Page 72 of Hard Knock Hero

“I hate waiting,” I muttered. “It makes me nervous.”

Aiden’s lips quirked, and he planted a kiss on my temple. “I’ve noticed.”

* * *

What were the Rigsbys up to? And what the heck was Owen doing?We still hadn’t heard from him.

My brother paced across the dining room. Scarlett followed him with her eyes. And every time I looked at the clock, another ten minutes had passed. The sun was already moving downward in the sky. The day was bleeding away. But with Trace and Scarlett hanging around, it was impossible for me and Aiden to sneak away for some privacy.

My patience was so thin it was transparent.

After a while, Aiden went into the kitchen to whip up something for dinner. Trace was in a corner of the diner, re-packing his ratty backpack. And Scarlett and I had taken up a booth on the far opposite side, whispering to one another.

“You’re jittery,” she said. “Because of the Rigsbys? Or because Aiden’s leaving in the morning?”

“Both. But mostly the second.”

She smiled mischievously. “I could take Trace off your hands.”

“What exactly are you planning?” I’d noticed the way she kept staring at him. I didn’t want things to get awkward between the two of them. Hartley was tiny, and Scarlett was quickly becoming my closest friend.

“I’ll give him the nickel tour of Main Street. We’ll grab a few drinks at the bar. And I’ve got a spare room at my place. Trace can stay with me tonight, which would give you and Aiden some private time. If I do it right, I might just get Trace to crack a smile. You’d think somebody had burned his caramel. He’s so serious.”

“That’s what I thought about Aiden at first.”

“Why would Aiden need to smile more? That man’s always got a twinkle in his eye around you.”

“Not true.”

She nudged my arm. “It is. You make him light up. Anyway, let me introduce Trace to Hartley. I’ll bring him back tomorrow.”

“Can I trust you with him?”

“I promise his innocence will remain intact. Though if things get really wild, we might break out some boxes of Hart-Made brittle.”

“Hey, now. Don’t gotoocrazy.”

“I should be saying that to you.” Scarlett winked. “Enjoy your last night with Aiden.”

“Believe me, I intend to.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-THREE

Aiden

While Jessiand Scarlett were conspiring about something in the corner booth, Trace came into the kitchen. He didn’t say anything at first. Just watched me as I seasoned a pork shoulder. I’d found the chunk of meat in Jessi’s freezer and had let it defrost in the fridge over the last day. I was going to make some rolls to go with it too, for pulled-pork sandwiches. One of my go-tos.

“Need something?” I asked Trace.

I wondered if I was going to get a brotherly lecture from him. Something along the lines of,Careful with my sister. It seemed odd that he would jump into the overprotective brother role at this point, considering the fact that I was the one who’d been protecting Jessi the past few days.

I’d come into the kitchen to keep my hands busy. Whenever I was near Jessi, I had this irresistible habit of touching her. It had been getting worse by the hour. We had plenty of other issues to concentrate on, such as the Rigsbys and their machinations. Yet Jessi was always at the forefront of my thoughts, both conscious and unconscious.

It was dismaying, actually. I wasn’t the kind of guy to get so attached, especially after knowing a woman for less than a week. But Jessi made me feel a lot of things I wasn’t used to. We’d already established that fact.

Finally, Trace spoke. “I hear you’re leaving tomorrow.”

“That’s correct.”

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