“Yes. Luckily, the house is furnished, so it was pretty easy.” I smile. “Next time you’re in the office, I’d love to have you over for lunch so you can meet Neptune.”
“I’d love that.” She nods. “I’m going to grab some fish and chips. See you at the office a little later?”
“I’ll be there.”
She heads off, waving over her shoulder, and I stand there for a moment longer, watching her go.
Then I turn back toward the garden.
Aiden still has his back to me, completely absorbed in what he’s doing. I walk closer, careful not to startle him, and that’s when I notice he’s wearing earbuds.
I wonder what he’s listening to.
I’m right beside him when he finally senses me. He looks up, recognition flickering across his face before it breaks into a wide smile. He tugs the glove off his right hand and pulls one earbud free. “May, hi.”
“Hi.”
“What are you doing here?” His gaze flicks past me.
“We just got back from Whale Cove.” I motion behind me.
“Oh.” He stands. “I heard about the whale. How was it?”
He rises from where he’d been kneeling, straightening to his full height, and I can’t help noticing the way his T-shirt clings to his chest, the worn jeans, the hat pushing his hair back just enough to curl around his face.
I have to look away.
“It was actually a pretty simple entanglement,” I say, refocusing. “But it was so cool.”
His smile widens, and it’s impossible not to mirror it.
“That’s incredible. I’m glad you were there for it.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t text you.” I shift my weight slightly. “I didn’t want to wake you last night, and then this morning I got the call while I was walking Neptune. I haven’t had a second to myself.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Still.” I shake my head. “Thank you for everything you did yesterday. I owe you big time. You fixed my fridge, stocked it, and took care of Neptune—”
“Hey.” He shrugs gently. “It really was no big deal. I only brought over a few things from my fridge, and Neptune’s a pleasure to be around. Skye loves him.”
“What did you guys even do?” I ask. “I swear he didn’t move when I got home.”
Aiden grins. “We went on a ten-mile hike.”
I burst out laughing. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” He nods. “I usually hike a few times a week with one of our neighbors and his dog. It was a good one. I actually took some pictures.”
He takes his phone out of his pocket, swipes a few times, then turns the screen toward me.
Neptune, Skye, and a black dog I don’t recognize. They’re sitting at the top of a mountain, the ocean stretching out behind them, the sky lit with sunset.
“Oh my God,” I breathe. “That’s beautiful.”
“That’s Houston.” Aiden nods toward the screen. “He lives two houses down from me. You’ll meet him and Nathan soon, I’m sure.”
“Will you send that to me?” I ask, handing the phone back.
