Serenity hadn’t expected that and worked to digest his words. Should she ask him about his brother? Avoid the subject completely? The strangely emotion-free expression on his face wasn’t giving her much of a clue.
Gideon motioned to the arcade, interrupting the awkward haze that had descended over the table. Serenity nodded. “If you’re done, you can go play. Let’s wipe the grease off your hands first.” She did that and smiled as he ran back to the car game. The insistent beeping from a fryer in the back of the restaurant joined the sound of the bell as the front door swung open. “I’m sorry it’s like that with your parents. And I’m really sorry about your brother. I can’t even imagine.” She didn’t know what else to say.
He must have taken pity on her — or maybe he took advantage of the moment to change topics — and turned the conversation back to her. “What about your parents? Do they get along?”
“Yes, they were best friends. My parents always got along great and when my dad died a few years ago, it was devastating for Mom.”
“I’m sorry.” A flash of pain appeared in his blue eyes, gone a mere moment later. It was replaced with the kind of understanding only someone else who’d lost a close loved one could express. “What happened?”
“He passed after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.” Even years later, thinking about Dad made her heart hurt. When Lexi was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it was like reliving those moments. Praise God He was able to use surgery, chemotherapy, and some natural remedies to help her beat it. The image of Aaron wavered and morphed as tears filled her eyes.
“That had to be rough. I’m sorry your family had to go through it.” When he cupped his hand over hers, they both froze in place.
A surge of adrenaline began where he touched her and flowed through her body, leaving her head buzzing from the jolt. They stared at their joined hands for several breaths before Aaron pulled his back.
She shifted in her chair. “I appreciate it. We were all able to be with him at the end and I’m thankful for that.” Somehow, she’d managed to keep her voice from shaking.
“I’m glad.” He reached for his drink but stalled, moving to crumple his napkin into a tiny ball and dropping it into the basket the food had come in. “Saying goodbye is never easy.”
The air felt heavy as crackles of awkwardness and uncertainty arched between them. Serenity could still feel Aaron’s hand on hers as though the contact had seared her skin. She rubbed her palms together several times and leaned in her chair towards Gideon.
“Hey, big guy. Five more minutes and then it’s time to go.” He shook his head, never taking his attention off the game he was watching. “Yes, five minutes. We need to go get a fan. We’re going to set it up in your room and Mommy’s going to camp out there tonight. Remember?” She made a note of the time on her watch.
Ugh, she wasn’t looking forward to getting back to their house and the sweltering heat she knew was waiting for them. It’d be worth going into work tomorrow for the air conditioning alone.
Aaron asked if she’d like a refill of her drink. She told him she would. He gathered the trash and disposed of it before taking her cup to the dispenser. Serenity watched as he chose the cola and realized she’d never told him what she’d been drinking. It was such a small thing and yet Serenity found his attention to detail nestled itself in her heart. She took the cup from him, their fingers touching momentarily.
She fought to keep from reacting to the connection, moving quickly to tell Gideon it was time to go. She took her son by the hand and led the way back out to the parking lot, Aaron close behind them.
Serenity turned the car and air conditioner on, got Gideon buckled in, and faced Aaron. “I’m glad you could join us. Don’t tell Letty, but I think you’re Gideon’s favorite teacher. You made his day.” And hers, too, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. Especially when simply thinking it made her face warm.
Aaron grinned at Gideon and gave him a wave. “He’s a great kid. I’m glad he’s in my class, he’s a lot of fun to teach.” His eyes moved from the window to her face, concern flashing across his features. He pinched the skin above his Adam’s apple. “I hate the idea of you guys going back to your house without the A/C. I can come and check it if you want. I’m no mechanic, but if it’s something simple, maybe I can help.”
He was offering to come to her house and attempt to fix her air conditioner? If there was even a possibility he would be successful, she wanted to jump at the opportunity. But with his hands now buried deep in his pockets and the way he kept looking at everything but her, he acted like he was waiting to be sent behind enemy lines. She didn’t need his help if he had some misguided sense of responsibility.
“I appreciate the offer. But I’m sure you have other things to do on a Sunday afternoon.” His presence alone was making her jittery. She prayed he couldn’t tell. “We should let you get back to your plans.”
Aaron adopted a wide stance and met her gaze head-on. “It’ll only take a moment. If it’s something easy to fix, you won’t have to deal with the heat for the next forty-eight hours or more.” His jaw clenched, the muscles flexing.
His eyes held hers until she finally nodded her agreement. “Do you want to follow us over there?”
“Sure. Lead the way.”
Serenity whirled and pulled the car door open and got inside. Once she was safe within the confines of her vehicle, she released a shaky breath and rolled her eyes. How did one handsome man manage to throw her entire world off kilter with a single look? She adjusted the nearest vent so the cold air blew directly onto her face before putting the car in drive.
~
Aaron kept Serenity’s Kia in sight as they followed traffic several streets over and into a neighborhood consisting mostly of apartment buildings. He parked behind her and got out, taking in details of the duplex. It wasn’t bad, but it could use a new coat of paint in the near future. What little grass there was in the front was going to need to be mowed soon. Since it was only Serenity and Gideon living there, he assumed she must go out and do that herself. While he had no doubt she was more than capable, he hated the idea of her pushing the mower in the summer sun.
Serenity turned the key in the lock. “Watch out for Kia. She likes to try and dart out if we’re not careful.” She pushed the door open, moving a leg to block the narrow gap. As if on cue, Kia stumbled against it. Serenity scooped the kitten up in one arm. “Where do you think you’re going? No, Ma’am.”
Aaron stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind him. The stuffy heat of the house closed in. He had no doubt that he’d made the right decision offering to try and fix the air conditioning unit. He wouldn’t have been able to knowingly leave anyone like this without trying to help first.
Gideon kicked his shoes off and ran into another room. Serenity led Aaron to a door in the hallway. “Here’s the A/C and the thermostat is on the wall over there. I’ll be right back. I’m going to make sure Kia still has enough water after being stuck in here like this.”
He observed her as she buried her face in the kitten’s fur before walking towards the kitchen. Unable to take his eyes off her retreating form until she disappeared, he took a deep breath and focused on the problem he might actually have a shot at fixing.
There were no obvious issues that he could detect. When Serenity returned, she stood against a wall and observed, her arms crossed in front of her.
Aaron messed with the thermostat and finally decided to check on the condenser outside. She showed him to the back door. When he approached the unit, he had a good idea what the problem was. He headed back inside ten minutes later.
Serenity met him in the hallway. “Did you find anything?” She bit her lip as hope shined in her eyes.
“I might have. Let me test something real quick.” He strode to the thermostat, turned it back on, and grinned with satisfaction when cool air flowed from the vents.
“You actually fixed it!”
Aaron’s heart stu
ttered as she flashed him a smile bright enough to rival the sun. Heat that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room climbed the back of his neck. He laughed nervously. “You don’t have to sound so surprised.”
She considered him for a moment. He sensed she wanted to say something. She’d moved to stand under one of the A/C vents and the current of air blew stray strands of hair around her face. Several caught on her cheek and he resisted the urge to sweep them away. Maybe even let his hand linger on her face to see if the skin there was as soft as it appeared…
Aaron forced his gaze away from her and focus on the number of pictures that hung on the wall. His eyes were drawn to one photo in particular. Serenity was sitting in a rocking chair with Gideon curled up on her lap. She was reading to him and both seemed content — as if there were nowhere else in the world either of them would rather be. “This is a sweet image.”
Serenity grinned. “Thank you. My sister-in-law, Laurie, took it. It’s my favorite picture of us.” Gideon ran into the room, all smiles, and pointed to the vent. Serenity picked him up. “Isn’t it great? The Music Man fixed it for us. I’m starting to wonder if there’s anything he can’t do.”
Her words lodged themselves in his heart. As mother and son danced in the cool air, the boy’s laughter filled the room. Aaron’s chest grew tight. The need to be a part of this scene as more than a bystander was beyond what he could take. He had to get out of there.
“It really was nothing. There’s a small leak in the hose leading to the condenser. The grass was growing a lot faster in that area thanks to the extra moisture and it was blocking the air intake. When your landlord does send someone on Tuesday, mention that hole. I cleared away the grass for you, so you should be good to go after that.” He took several steps towards the front door and his escape.
Serenity slid Gideon to the floor again and put her hands on her son’s shoulders. “What you did wasn’t nothing, Aaron. Thank you for being our hero today.”
He swallowed hard, nodded in what he hoped was an acceptable response, and reached for the doorknob. “With any luck, the house will cool down quickly. I’d better get going. See you guys tomorrow.”
He gave them a quick wave and darted outside. He got settled in his car and groaned. There were no regrets about coming and fixing her A/C. But he was going to have to be real careful about how much time he spent around Serenity and her son.
The sound of her sweet voice calling him a hero kept replaying in his head and every time, his chest constricted in response.
Right now, he’d do almost anything to be the kind of man she needed. The realization hit him like a punch to the gut. He pulled away from their house, knowing it was a risk he shouldn’t take. For their sakes as much as his own.
Chapter Eleven
Monday morning, Serenity got Gideon settled in his classroom and then made her way to the front office. The moment she stepped foot in the room, the sight of Maggie was as effective as lead weights in her shoes might have been. She stopped, her jaw dropping.
Maggie noticed her and stood. She turned slowly with her arms out to the sides. “What do you think? I thought I’d try something new. Yay or nay?”
Serenity took in the dress that was the same yellow as the neon sign for the diner down the street. The combination of it plus the numerous matching streaks in Maggie’s hair was enough to make her wish she’d brought sunglasses. What did she think? Colorful. Headache-inducing. “It’s cheerful.” That sounded a little better, right? “What inspired it?”
“I saw a patch of sunflowers. They always make me smile and I thought to myself, ‘Why not bring that happiness to work with me?’ And here I am.”
And how was she supposed to argue with that? She couldn’t, so she took her seat and leafed through papers from the metal rack. Tammy had started placing them there as a to-do list of sorts. Serenity didn’t mind.
Parents brought their children in to start the school day and Serenity often had to fight back the grin that threatened to break free when several of the parents gawked at Maggie.
She wasn’t sure if Maggie didn’t notice, or if she assumed they were soaking in the happy flower vibe.
Once the morning rush cleared out, the rest of the time dragged. Serenity had thought of little else besides Aaron and how he’d taken the time to come fix her A/C the day before. Couple that with the way he’d touched her hand and yeah, it was more than a little distracting.
She’d spent most of yesterday evening trying to figure out what she could do to thank him for his kindness. After agonizing over it for way longer than she should have, she decided to bake a batch of cookies. Hopefully Aaron liked chocolate chip as much as Tuck did. The toe of her shoe touched the plastic container filled with them that she’d stashed under the desk.
She’d hoped to catch a glimpse of him that morning and finally resigned herself to wait until lunch at one. Simply thinking about it resulted in a fluttering in her stomach. Was Aaron looking forward to it like she was?
Maggie’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Did you see Crazy Day on the calendar for tomorrow?”
“Oh! Thanks for reminding me. I was going to ask about that. Do I dress Gideon in something silly?”
“Most of the kids come in with mismatched clothes and something funny done to their hair.” A mischievous glint appeared in Maggie’s eyes. She glanced around to make sure no one would overhear their conversation. “I usually do something fun for that day, too. But I had an idea this morning for something we could both do. It’d be good for some laughs.”
Serenity took in the other woman’s appearance, wondering how much crazier she could look. But as Maggie described her idea, Serenity had to admit it was a good one. When she agreed, Maggie clasped her hands together. They spent the next thirty minutes going over the details.
Several hours later, when it was finally time for lunch, Serenity arranged her food on a paper towel at her usual table. She’d been anxious to see Aaron and give him the cookies all morning. When he never showed up, her disappointment was like a sharp knife that sliced through her appetite and left her spending most of her break glancing at the door.
It wasn’t like this was the first lunch they’d eaten apart. She knew things came up. Even she had to take a lunch last week for a dental appointment. Regardless of what her common sense told her, she found herself running through everything that happened the day before. She’d truly enjoyed their time together and she was pretty sure Aaron felt the same spark of attraction she had.
Maybe she’d misinterpreted his actions? What if yesterday had left him so uncomfortable, he was avoiding her today? The thought brought together a tangle of nerves in her stomach.
Serenity did her best to finish her lunch and went back to work. By the end of the day, she was more than ready to escape and get home. She was holding Gideon’s hand and walking across the parking lot when she spotted Aaron just ahead. Should she say hello or keep going? The question left her glued in place when he turned and spotted them.
A hand raised in greeting, he approached them. “Hey, you two. Heading home?”
Serenity forced a friendly smile. “We are. It’s been a true Monday. I hope your day went smoothly.”
Aaron gave a half shrug. “I had an appointment this morning that got pushed back to one.” His gaze locked with hers. “I missed seeing you at lunch.”
“You did?” Serenity kicked herself for sounding pathetic. “I’m sorry about the meeting. That’s never fun. I missed seeing you at lunch, too.” She pulled the container of cookies out of her bag. “I brought these for you.”
“What’s this for?” He tapped the top of the container as he took it from her.
“It’s a thank you for going out of your way to fix our A/C. I can’t express how glad I am — and Gideon, too.”
She watched nervously as he opened it. He pulled a cookie out and popped it into his mouth. “Mmmmm…” He finished it and smiled at her. “Now that’s one of the best chocolat
e chip cookies I’ve ever had. Did you make them yourself?”
“I did.” Serenity’s face heated up and she leaned down to remove an imaginary speck of dirt from Gideon’s shirt.
“These are completely unnecessary, but thank you.”
A chuckle escaped her throat and she shook her head. “You know, I put on a brave front yesterday. But I wasn’t looking forward to spending much time in that house without a working A/C. You were a huge blessing to us.” Her eyes went to a lock of hair above one of his ears that had gotten mussed and was sticking out a little. Serenity was torn between thinking it was cute and wanting to reach across and fix it for him just so she could touch the subtle curl.
Aaron replaced the lid. “I’m glad I could help.” He tipped his head towards the container. “If you ever need assistance in the future, all you have to do is holler. Especially if you pay in cookies.” He looked like he wanted to say something else. Instead, he motioned in the direction of their car. “See you tomorrow?”
Serenity nodded. “Tomorrow.” She took Gideon’s hand again and continued their walk across the parking lot. She felt his blue eyes on her but refused to turn around and see if she was right.
He’d had a meeting today. That’s why he hadn’t been at lunch. It wasn’t because he regretted spending the afternoon with them.
Relief flooded her system, quickly followed by annoyance. Since when did her entire day center on whether or not a guy wanted to eat lunch with her? How pathetic was she? She’d managed to eat hundreds of meals all on her own until now. If she continued to do so or not shouldn’t make a difference.
Except that it did.
Serenity opened the car door and sank into the seat. As she watched Aaron’s car weave its way through the parking lot and disappear, the truth wedged itself into her chest. Whether or not she wanted to admit it, spending time with him had become the highlight of her day.
~
Finding Faith (Love's Compass Book 4) Page 7