“Oh, I obviously didn’t hear you say that. I was probably too focused on fixing my painting mishap.”
Felicity chuckled as she opened the door to the workshop.
“How was your day today?” Sophie asked.
“Good, thanks. Very relaxing. What about yours?”
“I hit the shops. Thought I’d do some retail therapy before I go back to work tomorrow.”
Felicity glanced at Sophie in surprise. “Go back to work? Were you on leave or something?”
“Yep. I had the whole of last week off. My mum had a knee operation, and I wanted to spend some time with her.”
“Oh, right. How’s she doing?”
“Recovering well. So, what did you do today that’s very relaxing?”
“Um…” Felicity couldn’t help but wonder if Sophie was simply being friendly or wanted to know if she’d been with Aidan. “Just stayed in and read a book,” she answered, avoiding the use of we or Aidan’s name.
“You must be thrilled that your boyfriend can always help with delivering our stuff here.”
Felicity’s breathing shallowed. She knew it! Sophie was fishing for information regarding Aidan. “Yes, he comes in handy,” she answered lightly.
“I haven’t asked you before—does he work from home or in an office?”
“From home.” Felicity kept a smile on her face, although she was starting to get uneasy. She took the paint protector sheets from the cabinets, and, like usual, Sophie helped her lay them down on the floor.
“I suppose Aidan also goes to clients' premises? A friend of mine is starting a consulting business, and that’s how he wants to set it up—work from home and hold meetings in clients’ offices or homes.”
“Yes, that’s exactly how Aidan’s business is set up.” Felicity doubted Sophie had a friend starting up a business. Perhaps it would be a good idea to have a heart-to-heart with Sophie, after all. But how should she bring it up?
“Hello!” A few of the women from the shelter had arrived.
Felicity greeted them, sorry that her chance to chat with Sophie had disappeared. Next time, maybe.
Felicity’s heart skipped as she spotted the truck containing the preloved pieces she’d bought from a few places. She couldn’t see him yet, but Aidan was in that truck with Kallan. They hadn’t seen each other in a week, as Aidan had been super busy, so she was more than excited right now.
The truck came to a stop, and the driver’s door opened. Aidan came out.
Felicity stopped herself from running to her man. Instead, she took longer steps to get to him faster. But, once she was near enough, she launched herself at him. “Hi,” she breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Hi,” Aidan said with a chuckle as he crushed her to him, then kissed her on the lips.
“Ahem,” a woman’s voice said. “Get a room.”
Felicity grinned as she turned to Isla. “Hey! What are you doing here?”
“What do you mean?” Isla asked with exaggerated innocence. “I only took a break with helping for a few weeks. Now that Aidan’s here, you don’t want me?”
“Ha ha.” She hugged Isla. “As if Aidan can replace you in my life.”
Isla linked arms with her. “Let’s leave the boys to do all the heavy lifting. I want to check out everyone’s work-in-progress.”
“Sure.” Felicity waved to Kallan before heading back to the workshop.
As they turned the corner, they saw Sophie arriving.
“Hello, ladies!” Sophie said.
“Hi, Sophie,” Felicity and Isla said in unison.
Sophie and Isla exchanged pleasantries, talking about how long it had been since they’d last seen each other.
Felicity felt apprehensive all of a sudden. Aidan was here today. How would Sophie react?
“I was telling Fel I’d love to see everyone’s work-in-progress,” Isla was saying.
“Don’t look at mine,” Sophie said dryly. “I still have a long way to go to catch up to the skills and creativity of everyone else.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Felicity said. “She’s doing really well.”
“Thanks,” Sophie said with a laugh.
“Show me,” Isla said.
Felicity led Isla inside the room to Sophie’s corner shelf.
“Oh, it’s coming along well,” Isla said.
“Yep. Sophie’s not as fast as the others yet, but the quality’s good.” Felicity glanced behind to see where Sophie had gone to and found her standing outside the room, looking towards the direction of the car park. Immediately, she knew that Sophie was waiting to say hello to Aidan.
Seriously? She’d expected Sophie to pretend with all her might that Aidan being around didn’t matter to her. Now Sophie wanted to say hi to Felicity’s boyfriend?
Of course, that wasn’t a crime. But damn, she was now worried about how strong Sophie’s feelings for Aidan might be.
“Oh, wow, this is great,” Isla said, admiring a small rectangular dining table.
Felicity returned her attention to Isla, wanting to share her concerns with her best friend. But the men had come in, carrying a heavy, solid-wood door with beautiful carvings.
“Gorgeous!” Sophie said. “Just so beautiful.”
Maybe Sophie was directing her comment at Aidan?
Felicity suppressed a sigh. She was jealous and suspicious, and she didn’t like the way she was feeling. It was an overreaction. Surely, Sophie wouldn’t flirt with Aidan right in front of her. And, surely, Aidan wouldn’t encourage Sophie in any way.
She gave herself a mental shake and rejoined Isla in checking out the women’s works. For a few minutes, she proudly showed Isla how far some of the girls had improved with their furniture upcycling skills. When they’d finished, she glanced around for Aidan.
He was by the door, chatting with Sophie, who was chuckling a little.
Yes, it all looked so innocent.
But what if Sophie was more Aidan’s type?
Argh, why was it hard to stop her negative thoughts from cropping up?
She forced herself to look away and found Isla staring at her.
“You okay?” Isla asked.
Felicity gulped. “I think Sophie has a crush on Aidan,” she whispered.
Isla scoffed. “Really?”
“Yes.”
Isla glanced at Sophie, who was still busy talking to Aidan. “I don’t see it.”
“Well, of course, she wouldn’t flirt with him when I’m around. But it’s the things she’s said before…comments she’s made…”
Isla frowned. “Even if that’s true, I still don’t think you should worry about it. Do you really think Sophie would make a move on Aidan? You’re her friend.”
Felicity wrinkled her nose. “You’re right. Even if she does like Aidan, she’s unlikely to act on it, so I don’t need to be concerned.”
“Yup. And Aidan’s crazy about you.”
“Thanks. I feel better.” Just a bit, but she wasn’t going to continue bothering Isla with this right now.
“Good,” Isla said. “Hey, I got an invite for Tessa’s fortieth birthday next Saturday.”
Felicity grinned. “Yeah, I know. She only invited New Again members and their plus one. Of course, you’re invited, too, since you started up this circle in the first place.”
Isla put an arm around her shoulders and lightly bumped their heads together. “And I’m so proud of how far you’ve taken it.”
“Thank you,” Felicity said sincerely. She was no longer shy or embarrassed or reluctant to acknowledge her successes and contributions. Funny, though, that she didn’t have the same confidence when it came to her love life. A big part of her still feared that something so amazing as her relationship with Aidan couldn’t possibly be real, much less lasting.
It almost felt like it was…too good to be true.
Felicity sat around a table with a couple of New Again members, getting hoarse from having to be heard over the blaring music in the
club where they were celebrating Tessa’s birthday. They were all having a lot of fun, especially Tessa, who’d thought that only half of her invitees would be able to make it.
Everyone had come. Unfortunately, Isla and Kallan had had to leave early, as Kallan had a family gathering tonight as well.
Tessa approached them, coming back from the dance floor with Aidan in tow. “Your turn, Fel.”
Felicity chuckled, standing and taking Aidan’s hand.
“No!” Tessa said. “You and me. I haven’t danced with you yet.”
“Oh. Are you sure you don’t want water or a few minutes’ break?” Felicity said teasingly. “You haven’t stopped.”
“Hey, this is my first birthday party since I was seven. I’m making the most of it.” Tessa grabbed her hand.
“I need a drink,” Aidan said, pretending to wipe his brow. “Tessa’s a dance machine.”
Felicity trotted to the dance floor with Tessa, thrilled that Aidan was getting along so well with her New Again friends.
“You know,” Tessa yelled, “I used to be so self-conscious about how I look when I’m dancing.”
“Me, too,” Felicity admitted.
“So, let your hair down with me. Whoo!” Tessa danced with abandon.
Felicity laughed and mimicked her friend. She raised her arms in the air and shook her hips. Then, she and Tessa took turns leading each other.
Felicity twisted and turned, catching a glimpse of the bar area—and of Aidan and Sophie having a conversation. She faltered.
“Hey, no slowing down allowed,” Tessa said.
Felicity put on a wide smile as she humoured her friend. Soon, Tessa announced she was tired, and Felicity was glad to head back to one of their tables.
She glanced around for Aidan, but couldn’t see him. Sophie, though, was walking towards them.
“Hey, Tessa,” Sophie said. “I'm afraid I have to go.”
“Do you?” Tessa asked with disappointment. “The night’s still young. And I haven’t danced with you yet.”
“Sorry. I really wish I could stay longer. But it’s work.”
“Of course. No worries. Thanks so much for coming.” Tessa hugged Sophie.
Sophie said goodbye to the rest of them, and Felicity breathed a little sigh of relief. A part of her felt guilty for being suspicious of her friend, but she couldn’t help it.
Aidan came back with another drink for her, and Felicity settled on her seat. Soon, everyone was laughing uproariously as their group started sharing funny and embarrassing things that had happened to them.
Felicity felt a nudge from Aidan, who indicated he had to take a phone call. She nodded.
A minute later, Aidan walked back and whispered in her ear. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”
She followed Aidan outside, where it wasn’t loud.
“I’m being called to an urgent job,” Aidan said apologetically.
“Are you serious? It’s—” She checked her watch. “Ten o’clock.”
“I know. Sorry, babe. It’s a critical thing that can’t be put off till tomorrow.”
She shook her head, trying to ward away her suspicions—and failing. She looked Aidan straight in the eye. “Tell me this has nothing whatsoever to do with Sophie.”
Aidan’s mouth parted, and, for a brief moment, he appeared to be like a deer in headlights. “Hey, come on. What kind of question is that?” he asked, gulping a little.
Tears sprung in Felicity’s eyes. No, she couldn’t believe Aidan would be cheating on her with Sophie. But what the hell was going on?
Aidan tried to cup her face, but she looked away.
“Fel, you can’t possibly be thinking that something’s going on between me and Sophie.”
“Explain to me what is so critical about your client’s problem that they need you right now.”
“They found a security problem in their system that needs to be fixed straight away. That’s why I really need to go right now.”
She shut her eyes, wanting everything to be okay, wanting Aidan to alleviate her fears. “Stay. Please.”
“I can’t. I’m really sorry.” Aidan tilted her head with a finger under her chin. “You know I love you. How can you even think I’d cheat on you? With a friend of yours?”
Felicity sighed deeply. She supposed Aidan made sense. If he was having an affair with Sophie, why would he leave the party early when it would only arouse her suspicions?
“Okay,” she said reluctantly.
Aidan sighed with relief. “I’ll say a quick goodbye to Tessa, then I’ll have to run. You’ll be okay catching a cab by yourself later?”
“Of course.”
They went back inside, and Felicity kept a serene face as Aidan spoke to Tessa. Then, Aidan kissed her briefly before hurrying out.
“Such a shame he has to leave early,” Tessa said, leading her back to their table.
“Yeah,” Felicity said, her eyes going to her handbag in between two of her friends. “Oh, shit.”
“What?” Tessa asked.
“Aidan’s wallet is in my bag. I better try to catch him.” She grabbed her bag and ran out of the establishment. She looked around, hoping to see Aidan.
She froze.
Aidan was getting in the driver’s side of a black BMW sedan while a woman with long hair made her way to the passenger’s side. It appeared that the woman had come to pick up Aidan, with Aidan deciding to take over the driving.
Felicity wanted to call out, but all she could do was stare. A big part of her hoped that Aidan would see her standing there, watching them, but they were facing the other way.
The car roared off, and a tear fell down Felicity’s cheek. Now, she knew why Aidan had decided to stick with only one beer for Tessa’s party. He'd expected to drive somewhere—with somebody else.
Her mind filled with tidbits from the last couple of weeks where Aidan had been too preoccupied and “too busy” to spend time with her. If what she’d witnessed was only work-related, then why hadn’t Aidan just told her that the client was picking him up? Why hadn’t he introduced her to his client to prove that he, indeed, had to work tonight?
Because he’d really lied.
Felicity’s heart broke into tiny little pieces.
I told you it was too good to be true.
Chapter 17
Aidan rubbed his face with both hands. He was tired and hungry and cranky. It was five-thirty in the morning, and he was itching to take off his IR mask. He’d been on a stakeout for a few hours now, watching the apartment block of Sonny Volker—the man who’d visited Nolan in jail.
Keeping their masks on during fieldwork was part of the IRs’ strict safety protocol, in case people or CCTVs around the area caught them doing something. Unfortunately, apart from a promising start, nothing much had come out of their all-night operation.
Sophie had met with Sonny after she’d left Tessa’s party. In addition to working as a security personnel for a shopping centre, Sonny also moonlighted as a private detective. Intel showed that the person who’d hired him was none other than Lydia.
However, the IRs had no idea what Sophie and Sonny had spoken about. They’d gone home after their meeting and hadn’t come out of their respective places since.
One thing was clear. Sophie and Lydia were working together on something linked to Nolan. Exactly what or why remained to be uncovered.
“Go home, Aidan,” Maricar said through the earpiece in his ear. “Bryce has arrived to relieve you. Get some sleep.”
“Okay,” he said, spotting Bryce’s car parking not far away from his. “Please keep me posted immediately if anything comes up.”
“Of course,” Maricar said. “Drive safely, please.”
“Will do. Thanks, Mar.” Aidan started his car and drove off, briefly flicking his fog lights on to acknowledge Bryce.
He was tempted to head over to Felicity’s. He’d love nothing more than to curl in bed with her, knowing she’d be sleeping in this Sunday morning. But
he’d better not, in case he had to leave again at an inopportune time. She’d just get angrier at him.
Had she forgiven him for last night? His heart still ached from her assumption that he was cheating on her with Sophie. How could she even think that?
To be fair, he could see why. He’d been distracted a lot and hadn’t been seeing her as much as before because of this case. Whatever was going on with Nolan, Lydia, and Sophie, Felicity was at the thick of it. He had to do his job. Nothing was as important as ensuring that Felicity and the whole of the Indie Rebels team were safe. But, damn, he was getting so frustrated that, after all this time, they still didn’t have enough details to even have a clear picture of what was going on.
When he got home, Aidan went straight to bed. After a listless sleep, he woke up just before ten in the morning. He immediately checked his phone.
There were no new developments in the case, and the people the IRs were shadowing weren’t doing anything of note. Argh!
He was keen to talk to Felicity, especially after last night. He couldn’t wait to ensure she was okay—that they were okay.
He rang her. Felicity didn’t answer, so he left a voicemail.
An hour later, she still hadn’t returned his call. He rang again, getting a bit worried. Fel had always been quick to respond to his messages. Was she still angry? Or was she sleeping in from a very late night?
He bet it was the former. Felicity hadn’t even sent him a text to say she’d arrived home.
He should have checked up on her, but he’d been too preoccupied last night. Plus, he’d known she was safe. Justin had been shadowing her. Aidan had arranged for Justin to play secret bodyguard to Felicity when he couldn’t be with her.
He tried ringing her again. To his relief, she answered.
“Aidan.”
He suppressed a sigh. Fel’s tone was cold.
“Hey, babe.”
“What do you want?”
“To talk to you, of course. Are you still mad at me?”
“How’s work?” Felicity asked flatly.
Aidan’s brows furrowed. She sounded more distant than angry, and it made him nervous. “Not too bad. I made some progress, but it’s not done yet.”
Aidan: The Rescue (Indie Rebels Book 5) Page 16
