Page 16 of Stained Hearts
Aiden paused. “Oh.” There was so much sadness in that one word. “Olivia is at work, and she’s my ride.”
There was disappointment in his voice, and I hated hearing it. “I could pick you up.”
“Yes! That would be great, if you would.” He paused. “You know, I can make coffee here. I’ve got the computer and stuff, and I could show you what the steps are for your project. I mean, if you want to know.”
Well, I couldn’t see anything wrong with learning new things. “Sure, I’d like that. Give me the address.”
I wrote down what he told me—an apartment complex not too far from my house.
“I can come by shortly, if you’re ready. It’ll take me about thirty minutes.”
“That works. I’ll start the coffee now. See you soon.”
He hung up, and I went in to get my keys. My stomach fluttered at the thought of spending time with Aiden, and I knew it was silly. He might not be gay, and he sure as hell wouldn’t be interested in someone almost twenty years his senior. Still, it felt good to think I was getting back on that horse, so I ignored all the problems that I could see cropping up.
No, it was better to go there, see how he worked with stained glass, and maybe make a friend along the way.
Still, I would stop at Pick ’n Save and grab some chocolate pastries from the bakery. Why tempt fate, right?
I put the top down on the restored 1965 Ford Mustang convertible done with a burning brick paint job. I hadn’t driven it in years because after Brian’s health took a dive, we needed something sturdier to get around in. While Brian had worked on his flowers, I was under the car, bringing this classic beauty I’d salvaged from a junkyard back to life.
She still drove like a dream, and I couldn’t believe how much I’d missed the wind whipping through my hair, the sun streaming down, kissing my face. It made me want to keep driving and never stop. Still, I remembered to grab a few dozen assorted chocolate pastries, then got back in and headed off to see Aiden.
The apartment building on Cambridge was done up in Cream City brick. It was a nice place, even if it seemed a bit small, especially if Aiden was going to be making stained glass at home. I walked up the cobblestone path and stopped at the call panel. I scanned the names until I found Olivia and Aiden’s apartment. A quick tap of the button resulted in a breathless hello over the tinny speaker.
“Hi, it’s Tom Kotke.”
The door buzzed, and I pulled it open and stepped into the long well-lit hallway. Before I could take more than a few steps, a click sounded down the hall, and a moment later, Aiden’s head came into view, and he waved at me.
“Mr. Kotke!”
I returned the wave and strode to where he was. “Tom, please.”
“Oh, okay. Would you like to come in?”
He stepped back and reached around to pull out a walker. He gripped the handles and moved slowly into the living room. “Sorry about this. I’m… I’m not having the best day.”
“It’s fine. Take your time.” The truth was, I could see the pain on his face as he walked, and what I really wanted was to take that away.
He got to the couch and dropped down with anoof. “Hate that damn thing, but it’s better than the chair.”
“I can see that.” I held out the bag. “Maybe some chocolate will help.”
His eyes widened. “Oh, hell yeah.” He snatched the bag, opened it, reached in, and pulled out a Boston cream donut. He held it up to his nose and took a deep whiff. “Oh, baby. That’s the stuff.”
Before I could say anything, he had three-quarters of the pastry stuffed in his mouth, an appreciative moan sliding out. When he looked up and realized I was watching, his cheeks pinked. He swallowed hard.
“I’m so sorry.”
“For what?”
He waved a hand at the bag. “Making a pig of myself. Not asking if it was okay that I took one. I… I don’t know. I just feel like I need to apologize for my behavior. Olivia would throw a hissy if she found out.”
I nudged the bag closer. “Our secret, then.”
He squinted at me. “You sure? I wouldn’t put it past Olivia to get you to help with her dirty work.”
Though I had no clue what the scout sign was, I held up my fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
