He had completely forgotten about having to take a date. There was only one woman Aaron wanted to go on a date with, and her name was not Hilde. Bonnie would not be interested in the Cole library gala, however. It was probably the last place she would want to be.
“I’ll be there and on my best behavior. I promise.”
“Thank you. Have you spoken to your sister lately? She’s been avoiding my calls, and it has me a bit worried.”
“I have not. Has she been showing up for work and such?”
“Apparently. But I’m still concerned. With Mitch back in town, she can’t be in a very good place. Maybe you could check on her and make sure she’s okay.”
His mother clearly wasn’t aware that Lauren hated his guts right now. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Thank you. Well, I’ll let you get back to work. I will talk to you after you visit your sister. Bye, honey.”
“Bye.” Aaron hung up and pushed the phone back in his pocket. He couldn’t tell if this was an elaborate ploy to get him and his sister in the same room together before the gala or if his mom was truly worried about Lauren’s well-being. Either was possible. He would do as she asked and check on his baby sister, because that was what a good brother would do and he was trying to be a good brother.
He sent her a text about checking in and got no reply.
“Flooring is here,” Sasha said, popping his head in the master bedroom where Aaron’s tour and video chat had come to an end. “Want to get started on the kitchen and living room?”
“Yeah, let’s see how much we can get done before it gets dark.”
The three men worked until dusk and finished the entire main living area. The wood Bonnie had picked out was perfect. Aaron was more than pleased with the way it tied everything together.
“I am going home and soaking in the tub until the water turns cold. That is the only way this old body is going to function tomorrow,” David said, stretching his arms over his head and clasping his hands together. He leaned to the right and then to the left.
“I’m going to go downtown and get some food and a couple drinks. You want to join me, Aaron?” Sasha asked.
“Well, since David didn’t offer to make room for me in the tub, I guess I can grab something to eat with you.”
“You’re pretty, Aaron, but not pretty enough to share my bathtub, buddy,” David joked.
Sasha and Aaron stayed a little bit longer to tidy things up before heading over to the Trusty Steed, a new gastropub in the center of town. They ordered a bunch of appetizers and each picked a different burger as their entree. No one would be going home hungry. Aaron sent another text to his sister, letting her know he was at dinner but would check on her when he was done. He got an automated reply that she was driving and couldn’t respond to his message.
When the waitress brought their drinks, Aaron raised his glass. “To almost being finished with my first flip, thanks to you and David.”
“Cheers to that, except we can’t forget Bonnie. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have gotten added to the crew, you would still be trying to choose a cabinet style and both of us would be worse for wear.”
“Absolutely. To Bonnie as well.” Nothing would be right without Bonnie. They clinked glasses and drank.
“Speaking of Bonnie, I was thinking I might ask her out on a date.”
Aaron set his drink down and stared blankly at Sasha’s giant head. First of all, Sasha was too old for Bonnie. Second of all, if anyone had picked up on the fact that there was something going on between Bonnie and Aaron, it was Sasha. Why on earth would he try to get in the middle of that?
Sasha’s fist came down hard on the table, rattling everything on it as he laughed hysterically. “I’m messing with you, kid! Oh my goodness, you should have seen your face. You would have thought I told you I was going to rob a bank tonight.”
Aaron’s shoulders relaxed, and he picked his drink back up. “That was not cool.”
Sasha couldn’t stop laughing. “You are seriously so transparent. How did you ever get away with anything when you were a kid? Your face gives away your emotions every time.”
“Oh, really?”
“Really. I know that you have been in love with that woman since the day I met you. It was all right there.” Sasha pointed at Aaron’s face.
In love from the beginning? No way. He was still trying to figure out his feelings. There was no chance he’d been in love months ago.
“You’re a funny guy.”
“Don’t worry. She loves you, too. She’s just afraid you’ll regret making your sister mad. I say if your sister cares about you half as much as you care about her, she’ll get over it.”
“Did you talk to Bonnie about me?” How else would he know any of this stuff? Had she really told him that she was in love?
The waitress with the worst possible timing on the planet showed up at that moment with baskets full of appetizers. As soon as she set them down, food went into Sasha’s mouth, making it difficult for him to answer questions.
Aaron couldn’t eat until he knew exactly what Bonnie had said. Sasha grabbed a napkin out of the dispenser on their table and wiped his mouth. “These wings are delicious. Aren’t you going to eat any?”
“Aren’t you going to answer my question?”
“Did Bonnie talk to me about you? Kind of.”
That was an insufficient answer. That was the kind of answer that only led to more questions and put knots in Aaron’s stomach instead of buffalo wings. “What does that mean?”
Sasha had moved on to the fried mushrooms. His eyes closed as
