a double shift at the hospital.
The poor guy was so rattled, in fact, that he made it halfway around the truck before his manners kicked in and he remembered to open her door. He jogged back to the passenger side, cursing, as four of the five men in Cassie’s family watched on in amusement.
When Aiden nearly smacked her in the forehead with the door, Cassie’s brothers gave up staring and laughed.
Cassie found the entire exchange exceedingly funny. Aiden, not so much.
When he moved down from Portland, Aiden brought Norma Jean with him—his beloved, battle-scarred Chevy pickup.
The three bullet holes rumored to be in her side had apparently been patched up the week before. Which was fantastic , because Cassie wasn’t sure how she would have explained those to her father, who watched them leave from his position at the dining room windows.
Now that they were safely at the restaurant, Aiden stared past Cassie and out at the shoreline, watching the rain fall in steady torrents along the beach, completely lost in his thoughts.
“Everything alright?” asked Cassie.
He looked away from the water and met her eyes, flashing a smile. “Of course,” he said. “Sorry. Just thinking.”
“What about?”
He folded his napkin and set it on the table, then leaned back in his seat. “Is the weather always like this?”
Cassie looked out the window at the darkened skies and the heavy rains dimpling the ocean waves.
“Always? No,” she said. “Although it is an El Niño year. Sometimes that makes our storms more severe.”
“An El Niño year?” Aiden’s expression turned wry. “Harboring a secret desire to become a meteorologist, Cassie?”
She smiled. “While I’m sure I’d make for a fantastic weather girl on the five o’clock news, no. I have other ambitions. My brother Matthew, however, can’t get enough of Storm Chasers , so the TV in the living room is usually blasting the Weather Channel any time he has control of the remote.”
“Really?” said Aiden. “Matthew was the silent one with the phone surgically attached to his hand, right?”
“Correct.”
“And the twins are Runt and Danny,” he continued. “Danny’s the shorter of the two, and Runt is the taller one that hates brussels sprouts and thinks any man worth his salt owns a dog.”
“You’re a quick study,” she said.
“It’s a reflex,” he said. “I tend to be hyperaware of my surroundings and the people in them any time I fear for my life.”
Cassie snorted in amusement. “Come on, my family’s not that bad.”
“Have you actually met your brothers?” Aiden laughed. “Runt told me that if I ever hurt you, he—and I quote—‘ knew a guy’ who could ‘ get the job done’ and ‘the body disposed of’ before anyone even noticed I’d gone missing.”
Cassie rolled her eyes, smiling. “That sounds like Runt.”
“You know, I’m surprised,” said Aiden. “Usually it’s the older brothers that meet me at the door issuing death threats. I’m used to the little brothers greeting me with the incriminating photos and embarrassing stories from my date’s childhood.”
“Oh? Been on a lot of dates, have we?”
Aiden hid his smile by taking a sip of water from his glass.
“The twins know better than to try anything,” she added.
“Oh really?”
“Yeah,” she said. “ I know a guy .”
Leaving the cafe that night, Aiden held true to his earlier promise as he walked her to the door of his truck, keeping Cassie dry by redirecting the driving rains to either side of them as they crossed the restaurant’s puddle-filled parking lot.
“You know,” she said. “Mostpeople would just use an umbrella.”
Aiden grinned. “Where’s the charm in that? Wouldn’t be much of a superpower if I couldn’t use it to rescue a pretty girl once in a while. Or a pretty girl’s hair , at the very least.”
“You’re a regular knight in scruffy armor.”
“I try.”
As he helped her into the truck, Aiden’s
The poor guy was so rattled, in fact, that he made it halfway around the truck before his manners kicked in and he remembered to open her door. He jogged back to the passenger side, cursing, as four of the five men in Cassie’s family watched on in amusement.
When Aiden nearly smacked her in the forehead with the door, Cassie’s brothers gave up staring and laughed.
Cassie found the entire exchange exceedingly funny. Aiden, not so much.
When he moved down from Portland, Aiden brought Norma Jean with him—his beloved, battle-scarred Chevy pickup.
The three bullet holes rumored to be in her side had apparently been patched up the week before. Which was fantastic , because Cassie wasn’t sure how she would have explained those to her father, who watched them leave from his position at the dining room windows.
Now that they were safely at the restaurant, Aiden stared past Cassie and out at the shoreline, watching the rain fall in steady torrents along the beach, completely lost in his thoughts.
“Everything alright?” asked Cassie.
He looked away from the water and met her eyes, flashing a smile. “Of course,” he said. “Sorry. Just thinking.”
“What about?”
He folded his napkin and set it on the table, then leaned back in his seat. “Is the weather always like this?”
Cassie looked out the window at the darkened skies and the heavy rains dimpling the ocean waves.
“Always? No,” she said. “Although it is an El Niño year. Sometimes that makes our storms more severe.”
“An El Niño year?” Aiden’s expression turned wry. “Harboring a secret desire to become a meteorologist, Cassie?”
She smiled. “While I’m sure I’d make for a fantastic weather girl on the five o’clock news, no. I have other ambitions. My brother Matthew, however, can’t get enough of Storm Chasers , so the TV in the living room is usually blasting the Weather Channel any time he has control of the remote.”
“Really?” said Aiden. “Matthew was the silent one with the phone surgically attached to his hand, right?”
“Correct.”
“And the twins are Runt and Danny,” he continued. “Danny’s the shorter of the two, and Runt is the taller one that hates brussels sprouts and thinks any man worth his salt owns a dog.”
“You’re a quick study,” she said.
“It’s a reflex,” he said. “I tend to be hyperaware of my surroundings and the people in them any time I fear for my life.”
Cassie snorted in amusement. “Come on, my family’s not that bad.”
“Have you actually met your brothers?” Aiden laughed. “Runt told me that if I ever hurt you, he—and I quote—‘ knew a guy’ who could ‘ get the job done’ and ‘the body disposed of’ before anyone even noticed I’d gone missing.”
Cassie rolled her eyes, smiling. “That sounds like Runt.”
“You know, I’m surprised,” said Aiden. “Usually it’s the older brothers that meet me at the door issuing death threats. I’m used to the little brothers greeting me with the incriminating photos and embarrassing stories from my date’s childhood.”
“Oh? Been on a lot of dates, have we?”
Aiden hid his smile by taking a sip of water from his glass.
“The twins know better than to try anything,” she added.
“Oh really?”
“Yeah,” she said. “ I know a guy .”
Leaving the cafe that night, Aiden held true to his earlier promise as he walked her to the door of his truck, keeping Cassie dry by redirecting the driving rains to either side of them as they crossed the restaurant’s puddle-filled parking lot.
“You know,” she said. “Mostpeople would just use an umbrella.”
Aiden grinned. “Where’s the charm in that? Wouldn’t be much of a superpower if I couldn’t use it to rescue a pretty girl once in a while. Or a pretty girl’s hair , at the very least.”
“You’re a regular knight in scruffy armor.”
“I try.”
As he helped her into the truck, Aiden’s
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