“Maybe we should take a picture of me blushing and send it to your sister to prove how well you flirt.” She motioned toward the back of the restaurant and said, “Let’s go, Coffee Guy. You need tools to take care of the shutters.”
With the windows and folding doors open, the brisk sea air swept through the restaurant, clearing the musty smell and bringing back the scents of Abby’s youth. Hours passed with chatter and laughter and the sounds of classic rock making their hard work feel more like play. Aiden was funny and charming, singing along with the songs just as she was. When he walked by, he’d take Abby’s hand and twirl her around, do a dance step or two, then go back to scrubbing a table or chair. She’d learned that his parents had listened to oldies in the car when they’d taken family trips. They talked about tourist attractions on the island and how different it was from the city, and she made him laugh with stories of temperamental cooks, persnickety customers, and the trials and tribulations of working in upscale restaurants in the city.
She looked across the room, where he was hard at work wiping down the legs of a table, and she felt happier than she had in a very long time. It made her giddy. He was so easy to talk to. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had this much fun. He looked up, catching her watching him, and she couldn’t help but smile, and then went back to cleaning. She kept her eyes trained on the chair as he headed in her direction, her pulse quickening with his every step. He walked past her, and just as she let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, he swatted her ass with a rag. She squealed and darted away. He chased after her, swatting her again.
She dodged the hit and hollered, “Don’t you dare!”
She spun around to retaliate, laughing so hard she slipped and stumbled forward, landing against his chest. His arms circled her, strong and possessive, and that wolfish grin returned. Their eyes connected, silencing their laughter. Neither one blinked. She wasn’t even sure she was breathing. The air around them electrified, her thoughts urging her to throw caution to the wind, go up on her toes, and kiss him.
“Um, Abby?”
Abby’s head whipped to the side at the sound of Cait’s voice. Cait stood in the doorway, her eyes wide as saucers. Abby tried to step back, but for a split second Aiden held tight. Just long enough to let her know he didn’t want to let go. Then his hand slid down her back, lingering there, as she said, “Cait. Hi.”
Cait looked warily at Aiden. Her eyes narrowed, finding Abby’s again, and she said, “Everything okay?”
No. My heart is racing. I nearly kissed a man I barely know—and I wish I had kissed him because now it’ll be all I’ll think about for the rest of the day. Abby bit back those words nervously and said, “Yeah, of course. Come in.” She glanced at Aiden. His expression was as intimate as the kiss she wanted. Swallowing hard, she tried to focus on Cait, and said, “This is Aiden. He was helping me clean up.”
Aiden’s hand slipped from her back, and he said, “Hi. You must be Cait. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He crossed the room and offered his hand.
Looking tough in her leather jacket, jeans with tears on one thigh, and black Converse sneakers, Cait glanced at his hand, but she didn’t shake it. She lifted a cautious gaze and said, “It’s nice to meet you.”
“I like your ink.” Aiden nodded toward the tattoos on her neck.
Her arm snaked across her middle, as it had yesterday, and she leaned her other elbow on her wrist, touching her neck tattoos with her fingers, nodding a silent thank-you.
Aiden’s gaze shifted to Abby, and that zing of electricity returned. “I should get out of your hair and let you ladies get acquainted. Thanks for letting me help out. I had a great time.”
She didn’t want him to leave, but at the same time, she wanted to get to know Cait and figure out why she was so cautious. “Thanks for breakfast and for helping me clean up.”
“Do you think a particular owner of this place would have an issue with me leaving my table and chairs out front in exchange for breakfast tomorrow? I still need to get that finger foodie picture.”
A shiver of delight skated through her. “I think she can handle that.”
Appreciation shone in his eyes. “Excellent. Then I’m off to buy a book and a kite. If you two get bored around four or five o’clock, I’ll be the guy wrestling with the kite down the beach.”
Abby watched him leave, her eyes traveling from his broad shoulders to his slim waist, lingering on his perfect butt until he was out of sight, wishing she could wrestle with him on the beach. Her body tingled in anticipation of seeing him tomorrow morning.
“Need some ice water?” Cait teased.
“No.” Yes! Abby hugged her, noticing Cait returned her embrace this time. “Thanks for coming. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too. Was that your boyfriend?”
“No. I just met Aiden yesterday. We had breakfast together today, and then he showed up with breakfast for you and jumped in to help me clean.”
Cait’s brows knitted. “Breakfast for me?”
“Yeah. Nice, right? I mentioned you were meeting me, and he showed up with coffee and a blueberry Danish for you. The Danish is over there.” She pointed to a clean table. “But I drank your coffee. Sorry.”
“No worries,” she said as Deirdra walked in.
“Did you guys just get a delivery or something?” Deirdra asked. “Because I saw one fine-looking man walking away from here toward the Silver House with his arms full.”
“That was Abby’s date,” Cait said.
“He wasn’t my date,” Abby insisted, and Cait arched a brow. “Okay, fine. I guess he was my breakfast date, but then he showed up to help me clean. He’s a new friend, a—”
“Guy you want to have your way with?” Deirdra asked, sending Abby’s body into a needy frenzy at the thought. “Because if you don’t, I wouldn’t mind working off some stress with him.”
Abby narrowed her eyes and said, “Hands off, Dee. What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you had to work.”
“I do, but I felt guilty leaving you guys with this mess.” Deirdra looked down at her jeans and T-shirt and said, “I’m ready to work. Had I known you had a hottie on your hands all morning, I’d have kept working.”
“They looked like they were ready to christen these tables when I walked in,” Cait said, snagging the Sweet Barista bag off the table.
Abby gasped. “We did not!”
“Then you’re not as smart as I thought, because I definitely would have,” Deirdra said. “Cait, did you go to Keira’s?”
“I have no idea who Keira is, but Abby’s guy brought this for me. Want to split it?” She held the bag out to Deirdra.
“No, thanks,” Deirdra said. “I already ate about half a Bundt cake that someone dropped off at the house. So, what’s the scoop with the guy?”
“No scoop. His name is Aiden, and he’s here on vacation.” Abby wanted to gush about their fancy breakfast, how easygoing he was, and how much fun she’d had, but she wasn’t ready yet. Her body was still humming from their almost kiss, and she wanted to enjoy that before facing any more of an interrogation. She went to get the broom and said, “We can talk about him later. Let’s tackle some of these dust bunnies.”