while since the estate has had a handyman, I guess.”
Aiden looks around. “For sure. I guess that after you’re done in here, I should come in here and fix the windows. Dust those chandeliers, put a fresh coat of paint on the walls, probably some wax on the floors… it’ll look like brand new.”
I glance around speculatively. It’s hard to see what he sees. “You would know better than me I guess.”
He nods. “By the way, you haven’t come across anything interesting in all this mess, have you?”
He waves his hand to indicate the papers I’m working on. I shake my head.
“Not yet, no. So far, I’m not even in the right century.” I set my gloves down on top of the documents I’ve been working on with a silent sigh.
Aiden’s eyebrows lift. “The Morgan family is that old?”
Warming to the subject, I smile. “Yes. The earliest record I have is from 1752. The Morgans were merchants back east, I guess. Then they moved out here sometime in the mid 1800s. From my what I can tell, Margaret’s great grandfather built this house in the 1870s, I think.”
He thinks about that for a minute. “And you’re going to like… I don’t know, preserve those old records somehow?”
I nod. “Yes. Once I do an inventory of it all and catalog it, I think the next step will be laying everything out on special paper and then putting it in plastic archival document casing. Basically I’ll wrap it all in plastic.”
He scratches his cheek. “Cool. I mean, I don't know anything about it, but it sounds like you have a plan.”
“It does, doesn’t it?” I reply, my tone teasing. “It’s almost like I sought this place out because Margaret was willing to give me hands on experience.”
His lips curve.
“Right.” He looks around. “I wonder what will happen to this place after Margaret… you know, after she can’t stay here anymore.”
I shake my head. “God knows. I mean, this place is a gem, but you would have to really like living away from the city to consider living here. And that’s assuming that you even want to live in a place that hasn’t been maintained for years. I doubt that Carter will be interested in that.”
Aiden seems thoughtful, nodding. Silence hangs in the air for a few moments after that, growing awkward. He sighs and squints off into the distance.
“Listen… about the other day…”
I fidget and my cheeks flame. That’s the last thing I want to talk about. “We don’t have to talk about it. I mean, if you don't want to.”
A ghost of a smile lifts the corners of his lips. “I was just going to apologize. I didn’t mean to imply that you are dishonest. It’s just… when you told me that… you know, you’ve never been with anyone… I couldn’t believe it. I mean… look at you. It just seems… unreal.”
Blushing intensely, I look down at myself. I’m wearing the same dress as the first day I got here, a white structured dress with a red collar and pockets. I don't see whatever he sees; all I notice when I look down is how much I lack.
No breasts to speak of. I’m not especially tall, nor as petite as Grayson’s ex Rachel. I don’t have an ass. And frankly, I don't think I’m particularly beautiful either. I’m basically Kim Kardashian’s worst nightmare.
When I look up at Aiden again though… the look in his dark eyes, the carnal interest, the way his muscular chest rises and falls a little bit faster than normal… it takes my breath away. I shake my head, looking down.
“I don’t see what you see, but… thanks for the apology, I guess.”
His huffed laughter draws my eyes back up. “You don’t think you’re hot?”
My cheeks burn again. My pulse begins to race and I swallow. “No. At best, I think I’m invisible. Guys like you usually look right through me. It’s always been that way for my entire life.”
Aiden pushes himself off of the doorway, straightening to his full height. He looks fearsome just now, his face creasing into a frown.
“Come here,” he commands. His eyes are throwing off sparks.
My mouth goes dry. I gulp. “Me?”
He beckons me over with one hand. “Right now. Come here. Don’t make me come get you.”
His body language is telling me he’s dangerous. But I am curious, nevertheless. It’s like stepping closer to the edge of a crevasse. There is a bone deep calling to just know what it would be