Page 17 of Wounded Fox
Lots of ideas and plans started popping up in my head of ways that I could help. And it came at just the right time because it would distract me from all the time I was being forced to spend with Aaron.
I was completely lost in my thoughts when Shirley cleared her throat. I looked up and found both her and Nancy looking at me expectantly.
"I'm sorry, what?" Talk about being an awful host. I zoned out enough that I didn't hear either of them talking to me.
"I was just wondering what was going on between you and Aaron?" Shirley asked shyly and immediately my hackles went up.
"Nothing's going on, why?"
I did my best to keep the little green monster deep in its cage. I had no reason to be jealous. Aaron wasn't mine and it wasn't like we even got along. Half the time I was too busy being mad at him. But the thought of him dating someone else obviously didn't sit well with me either. Talk about screwed up.
"I'm just curious."
"He's single, if that's what you're wondering."
The words felt like glass ripping apart my esophagus.
"Oh no, it's not like that," Shirley chuckled. "It's more me being nosey than anything."
Ah. Now I got it. The town was talking about us and Shirley wanted to get the inside scoop. I couldn't blame her. I would be curious too.
"There's nothing going on." I kept my head down and focused on tagging articles of clothing that would be going out onto the shop floor sooner than planned.
"I bet Aaron would say differently," Nancy chimed in and I had to laugh at her observation.
"I bet he would, but there's too much history there for us to have a future."
I glanced up just in time to see both women sharing a look. "What?" I was almost afraid to ask.
It was Nancy who spoke up. "If there’s one thing I’ve learned recently, it's that you can't let your past dictate your future because you never know what you might miss out on."
Nancy didn't have to tell me because I knew exactly what I had missed out on.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Aaron
We got back to my place that night just in time for dinner. Valerie's shop was completely put back together and her new security system was installed.
I promised Lex that I would tell her about it tonight and show her how to operate it in the morning. He too didn't look like he agreed with my plan but he never argued. And I didn’t really expect him to. Lex never argued unless it benefited him.
"What are you hungry for?" I asked as we walked into the kitchen.
"Tacos," Valerie said immediately.
It was a good thing I liked to keep a stocked kitchen and pantry full of food items. I blamed it on the fact that, growing up, my mother struggled to make ends meet, so now as an adult, I made sure there was always plenty of food in the house to not only feed myself, but others as well. I never knew when someone might stop by.
I started on dinner while Valerie sat at the kitchen table with her laptop.
"Working hard over there?" I asked after five straight minutes of silence.
Valerie looked over with a confused look on her face. "Huh?"
I chuckled at her scrunched-up nose and the deep V of her brow. "You're concentrating awfully hard over there. I was wondering what you're working on?"
"Have you ever heard of Second Chances?"
I put down the wooden spoon I was using to chop the beef and crossed my arms over my chest. "Isn't that the organization one of the wives runs for women who were caught up in human trafficking? Wes has mentioned it a time or two because he helps fund it."
