Chapter Thirteen
Daisy tossed the last bag into the back seat of the pickup. She’d seen the space a few other times, but each time it hit her that, wow, it was really messy.
And why would that bother her? She’d always been a tidy kid and hadn’t changed as an adult. Would it bother her if her husband was a slob?
Yes, but she didn’t get that impression from Aaron. But all he’d had in his hotel room was his suitcase and she’d only seen it the last night before he’d left when it had been packed.
So messy! Articles of clothing were strewn across the seats and on the floor. Vehicles parts, or maybe equipment for the goliath machinery in his shop, was half buried. Baseball caps that had Walker Five logos on them peeked out. At least three.
A pair of overalls and an additional winter coat topped the pile like a fluffy, oil stained cherry.
She hadn’t known that side of Aaron, hadn’t gotten exposed to this side of him. He was still Aaron, but now he was…more? Different? It didn’t help they’d been apart for over two months.
Shutting the door, she mentally shook herself. They’d grown close quickly online. Their chemistry had been more than a slow burn to an explosive goodbye. They’d get back there.
Aaron had her door open, waiting. She slid into the toasty seat. In town, the weather was the same, but the effect was dampened from all the buildings and short distances to walk from a parking spot.
She shook her head. The longest they’d had to scurry between his pickup and an entrance was less than a hundred meters. Definitely not like Manila, but more like her hometown of Solano. But for as long as they’d been in town, through three stores and soon the grocery store, she hadn’t seen one bus.
“Where’s the public transportation?” she asked when Aaron climbed in. He’d said she’d learn to drive after moving here, but how would her feet reach the pedals in this beast?
His easy shrug soothed her brimming anxiety. She was used to stepping out the door and having a variety of methods available to her. Some better than others, some more accessible. But they were there.
“They’re around,” he said.
She kept watch. Cars and pickups. Delivery trucks. Depending where they were in town, semis would cross their path, or cattle trucks like the one parked in one of Aaron’s massive shops.
It was her first day in a new country. She needed to soak in her surroundings and enjoy Aaron’s presence.
Within minutes, they were at a grocery store. A warehouse-style supermarket, similar but larger than she was used to in Solano. In Manila, she’d popped in and out of smaller markets, grabbing only what she’d need for a day or two. Then Ina had moved in and taken over much of the shopping.
She took her time perusing the aisles. Aaron wandered next to her, answering any questions she had.
“Oh, Ina loves these.” She grabbed a package of coconut macaroons and added them to her cart. “We don’t have this brand at home.”
Aaron indicated the cart. “You can get something for yourself, you know.”
So far, she’d grabbed random food items for Ina to sample. Food was her thing. It was hard not to think of her in a grocery store.
“You miss her.”
The sadness must’ve shown on her face. “Yes. I missed her before I left, like I did when I first went to university. Now that I’m here…” She returned to strolling down the aisle. If she didn’t move, tears might spring up. She didn’t need to be crying on her first day in America. “It’s different.”
“We can send her as big a box as you want.”
His caring words ignited a warm glow that threatened to overheat her in the coat. She removed her hat and set it in the shopping cart with her gloves. She steeled herself for the lingering glances from strangers. It wasn’t as bad when she was covered from nearly head to toe.
She sensed no hostility, but it wasn’t in her nature to stand out—ever. Going out with Aaron in Manila and Solano had been similar, but he’d been the one others had stared at too long.
She grabbed a few meal staples that Aaron might not have stocked. They reached the produce section. She catalogued a meal in her head to prepare for Aaron and his family. Picking through, she chose the ingredients. The store had most of what she was looking for. When she thumbed through jalapeños, Aaron leaned over her shoulder.
“Only get what you’ll eat. I can guarantee none of the rest will touch that.”
But they were only jalapeños. “Nothing?”
“Well, maybe the boys will try it, but I’ve rarely seen them use the pepper shaker. Eh, go ahead and try it. It’ll be good for them.”
As she bagged her peppers, a swaggering man about Aaron’s age approached. His gaze swept her from head to toe, but not in a leery way. Curiosity, but more personal than others around town. He was dressed similar to Aaron with blue jeans, work boots, and a heavy winter coat that was left hanging open while he was in the store. Attractive, with mussed brown hair and eyes as light a brown as a walnut shell. But he didn’t give her the stirrings in her belly like Aaron did.
The man addressed Aaron when he approached. “Where have you been? I’ve sent you a text I don’t know how many times.”
Aaron frowned and withdrew his phone. “I sent you a message back. Oh.” He squinted at the screen and tapped it. “There. Now I sent the message. Lucas, this is Dalisay.”
Lucas held out his hand and she shook it. Somehow, she ended up pressed against Aaron’s side. Had he pulled her in, or had she sought refuge from the scrutiny? Aaron had talked about his good friend Lucas. She struggled to recall the details.
“How’s Moore treating you?” Lucas asked.
“It’s been very well, thank you.”
Lucas nodded and peered at her like he didn’t know what else to say. He switched back to Aaron. “You two need to come out and catch me up on everything. Last week, you didn’t mention she was coming.”
“I— We didn’t know then.”
“Well, that’s awesome. Why don’t we go to Barley ‘n’ Hops this weekend? Name the night and maybe I’ll have a shot with Trina when she sees you’re taken.”
Aaron stiffened against her. The comment seeped in. Trina was…interested in Aaron? Or had they been a thing?
The brutal question arose. How much did she trust Aaron? They’d talked about relationships, and their expectations in one, and he knew of the reason behind her failed engagement. But she hadn’t outright asked him if he’d quit seeing others.
“No—” Aaron started.
“Yes. It sounds like a fun place.” She smiled at the two men.
Lucas’s brows popped up like he’d been expecting resistance. “Great. Saturday, then. Eight o’clock.” He sauntered off with a bunch of bananas tucked under an arm.
“That went…weird,” Aaron muttered, scowling at his friend’s back. He blinked. “And it sounded really incriminating for me, didn’t it?”
She went for nonplussed, but probably failed.
“I’ll explain on the ride home.” He bent to whisper in her ear, his warm breath caressing her skin. She missed that. “Too many ears listening around here.”
He didn’t sound like a guy caught in a two-timing lie. Her tension drained, and she finished her shopping.
Back in his truck, he explained about hooking up with Trina and getting the brush-off, and Lucas’s odd behavior around the woman, before and after his wife left him.
There was more to Lucas than his blunt behavior, and if he was a friend of Aaron’s, then she wanted to get to know him. Saturday night. Aaron said he’d already made it clear he was taken, and Daisy would make sure it was obvious. She wasn’t losing another fiancé.