Page 17 of Summer Ever After

“Too much to handle.” He leaned against the desk again, forearms braced casually, as if he belonged there. “Besides, you handled the wicked witch of wine orders well enough.”

Beth huffed out a laugh, though her pulse still hadn’t slowed. “I’ll bet you a week’s salary she drank the bottle before coming over here.”

He nodded. “She had enough perfume on to mask the scent. It about knocked me out when she stepped foot in here.”

She leaned on the counter. “You could have flirted with her, you know, used your manly charms to get closer and find out?”

He laughed. “If you’ve got it, use it,” he joked as he shook his head. “I only use my power on those who are worthy.” His eyes locked with hers for a beat.

The way he said that, so calm and reassuring, utterly unfazed, unraveled something inside her.

Yet the way he’d handled the woman, without so much as saying a word, had her thinking.

She hated standing up to people. It had always been a battle for her, one she rarely won. Ian had seen to that, slicing her confidence down piece by piece until even harmless confrontations tied her stomach in knots.

“You make it seem effortless,” she admitted, her gaze drifting back to the spreadsheet open on her screen, though the numbers blurred, “dealing with people like her. With anyone, really. I’ve never been good at it. I just… freeze.”

Aaron’s voice softened. “That’s not true. I’ve seen you handle people plenty smoothly. And trust me, most people would’ve buckled under that woman’s glare.”

Beth bit the inside of her cheek. She wanted to believe him, wanted to let his faith in her soak in. But the old tapes of memories that played in her head, with Ian’s voice, played too loudly.

“She did get a free bottle of champagne out of it.”

She shook her head. “Not if there is any proof of the other bottle in her cabin. I’ve put a note in her account to charge her in that case.”

“Good.” Then Aaron tilted his head, studying her for a heartbeat. “You know, I worked with Ian.”

Her breath caught. Just hearing his name on Aaron’s lips made her chest tighten.

“I never understood,” Aaron went on, his voice low but steady, “how he fooled so many people. He wore a perfect-cop mask, all polished charm and straight answers. But there were cracks if you paid attention.” He paused, his jaw tightening slightly. “And I pay attention.”

Beth’s throat went dry. She forced herself to meet Aaron’s gaze. “Everyone thought he was good. Reliable. I fell for it, and then I thought…” Her voice cracked, and she shook her head. “I thought maybe it was all my fault. That I was just a weak person. That everything I did was wrong.”

Aaron leaned in slightly, close enough that she could see the light flecks in his eyes. “You are not weak. You were just surviving someone who made it his job to break other people down. That’s on him, not you.”

Her chest ached at the fierceness in his tone. No one had ever said it like that before. Not with such certainty. Not with such protective fire. And standing there, with his presence crowding out the shadows, she realized that she wasn’t just distracted by him, she was drawn to him. Every steady breath, every sharp edge of loyalty, every grin that softened just for her.

It terrified her. And it thrilled her.

She took another sip of her smoothie, more for something to do than for the taste, and managed a shaky smile. “You’re very sure of yourself, you know that?”

Aaron’s mouth curved. “Comes with the job.”

“Security guard?” she teased lightly, though her voice wobbled.

“Protector,” he corrected, his gaze holding hers with a weight that made her pulse stutter.

Beth looked away, her fingers tightening around the cup. She had no idea what to do with the way those words made her feel. Heat pooled in her chest, and she had to take a deep breath to remind herself that she still had work to do.

“All right,” she murmured, setting her smoothie down. “Back to it.” She flipped back to her spreadsheet and the accounting books stacked neatly beside her keyboard, forcing herself to focus on numbers instead of the broad shoulders and calm, blue-eyed stare a few feet away.

Aaron leaned casually against the desk for another moment, watching her settle. Then he straightened, picking up his own smoothie. “I should make my rounds. Check the grounds, make sure everything’s in order.”

“Don’t melt out there. It’s very muggy today.”

He smirked. “I’ll be back before I melt so I can walk you to your car.”

Her stomach tightened at the thought of him sitting outside of her place again that night. He looked tired still, and she knew that she still had two hours left in her workday.