Aunt Janie.”
Aiden’s stomach dropped. That was not what he expected. “What does she need?”
“Don’t tell her I told you this; she’ll be mad at me. She puts on this tough act, and, I mean, she is. Like, super tough. But I know part of it is an act. She tries to hide a lot of stuff from me because she thinks she’s protecting me and trying to give me a good life—and she is. She’s not taking a break from school because she wants to. It’s because she’s in major debt. That’s why she called my mom and asked about you. She had to drop out of vet school because she couldn’t pay her bills anymore. It’s my fault. If she can’t finish vet school, it’s all my fault, and I’ll never forgive myself. They’re holding her spot at the college back home, but not forever.”
Aiden swallowed past the lump in his throat, the image of Janie asking him for a job playing across his mind. Then telling him she was going to work two jobs. And then today, she had browsed those stores as though she was in a museum—look but don’t touch, and definitely don’t buy. And she hadn’t asked him for a thing.
He couldn’t put off their talk again. Tonight, he and Janie would sit down, and he’d figure out exactly how he was going to help her. In the meantime, Will was a pretty great kid for thinking about his aunt when he could be wallowing in self-pity.
“Thanks for telling me. Paying her back is not your job, though. Do well in school and help your aunt out; that’s it. The rest is my job now. And she would never want you to think you owe her, anyway. I’ll make sure Janie returns to school, and I’ll make sure neither of you ever have to worry about money again.”
Will’s mouth dropped open. “Really?”
That reaction made him feel somewhat better. “It’s the least I can do. I’m glad you told me about her school. She made it sound like she just needed a break.”
Will shook his head. “She’s always held down a couple of jobs, but college is really expensive and so many hours that she couldn’t keep two jobs and do all that and be around for me. That’s why I felt so bad. She’s given me everything, Aiden. Everything. So when I’m able to get a job of my own, I’m going to pay her back.”
Damn. He was a good kid, and none of that was his doing. He glanced over at Janie across the diner, happy to see that Lainey had approached her and the two seemed to be deep in conversation. “Want to help me plan a little surprise?” he said, thinking aloud.
Will’s face lit up. “Yeah. Especially since she hates surprises.”
Aiden barked out a laugh. “Perfect. How about when we’re done eating, you say you’d like dessert—”
“Totally believable.”
“—and I’ll say I forgot that I needed to run an errand downtown. Then I’ll go and pick up some of the things I remember her looking at.” He leaned back in the booth, happy to be doing something, even if it was small, for Janie.
Will nodded. “That sounds cool. Because you owe her, right?”
Aiden stilled, watching, trying to figure out where his kid was going with this. “Yeah…”
“And like, nothing else is going on. Just because she’s pretty and nice and stuff doesn’t mean…anything.”
Well, hell.
He didn’t look away from Will’s steady gaze. The kid was worried about Janie and he thought Aiden was a player. Will was his priority, though; gaining his trust and hopefully, one day, his love, was the only thing that mattered. He wouldn’t let an attraction to any woman get in the way of that.
“Of course, yeah, nothing else is going on,” he said. “If it weren’t for Janie, I might have never known you. For that? I’m indebted to her for life.”
Chapter Eight
Janie had never been at such odds with her emotions before. She didn’t think she’d had a day this good in a long, long time. It wasn’t that she and Will didn’t have great times together; they did—she had many cherished memories. But this had been different. Seeing Will with Aiden had felt…right. She could see that Aiden was trying his hardest to be the person Will needed him to be. He’d been an informative guide and witty and attentive. Lunch had been fantastic, and she’d had a great conversation with Lainey and her friend Hope.
Janie also