Page 114 of The Cinderella Secret
“Credit cards,” said Aiden.
“What?”
“Women couldn’t hold credit cards in their own name until 1974 and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act.”
Ella took out her phone and began texting.
“Forgot about that one?”
“My degree focused on a lot of European law,” said Ella, hitting send. “I’ve been working overtime to keep up with you and all your…” She waved at him in annoyance.
“Damn, you’re smart,” said Aiden, grinning.
His neighbor’s ficus, evicted during a house cleaning purge, still sat on the front porch and leaned drunkenly across the railing between the properties. It chose that moment to droop its leaves into her hair. She batted back at the sudden attack.
“Ficus,” said Aiden. “This is Ella. The girl I’ve been telling you about.”
Ella gave a surprised giggle.
“It’s been a stressful couple of weeks,” said Aiden. “I’ve had to find comfort where I could. Ficus is very good at listening.”
“You may need to get a pet,” said Ella.
“Josh said he’d get me a Roomba with ears. Personally, I was thinking more along the lines of getting a girlfriend.”
“I don’t vacuum,” said Ella.
Aiden laughed. “I didn’t think you did. Come on in.”
Ella entered cautiously and surveyed the stripped-back brick entryway and dark-stained staircase with the abstract painting of a Chinese style bird hanging above it.
“That—” she pointed at the painting.
“I got it when I got the house. I really liked yours,” he said, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “Although, now that I’m thinking about it, I can see why you wouldn’t tell me the real translation of your middle name.”
“What?” she frowned at him.
“You said your middle name meantbird,” he said. “And I believe the artist told me that the bird in that picture was a swallow.”
“It’s not first date material,” said Ella, pinking up. “I didn’t think I needed to tell a half-naked man I just met that my middle name meant swallow. Particularly not with porn playing in the next room.”
Aiden chuckled. “Whatisyour middle name?”
“Yan,” she said. “After Nai.”
“Good source material,” said Aiden.
“I could do worse than to be like Nai,” she agreed with a grin.
“You’re in my house,” he said, feeling a bubble of happiness well up inside of him.
“And everyone knows it,” she said, taking a step closer. “Uncle still wasn’t happy about it, but he just went off to his study in a huff and Aunt said she would take care of him.”
Aiden inched closer and slid his arms around her waist. “Ella, the answer to this better be no, but are we crazy?”
“The answer is absolutely yes,” said Ella, dropping her purse and wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Do you have to argue with me about everything?” he asked, even though he knew he was beaming.
