“It’s on your list.”
“You’re on my list, Abs, and taking off that sexy little dress is, too.” He brushed his lips over her cheek and said, “I’m so proud of you for giving the Bistro your all.”
“You make me feel like I can do anything.”
“Because you can, sweetheart. But you know that. It’s one of the things I find so appealing about you,” he said as the waiter brought their meals.
And your encouragement is one of the reasons I’m falling for you.
The thought came with a side of shock. She braced herself for fear to chase that shock uphill until she couldn’t breathe. But as her friends dug into their dinners, chatting animatedly and teasing her about having tough competition with Wells, she felt happy. The kind of happy she hadn’t felt since she was young, when she’d looked forward to every day and hadn’t had the need to construct virtual life rafts to keep from drowning in the realities of life.
She thought about how easily Aiden fit in with her friends. His laughter sounded carefree, not forced, his conversations effortless. Yet he was so engaged, it was clear that he cared about what her friends had to say when he asked about Grant’s artwork, Jock’s writing, and how they felt about moving back to the island after being away for so long. He and Brant talked about boats, and he asked Jules about how she got started with her business. He didn’t leave anyone out, chatting with Cait and Daphne about the Cape and Leni about the city, where he apparently did a lot of work. Through it all, Aiden held Abby’s hand, touched her shoulder or leg, kissed her cheek, and whispered sweet things, like how beautiful she looked and how much he was enjoying spending time with her friends.
It was as if he’d always been by her side, and she was completely and utterly swept up in him. How had that happened so fast? It was a little scary to realize those feelings came with expectations, but it felt right to trust Aiden, and it felt good to be happy and to accept the wooing he so expertly lavished on her. It felt good to have a stake in them.
“Excuse me, babe. I’ll be right back.” Aiden kissed her cheek, snapping her from her reverie.
She watched him disappear around a corner and wondered how it was possible that she already missed him. As if she’d summoned them, her friends all leaned in, looking at her expectantly.
“I love him,” Jules said in a hushed voice, as if Aiden could hear her.
“He’s a cool guy, Abby,” Grant agreed. “You’ve got my approval.”
“And he’s a gentleman, like Jock,” Daphne said.
“Agreed.” Jock nuzzled against Daphne’s neck and said, “Love you, baby.”
“I like him, Abby,” Brant chimed in. “He treats you like you’re special, which is how a woman should be treated, and he seems genuinely interested in helping you succeed. I like that in a man.”
“Maybe you should date him, Brant.” Grant snickered.
Brant smirked and said, “Hey, if I batted for the other team, Abby would have some stiff competition.”
“You’re a dork.” Leni threw her napkin at Brant. “I agree with everyone else, Abby. He’s head and shoulders above the single guys I know.”
Abby’s heart was racing as she said, “He sure is. He’s in a league all his own.”
After taking care of the bill, Aiden went in search of Wells. He’d seen him come in earlier and stop by a few tables to chat with patrons before heading across the room. He spotted Wells chatting up a pretty brunette near the bar and took a moment to study the guy who, as a teenager, had possessed the arrogance and stupidity to two-time girls who had not only been best friends but also his friends. Wells had many reasons to be arrogant, from his good looks and wealthy roots to his restaurant’s standing as the Best of the Island. But after seeing what he’d done for Abby’s mother, Aiden knew there was more to Wells Silver than met the eye. Aiden knew establishments like the Rock Bottom Bar and Grill couldn’t thrive without a smart businessperson behind the wheel. He knew plenty of smart businessmen who were jerks to women. Had Wells outgrown the womanizing habits that could take a man down? Or was he still an ass in that regard?
Wells kissed the brunette on the cheek, and Aiden watched him expertly work the room. He put a hand on the shoulder of a man eating by himself and talked with him for a few minutes. He chatted with couples and crouched by the chair of a woman who looked to be at least eighty, holding her hand and nodding with a compassionate expression. Wells spotted Aiden and headed for him with an affable smile.
“Good to see you, Aiden.” Wells shook his hand and said, “I heard that Abby entered the restaurant competition. That’s ballsy of her.”
There was no doubt that the chef there knew his or her way around a kitchen, but Aiden had eaten enough of Abby’s cooking to know she was head and shoulders above whatever Wells’s chef cooked up.
“Abby is a confident woman, and she has every reason to be. Although I have to say, if the meal we just enjoyed is typical of your establishment, then the competition will be tough.”
Wells inhaled deeply, puffing out his chest like a peacock. “Thank you. I pride myself on hiring the best.”
Aiden wanted to say that the best was opening her own restaurant, but he wasn’t there to verbally spar with Wells, so he said, “It’ll be an interesting competition.”
“Yes, but I’m betting you didn’t seek me out to talk about the competition, did you?”
“No. I wanted to thank you for taking care of Abby’s mother over the last few years.”
“I don’t know what you—”
Aiden held his hand up, liking him even more for his chivalrous efforts. “I’m a numbers guy, Wells. You can’t have more than about seventy employees here, and even if I’m wrong and you have a hundred, I know what catering costs, and it’s a hell of a lot less than what you spent each year for your holiday party.”
Wells shifted his gaze away, looking contemplatively over the room before finally returning a thoughtful, humble expression to Aiden. “Please tell me Abby doesn’t know.”
“I’m sorry, but she does.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want her to feel funny about this. I don’t know how much she’s told you about her family—”
“We’ve shared a great deal. I’m aware of the issues with her mother.”
“Then you know her mother didn’t just fall on hard times. She dove into them headfirst, and Dee and Abby did what they could to make ends meet. They were smart to get off the island when they did. Abby would have stuck around forever if Shelley hadn’t pushed her to leave. We take care of our own here, Aiden. I have good memories of going to the Bistro as a kid and being treated like family by Abby’s parents. Her father was the reason I wanted to open a restaurant. I wanted to be like him, the guy who got to know people, who brought something good into their lives and didn’t snub his nose at them.”
When Aiden had met Wells’s parents, Alexander and Margot Silver, they hadn’t seemed particularly snobby. But whether Wells had issues with his parents or had simply taken a liking to Olivier wasn’t Aiden’s concern. Abby was.