“Listen to me, gossiping like an old hen,” Bryan said with a rueful grunt. “Guess you’re just an easy man to talk to. But considering Hannah’s situation, I’m hardly one to talk about my brother’s kids.”
Figuring the older man was referring to his daughter’s ill-fated marriage and ugly divorce, Aaron stuck with his no-comment policy, merely reaching for another shingle. He certainly didn’t want to encourage the conversation to wind around to where Shelby had spent most of the night.
Bryan stood and pressed a hand to his back while wiping his dripping forehead with his other arm. “I need a break. Let’s go get some lunch. Sarah said she’d have food ready for us when we got hungry.”
They’d been working steadily since a twenty-minute restroom, shade and water break at ten, and both of them were flagging. Pop had been by a couple of times to “supervise” and offer his help, but Bryan had sent him on his way. Maggie had brought cold bottles of water several times, but had been too busy with her own chores to linger, and everyone else was occupied with the weekend rush.
Leaving their tools safely stashed, they climbed down from the roof and headed for the marina building, stopping in the restroom to wash up before eating. Even after washing, Aaron felt grubby in his sweat-stained T-shirt and dirty-kneed jeans, his hair damp and cap-creased. Still, he was surprised to find himself the target of several disapproving frowns from various members of the Bell family when he walked into the grill.
Did he look that bad? He resisted an urge to sniff his own shirt. He was used to being greeted with almost overwhelming enthusiasm by these people. The chill he sensed now took him aback.
Maybe they had somehow figured out what had taken place between him and Shelby last night and were expressing their disapproval. Despite her claims that her family had no say in her social life, perhaps a cabin in the heart of the resort hadn’t been the best place for them to have their first intimate encounter.
Taking a quick headcount, he saw that the frowns were coming from Shelby’s parents, her grandmother and her aunt. Bryan looked a bit baffled. No one from the younger generation was present at the moment.
Because it would look questionable to turn and bolt now, he proceeded into the grill, taking an empty seat at a table next to Bryan.
“Hi, everyone,” he said.
C.J. studied him from over the tops of his glasses. “I understand you’ve been talking with my son.”
Caught off guard by this comment he hadn’t expected, Aaron said, “I’ve spent some time with Steven while I’ve been here. Sat with him for a while yesterday. Why?”
Sarah cleared her throat and Aaron noticed only then that her eyes looked a bit red-rimmed. “Steven told us this morning that he’s leaving
the resort as soon as his leg is healed. He’s talking about training to fight wildfires, or—” she had to swallow before finishing “—or maybe joining the military.”
“Yes, he mentioned that to me,” Aaron admitted.
“And you encouraged him?” C.J. demanded.
“I neither encouraged nor discouraged him. Not my place. I simply listened.”
Sarah spoke again. “When I pointed out to him that you work for your family, he corrected me. He said you aren’t working for anyone at the moment. He implied that you don’t think working for family is a good idea.”
“I didn’t say that, either,” Aaron replied, keeping a firm grip on his patience. He would not get defensive, he promised himself. He understood that the family was still in shock over Steven’s announcement, especially coming so soon after the accident in which they could have lost him permanently. “I’m simply not interested in the investigation and security business. It mostly involves sitting behind a computer or in endless meetings or business presentations, and that just doesn’t appeal to me. Unlike Andrew, I’m not the big-desk-in-a-corner-office type. Doesn’t mean I think it’s a bad idea, just that it’s not something I aspire to. I’m sure Steven’s given a lot of thought to the type of career he wants to pursue.”
He didn’t know when Shelby had entered the diner behind him, but when she spoke, he figured she’d heard at least part of his explanation.
“Would everyone please stop glaring at Aaron?” she demanded in exasperation. “He had nothing to do with Steven’s decision to find another job. We’ve all known for some time that Steven was getting restless, long before Aaron showed up here.”
“Well, of course you would defend Aaron,” Mimi murmured, looking archly from him to Shelby. “As much time as you’ve been spending with him this week.”
Thinking of the most recent time he’d spent with her, Aaron studiously avoided looking toward Shelby.
“What’s everyone doing in here?” Lori wandered in, looking as carefully put together as always, even on a Saturday afternoon, in a see-through shades-of-gray-swirled top over a darker gray camisole and gray linen pants. Both her fingernails and the toenails revealed by her black sandals were painted silver. “Why do you all look so serious?”
The family spun to look at their youngest member, and Aaron was briefly relieved that the attention had turned from him. His relief was short-lived.
“Have you been seeing that Webber boy again?” C.J. demanded of Lori. “After we made it very clear that you should steer clear of that troublemaker?”
Lori whirled toward Aaron, her expression stormy. “You told them?”
He winced when all eyes focused on him, again with palpable disapproval. “I didn’t say anything,” he assured Lori in a mumble.
“Eileen Copping saw you making out with that boy at the burger drive-in last night,” Mimi said with a touch of smugness that she was the one who’d reported Lori’s misbehavior. “She called me this morning, and of course I felt obligated to tell your parents.”
Sarah glanced at the few other diners in the place before looking at her younger daughter. “We’ll discuss this with you later,” she said in a low voice.