“Ah, that.”
“Well, my poking around in your business to try to figure out this mystery is also what a friend would do.”
“Is that so? I thought maybe a friend would take my word that it’s not a topic I intend to discuss.”
Liz seized on the comment. “So there is something,” she said triumphantly. “You just don’t want to talk about it.”
“Whether there is or there isn’t, we’re pretty much at an impasse, since I’ve declared it off-limits.”
She recognized the stubborn set to his jaw and knew she’d pushed as far as she could. She couldn’t help feeling a little deflated, though. Didn’t he know by now that he could trust her with his secrets?
Even as that thought crossed her mind, she sighed. Talk about a double standard. She supposed Aidan would trust her with his secrets right about the same time she started trusting him with hers.
* * *
Mick had just returned from checking on one of the Habitat for Humanity projects he was overseeing in his volunteer capacity as a contractor when he spotted Thomas sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs at the far end of the porch. As it frequently was, his gaze was directed toward the bay. He had a notepad in his lap, but whatever he’d been working on had apparently been forgotten. In fact, he seemed lost in thought.
“You plotting a strategy for getting rid of some uncooperative lawmakers?” Mick asked, only partially in jest. He knew there were a few folks in the state capital his brother would love to see run out of office.
“Not today,” Thomas said, his smile halfhearted. “I was just jotting down some notes for Aidan about projects I thought the high school kids might want to be involved with in the fall.”
“So he’s come around?”
“He’s still saying all the right words,” Thomas corrected.
Mick frowned. “You don’t believe he’s sincere?”
“Oh, who knows? I’m probably imagining problems where there are none,” Thomas grumbled and grabbed an oatmeal raisin cookie from the plate beside him.
Mick promptly reached over and snagged the last one. “Ma was here baking today?”
Thomas nodded, then grinned. “I got here just in time to do a taste test.”
“Since when has Ma ever baked a bad batch of cookies?”
“Not once that I can recall,” Thomas replied, then winked. “But it never hurts to hint that this might be the first time.”
Mick laughed and nodded approvingly. “You’re turning out to be sneakier than I imagined.”
Thomas lifted his half-empty glass of milk in a silent salute. “And didn’t I learn from the best?”
“That you did,” Mick agreed. He studied his younger brother with concern. “What’s really on your mind? Something tells me for once it’s not the bay or those school projects.”
“I’ve mentioned this before but I keep getting this weird vibe from Aidan,” he admitted.
“Weird how?”
“I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s definitely something...” His voice trailed off and he shrugged. “I can’t explain it. I wish we knew more about him.”
“Such as?” Mick asked. “I can show you his résumé. We did the usual background check. Nothing turned up or we’d never have called him about an interview, much less hired him.”
“I’m not talking about some criminal past he’s hiding,” Thomas said impatiently, then shook his head. “I don’t know what I’m talking about exactly. It just hit me again this morning that something’s off.”
“This morning? Where did you see Aidan this morning?”
“He came into Sally’s when I was there with Connie and Sean. I asked him to join us.”
Mick chuckled. “The end-of-school pancake bonanza?”
“That was it,” Thomas confirmed.
“Did Aidan turn you down? Take off?”
“No, he joined us.”
“Was he quiet? Rude?” Mick asked, struggling to understand.
Thomas paused, clearly giving the question a surprising amount of thought.
“It wasn’t either of those things. If I had to describe his behavior, I guess I’d say he was observant.”
Mick stared at his brother incredulously. “Observant? Since when is that a bad thing?”
“It’s not bad. It was just a little intense.” Thomas looked at him. “You think I’m overreacting.”
“Since you haven’t given me a blessed thing to go on that doesn’t sound perfectly normal, then yes, I think you’re overreacting.”
Thomas sighed. “Maybe I am.” Still, he turned to Mick. “He doesn’t act that way around you, though, does he?”
“Not that I’ve noticed,” Mick said.
“He seems to get along just fine with Kevin,” Thomas conceded. “They’ve been playing basketball with Connor and some of the other guys in the family. The only thing Kevin says he’s noticed is that Aidan seems to have a thing for Liz and that it’s not going so well.”
“I’ve taken note of that myself,” Mick said. “I might have to step in and give those two a push.”
“And what do Megan and Ma have to say about that?” Thomas asked, looking amused.
“Oh, what do they know?” Mick grumbled. “My meddling’s turned out okay so far. I gave you and Connie a gentle nudge, didn’t I? You complaining about that?”
Thomas regarded him indignantly. “Now you’re taking credit for my getting together with my wife?”
“I am,” Mick said unrepentantly. “You were having a ton of second thoughts, as I recall. Two failed marriages. Connie being younger. Connie’s daughter not exactly being on board. You remember any of that?”
“It sounds vaguely familiar,” Thomas admitted. “But Connie and I would have worked through those things in time. She’s a smart woman. Patient, too.”
“At your age, I figured you didn’t have any time to waste,” Mick retorted.
Thomas laughed. “Well, there is that. Okay, thank you. Now, what do you suggest I do about Aidan? You’re the one with all the ideas.”
“I have his résumé inside. You can take a look at that and see if anything pops out at you.”
“Is that legal?” Thomas asked. “Aren’t personnel files closed to the public?”
“I was on the hiring committee,” Mick responded. “I asked your opinion since he’ll be working with you and the environmental club at the school. Who’s going to argue with that?”
“In this town, probably nobody,” Thomas acknowledged.
“Okay, then. I’ll be
