rolled her mother over in her wheelchair, looking both horrified and intrigued, though her mother thoroughly enjoyed the commotion.
And then the worst happened—Mabel filled in her last opening. She shot up in her seat, shouting out in triumph, “Blackout.”
She laughed over at Charly’s mother who winced. “Okay, out with it. Am I barred?”
Mabel gave her a triumphant grin and swept her hand in Aaron’s direction. “I’m barring Aaron Mills from bingo night. Now what do you say to that?”
Henry Wood clapped his hands. “Bravo. I guess, Aaron, you and I will have to stick to dominos.” His eyes scanned over everyone’s cards. “You’re also dead last, boy. You owe us a scandal.”
Aaron circled to Charly. “Hey.” He slid his hands under her chin. His fingers tickled her skin as she realized what he had in mind. His lips met hers, and he kissed her in front of everyone. Charlize’s mother screamed out in glee, and Charlize drew back with a smile that tingled from his touch, her heart thumping hard against her chest. His eyes were still on hers, and she tried to read his suddenly sober expression as he studied her face.
“Go on with you two!” Mr. Wood called out to them. “Go take her somewhere nice. This is the kind of scandal I love.”
Aaron’s hand found hers and she stood with him. “Thank you for the perfect night. It was an honor to meet you all.” His gaze softened on Charlize’s mother. “Thanks for always watching out for me.”
“Return the favor and watch out for my girl!”
Mabel started grumbling to herself just as Aaron turned to her with a wink. “Mabel, you were a joy.” Mabel preened a bit before noticeably stopping herself. Embarrassed, Charlize tugged Aaron away from the group, waving behind her. It felt strangely like running away to the honeymoon after the wedding. Her mother’s friends laughed behind her.
When they escaped back into the assisted living center, Aaron turned to her with a smile. “That was lovely.”
“You got banned from bingo.”
“Yeah.” Clearly his mind was on other things. He watched her lips, and she felt them lift in response. That was when a movement from the far side of the room caught her attention. A dark-haired, brooding man stared soberly into the fire. Aaron’s eyes followed her gaze and his hand tightened on hers. “Trev?”
The mysterious stranger glanced up at them with striking blue eyes. “Aaron? What are you doing here?” The inflection in his voice didn’t sound like their chance meeting was a good thing. Her heart sank. This had better not be another bombshell. She was through with scandals.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Aaron watched Trev, feeling his sympathy run deep through him. His friend had been through so much. The pain he saw in Trev’s eyes hurt because it mirrored his own. He couldn’t ignore what he saw, and so even though the reminder of their shared trauma might ruin his night with Charly, he swallowed his feelings and went to him anyway. “Hey, Trev!”
Trev was a successful real estate holder whose fiancée had died at the Cove around June. It was all over the news. She’d drowned in the lake. It was a horrible tragedy that the internet wouldn’t leave alone. Aaron knew something about how heavy a loss like that might feel, and he’d always tried to connect with Trev, hoping that he could help him. Watching Trev’s tormented expression now, Aaron struggled for something to say that might keep things normal between them. “Hey, what a random place to bump into each other. What are you doing here?”
“Just looking at options.” Trev lived at the Cove with his aging parents and younger sister, Allison; his living situation must be getting harder to handle on his own. “My dad broke his femur,” Trev said. “It’s healed, but he needs some extra care. Just trying to find a place where they can make some friends. I heard this place is really good. The residents have their own private living spaces with nursing staff.”
“They also play a mean game of bingo.” Aaron chuckled while Charly gave him a curious look. He took her hand and rubbed his thumb over hers. “I’ve been banned, but if you hurry, they might deem you worthy of a game.”
Trev smiled in return, though it didn’t reach the sadness in his eyes. “I’m not sure about that.” Rumors had been flying far and wide—some people blamed Trev for what had happened to his fiancée.
Aaron cleared his throat, deciding to address the