Though she had heard Aidan clean up the mess in the bathroom, she knew it was foolhardy to go in there again with bare feet. So she forced herself to slowly and carefully retrieve her footwear from its hiding place beneath the bed. When she straightened, she saw black spots dancing in front of her eyes and her forehead was clammy.
Even so, her immediate need was pressing. After a quick visit to the facilities, she washed her face, brushed her teeth and shuffled back to bed. She didn’t even bother glancing at the clock. What did it matter? She had no place to go.
Aidan breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Emma’s door shut. He’d heard her the moment she climbed out of bed. Feigning sleep had seemed the wisest course of action. But he hadn’t anticipated how strongly her silent perusal would affect him.
What was she thinking as she stood there and stared at him? How did she reconcile the way they had left things between them years ago with her current choice to live in Silver Glen? She had to possess an agenda. There was no way she could call such a thing coincidence. She was far too intelligent to try that tactic.
The only explanation was that she had come here intentionally. But why?
He told himself it didn’t matter. And he almost believed it.
Scraping his hands through his hair, he sat up and put on his shoes. As he rolled his neck trying to undo the kinks, he wondered how long it had been since he’d spent a platonic night on a woman’s sofa.
Emma would probably sleep for a few hours now that she had taken her medicine. Which meant he had time to drop off her prescription, grab some breakfast and dash up to the hotel for clean clothes and a shower.
The first two items on his list were accomplished without incident. But when he tried to access the back stairs at the Silver Beeches to avoid any awkward questions, he ran in to Liam coming down as he was going up.
His older brother, dressed to the nines as always, lifted an eyebrow. “Look what the cat dragged in.”
“Don’t rag on me, Liam. I haven’t slept worth a damn.”
“At least not in your own bed. I thought all your lady friends were in New York.”
Aidan counted to ten and then to twenty. Liam was not giving him any more grief than usual, but Aidan wasn’t in the mood to be teased. Not today. His jaw clenched, he offered a simple explanation, knowing that Liam wouldn’t let him pass without at least that. “I ran in to a friend who was having a bit of trouble. I helped out. That’s all. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to go to my room and get cleaned up.”
Liam leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the young woman who was hit by a car day before yesterday...downtown?”
Aidan stared at him. “Damn it. That’s exactly why I don’t live here anymore. Nobody has anything better to do than gossip.”
“People were concerned. Silver Glen is a tight-knit place.”
“Yeah. I got that.”
Liam’s face changed, all trace of amusement gone. “I know it’s hard for you to be here this time of year. But I want you to know how glad we all are to have you home for the holidays.”
The knot in Aidan’s chest prevented him from answering—that and the sting of emotion that tightened his throat.
His sibling knew him too well to be fooled. “I’ll let you go,” Liam said, his eyes expressing the depth of their relationship. “If I can help with anything, let me know.”
Five
By the time Aidan picked up the prescription and made it back to Emma’s place, almost two hours had passed. He had taken her key with him, so he let himself in quietly and placed his packages on the table. Peeking into the bedroom, he saw that she still slept.
The extra rest was good for her. And besides, the sooner she was stable, the sooner he could leave.
He shoved the carryout bags he had picked up into the fridge. The greasy burgers and fries came from a mom-and-pop joint down the street. The Silver Shake Shack had been there since he was a kid. While Emma had converted Aidan to drinking proper English tea, he had been the one to teach her the joys of comfort food.
His immediate mission accomplished, he sprawled in the chair again and scrolled through his email. No big surprises there. Except for the one from his mother that said: Dinner at eight. S.B. dining room. Don’t make me hunt you down.
He laughed softly, knowing that had been her intention. Everyone wanted Aidan to be in a good mood. To be happy. He understood their concern, but he was fine. He was here, wasn’t he? They couldn’t expect more than that.
Evidently the smell of his lunch offering permeated the apartment. Emma wandered out of her room wearing stretchy black knit pants and a hip-length cashmere sweater. She had done her hair up in a ponytail, and wore bunny slippers on her feet.
She gave him a diffident smile. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself. Doing any better?”
“Actually, yes. Was that food I smelled?”
“Some of the best. I put it in the fridge, but it hasn’t been there long. We can zap it in the microwave. Are you hungry now?’
She nodded, heading for her small dining table. Her gait was halting, so he knew her leg was bothering her.
While Emma sat and rested her head in her hands, he managed to rustle up paper plates and condiments. “I ordered you one with mustard, mayo and tomato. I hope that’s still the way you like it.”
Her expression guarded, she nodded. “Sounds lovely.”
The silent meal was half-awkward, half-familiar. Emma had changed very little over the years, though he did see a few fine lines at the corners of her eyes. She had always been more serious than he was, conscientious to a fault. The one thing he couldn’t help noticing was that her breasts had filled out. The soft sweater emphasized them and her narrow waist.
When the food was gone, down to the last crumb, he cleared the table. “Do you feel like sitting up for a little while? I’ll give you the seat by the fire.”
“That would be nice.”
So polite. Like a little girl minding her manners. Swallowing his irritation at her meekness, he hovered as she made her way across the room. He wouldn’t touch her unless she showed signs of being lightheaded. When she was settled, he stood in the center of the room, hands in his pockets. “If you have an extra key,” he said, “I can check on you later and you won’t have to get up to answer the door. I have dinner plans, but I’ll bring you something hot to eat before I go.”