“Incredible. The rush is something that’s pretty hard to replicate.”
“Is that why you did it? For the rush?”
“I did it because it was part of my job, but I loved it. The speed the body falls through the air…”
I shuddered just thinking about it.
“Too much?” he asked.
I laughed and nodded.
“So what’s the craziest thing you’ve done?” he asked, leaning back in the chair.
Hmm. The craziest thing I’ve ever done? This was going to be a challenge.
“You got anything?” he asked, snapping my attention back to the question at hand.
“I’ve got one,” I said.
“Spit it out.”
“I went up in a hot air balloon for my eighteenth birthday.” I sat back in my chair, completely satisfied with my answer.
“Not bad. Would you go again?”
He read right through me.
“Absolutely not.”
“I think that’s going to be my duty to you as your newest friend.”
“What?”
“Make you live a little, face your fears…”
I groaned just as the server came to take our orders.
“And it’s going to start with tonight’s meal. We’d both like the Pasta allo Scoglio,” Aaron said, handing our menus to the server.
After the server left, I looked at Aaron, who was completely amused with himself.
“I don’t like being forced into doing things,” I said, unfolding my napkin. “And I’m not afraid of shellfish so this shouldn’t even count. I just don’t like them.” I wanted to be mad at him, but he looked so happy I couldn’t be.
“I’m not forcing you. I’m only giving you a little push,” he replied. “And you can’t say you don’t like them because you’ve never tried them.”
“I don’t have to try them to know I won’t like them.”
“If you could look at me and tell me without a shadow of a doubt that you hated shellfish, riding bikes, and rock climbing then I wouldn’t push you into doing any of them. But by the sounds of it, you’re making an uneducated guess, which doesn’t sound very lawyer-like to me.”
I scowled at him. “How’d you know I’m going into law school?”
“I’ve got my sources,” he replied, his brow arched.
“Cole?” I asked.
“No. Not Cole. Not this time. So how’d you decide to go into law?” His question surprised me.
I glanced at the twinkle lights that outlined the patio and caught a glimpse of someone on the sidewalk staring in my direction. Our eyes met quickly before the shadow of a person darted into the night, leaving me with an uneasy feeling. I turned my attention back to Aaron who was waiting for my response.
“I grew up helping my mom in the non-profit law center she started and I loved it—everything about it. When I was in Junior High, I’d go in after school and help with filing and things like that. My friends thought I was nuts, and I probably was. As I got older, I helped to prepare the documents and quickly became infatuated with the stories that always came along with each case. I just knew I wanted to follow in her footsteps…help people who couldn’t otherwise help themselves. Good legal representation shouldn’t only be reserved for the wealthy, and I feel like so many people get penalized in the courts. I don’t know; I’m probably rambling.”
“No. I get it. I really do,” his voice softened. “It’s really refreshing to meet someone who knows what they want out of life.”
I laughed and took a sip of my wine. “Career-wise, yes. Every other part of my life is still up for debate.”
He laughed, but his eyes wore something else behind his expression.
“What about you? I know you work for your father, but I have no idea doing what or where you’ve been for the last ten years. Gabby mentioned that you and Jason met in the military?”
Aaron nodded and shifted uncomfortably as he debated what to tell me. I could tell his mind was running a mile a minute, and I hoped I’d be able to crack through at some point, someday.
“We did. We both were at a point in our lives where we needed to see the world, really experience it, and the military provided that.” He let out a sigh. “And more.”
The server placed our plates in front of us and asked if there was anything else we needed, which there wasn’t.
“It was a wake-up call for me. I had a pretty easy life up to that point, and I don’t think I really thought everything through when I joined…”
“Yeah?”
He nodded and his eyes darkened with his admission. “But it gave us both the start we needed,” he continued. “One thing I knew for sure when I got out was that I didn’t want to re-up. We had come up with an idea for civilian surveillance using an app, and it turned out to be something that was missing in the marketplace, so we got several lucrative offers. The last one being from my father. Jason wanted the cash and out of it completely. He was never really into the company past the idea. But I wanted to stay on and see the business through. I was able to negotiate that into the sale, and the rest is history.”
“So what do you actually do now that it was brought into the fold of your father’s company?”
“I oversee development and manufacturing.”
I pulled my phone out of my purse and swiped the screen until I came to our home security app.
“Are you telling me that this is yours?” I asked, pushing it in front of him.
He nodded.
“Well, then that explains why Gabby’s father was so quick to put it in our condo. It’s pretty cool. Except that it doesn’t work.” I flashed a smile.
“What do you mean? Are you filing an official complaint?”
“No. I think it’s user error. We screwed it up somehow a few weeks ago and haven’t been able to connect since.”
“I’ll check it out sometime,” he said, finally grabbing his fork and loading it with pasta.
“So you’re more than just a pretty face?”
He cracked a smile and shook his head as he continued eating. I glanced down at my plate and tried to get up enough nerve. As I wound the linguine around my fork, avoiding most of the shellfish, I took a bite and was completely blown away by the flavor.
“This is delicious,” I said.
“I told you I wouldn’t lead you astray.”
“Yet.”
He flashed a grin but his eyes caught something behind me. My stomach knotted at the thought of him being incapable of having one meal without scouting the female selection surrounding us. Fighting the urge to look behind me, I took another swallow of wine and hoped it would help relieve the jealousy that so easily swept in. I had to get over this if we were only friends.
Aaron quickly glanced at me and then back behind me. Unable to hold it in any longer, I waved at him.
“I’m over here.”
His lips broke into a smile. “Yes, you are, and you’re very hard to miss.”
“Then why don’t you tell me what’s so interesting behind me? Or should I ask who?” I raised a brow.
He grinned as his eyes relayed some sort of internal victory.
Damn him!
This friend thing wasn’t going to work. I was an all or nothing kind of girl.
He leaned in close and whispered, “It’s getting late. We should probably get you back home. We can’t let this night turn into anything more.”
And with those words my hidden hope of being more than friends with him were shattered. I nodded and followed him out the restaurant.
Chapter Eleven
Gabby and I piled out of the elevator into our hallway, groceries in hand for our delicious dinner tonight after a grueling workday. I was making chicken fajitas and couldn’t wait. We both worked out at lunch in anticipation of tonight’s meal, and I was just thrilled to have Gabby at home for the night. Since she started seeing Jason, she’d spent most nights there, which was fine since all I seemed to do was study. As we nea
red our door, I saw a little box on the floor.
“What’s that?” Gabby asked.
I slid the key into the door and stepped over the tiny box, putting the grocery bags on the foyer table.
“I’ll grab it,” I told Gabby as she stepped over it, trying to balance her purse and groceries.
I picked up the box, which was wrapped in gold foil and had a black ribbon crisscrossed on top.
“Looks like chocolates,” I said, grinning. “I guess Jason misses you already.”
Gabby turned around beaming as she held a bag of tortillas. “He’s so sweet.”
I handed her the box and she lifted up the tag.
“Um, Brandy. These aren’t for me. It’s addressed to you and there is no sender.”
My blood turned ice-cold as I shoved the grocery bags onto the counter.
“Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“No. Why would I be?” she asked, unwrapping the foil.
“Don’t eat them,” I almost barked.
“Why?”
“I’m probably being paranoid, but some weird things have been happening.”
“And now you’re telling me?” Gabby rested her hand on her hip, clearly not pleased.
“You know those flowers I got?”
She nodded.
“I really don’t know who they came from.”
“I thought Shane, your ex, sent them?”
I shook my head. “And I’ve been getting really weird texts and phone calls. At first, I thought maybe it was someone playing a trick on me, but I’m not so sure anymore.”
“Should we go to the police?” Gabby asked.
“And say what? Someone sent me flowers and left a box of chocolates. Can you help?”
Gabby laughed and shook her head. “Good point. But the messages and texts seem like something to report.”
“The messages have been completely nonsensical and never actually addressed to me so it could just be a fluke. Maybe it’s Shane messing with me.”
Gabby’s expression relaxed. “Maybe it is.”
I searched for my cell in my purse and quickly texted Shane, but after I sent the message I knew it made no sense.
“Why would he go to all the trouble to either borrow people’s phones I don’t know or get disposables? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Well, maybe it’s two separate issues. Maybe he’s trying to get your goat by sending the flowers and candy, and maybe the other is just nothing at all.”
I liked that idea and was busily putting away the groceries, enjoying the release of tension, once I decided that’s what had to be happening.
And then my phone rang.
“It’s Shane,” Gabby said, tossing it to me.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Is everything okay?” Shane asked, his voice concerned.
“So I take it that you’re not the one sending me the messages.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you,” he said, his voice softening. “I know I was totally immature in college, but I wouldn’t stoop to that. And I have changed, which if you’d meet me for coffee, you might find that out for yourself.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I laughed but knew I couldn’t lead him on. He had been a good boyfriend—attentive, loyal, sincere—but there was something missing between us. I never felt that spark that I’d heard about, longed for. It was more like a friendship with benefits. I never found myself daydreaming about Shane, not the way I had about Aaron.
“Seriously though. What’s been going on?”
“I’ve been getting all kinds of random texts and calls. And someone sent flowers to my work and chocolates to my condo.” Once I said it aloud to Shane, the uneasiness rushed through my body, squashing all of my attempts to explain it away.
“And you don’t have any idea who it might be?” he asked.
“I was hoping it was you. Only not,” I said. Our breakup wasn’t horrible, but it was more one-sided.
“I actually don’t even know where you work,” Shane confessed. “So even if I wanted to, I couldn’t.”
Why didn’t I think of that? That’s right. I never told him where I got a job.
“Have you reported it?” Shane asked.
“I don’t think there’s anything to report. But if anything else weird happens, maybe I will. Well, thanks for calling me back.”
“It was nice hearing from you. I miss you,” Shane said, his voice hopeful.
“It was really nice of you to call me back,” I repeated. “Maybe we’ll grab coffee sometime.”
“Sure,” Shane said, his tone falling. “Talk to ya later.”
And he hung up.
“Well, that was great. I just added salt to the wound there.” I tossed my phone on a cookbook and let out a deep sigh.
“Maybe we should get the security cameras hooked up again,” Gabby suggested.
“That’s probably a good idea. Actually…” I hesitated and started slicing the chicken and caught Gabby looking at me suspiciously.
“Is there anything you want to tell me?” she asked, her brow raised.
“I think your brother mentioned something about being able to fix them.”
She turned around, brow raised. “Really and when was this?”
“Just that day at the hospital,” I said, which wasn’t a complete lie. It did fall during that twenty-four hour period.
“That’s a good idea.”
“I thought so, and it would save us some money. Plus—”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“I know you’re holding some stuff back so spit it out.”
“I’m sorry. I think I’ve been preoccupied with studying. I’m kind of freaking about starting law school. I’ve been planning this forever and I just don’t want to screw it up.”
And I can’t stop daydreaming about your brother who apparently got my message about being only friends and hasn’t called or texted since.
“You’ll do amazing. You always worry and stress and then by the end of whatever you set your mind to, you soar.”
“Thanks. I hope so.”
“How many of the incoming students do you think got a chance to volunteer all through high school and college at a law firm?” she asked, slicing the peppers.
“It wasn’t a law firm. It was at my mom’s non-profit law center.”
“Same difference and you know what I mean. But, regardless, I think what you need is to completely let loose this weekend at your brothers. It sounds like it will be so much fun, and I can’t wait to finally get to take part.”
I laughed at the thought. Every year my brothers hosted a weekend long party at some property they owned. I would always invite Gabby, but in the summer she was always off on some luxurious vacation with her stepmom. This was the first summer that they didn’t tour Europe or something because Gabby was working at the office.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” I teased. “We’re talking about a cabin owned by two guys who love to party, and tents propped up all over the place by fellow partiers.”
“It sounds like something we both need,” she said, tearing up as she moved on to the onions.
“I’m so happy Lily gets to come too. I think she was starting to get really sad that she never got to see you when she drove up here.”
“Which is why part of me is super sad that Jason can’t make it and the other is relieved. I wouldn’t want Lily to think I completely ditched her for a man, again.”
“If anyone would understand, I think it would be Lily.” I dropped the chicken into the skillet and began adding seasoning and stirring quickly.
Gabby brought me over a glass of wine as I made dinner.
“Well, here’s to a fun girls’ weekend,” she said, smiling and texting. “Aaron said he can come over next week to fix the system. Does that work for you?”
I nodded.
“I’m just gonna give him your cell number so he can text you the details.”
“Gr
eat.” Just what I needed. Now he had an excuse to text without Gabby getting suspicious.
Within in seconds the first text came over.
So whachya doing?
I texted back
Not much. Just got done texting an old boyfriend
I waited for a reply and realized Aaron obviously couldn’t take a joke. My phone remained silent the rest of the night.
Chapter Twelve
“How long have we been in the car?” Gabby whined. She was sitting in the backseat, handing out goldfish crackers and M&Ms to Lily who was sitting in the front. “It feels like forever.”
The music was on a constant turn between Lorde, Imagine Dragons, and Capital Cities, and the air conditioning was blasting. We had officially made it to the other side of the state, which meant hotter temperatures and not much scenery beyond wheat and hay fields and the occasional gas station. Or at least that was the road we chose to take. I remember seeing prettier scenery when one of my brothers drove.
“You are worse than my four year old cousin,” Lily laughed, unfolding her hand for more goldfish.
“We’ve been driving for a little over four hours, but that counts the multiple snack stops you needed,” I said, looking at Gabby in the rearview mirror.
“Whatever. All you brought was trail mix and fruit leather. When have I ever been a granola kind of girl?” Gabby narrowed her eyes at me and threw a couple M&Ms at me, and they bounced off the center console before hitting the floor.
I shook my head and started laughing as the GPS instructed us to turn off the road we were on. Flipping the blinker on, I took a left and spotted another country store with a half-burned out sign for a café.
“We’ve only got ten more miles, but the road looks a little sketchy so who knows how long it will be,” I replied.
“I thought you’d been here before?” Lily asked, scanning the playlist selection.
“I’ve been here a few times, but I was never driving.” The road led us to more greenery and I instantly calmed. This was the scenery I remembered, not all the brown everywhere. I had obviously taken a different route than my brothers.
“I wonder if there will be any hot guys there,” Lily mused, looking out the windows.
Spring Fling Trio- Beyond Love Starter Set Page 33
