the corroded pipes, it was tough to get things fixed.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
She turned. Aidan was in the bathroom doorway. Somehow, getting drenched in water only made him look more handsome. “Unless you have fifteen feet of new copper piping stashed away in the garage?” she said, wiping a damp strand of hair from her forehead.
“Sorry.” He gave an apologetic smile. “But we’re ordering pizza. Any requests?”
Stella’s stomach rumbled loudly. What with all the drama – and hot make-outs – she’d completely forgotten about dinner. “Anything except mushrooms,” she said.
“Coming right up.” Aiden smiled. He paused a moment, and looked as if he wanted to say something more, but then Jackson’s voice hollered up from downstairs.
“They stopped doing delivery, but can do the order if you pick it up in ten minutes!”
“Why me?” Aidan yelled back. There was no reply. He gave Stella a wry smile. “Looks like I just got volunteered. Good luck,”
He left, and Stella turned back to work. She could have done a job like this in her sleep, and it was a good thing too, since she was all out of gas and close to dozing off. It had been a long day, what with the museum trip, and everything that happened with Aidan after: walking, and talking, and then… not talking.
Of all the ways she’d thought today might end, she definitely hadn’t pictured winding up at his grandfather’s house, up to her elbows in rusted plumbing.
Eventually, she managed to get things under control, but she was damp through and exhausted by the time she came back downstairs. “You’re all set,” she told Earl, finding him in the kitchen with the others. “I patched up the break, with more than just duct tape,” she added. “But the plumbing in this place is a hundred years old. It’s going to need a refit soon, before that happens again.”
“Angel,” Earl said affectionately. “What would I do without you?”
“Drown, most likely,” she said with a tired smile. “Or at least, get really good at swimming.”
They all laughed.
“Beer?” Luke offered, as the front door opened, and Aidan returned with a stack full of pizza boxes. Jackson began fetching down plates and silverware, and Natalie grabbed a stack of paper napkins, and soon they were all jostling for space, bickering over the food.
“Would it kill you to order some vegetables once in a while?”
“There are olives! They count.”
“Where are the cheesy bites?”
“In that other bag, with the garlic bread.”
“Pass the sodas.”
Aidan put two fingers in his mouth and let out a piercing whistle. There was silence. “You’re like a pack of animals. Guests first,” he said, turning to Stella. “What will it be?”
She paused. Any other night, she wouldn’t have thought twice about settling in with a cold beer and a slice, but this wasn’t just any ordinary night. An hour ago, she’d been pressed up against the wall, hungrily exploring the planes of Aidan’s body; now, she couldn’t imagine casually sharing some deep-dish pepperoni with half his family sitting right there. Every time she looked at him, she could feel the blazing imprint of his lips on her neck; his tongue in her mouth.
She knew how he felt.
“I… think I’m just going to head home.” Stella said. “I’m beat. Another time, maybe.”
“What do I owe you?” Earl asked, but she just gave him a wink.
“How about I put it on your tab?”
She said her goodbyes, and then Aidan walked her out to her truck. “Next time, we’re both turning our phones off,” he vowed, as they walked across the yard. It was dark out, a cool bite in the air, and Stella snuggled deeper in her jacket.
“You’re confident there’ll be a next time?” she asked, playful.
He grinned back at her. “Not confident, so much as hopeful. How about dinner, tomorrow night?” he added. “No leaking pipes or rowdy school kids allowed.”
“Would you settle for some ghouls and zombies?” she replied. “It’s the Halloween Hoedown, and I find myself without a date…”
“Done.” He smiled, and bent his head to kiss her softly, and Stella felt that surge of sunshine again. “I promise, it’ll go smoother than today.”
“I don’t know, I think smooth is overrated,” Stella joked. “I’ll take bumpy and chaotic any day.”
And it was true. Because driving home, she realized that despite Mindy McDonnegal, and the rusty pipes, and jeans that were wet through up to her knees, the day had been pretty much perfect.
Because it had been with him.
11
“What do you think, is this too