“Get me whatever you’re having.”
When she sat down across from him, he thanked her for the water before digging into his meal. With his attention focused on his food, she turned hers to the bowl in front of her. She didn’t eat soup often, but when she did, it didn’t come out of a can with a shelf life of probably years. But at least she had a hot meal, and really, how bad could it be?
She alternated between bites of her sandwich and her soup, which turned out to be far better than she’d expected but worlds away from what Paulette prepared. Aaron, on the other hand, polished off his soup before pulling the plate with his sandwich closer to him. Why his eating behavior fascinated her, she didn’t know, but it did. Maybe it was merely because the man himself held her interest. Even if no one told her anything else about him, the fact he’d invited his sister and niece to live with him told her how much he valued family. His rescue of her today also suggested a streak of chivalry lingered inside him, a trait she’d never found in any of the men she’d dated. Actually, she doubted most even knew what the word meant.
But she wanted to know more.
What were his favorite movies? Did he prefer the winter or the summer? Did he have any favorite authors or movies? While she might have been able to discover those things from his sister or even his mom, she wanted to spend time with him and get answers to all her questions.
And who could blame her? The guy had opened his house to a woman he barely knew because she was cold, looked great in a pair of jeans, and kissed like a master.
“How often do you drive into Boston?” The only way she’d get to know him better was by spending more time with him after today.
He lowered the hand holding his sandwich and swallowed the food in his mouth. “Usually a couple of times a month. I was there last week, so most likely, I won’t go back until sometime in April.”
“Then, you’ll be around this week?”
Aaron nodded and took another bite from his sandwich.
If she was at home or even at her parents’ house, she could come up with a nice long list of places they could go and things they could do. Here, she had no idea. If the little of the town she’d seen was a good in
dication, there wasn’t much to do in Avon outside of hiking and using the lake. And at the moment it was too warm for ice skating and the water was far too cold for swimming, so that narrowed down her options even more. Still, when she wanted something, she went after it. Right now, she wanted to get to know Aaron—or as he should be known, The Master Kisser—better.
“I’m waiting to hear back from Caryn Ferguson. She’s supposed to set up some appointments for me this week.”
“The real estate agent?”
She should have known Aaron would know who Caryn Ferguson was. According to the internet search she’d done, the woman owned the only real estate office in town. “Mmm. I called her yesterday.”
He placed the last of his sandwich back on the plate rather than eat it. “You’re thinking about buying a house in town?”
She could’ve just told him she had proof aliens existed, and he wouldn’t have looked or sounded more surprised.
That’s usually why people contact real estate agents. Sometimes a conversation called for sarcasm, and other times it didn’t. Right now, it didn’t strike her as one of those times. “I haven’t decided 100 percent, but yes. I’m also going to look at the building where Dance Dynamics used to be.”
She hadn’t shared her idea of opening a dance school and moving to Avon for at least part of the year with a single person. She hadn’t felt any need or desire to since, at the end of the day, it was her life and her money. Now she not only wanted to share her possible plans with Aaron but sensed she needed to.
Resting his elbows on the table, he laced his fingers together. His expression gave her no clear indication of what thoughts were churning inside his head. And she wanted to know.
“So, you came here to get away from the media, and now you’re thinking about moving to town and opening a business.”
Well, when someone put it that way, it sounded nutty. But then again, the media hadn’t been her only reason for leaving New York. She’d also hoped to make some decisions about her future while away from her day-to-day life.
“Have you ever known you needed a change but not been sure what kind?”
His shoulders moved a fraction of an inch. “Yeah, I guess.”
“That’s how I’ve been for months now.” She’d never be able to explain it, but she found finally sharing her feelings with Aaron oddly liberating. “When Holly suggested Avon, it sounded like a good place to avoid the media and figure a few things out. I’ve always loved to dance. In high school, I got accepted to study it at Juilliard.”
“You got in and didn’t go. Isn’t Juilliard the Harvard for the performing arts?”
Juliette had never heard anyone describe it as such, but it was a good analogy. “My parents convinced me I’d be better off getting some kind of business-related degree, so I majored in marketing and minored in dance at Columbia. If I hadn’t already started modeling, they probably wouldn’t have been able to change my mind. But I’d been after my parents for years to let me get into it, and at the time, I enjoyed it almost as much as dancing. So, I caved and went where they wanted me to. I’m not sure who was more surprised when I did, my parents or me.”
She’d never shared any of that with anyone outside of her family. Not even Holly, who she’d known for years, knew she’d declined acceptance to Juilliard and done what her parents wanted.
“Can’t say I blame your parents. The job market for professional dancers isn’t huge. Not that you—” Aaron cleared his throat and reached for his drink. “—should’ve done what they wanted,” he said after he swallowed his water.
It could’ve been what he’d intended to say before going for his glass. The way he didn’t quite meet her eyes hinted it wasn’t. And she had a good idea of what words had been on his tongue before he stopped himself.