by Rachel Magee
She turned to Sasha. “You can go ahead. I need to talk to him for a few minutes.”
“Nice to see you, Aiden,” Sasha said before heading off to the reserved table right in front of the stage.
“I know we’re trying to sell the whole relationship thing, but crashing the bachelorette party? Seems a little much, Pierce, don’t you think?” Her playful grin was contagious.
“Go big or go home is what I always say. But look at you, making friends with enemy number one.” He moved down to the window to wait for his order with her in tow.
“That was all her. I was struggling riding with my ankle and she stopped to help me.”
“Still hurting?” He noticed she was standing on her left foot with only the toe of her right foot barely touching the ground.
“Too much activity today.”
“I thought you said you were going to stay off it.”
“I thought you told me you were going to get me one of those carts to put behind Ciera’s bike.”
The thought of Paige sitting in the back of a kid’s cart looking like Cleopatra made him smile. “I’ll call tomorrow.”
“So what are you doing here?” Paige asked again.
Aiden nodded his head at the round table on the far edge of the courtyard hosting some of the investor couples. “Thought I’d take them out to enjoy the nightlife. Any chance I could talk you into coming by to say hi? They’d love to meet you. And to know you’re a real person and not a figment of my imagination.”
“I’d love to, Honey Bear.”
He picked up the two paper plates holding the steaming fried seafood laid out on a portion of a brown paper bag. The rich smells made his mouth water and he had to force himself not to snag the piece of calamari hanging off one side and pop it into his mouth for the walk to the table. Instead, he looked at Paige and gestured to his shoulder.
“If you want, I’ll give you a piggyback ride so you can rest your ankle.”
Laughter crinkled her eyes. “Tempting, but I think I can make it to the table.”
“Just checking. You know, I’m chivalrous like that.”
“That’s what I like about you, Honey Bear. You’re such a giver.”
He knew they were meant as jokes, but for some reason her words swirled through him, and by the time they had reached the table every inch of him felt vibrant and alive. “Look who I found lurking around. I’d love for y’all to meet my delightful other half, Paige Westmoreland.”
Everyone offered their hellos and Paige made her way around the table personally greeting all of them.
“Aiden tells us you are in the wedding this weekend. A bridesmaid?” one of the ladies asked.
Paige nodded and slid into the empty seat next to her. “I am. The bride is one of my best friends. Former college roommate.”
“College roommates are the best kind of friends, aren’t they?” the lady on her other side said. Paige shifted until her full attention was on her. “I still try to get away with my college girlfriends every year.”
“If your college roommates are anything like mine, I bet you make great memories. Where do you usually go?” Paige leaned in, the way she always did when she was listening. She was a great listener. The kind that made you feel important and validated. It appeared that the investor’s wife felt the same way.
“Of course we all love a beach, but our favorite destination is a spa resort.”
Paige’s face lit up and she turned to the wife sitting on the other side, pulling her into the conversation with the same flattering attention. “There’s nothing like a great spa, huh?”
Wife number two nodded enthusiastically.
“Our absolute favorite is one we go to in Scottsdale. You’ve never seen a spa as fabulous as this one. Aromatherapy pool, personal chefs, every spa treatment you can imagine. It’s amazing.”
Paige’s eyes sparkled. “Wow. Sounds wonderful.” Aiden knew Paige. She was not the type who hung out in spas. She was more of an adventure girl. They kind who considered the highlight of her day kayaking in the middle of a pod of dolphins. But right now, she looked enthralled in the spa conversation. Her attention, in turn, had caused the wives to look like they were enjoying themselves for the first time since Aiden had met them.
The first wife launched into details about what made the Scottsdale resort “fabulous,” and the other lady added her own recommendations for other spas. Paige nodded and listened and validated until they looked like three best friends swapping stories.
“I’d love to stay and talk to you all night, but I have to get back to the bachelorette party. Before I go, though, I have to tell you that the spa at Hilltop Resort is one of the best I’ve been to in the world. Even better than that one in Palm Springs you always hear about.”
“I’ve heard that. We should have a girls’ weekend and try it out.”
“Plus, you’ll just love the town of Hilltop. It’s absolutely charming. There’s no place like it.” She tossed a charming grin at Aiden. The warmth of her glance resonated somewhere deep in his chest, deeper than he thought normal. It was a spot he kept guarded, off limits, almost as if he were afraid of the power it could have. And now, completely without his permission, one smile had broken the barrier.
He walked around the table to her, trying to ignore this new feeling. He needed to lighten the mood, keep it casual. “Thanks for stopping by, Smoochems.”
Out of instinct, he slid his arm around her waist and brushed a kissed on her cheek, which was a mistake. He felt like his arms were made to wrap around her waist and he had the sudden urge to pull her into him, to hold her close and press his lips against hers. And he wanted to be able to do that from now until a very long time into the future.
It ignited a string of strong emotions. They were the sort of emotions that were uncontrollable. Big and loud and unexpected. The kind that promised to bring unimaginable joy but also threatened unrecoverable destruction.
The thought made him pull his arm away, as if touching her was making him think those crazy thoughts. Aiden didn’t do big, messy emotions. He did fun and easy and avoided the rest. Life, in his experience, was less complicated that way.
His sudden movement left her off balance and she swayed. He caught her elbow to steady her.
“You okay? I think it’s time to get off that ankle.”
Paige’s face flushed and her eyes met his. The warmth deep in his chest intensified.
“Will do.” She looked flustered at first, as flustered as he felt, but then she turned to the others at the table. “It was so nice to meet all of you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She limped over to her table, and Aiden returned to his seat.
“She is just great. I adore her,” the first wife said.
“Thanks. I happen to agree.” Except this time, he wasn’t feeding them some line to sell the fake relationship. That answer came straight from his heart.
Chapter Nine
Despite not getting in until late the night before, Paige woke up early. No matter how hard she tried to sleep in, it was an impossible task. She’d been that way for as long as she remembered. She tiptoed to the to the kitchen to make coffee, then she took it out to their balcony.
The balcony was her favorite part of this condo. It made the four flights of stairs worth it, even on a hurt ankle. From here, the white sand blended into the aqua waves, which stretched out until they touched the horizon. It was an unobstructed visual display of tranquility.
Her mom’s job had taken her to beaches all over the world, yet this stretch of coastline touched her in ways none of the others did. Maybe it was because this particular water was her favorite shade of blue-green, or maybe it was because the sand gleamed so bright white it looked fake. Or maybe it was because all of her trips to this particular area had been with her favorite people in the world, the people she was here wit
h this weekend, and friendship was really the most beautiful scenery.
Whatever the reason, the picturesque scene in front of her sparkled all the way through her. It was good to be here. She pulled her knees into her chest and clutched the warm coffee mug between her hands as she watched the ocean.
The water was so clear that from her angle she could see below the surface. A couple of giant rays about a hundred yards off the shore dipped and glided in what looked like a choreographed dance. A pelican soaring over the waves dove into the water and returned to the air with a fish in its bill. She could sit out here and watch the wildlife all day.
Besides an older man walking with a metal detector at one end and a guy out for a morning jog at the other end, there was no one on the beach. All of Paige’s attention could be on the playful wildlife and the peacefulness of the ocean.
A dark form appeared in the water as far out as she could see. As it swam closer, the form started to look more like a group of smaller forms swimming together. Then one form jumped out of the waves.
Her dolphin pod! Excitement rolled through her. She walked to the rail, straining to get a better look and wishing she’d remembered to bring binoculars with her. They were swimming closer to the shore, but they were still pretty far out, beyond the sandbar where the water turned darker.
It was hard to tell exactly how many there were because they moved so quickly, swimming between each other, diving deeper and coming up for air. Yesterday she had counted ten including the baby, which seemed about the same as what she saw now. Most likely, it was the same pod who made these warm waters their home. She leaned against the rail, still clutching her coffee for warmth on the cool summer morning and watched as the dolphins played in the waters directly in front of her. She wished someone was here to share this with her.
Another one jumped, closer to the shore this time. The splash must have caught the jogger’s attention. He slowed to a walk and focused on the ocean. That was when she recognized the lazy gait. Aiden.
She wanted to call to him, but he was so far away she would’ve had to use a voice loud enough to wake the entire condo building for him to be able to hear her. She considered texting him, but her phone was still inside, and she didn’t want to leave the balcony while the dolphins were still visiting. So she settled for silently watching him.
He stopped at the water’s edge directly in front of where she was standing and scanned the ocean. The pod was still playing, but they were under the surface now. Paige knew from his vantage point he wouldn’t be able to see them at all, but he stood there, the muscles of his strong bare back highlighted in the morning sunlight.
They were friends. Since the first time Ciera introduced them, she and Aiden had connected. He made her laugh with some dumb joke when they were introduced, and their playful relationship had been born. For years, things between them had been friendly and casual. He was fun and she enjoyed being around him, but she’d never considered anything more. He was just Aiden. So why did she feel a burst of sunlight shimmer through her every time she saw him this weekend?
With no more splashing going on in the water, he rotated until he was looking at the tall condo building. When he saw her, his face lit up in a bright smile and he lifted his hand to wave. She waved back.
He used his arm to pantomime fish swimming in the water and pointed out to the ocean. He was showing her the dolphins. She nodded and used her hands to form a heart that she put over her chest to tell him that she loved watching them. She especially loved watching them with him, but she kept that tidbit to herself mostly because she was still trying to figure out what it meant.
They both stood there watching for a few more minutes. Two of the dolphins stuck their heads up to look at the shore and one more jumped in the waves before the pod turned and swam out to the darker waters.
That scene right there was why she loved this balcony, why she loved this beach. And she felt like maybe Aiden’s presence added to it. When the water was quiet again, he turned back to her and gave her a quick salute before he continued to jog down the beach.
The sound of the sliding glass door opening behind her made Paige jump. Ciera stepped onto the patio holding her own steaming mug.
“What a beautiful morning.” She joined Paige, draping her arms over the rail.
“Gorgeous.” She was talking about the view of the ocean, wasn’t she? Suddenly she felt fidgety, like she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. She quickly took a sip of her coffee to cover it up. What did she have to feel guilty about? She was only enjoying a moment with a friend.
“This view will never get old.” Ciera’s voice had a dreamy quality to it. She wasn’t paying any attention at all to Paige, and Paige wanted to keep it that way.
She struggled to keep her own voice as carefree as Ciera’s. “Nope. It’s pretty perfect.”
“Hey, is that my brother?” Ciera pointed in his direction.
“Yeah, he just ran by. Morning jog, I guess.”
Ciera seemed to dismiss it. She sank into one of the cushioned chairs, blowing on the top of her coffee. “Today are we on step two or step three?”
Step two or three? It took Paige a second to shift gears before she realized what Ciera was talking about. “Oh, right. With Brody.” She cast one last glance at Aiden before moving on to the new topic. “I don’t know about step two. Maybe she’s not as bad as we think.”
Ciera screwed her face up to show Paige that was being crazy. “She called the beach too sandy and she thought surface level was at a hundred feet because that’s a perfect score.”
True, but she had also stopped to help Paige when she was struggling and was perfectly nice to everyone at dinner. “I’m just saying maybe we should be done with step two.”
“Fair enough. Then on to step three.”
“Remind him what we had.” She sipped her coffee, letting her mind drift back to the days when she and Brody were together. They were happy then, she was sure of it. It was just that at the moment, she couldn’t recall any specific examples.
Clearly she was operating on too little sleep. They had tons of good memories. Eleven solid months of them. She just needed more coffee to think of some.
“You outdid yourself.” Aiden looked around the Grand Cabana and admired his lunch meeting spot. It certainly looked worthy of entertaining four self-absorbed money men. The luxury wooden deck raised twenty feet off the ground offered breathtaking views of the ocean while guests lounged in plush furniture in the shade. He could get used to this being his office, although he would rather be taking Paige out in the kayak again than setting up for a boring meeting.
“Tell me your agenda for the meeting. I want to make sure I have all the bases covered.” Paige’s businesslike voice broke into his thoughts.
He let out a heavy breath and turned away from the water to face her.
“Agenda? I’m more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of guy.”
She pulled glossy folders emblazoned with the Cedar Break logo and heavy silver pens out of the tote she’d brought with her and set them on the side table. “You still need some sort of game plan. Successful meetings don’t happen on accident.”
She was meticulous, lining up the supplies in neat rows, arranging items on the table in a way that made it look inviting. But she did it cheerfully, with the same calm, peaceful attitude that relaxed him. The one that he was drawn to every time he was around her.
“Did you get that motto off a cat poster?”
Her smile radiated through her body and danced in her eyes. Looking at her was more distracting than admiring the ocean.
“Slogans from cat posters come in handy. How else would the world be inspired to ‘hang in there’?”
“Our game plan is to shoot the breeze, eat lunch, have a business meeting.”
Paige made a note in a manila file folder. “Business meeting
before or after dessert?”
“We’re men. We don’t eat dessert.”
She shot him a look that said she didn’t agree. “The only line longer than the women’s bathroom last year at the PGA tournament was the one of grown men waiting for an ice cream cone.”
Aiden remembered that line. The ice cream was worth it. “Then business meeting during dessert.”
“I can work with that.” She held up the logoed folders. “Do you want these on the table now, or want me to pass them out during dessert?”
Aiden practiced his golf swing, trying not to think about how all of the details of the one place that felt more like home than any actual house he’d ever owned could be summed up in black and white on the pages inside those glossy folders.
“You ask a lot of questions.”
“Be glad you’re not one of my brides.” Her lips turned up in the playful grin that lately had made him want to do dumb things. Like kiss her. He swung his imaginary golf club again to distract himself.
“Pass them out later.”
She stacked the folders into a neat pile and placed them on the back corner of the table. “Good plan.”
She fiddled with the computer and checked the wireless connection to the flatscreen TV mounted to one of the posts. The ruffled sleeves of her white silk blouse fluttered in the sea breeze. It was the first time he noticed how she was dressed. Her black pencil skirt and silk blouse looked professional, but the ruffles and her wedge sandals looked beach-appropriate. She and the space were the perfect visual representation of the image he wanted his restaurants to project. The only thing missing, he realized, was her big black walking boot.
Aiden motioned to her ankle. “Where’s the boot?”
She lifted up her foot and wiggled her toes. “Ahh, yes. As of today, I am officially free of the black beast. I now get to downgrade to this less obtrusive flesh-colored brace.” She returned her foot to the floor and leaned down to adjust it. “I’m not sure if it actually supports my ankle or is meant to act as a reminder of what happens when I try to walk across marble floors in big girl shoes.”