He turned slowly to face his aunt as he accepted the hat she held out for him.
“Thank you, Aunt Asta. How could I ever go without my hat?”
“Agotia, my dear,” she exclaimed, ignoring her nephew. “How are you? It has been so long since we last saw each other. There is so much to catch up on. I want to hear all about your adventures in New York City.”
I reached across the table and wrapped my arms around her neck, squeezing tightly. As good friends as Lucas and I had been in school; his family became my own. I loved Aunt Asta deeply and had not realized how much I missed her until now.
“It has been too long,” I agreed. “I’m sorry, time just keeps slipping away from me.”
“Don’t you worry about that,” she told me, patting my hands, “I am here whenever you are ready.”
I could see my grief mirrored in her eyes, and it dawned on me that she, too, had lost her most important person. Igor had passed away several years ago while I was in college; the two of them had been inseparable even after decades of marriage. I found it a strange comfort that there was someone else around me who could understand what I was feeling, even if it were a bit different.
I squeezed her hands again and gave her a grateful smile. Visiting her was sure to be next on my list of things to do.
“Agotia,” Lucas called, “did you bring New York home with you and just not tell us about it?”
“What are you talking about, Lucas?” I asked, confusion heavy in my brows.
“Look.”
He nodded toward a man who stood half a foot taller than anyone else, but that was not what drew everyone's attention. The fact that he was the only one not dressed in traditional clothing was. His cream-colored sweater contrasted with the black jeans that hung tightly to his legs. It was the same man from the hardware store who had not left my thoughts since the first time I heard him speak.
I could say nothing as I watched him approach right for us. His dark stare held me captive. The breeze tugged at his wavy brown hair, and I was sure I had never seen a more attractive man.
“Oh, Lucas. You are so dramatic sometimes. That is my boss,” Asta explained, gesturing for the man to come closer. "He flew in a few weeks ago from New York himself."
Lucas muttered under his breath, but I didn’t hear him over the thundering of my heart.
“Allow me to introduce you all,” she said when the man had stopped to stand by her side. “This is my nephew, Lucas.”
“Nice to meet you,” Lucas said, shaking the man’s hand.
“He’s the handyman I told you about,” Asta told him. “I am sure he would be more than happy to help get the yard back under control.”
The man said nothing as he nodded slowly in Lucas’ direction. I bit my lip to keep from laughing at the way Lucas puffed out his chest and tried to stand a little taller.
“And this is Agotia,” Asta said, pulling the attention to me. “She is a dear friend of the family.”
His eyes locked on mine, and I was sure I would melt into a pile of goo at that moment. I had seen many attractive men in my life, especially during my time in New York, but none of them compared to the stranger in front of me.
“Lucas, Agotia, I would like for you both to meet Alexander Fre-”
“Just Alexander,” he interrupted, his deep voice slithering over my skin. “Alexander is fine.”
Chapter five
Alexander
Afterdaysoftryingto get her out of my head, the mystery woman from the hardware store was standing in front of me. Like everyone else in attendance today, she was decked out in the traditional Norwegian dress, but it didn't look like a costume on her. She had the same doe-eyed expression she wore in the grocery store. Asta’s nephew addressed me, but his words hardly registered in my mind. Like our encounter in the store, it took Agotia some time to get her bearings and form any words, but when she spoke, I was amazed.
She didn't talk to me but addressed a customer who had approached her table. Her words were light and airy, dancing above the noise from the crowd. She enraptured me, and it was no secret based on the look Asta was giving me.
“How long are you going to be in town, Alex?” Lucas asked.
I begrudgingly pulled my eyes off Agotia and back to him, weighing him in my mind.
“It’s Alexander, and I don’t know yet. I will stay until I have a reason to return to New York.”
