient target, especially since he’d actually been privy to the secrets of both Lori and Steven. As for his relationship with Shelby—well, they’d really be giving him the stink eye if they knew all those details.
Though the mood was still somewhat more subdued than usual, they finished the lunch break civilly enough. That was mostly thanks to Shelby, who kept the conversation moving with determination, barely stopping to breathe as she chattered about last night’s charity event, about the mutual acquaintances she had seen there, about the money raised for a charity they all supported and about how grateful the event’s organizers had been for the donation made by the Bell Resort.
Before long, Bryan glanced at his watch. “Ready to get back to it, Aaron? I figure we can put in another two or three hours today, then finish up tomorrow.”
Aaron nodded. “I’m ready.”
At least Bryan seemed to have no issues with him, which made Aaron glad he didn’t know any secrets about either of Bryan’s daughters.
Sarah carried a take-out bag to the table and handed it to Shelby. “Would you take this over to Steven, please? Tell him I’ll come by before the dinner rush to check on him.”
Shelby rose and walked out with Aaron. He lingered for a few moments with her outside the building, telling Bryan he’d meet him at the cabin.
“I think I’m in trouble,” he said, making a show of wiping his brow. “Uh—Minnesota.”
Though she laughed ruefully in response to his silly code word, Shelby grimaced. “They’re just mad at Steven and Lori and taking it out on you. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Parents tend to worry about their kids, no matter how old the kids get. Not to mention that Steven’s going to be hard to replace around here.”
Shelby nodded, her throat moving with a swallow. “But he deserves a chance to follow his dreams,” she said firmly. “Even if those dreams take him into situations that scare the stuffing out of those of us who love him.”
“Your brother will be fine, Shelby.”
She sighed lightly. “I know you can’t guarantee that. But thanks for the reassurance.”
“Lori will be okay, too. She’s really not a child, you know.”
Shelby placed a hand on the back of her neck, beneath her hair, as if the muscles in her neck had tightened again. “Zach Webber is bad news. Trust me, Lori would be better off listening to Mom and Dad this time. I think she’s only using him as another one of her mini rebellions.”
Remembering the intensity he’d sensed between Lori and Zach, Aaron wasn’t so sure. But again—none of his business.
“Guess I’d better get back on that roof.”
Shelby nodded and dropped her hand, lifting the other to display the take-out bag. “And I’d better deliver this to Steven before it gets cold. I’ll see you later?”
“I’d like that.”
They both started to turn away, then paused when someone called out Shelby’s name.
Aaron was not particularly happy to see Pete Van Pelt hurrying toward them from the parking lot, looking much more casual today in a polo shirt and jeans. He smiled broadly at Shelby, ignoring Aaron for the moment. “Hi, Shel,” he said.
“Pete, what are you doing here?”
“It’s such a nice day, I decided to take a drive, maybe enjoy a slice of one of your mom’s delicious pies. I hoped I’d run into you, have a chance to say hello. You look very nice, by the way.”
“Thanks, Pete, but I’m afraid I have to run,” she said, slanting a slightly baffled look at Aaron. “I’m delivering lunch to my brother. He was hurt a couple days ago, and he’s going to be laid up for a few weeks.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is he up to having company? I could accompany you, give him my regards.”
“Oh.” She shuffled her weight a bit, then shrugged. “Sure, come on. We can take one of the carts. I’m sure he’d enjoy the company.”
“Nice to see you again, Aaron,” Pete added, as if belatedly remembering his manners.
“You, too, Pete. Now if you’ll excuse me. Later, Shelby.”
He turned and moved quickly toward the cabin, his mood considerably dimmed from only a few minutes earlier.
Chapter Nine
Aaron looked as though he’d just climbed out of the shower when he answered the door in response to Shelby’s light knock that evening. His hair was wet and his white T-shirt clung to his damp chest. Beneath the hem of his loose jeans, his feet were bare.
“I hope you haven’t eaten yet,” she said, hearing the slight breathiness of her own voice but hoping he hadn’t noticed. She slid the strap of an insulated tote bag off her shoulder. “I brought food.”