“Thanks.” Hunter sipped his beer, not sure how to start the conversation. Aaron didn’t seem to have the same problem.
“Was it hard getting where you are today? I know you said your parents wanted you in the family business.”
Hunter took another swallow of the lager while he considered his response. He’d fought every inch of the way but didn’t think Aaron wanted to hear about his darker days… although looking into the depths of Aaron’s gaze, maybe he did. Hunter felt a sudden urge to open up, to say things he’d never told another living soul. In the end, he decided to go with honesty, but in an act of self-preservation, he held the details back. “I always knew what I wanted to do. Mom and Dad didn’t share the same dream. We butted heads. But I wasn’t going to let that stop me. The resorts aren’t my thing; design is.”
“You’re really good at what you do. I’m glad you followed your heart.”
“You’ve seen my work?” A fluttery feeling started in the pit of his stomach at the idea of Aaron knowing about his passion and appreciating it.
“Yeah, I’ve seen a couple of the magazine features. And I saw that you won that big award. I’m no expert, but obviously those who are recognize your skills. Congratulations.”
Hunter could feel the blush extending up his cheeks as he murmured his thanks.
“I’ve heard good things about your store, too. Mom said you opened a couple of years ago?”
“Nearly three years now. I still get a thrill when I unlock the door each morning and cross the threshold.” Aaron’s face lit up as he discussed Artisan and how he’d built the store from scratch. Hunter asked a few questions, keen to hear Aaron talk and to learn more about his life. He’d obviously had his own set of struggles, the main one being the funding for the store, but he’d got there in the end. “You know that expression, ‘blood, sweat, and tears’? Well, that’s entirely true in my case, plus every penny I ever managed to save since I got my first job went into that place.”
“The blood part is true too?”
Aaron nodded enthusiastically, the smile never leaving his face. “You bet. To cut costs, I did a lot of the store fit-out myself. I was working from sunup to sundown, and beyond—burning the candle at both ends, so to speak. Late one night, or more accurately in the early hours of the morning, I was up a ladder—”
“Oh, Jesus! I can just imagine where this is going.”
“And I’m sure you’d be right.” Aaron chuckled. “Anyway, I was trying to swap out the light globes when I dropped the one I’d just pulled out from the fitting. It was reflex to try to catch it, but I overbalanced—”
“You never were very good at ball sports.”
Aaron laughed, then waggled his brows. “Let me assure you that I’ve had a lot more practice and my ball handling skills are now rated amongst the best.”
Oh, God.Hunter swallowed heavily as his blood rushed to his groin. He stared. “I… ah…”Is he flirting?
“So.” Aaron cleared his throat, then continued on, perhaps oblivious to the effect he had on Hunter. “I caught the edge of a bookshelf on the way down. When I came to, I was in a heap on the floor, with a bleeding forehead and a racing heart due to my near demise. Thank God, I woke up pretty quick and didn’t break my neck, because there was no one waiting for me to come home and no one expected to come to the store until after seven the next morning.”
“Holy shit, Aaron. You’re laughing, but that could have been a disaster.” He placed his hand over Aaron’s where it rested on the table. The idea of something happening to Aaron caused Hunter’s blood to run cold. “I hope you didn’t try that again—stupid things on ladders without anyone there to watch over you?”
“I… ah….” Aaron’s gaze flicked to where Hunter’s hand rested on his.
Hunter snatched his hand back.Oh God, what am I doing?
“It all turned out fine in the end. The light globes were part of the final stages, so no more ladders were required. Did you want to get something to eat? They serve great pub food here,” Aaron said. He paused. “Or there are a couple of nice restaurants we can probably get into without a reservation, if that’s more your thing.”
“Are you kidding?” Hunter couldn’t keep the grin from his face, partly at the idea of food, but mainly due to the change in topic. “Pub food sounds amazing. Wings and fries have my tick of approval. Plus I wouldn’t mind another one of these.” He indicted his now empty glass. “How about I grab us another round?”
At Aaron’s nod, he went to the bar, feeling a lot lighter than when he’d ordered his first beer. It turned out he was having a great time, despite his obvious show of panic at Aaron’s accident story. He wondered briefly what Aaron thought of his outburst, then, as he reflected on Aaron’s words, realized Aaron had stated he’d had nobody at home waiting for him. It was three years ago, and a lot could have changed since then, but the thought left Hunter feeling decidedly happy.
He returned to the table with drinks and a couple of menus, pushing aside the feeling that this was a date.Not a date.
After they ordered food, the conversation turned to the reason they’d gotten together in the first place—the upcoming dance. They pored over the schedule, Aaron businesslike in his focus, but the mood was light, and they kidded around as they fought over who would do what tasks. Hunter didn’t think he’d had that much enjoyment working through a project schedule in his life.
But as he sat at the table, warmth blooming in his chest, watching Aaron’s shining smile, he wasn’t sure that was actually a good thing.
8
Aaron looked up as the bell rang, pleased when he saw it was Garrett shouldering the door open. He hurried across and closed the door against the rush of cold air before turning to greet him. “Hey.”
“Hey, you.” Garrett passed him one of the coffees he was holding. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Aaron took a long sip as he crossed back to the counter, Garrett on his heels.
