Page 31 of Heating Up (Nugget)
She shrugged. “I learned some staging tricks, is all. I’m certainly no interior designer.”
“You’ve got a good eye for color. I like what you did with the paint in the living room.”
Aidan strained the pasta, grabbed two plates out of the cupboard, dished up both servings, which he topped with the sauce, and told her to eat up. She twisted a few strands around her fork and took a bite.
“Mmm, it’s good.”
He nodded. “So what’s the deal with you and Griffin?”
Dana nearly choked on her food. “There’s no deal with us, other than he’s my client.”
“Brady said you two used to date. I certainly got that impression this morning.”
She waved him off. “That was a while ago. He’s with Lina now.” Grabbing the chardonnay off the counter, she poured herself another glass. “You want some?”
He got up and pulled a goblet out of the cabinet so she could pour him the rest of the bottle.
“You’re just friends now?”
“Yes, and like I said, we do business together.” Dana took another bite of her spaghetti.
“Is that what you were talking about this morning? Because it seemed sort of intense, like he might’ve upset you.”
“He just wanted to know if I was avoiding him.” She didn’t know why she was telling Aidan this. It wasn’t like it was any of his business. But she didn’t have anyone else to talk to.
“Are you?”
“A little.” Okay, a lot. “It’s been difficult . . . with Lina. She doesn’t like me.”
“Jealous?”
“Yeah, as if she has anything to be jealous about. She’s beautiful, tiny, and Griff’s totally in love with her . . . and was the entire time we dated.”
Aidan got up to get more spaghetti and sat back down. “Why do women always compare themselves to one another? Maybe she thinks those same things about you and feels threatened.”
“She knows Griffin is crazy about her. He stopped dating me because he was hung up on her.”
“But you’re still stuck on him?”
“Nope,” she said, and pushed her plate away, stuffed. “I’m off men for the foreseeable future.”
Aidan raised his brows. “Sex too?”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with you. What about you? Why did you and your girlfriend break up?”
“She fell for her coworker. They’re getting married Saturday.”
That was a bit of a bombshell. “As in tomorrow?” What woman in her right mind would leave Aidan McBride for a coworker? Look at him: a perfect specimen of a man who not only cooked but made shoe racks.
“Yeah,” he responded, and twisted the last of his spaghetti onto his fork.
“Ah, Aidan, I’m so sorry.”
He hitched his shoulders. “Let’s look at your blueprints after dinner.”
Okay, she could take a hint. He wanted a subject change. Fine. “Sure.”
Dana got up and took her plate to the sink, washed it, and put it in the drying rack. She started to clean up the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinet, where she found containers to put away the leftovers.
