Page 23 of Small-Town Secrets
Aaron
My dog lookedat me longingly as I cooked the meat on the stove. "It's not for you," I told him, even though he already knew. He also knew that he would be getting a piece of it sooner or later because I couldn't resist him.
I glanced at the clock. Twenty minutes before Laurence would be here. Where had the time gone? My gaze swept over all the pots and pans around me. I'd cooked up a storm. Cooking had always helped me calm my nerves.
Even when I didn't want to admit that I had anything to be nervous about.
Yes, there was an omega coming to my house, but it wasn't a date or anything. Laurence was coming here as a student.
So why had I cooked a three course dinner?
The last time I'd done that was when I was still with my ex.
Don't even go there, Aaron.
I enjoyed cooking and I was having a guest. Did I need more reason than that?
My head snapped up when Sarge gave a bark. That had to be Laurence—my dog didn't bark for no reason. "Let's go open the door for our guest, huh?" My furry friend followed me to the door and was the first to greet Laurence as soon as it swung open.
"Hey there, little guy," Laurence greeted him, bending low to pet him.
"Oh, don't call him little. He hates that," I advised. "He must like you, though. He's not usually this friendly with strangers." Either my dog loved Laurence, or he wanted to be on his best behavior to score more scraps at the dinner table. That second option was far more likely, but I wasn't going to mention it.
"I'm glad he likes me. He's adorable."
So are you. Fortunately, I knew better than to voice that thought, even though it was true. I could tell that he'd been in a rush to get here on time because his hair was sticking out at weird angles and he'd missed a button on his shirt. Totally adorable.
"What are you smiling at? Did I say something weird?"
"No, not at all. Come on in." I stepped aside to let him into the house.
"I can't believe you still live here," he said, looking around. "The place doesn't look any different at all."
I shrugged. "I'm not a great interior designer and I didn't see any reason to change much. My parents took a few things with them when they moved out, but they left most of the furniture for me. Said they needed to make sure I was taken care of even if I couldn't find a mate." I sighed. My parents worried too much.
Laurence wore a wistful look as he walked deeper into the house. "This feels so nostalgic. I'm glad you didn't change much. I've always..." he trailed off, as if he was suddenly afraid that he was saying too much.
You've always what?I wanted to ask, but stopped myself. If Laurence didn't want to say, he probably had a reason for it.
My guest was sniffing the air now. "Have you been cooking?"
"Only a little." I didn't want Laurence to read too much into my cooking escapades. "I figured we'd probably be hungry after. I know I'll be, anyway. It's fine if you don't have time to stick around that long, though. I know you have the twins."
"They're with Nathan and Raphael tonight. Hopefully being good." Laurence forced a smile.
"They can't be that bad."
"No, they're lovely, they just..." Laurence paused as if trying to figure out how to voice his concerns in a way that wasn't unfair to his children. "They've been through a lot," he said finally.
"So have you." My gaze lingered on Laurence's scar before I could stop myself. He noticed it too, raising a hand to his burned cheek. After a moment, though, he seemed to think better of it and dug his hands in his pockets instead, looking at me almost defiantly.
"I'm fine."
Are you?I didn't voice that question. Instead, I motioned for him to follow me into the family room, which was mostly empty these days. I’d rolled out some rubber mats on the floor and now we had enough space for Laurence to learn the basics.
"Oh wow.Thisroom has changed," Laurence remarked.
It was true. There used to be a couch and arm chairs in here. Not anymore. "No need for a family room when I'm not raising a family, is there?" It had always seemed excessive to me. I had a couch in the living room. I didn't need a second one. "At least now we have the space we need tonight. I figured instead of teaching you traditional karate, I'd start you off with some simple ways you can defend yourself."
