Page 24 of Stained Hearts
“What do you mean?”
Noel sighed. “You know he’s never had a boyfriend, right?”
“Yeah, Aiden told me that, and Olivia mentioned it as well.”
“I don’t think she knows that once while we were in college, a guy asked him out. Aiden was thrilled, because he liked this guy. He told people they were going out on a real date.”
“I don’t like the way this sounds.”
“He didn’t tell Olivia he was going. He got on the bus, walker and all, to go to the theater. When he got there, he waited. And waited. And waited.”
Bile burned in my throat. “The guy never showed?”
“Oh, he did show, but he was with someone else. And there, in front of everyone, he told Aiden that there was no way in hell he would go out with someone crippled when he could have someone hot.”
“What the fuck!”
A spatula slammed in the kitchen, and my gaze snapped to Lincoln, who was giving me a very disapproving look. The birthday girl? She thought it was hilarious and chided her pearl-clutching friends to lighten up and stop being a bunch of old fogies. Then she turned to me and waggled her eyebrows. I liked her.
Tyler brought over our sundaes and put them down on the table. “Can I get you anything else?”
I was about to say no, but then I decided I did. “That birthday table? Give me their bill.”
A frown marred Tyler’s cute face. “Why?”
“Because I like the woman. She’s sassy.”
He took the slip from his pocket and handed it to me. I gave Tyler my card and also wrote in a fifty-dollar tip for him. His eyes bugged when he saw it.
“Thank you!” He dashed away to take care of it. A moment later he was back. I signed the receipts, then watched as he made a beeline for the other table. When he told the ladies their bill was covered, the birthday girl turned and gave me the sauciest wink I’ve ever seen. I chuckled. When Noel cleared his throat, I snapped my gaze back to him.
“Sorry. So what happened?”
Noel’s lips stretched out into a tight, thin line. “Aiden was mortified and humiliated. What made it worse was when the people around either laughed or looked at him with pity.”
“So he thinks….” Fuck.
“I can’t swear to it, but I’m guessing he’s thinking he made a fool of himself again. After that night at the movie, he called me and cried his eyes out. He kept asking if he was stupid, and no matter how many times I said no, it didn’t sink in. He retreated into himself for months after that. Whenever the guy he was supposed to go out with walked past him, he always winked at Aiden, which sent him into another tailspin.”
I wanted to find that guy and tear his heart out through his asshole. No one should be treated that way, especially Aiden.
“So he thinks I led him on.” Understandable, really.
“Like I said, I don’t know for sure. He hasn’t talked to me either.” Noel took a bite of his sundae, then looked back at me. “He never told Olivia because he was embarrassed and knew she’d make a big deal about him taking the bus.”
“She’s okay with him going out?”
Noel gave a sharp nod. “She wants him to go out but doesn’t want him taking the bus. She wants to drive him everywhere. He keeps telling her he’s not that bad off, but she’s the overprotective sister.”
Why, for just a heartbeat of time, was I jealous of Olivia? Why should she be the one to take care of Aiden? And then I pulled the reins on those thoughts. He didn’t know me, and I didn’t know him. Maybe that needed to change.
And a plan began to form.
Chapter Seven
I GOTto the house a little before six. The place was dark, just as Olivia said it would be. When I’d talked with her earlier in the day, she explained that she was working late again and that Aiden would be home alone. After I laid out my plan, she gave a relieved sigh and wished me luck. She told me she was worried about him, especially when he wouldn’t talk to her.
Well, with luck, he’d be talking to me tonight.
