Aiden straighten as if to intimidate the townies, though that ship has definitely sunk, “So, everyone knows we kissed then?”
More than kissed! The whole town thinks we wentall the wayin the back of that truck.Someone laughs, conveying all of that to him.
“Yeah and you must not be very good at it!” Tyrone teases.
“Uncle Ty!” Steven whisper-shouts.
“Seriously! Months we’ve been waiting and now Harp says it was nothing and won’t happen again.” Max crosses her arms and challenges him to argue.
“Brilliant,” Aiden says, getting angrier.
Maxine turns to Steven, “She was so riled up about that realtor you shoved at him, too.” She turns back, “How did you manage to screw this up, man?”
Aiden stops suddenly, like every muscle in his body has pulled tight, ask whispers, “She what?”
“Maxine!” My turn to whisper shout.
The man transforms before me as he twists in my direction. His faces goes from unsure and frowning, to shocked, to as smug as smug gets. “That’s what it was. You weren’t angry, you werejealous.”
I roll my eyes.
“No?” Aiden goes on, still smirking, “So I should call Elizabeth up then?”
My eyes snap up at the sound of her stupid, sophisticated name in his stupid, hot accent. Someone whistles behind Aiden.
“Fine,” I say, but my voice is so weak even I don’t believe me.
“She’d probably let me take her out to a proper dinner,” he says, walking closer to where I’m mindlessly wiping the counter.
“Forget a proper dinner, take her dancing!” Shelly sighs.
Maxine adds, “Helicopter ride. I’ve seen your chopper coming and going.”
“No, shut up, all of you!” Steven says. He points at me, eyes alarmingly wide. “He’ll take you to see your favorite boy band.”
My eyebrows raise at the idea.
“I will?” Aiden asks.
“They have a show in the city,” Steven explains.
Aiden nods and turns to me, “I will.”
Tyrone laughs, “You don’t know what you’re offering!”
Everyone shushes him. Aiden frowns but says, “I think I can handle it.”
I can’t help but smile at this hilarious turn of events.
“You want to take me to a concertas friends?”I ask.
“Absolutely not. But I will,” he says, his face going soft, “If you’ll let me.”
I let out a small laugh of excitement and nerves I can’t help. “Okay.”
“Plus dinner, non-negotiable,” Aiden adds quickly.
“Okay!” I repeat.
