Chapter Three

It hadn’t occurred to Maggie that Aiden would want to take her all the way back to her apartment after their evening out. Of course, it should have, but she hadn’t really thought that far ahead. She had only expected to pop to a local bar, have a couple of drinks and probably shell out for a cab home while he met up with some other friends, or something.

“It’s just up here.” She cringed. Her place was far from salubrious, and she knew he’d be shocked by it.

“Aren’t there any street lights around here?” He frowned, switching his headlamps to full beam.

“No.” She felt a little embarrassed. It didn’t usually bother her, although there had been one or two nights lately when she’d felt that she was being followed. It was probably just her imagination, she knew, and had consoled herself that with her build she should be able to hold her own against any would-be attacker. It wasn’t as if she ever carried much money—she didn’t have any—so any thief would be sorely disappointed if they grabbed her purse.

“Do you drive?” Aiden asked.

“Nope.” Not anymore.

“So you walk down here alone every night after work?”

She sighed. “Yes, I do.”

He shook his head, and she watched him purse his lips as though annoyed.

“It’s just this one here.” She was glad to change the subject by pointing out the small apartment block on the far corner.

He looked over at the building as he pulled up outside.

“Well, thanks for a great evening.” She quickly unfastened her seatbelt, hoping to get out of the truck before him.

“I’ll walk you to your door.” He was frowning, and she thought it best not to argue.

She sighed, a little despondently. She really liked the guy and had had a fantastic evening with him. He was great fun as well as a perfect gentleman, but she really didn’t want to ruin everything by showing him just how far apart their worlds were.

“Thank you.” She took his hand as he helped her down from her seat. Then she led him toward the building while she delved into her purse for her keys.

She felt his hand in the small of her back, even through her coat, and she smiled. It was a nice, protective gesture that she really enjoyed—certainly something that she had never experienced before.

“The elevator doesn’t work,” she quickly informed him when he steered her toward it.

He said nothing but allowed her to lead him up the stairs. She was only a few flights up and regularly lied to herself that she was glad of the exercise.

“Do you want coffee, or…?”

Although she willed him to say no, he nodded.

Maggie took a deep breath and unlocked her front door. She just knew this would be the end of any future they might have had together, even as friends.

“Well, this is it.” She flicked on the light and showed him into the tiny apartment that had been her home for the past couple of years.

He must have noticed the smell of dampness, and when he went through to the living room, the old mismatched furniture covered in musty throws to disguise the state of it must have made him want to turn around and leave right away. She watched him look around, obviously taking in the threadbare carpet, old-fashioned wallpaper peeling from the walls and the draft that whistled through the gaps in the window frames.

“Do you wanna stay for coffee?” she asked slowly, unsure of whether he would have changed his mind, having seen how she lived.

He turned to her with wide eyes. “Yes, please.”

She was surprised but relieved as she went through to the tiny kitchenette to put the pot on. The two rooms were only separated by an ancient pass-through, so she was able to watch him remove his hat and take a good look at her knickknacks.

At least he didn’t turn tail and run. That’s a good sign, right?

“You sure like to read,” he remarked when she took the tray through.

He was standing in front of a very well-worn bookcase that dominated one wall. She wondered if he’d noted the fact that there was no television, so she didn’t really have much else to do, although it suited her fine. She’d never been one to slob around in front of the TV, even when she had one in every room.

She smiled as she placed the coffees on a small table and sat down on the lumpy sofa. “Yes I do.”

He perused a few titles of some very dog-eared books that she had picked up in a junk shop before his hand rested on one that looked quite pristine.

“A Modern Guide to Social Etiquette,” he read aloud. He pulled the book from the shelf and snickered while he leafed through the pages. “So this is how you know so much about expensive wines.”

She felt herself glow hot when he teased her, and she shot to her feet.

“Not exactly,” she snapped, grabbing the book from him. “You don’t know anything, so don’t you dare make judgments like that.”

“I’m… I’m sorry, Maggie. I didn’t mean—”

“Get out!” She held the book close to her chest and pointed to the door with her other hand.

“I meant it’s good that you know this stuff. Self-improvement is always—”

“Out!” She’d heard enough.

He looked hurt and embarrassed as he grabbed his hat and quickly made his way toward the door.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated on his way out, but she wasn’t listening. She slammed the door and bolted it as soon as he’d gone, before crumbling into a heap of miserable tears on the floor beside it, still clutching her book.

* * * *

“More pancakes?”

Aiden shook his head. He really didn’t feel hungry this morning. He felt sick.

“No thanks, Josie. I’ve had more than enough.”

She rolled her eyes. “I remember a time when you used to eat twice as much as that,” she remarked, gesturing to his plate.

“Think he’s love-sick, sis.” Ben hooted with laughter across the table.

“Very funny.” Aiden was in no mood to be teased today. He yawned.

“So are we all agreed then? We’ll hold a dinner party and invite this Mr. Rossington and his wife. I assume he has one?” Josie was jotting down more notes in her large diary as she spoke.

“Hmm, we’ll have to invite a few others, too, so as not to look obvious,” Ben offered. “I’m sure I can come up with a few influential locals that could impress him.”

“It’s a good idea,” Greg agreed, putting a fresh pot of coffee on the table before taking a seat next to his wife. “But I don’t want Josie overdoing it.” He put a possessive arm around her shoulder.

“Greg, I’m pregnant, not ill,” she pointed out, rolling her eyes.

“I know, but it’s still early days. You have to be careful.” Greg was adamant.

“Well, perhaps I could find someone to help out a little,” she relented with a smile. She pursed her lips as she looked back to her diary. “How many people were you thinking of, guys?”

“Well if we’re gonna schmooze the guy, we’ll need to invite him and his wife, and if there’s four of us, we’ll need at least one other couple to balance it out, then maybe a couple more to make it look less obvious,” Ben replied thoughtfully, counting them out on his fingers.

“Is that a couple or a couple of couples?” Aiden frowned, taking a sip of his coffee.

Josie giggled, her light brown curls dancing around her shoulders. She wasn’t showing yet, but she sure looked radiant. “Oh I think we’ll need more than a couple,” she said, her eyes flashing with mirth.

“So, is that more than a couple or more than a couple of couples? Jeez, you guys.” Aiden shook his head in frustration while the others laughed.

“Leave it with me. I’ll drum up some guests,” Ben told them with a chuckle when he got up. “Thanks for the breakfast, Josie.” He leaned over the table and gave his sister a peck on the cheek before leaving the room. “I’m gonna get into town. I need to pick up a few things. I’ll catch you later.”

“Hold on,” Josie piped up just as he reached the hallway.

Ben came back, poking his head around the kitchen door.

“Are you bringing someone? To the dinner party, I mean?”

Ben looked over at his brother, giving him a sly grin. “Nah. I think it’d be better to keep our minds focused on business, don’t you, Ade? Or were you dying to introduce your latest girl to the family?”

Aiden felt a jolt in his stomach then he shook his head. “Nope. You’re right, bro. It’s a business dinner.”

“Great.” Josie looked satisfied then she scribbled something in her diary as the front door slammed.

“I’d best go see to the horses,” Greg said, then he stood up. He kissed Josie fondly on the top of her head. “Don’t you go overdoing it, ya hear?”

She giggled but gave him a dazzling smile when he left the room.

“I’m glad I’ve got you to myself,” she confided to Aiden as she started to clear away the pots. “What’s this about a girl? Is it anyone I know?”

Aiden grimaced. “Actually, I was going to talk to you about her.” He got up and helped with the dishes. “I know Ben wouldn’t approve of her, but I was kinda hoping you might.”

She stared at him, intrigued. “Go on.”

“It’s this girl I really like but we’re not exactly going out. Well, we went out last night but…”

“But? Did you have fun?” Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Yeah, we had a great time.” He sighed when he remembered how it had gone. It had been great right up until…

“So she’s obviously real nice. Why the long face, bro?”

“She’s a waitress,” he explained.

“And?” Josie was clearly unperturbed.

“Well, she doesn’t have much money. I took her to Sebastian’s last night without thinking. I was afraid she was going to refuse to go in at first, but she was okay in the end. In fact, she acted like she belonged there. She knew all about the wine, said she’s actually been to France. We had a real good time.” He smiled, remembering their meal together.

“But?” Josie frowned. “What happened, Ade?”

She could read him like a book. He huffed.

“I took her home. Josie, you wouldn’t believe how that poor girl lives. The place is cold and drafty, and she hasn’t got any decent furniture or carpets or anything. I felt so—”

“Guilty?” Josie put her arms around her brother.

He nodded. “I didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable with me there. I tried not to look shocked or anything, but I ended up upsetting her.”

She pulled back from him sharply. “How? What did you say?”

He went on to explain about the book and their conversation, while his sister winced.

“I don’t know why I said it. I was only joking.”

“I can see why she was upset.” Josie nodded at him slowly.

He sighed again. “I know.”

“Sounds like she’s a proud woman, even if she doesn’t have much,” Josie went on thoughtfully.

“She’s that all right. Had a bit of a fight on my hands when it came to paying the tab. She wanted to go Dutch on it.” He shook his head, remembering how that had gone.

“Hmm, it must be hard for her,” Josie remarked.

“I want to help her, sis. I just don’t know how.” He felt a knot in his stomach at the hopelessness of the situation.

“Maybe we could ask her to come help with the dinner party? She obviously knows her stuff, and we could pay her really well? It would help us both out. Think she’d want to?” Josie’s eyes shone as she looked up at her brother.

He frowned. “I don’t know.” He chewed his lip.

“Well it’d be a bit classier than that café she’s working in, I’d imagine, so it might give her a bit of a boost in morale as well as wages,” she suggested, “and Lord knows I could use all the help I can get.”

“You’ve got a good point there.” He suddenly felt a little better. “I’ll talk to her about it once I’ve made my peace over this mess,” he said decisively. “Thanks for that, sis.” He bent down and gave her an affectionate kiss on the cheek before grabbing his hat on his way out the door. At last something seemed to be working out.

* * * *

Aiden grinned as he climbed into his truck and made for the little café in Bracken Ridge. He knew Maggie wouldn’t be looking forward to seeing him today, but he had to do something.

He was right. She scowled at him from the counter when he went in carrying a large bunch of flowers. He was expecting it, though, and shot her a dazzling smile. Although she was deliberately keeping busy serving another table, he took his usual seat at the counter and waited for her.

Eventually she came over to him.

“Morning, Maggie. I’ve brought you these.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want them. I don’t want anything from you. In fact, I’d rather you left right now and never came back. Think you could manage that?” Her face was tight and her tone as cold as ice.

He shook his head. “Nope.”

She huffed, folding her arms as she stared at him defiantly.

He knew she was hardly likely to make a scene with other customers there, but deep down he was worried that she really wanted him to go.

She narrowed her eyes. “What do you want from me?”

“A coffee and one of your delicious cinnamon buns, please.” He grinned, hoping to see her thaw a little.

She didn’t.

She pursed her lips angrily then looked over at the other customers. He was obviously right about her not wanting a scene. She poured him a drink and handed him the warm bun. It smelled delicious.

He smiled and took the plate but was surprised when she didn’t let go. Instead, she leaned into him and spoke through gritted teeth in a low voice.

“And I’d be obliged if you’d leave the correct amount on the counter. I don’t need your massive tips. I don’t need anything from you.”

She let go of the plate so suddenly he almost fell backward off his stool. His heart sank. He stared up at her, but instead of standing there chatting with him like she usually did, she stalked off and went to wipe down some tables. Shit!