A Stranger on the Beach(54)

“Really? What are you doing here, then? You don’t seem boring.”

She colored. “Really? Thanks. The thing is, I haven’t made many friends yet. People are cold. They keep to themselves, you know?”

“I do know. That’s why I miss the military. The closeness, the solidarity. I’ve felt really alone since I got out.”

He looked off into the far distance, putting on his best damaged-young-man-who-needs-rescuing expression.

“I can’t even imagine,” she said. “I’ve barely been anywhere outside New York. Just to Florida a few times to visit my aunt, because she goes there in the winter, and I’m super close to her.”

“That must be nice.”

“It’s really nice. We hang out and do girl stuff. You’d probably think it’s boring, since you’re used to more excitement. What was it like, being in Afghanistan?”

There was an announcement that the café would close early, in half an hour, because of the storm. But they stayed and talked as the place emptied out around them. He regaled her with war stories, convincing ones, borrowed from tales he’d heard Mike Castro tell during long nights at the bar, after he’d had a few. Mike was one of Tommy’s guys, and he’d had a tough war, but Aidan didn’t see any reason not to profit from that. He’d used Mike’s stories on women before, often enough to have perfected the telling of them. He knew the right note to strike. Be humble. Don’t be a hero. Au contraire, the hero was your buddy who caught the IED. That weighed on a man, watching his best friend make the ultimate sacrifice. He managed to seem brave and heroic, but wise and sad at the same time. It was the perfect recipe to convince the girl to take him into her confidence. Eventually, he started asking her the questions that weighed on his mind, and she answered willingly.

“What are your parents like? Are they still together? Are they happy?” he asked.

“They used to be so happy together. I don’t know what went wrong. They split up recently, but now they’re back together, and I can’t tell if it’s for real.”

“They’re back together?” he said, and his throat tightened, so the words came out hoarse. The thing he feared was true.

“Yeah, they reconciled. I don’t know if it will last, though.”

“Did your father cheat on her?”

Hannah squinted at him. “What makes you ask that?”

Aidan cleared his throat and smoothed his features into a better poker face. “It’s the most common reason couples split, isn’t it?” he said.

“You hit the nail on the head. She claims he cheated. But I know my dad, and he wouldn’t do that. If anyone would cheat, it’s her.”

“I’m surprised you’d say that about your own mother.”

“My mom’s not very maternal.”

“No? She’s not a good mother to you?”

“I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. Sometimes I think I’m not the right daughter for her. I’m not smart or pretty enough. She’s not abusive or anything. She doesn’t say mean things, but she’s always trying to fix me. You know, like Hannah, you should take this class, go on that diet, get a makeover. She constantly buys me clothes that aren’t my style. That kind of thing.”

“I’m sure she does it out of love.”

“You might be right. But my aunt Lynn accepts me for who I am. So does my dad, and that feels better, you know?”

Aidan didn’t like listening to criticism of Caroline. But he couldn’t rush to her defense without giving himself away.

“What’s your dad like?” he said, changing the subject.

“He’s awesome. Really kind and loving. He works hard to take care of us. My mom digs the lavish lifestyle. I think he went into finance to support her in the style to which she’s accustomed, you know? He’d probably rather be doing something more worthwhile, but he needs to bring home the bucks for her, so he’s stuck.”

Poor Hannah had it all wrong. She had no idea what kind of man her father really was. Judging by the stars in her eyes when she spoke of Jason Stark, Aidan had better tread carefully. He couldn’t come out and tell her what he knew, because she’d never accept it. He needed to take a roundabout approach.

“What about his friends?” he asked.

“What about them?”

“Have you met them? Do they seem like decent people?”

She looked him in the eye. “That’s a weird question. Why are you so interested in my parents? Do you know them, or something?”

“No, of course not,” Aidan said, flustered. “I’m not interested in them. I’m interested in you.”

That made her blush and flutter her lashes. “Wow. Thank you. I have to say, I’m kind of surprised. Guys don’t always get me right away. But I really like you, too,” she said.

Crap. He’d made a serious mistake. He couldn’t have Hannah thinking he was coming on to her, not if he planned to be her stepfather someday. But before he could correct his error, there was announcement that the café was officially closed, and they had to leave.

“I feel so bad that they canceled the tour on you,” she said, standing up and gathering her things. “The least I can do is show you around. My dorm’s on Roosevelt Quad. It’s like the most happening part of campus, so we should go to my room.” She lowered her voice. “Plus, I know where my roommate keeps her vodka.”