Bet on It (11)

When Aja sat down, he leaned closer. Her nostrils flared as they met his cologne. It was incredible, a light scent she couldn’t describe but was eager to breathe in. His warm breath caressed her cheek and neck as he whispered in her ear, and it made her shiver.

“If you want me to beat up the dude at the front desk, let me know.” His tone was playful again. “I don’t have any qualms about knockin’ out an elder.”

“He already apologized,” she said. “He gave me a free pack of bingo cards the next time I came in.”

“Well, good, but still … If you’re anything like me, it’s not easy to brush that kind of shit off. I’m sorry more people don’t care to understand that not everybody can brush it off easily.”

She found herself at a loss for words. Her brain loved to overthink things. Find hidden meanings in moments without any. She was always digging through simple conversations for unspoken things that she’d already convinced herself were real, even against all logic. She’d been with her new therapist for six months and they’d been working on that. Progress with mental health was slow, but Aja had been doing that digging less and less.

Walker’s words made her pause. They were obviously supportive but also vague. She could have sworn he was referencing a part of her he only knew because of their moment in the grocery store. He’d been so understanding in those few minutes. Quiet and sure and as far from frantic as possible. He’d been the exact opposite of her. But if she thought hard about it now, it was almost like he’d been coming from a place of experience.

If you’re anything like me, he’d said.

If you’re anything like me.

She drew in a breath, willing herself to calm down. It wouldn’t do her any favors to jump to conclusions, especially not off something as simple as a few kind words. Was she so desperate to connect with someone who understood her on that level that she was willing to read so deeply into some random man’s actions? All Walker had done was share his cobbler with her for fuck’s sake. He wasn’t trying to send her coded messages about shared mental illnesses over bingo games.

“Thank you.” The words left her in a croak. “But I’m over it. Promise.”

He nodded his head at her with a soft expression and turned to his sheets as Mr. Rodney prepared to call the first number. They were mostly silent for the rest of the game, Ms. May fussing at Walker while Aja hyperfocused on her own sheets to keep herself from overanalyzing everything he did.

Neither of them won any games, but Aja got the feeling Walker and Ms. May cared about that as much as she did—which was not at all. She was gathering up her used cards and daubers when she heard Walker clear his throat. She’d been deep in her own mind and had been slightly startled by the abrasive sound but didn’t even think enough of it to look up from her actions. When he did it a second time, louder, she finally turned to face him.

His smile was wide, and strong arms dusted with light golden hairs folded across his chest, flexing in a way that was so sexy it sent annoyance running through her.

“So, Gram and I are pretty hungry…” he said.

“Yeah, me too. I made dinner earlier so I could eat as soon as I got home.” Her mouth watered thinking about the pulled chicken and sautéed green beans she had tucked away in her fridge.

Walker’s face fell, but Ms. May kept her pleasant smile.

“We were goin’ to go on over to Kenny Mack’s, but I think I’m goin’ to go to the bar with the girls instead.” She turned and awkwardly waggled her fingers at a couple of ladies standing near the door. Aja had never seen her talk to any of them before, and certainly not with enough familiarity to refer to them as “the girls.” “But I remember you tellin’ me last month that you’d been dying to try one of those big ol’ burgers they have there. Isn’t that right?” she asked, completely putting Aja on front street.

“Well … yeah, but—”

“Well, Wally was tellin’ me the same thing when we drove by the other day,” Ms. May said. “Why don’t you two go together … he’s payin’, if that sweetens the deal any.”

Aja looked between them, trying to figure out her next move.

“Hey.” She looked up at Walker and his eyes were soft. “It’s just an invitation. If you don’t want to, that’s fine.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to. When she thought about it, she found that she did. She wasn’t ready to go home yet, wasn’t ready to be lonely again. There was some anxiety about being with someone she didn’t know, a man she didn’t fully trust yet, but it wasn’t overwhelming. She wanted to make friends in town and maybe this was a start. Maybe Walker Abbott could be her friend. Even if that title didn’t settle very well in her stomach.

“I want to,” she blurted out, trying to move past that troubling thought. “But I want to drive my own car.”

Both Walker and his grandmother grinned big enough to make her eyes hurt. She got the distinct feeling that she’d been set up, and she didn’t know whether to laugh or run. She grabbed her purse instead, putting the long strap across her body.

“I guess you can follow me then,” she told Walker.

“Lead the way,” he licked his bottom lip until it was shiny. “I’ll be right behind you.”