Page 21 of Juniper Bean Resorts to Murder

I never anticipated that I might get to learn something about him. I never let myself go there. But now that it’s come up…I don’t know if I can set that idea aside.

I march myself back over to Aiden’s door and knock again. “Hey,” I call. “What about if I take pepper spray?”

There’s silence for a second, and then the door opens to reveal an unimpressed-looking Aiden.

“What?” I say in response to the face he’s making. “Is that not a good idea? No pepper spray?”

He sighs. Why is this man always sighing when he talks to me? “I mean, pepper spray is better than nothing, but it’s still not safe,” he says. “It’s dark back there. It will be late. And you’re pretty small.”

“And those are valid concerns,” I say. “But I also think…” I bite my lip, debating what to say; I finally settle for the truth. “I think I’ll experience a lot of regret if I don’t go see what all this is about tonight. Besides,” I go on. “Didn’t that note seem less ominous than friendly, almost? Did you notice the heart under the exclamation point?”

“I noticed,” Aiden says grudgingly. He leans against the door frame, folding his arms.

Why is that so attractive? It’s justleaning.There’s nothing sexy about leaning, is there?

I take a step back, trying to get a better look at the full picture he presents. He’s changed out of his pajamas, sadly; gone are the t-shirt and plaid pants, replaced by jeans and an oatmeal-colored cable-knit sweater. He’s not a ridiculously ripped guy—not like Too Happy Gus from the yoga studio, for example—but nor is he puny; I can still see the breadth of his shoulders and the faint shape of his biceps when he’s standing like this—

And I’m staring again. Crap. What were we talking about?

Cut it out, Juniper,I scold myself.You are not this girl anymore. You are no longer seventeen, drooling over your dreamy tutor. Get it together.

Ha. I may not be seventeen anymore, and he may not be my tutor anymore, but Aiden Milano is still dreamy. I doubt he wants to know that’s how I feel, though. When I told him how I felt last time, he was less than thrilled.

“There was the heart,” I say, rallying my strictly platonic, Aiden-free thoughts. “There was the heart on the exclamation point, and the wording sounded friendly too. Like someone was trying to do me a favor rather than threaten me ominously. Didn’t you get that vibe?”

“A little, yeah,” he admits. “Still think it’s a bad idea, though.”

He’s right. I know he’s right.

“So…” I say, staring at the floor as I think it over. Then, as an idea occurs to me, my head pops up, and I stand up straighter. “Why don’t you come with me?”

“Nope.” He doesn’t even think it through; he just has that answer all ready to go. Then he takes a step back into his room and reaches for the door, clearly planning to close it in my face.

“Wait!” I say, stepping forward and putting my foot in the way.

He stares down at that foot with alook,the kind that makes me wonder if his students are scared of him. I can totally imagine him shooting fire out of his eyeballs right now.

“Sorry,” I say quickly, moving the offending foot. “Sorry. But hang on. Can you justthinkabout it at least—”

“No.”

“But you’re going to be there already, aren’t—” I break off again, but not because Aiden has interrupted me with his naysaying this time; it’s because the doorbell has just rung.

I look at him with a little frown; he looks at me with the exact same expression. “Are you expecting anyone?” he says. “We need to add that to the rules. You need to inform your roommate if you’re expecting company—”

“I’m not expecting company,” I say, rolling my eyes. “Are you?”

“No,” he says, and his frown deepens. “I’m—”

But both of us fall silent when the front door swings open and a tall woman steps in. “Honey, I’m home!” she calls in a sing-song voice.

“Caroline, for the love,” Aiden mutters under his breath, squeezing his eyes shut. He rubs his temples. “No way. I’m not doing this with you right now.”

I can’t tell if he’s talking to me or to the woman, Caroline.

“Oh!” I say, and it clicks. I turn back to the woman. “You’re Caroline. The landlady? Aiden’s sister?”

“That’s me!” she says, beaming. Her shoulder-length hair is a bit lighter than Aiden’s, but she has similar features—the same brown eyes, definitely, and a stronger chin than you usually see on a woman. It’s hard to say if she and Aiden have the same smile, since he rarely smiles, but hers is nice. I know this because she’s beaming at me, practically glowing, like I’m the best thing she’s seen all day.

---