Page 79 of His to Cherish
“I’m happy for you. You haven’t always had it easy and you deserve some good times.”
I made a face and groaned. “Let’s not talk about Cory tonight, please.” Hell, he was the last person I ever wanted to talk about.
She raised her hand and stopped me, taking a drink of her margarita. “Nope. Not tonight, I never want you to have to think about that twerp again.”
“He’s not five, Paige.”
She stuck her tongue out. “Sue me. I’m around kindergartners all day long.”
I smiled. She loved her job. Besides her beauty-pageant-winner looks, she was also one of the sweetest and kindest people I’d ever met in my life.
She also knew how to have fun. The girl had been able to party way more than the rest of us in college and still show up for class at eight in the morning.
Her fairy-tale fantasies were sometimes over the top and unreal, but as Aidan and I began to grow closer, I envied her ability to believe life was always full of cupcakes and sprinkles.
I wished I had that superpower.
I shook the thought away, refusing to allow myself to worry, when Paige nudged my shoulder.
“What?” I asked, but I already felt him.
It was magnetic, and my entire body began to come alive as I sensed Aidan walking up behind us.
I didn’t have time to turn around before his hands were on my shoulders.
“Hey,” he whispered huskily into my ear.
I shivered from the contact and the way the one word vibrated against my skin.
In front of me, Paige bit her bottom lip, her eyes wide with happy surprise.
I turned my head, looking up at him. When I saw his eyes, I faltered. They were bright and happy, and I almost teared up. But I couldn’t. Not now. This felt really good. “Hey, you.”
His eyes sparkled, as if he knew what he was doing to me before he broke our gaze and turned to Paige. “Paige,” he said, reaching out to shake her hand. “Good to see you again.”
“Oh, trust me.” She grinned. “The pleasure is all mine.”
“How was your day?” I asked him quietly. He was still standing behind me, one hand on my shoulder.
“Okay. Tough, but good, I think. I went and saw Shane.”
“I know, Beth told me.” I wanted to tell him I was proud of him, but didn’t. This wasn’t exactly a conversation for public, so I showed him my silent support by leaning into him.
Aidan squeezed my shoulder and then removed his hand as David greeted him at the bar.
I watched as David threw a towel over his shoulder and the two clasped hands in some complicated handshake–fist bump thing.
“Hey,” Paige whispered next to me. “You know who we should set him up with?”
She wiggled her eyebrows with excitement. I shook my head, already knowing where her thought was going. There was no way Camden would go for David.
“No,” I warned her, narrowing my eyes.
“Yes,” she hissed back, her eyes dancing with glee. “Seriously, he’s way hot.”
David was, definitely. They’d at least look super cute together, but Camden had a serious list of qualifications of what she wanted in a man and I was certain being a bartender wasn’t on it.
“He’s not white collar enough,” I told Paige, even though I cringed at the words. Camden wasn’t shallow, but her life hadn’t been easy, and because of that, she craved financial security.
