Piper knew Aiden was rich, but she hadn’t expected this rich. Sea Cliff rich.
She tailed his BMW back to his house, and the farther into the neighborhood they drove the more she became overly aware of her beater car. The imposing two- and three-story homes amplified the VW’s rumbles and knocks as she followed him up the quiet, sloping streets of the cliffside neighborhood. She was relieved when Aiden pulled into the driveway of a Georgian-style mansion and she could kill the noisy engine.
She climbed out of the Bug and stared up at the grand whitewashed facade and rows of windows staring out beyond the cliffs. Her breath caught. She could sense Aiden approach and stand next to her, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the magnificent structure.
“Nice little place you’ve got here,” she told him.
“It’s somewhere to hang my hat.” He rapped on the hood of her car. “I see you didn’t ride your horse today.”
“No. I decided to go with something a little more modern.”
“Modern?” he choked. “This thing’s ancient.”
“Hey. I prefer the term ‘classic.’ She’s a 1979. I’ve had her since high school.”
He opened his mouth, and immediately shut it—probably for the best. He settled on, “Come in. I’ll show you around.”
The interior of the mansion was no less impressive than the exterior, though considerably more contemporary. It was how she imagined an overpriced bachelor pad would look. Man-like, with clean lines, and grey. Lots of grey.
She slipped off her dog-park shoes at the front door, wary of the light grey welcome mat. After Aiden gave her the code to the alarm system, he took her around the house, showing her all the necessities: the washroom, where the dog food and toys were stored, the kitchen, where she could feel free to help herself to anything she needed.
Piper followed Aiden, listening to him, watching him in his own habitat. So far he’d always stuck out in her normal world, in her taxi, the rescue center, the dog park. Suddenly, she was the sore thumb in his world with her sweaty tank top and grass-stained socks on the hand-scraped hardwood floor. Of course, Colin padded from room to room like he owned the place.
They came to the living room view that overlooked the Golden Gate spanning the strait and, beyond that, the bay. It was a rare clear evening and the bridge stood out against the sparkling blue water and blushing spring sunset like two great vermillion ladders.
“Wow. Now that’s a view,” Piper said. “I can see why you bought this dump. Seems worth it now.”
He chuckled at the joke but grew kind of quiet. “Actually, I didn’t buy it. I inherited it when my father died. Along with Caldwell and Son Investments.”
Piper’s face went slack. “Oh God. I’m so sorry. I … I was just kidding about the dump thing.”
“I know.” He flashed her a wry look, his smile earnest, if a little sad. The magnificent view seemed to preoccupy him and he grew quiet. In the window’s reflection Piper saw his expression had grown pensive.
She fidgeted uncomfortably next to him, thinking of a way to alter their conversation’s collision course. They were fully enveloped in the famous awkward silence, something she was all too familiar with. Nobody ever knew what to say once they found out about her own father. For a moment, she considered sharing her own loss with Aiden, but she’d been enjoying their pleasant vibe, and she didn’t want to derail it any more than she already had.
“Well, it’s better than my view,” she said. “My place looks out on an Indian restaurant.”
“Sounds spectacular.”
“Great samosas.”
“You’ll have to show me sometime.”
Heat flashed across her face. With her embarrassment her eyes dropped to her feet, and she noticed the grass stains on her socks again. She wondered what she was doing flirting with him. This was all business. At least, she thought so. He’d only invited her back to show her around so she could do her job. But when she looked up again and caught him staring at her reflection, she hoped, for just a moment, that maybe it could be something. Something more.
Movement outside caught her attention and she shifted her focus to the stone patio below. Her gaze fell on a young woman lounging on one of the chairs. Bare legs kicked up on the cushions, she soaked in the spring sun, utterly relaxed in this mansion, in Aiden’s world. Another Nicole, perhaps? But surely if this one hung out in his house when he wasn’t around they knew each other well. Was she a girlfriend? Piper frowned, thinking samosas had sounded nice.
“Oh.” Piper flinched away from the window, like it would be wrong to be seen. Like the naughty things she was thinking about Aiden were plastered all over her face. “I didn’t know you had company.”
“Company?”
Following her gaze, he spotted the woman too. Bringing up his fist, he tapped on the window. The woman started at the sound and tilted her beautiful face up. She gave a wave, her face breaking into a familiar smile. She sat up to slip on her pumps—no grass-stained socks for her—and disappeared from sight. Piper heard a door open somewhere in the house’s depths, and a moment later the graceful brunette glided into the kitchen.
“Tamara,” Aiden said. “This is Piper.”
They shook hands and exchanged hellos.
“Tamara also works for me. She’s my personal assistant.”
Piper nodded, like this was all very interesting, but she couldn’t help but notice a change in Aiden. His posture stiffened, he’d pulled down his shirtsleeves, and his expression turned distant, practiced. A professional stranger. Like he didn’t want Tamara to catch him flirting with some grass-stained-sock-wearing dog walker. Maybe because his and Tamara’s relationship was more personal than that of a boss and assistant. On top of that, Piper hadn’t missed his words “also works for me,” putting her in her place.
Right. It was just a job. That’s why she was there in the first place. Absolutely nothing to feel disappointed about. And that little twinge in her chest? It must have been heartburn, that’s all.
“I was showing Piper around the house,” Aiden told Tamara. “She’ll be walking Sophie while I’m at work.”
“Oh, good,” Tamara said. “Aiden works long hours. Too long,” she chastised him teasingly.
“Well, at least Sophie will be taken care of.”
“Yes. But who is going to take care of you?”
“Oh, you do a fine job of that.” He smiled in an all too familiar way that made Piper take a mental note to pick up some antacids from the store.
She wanted to dislike the girl, not that she was jealous or anything. Samosas shamosas. But as Tamara squeezed his shoulder fondly Piper got a sincere vibe off the PA. She wasn’t acting all beautiful and charming to rub it in Piper’s face—it simply happened to be a side effect of absolute perfection. Self-consciously, Piper put one foot on top of the other, like that would help hide the grass stains.
An awkward silence settled over them—at least it felt awkward for her. Wanting nothing more than to get out of there, she said, “Well, I’d better go. It was nice to meet you, Tamara.”
“You too.” She flashed Piper a set of brilliant white teeth, but her left eye flickered like she had an involuntary twitch. The friendly curve to her mouth turned plastic, like it was melting off her face.
Piper pretended not to notice. Maybe it was a tic that Tamara was self-conscious about. Piper turned and headed for the entrance where she found Colin and Sophie curled up on the cool marble tiles together. She patted her leg and Colin trotted over.
Aiden picked up a sealed envelope from the table next to the door and handed it to her. “Here is the key.”
She wanted to brush off the sudden seriousness that had settled over them like a warm-weather San Francisco fog, stifling and oppressive, to get back the Aiden from five minutes ago.
“The key to your place?” She took the envelope and fanned herself with it, gasping like she couldn’t catch her breath. “This is all moving so fast.”
He’d been flirting with her at the park and ever since they got back to his place, so she expected an equally playful answer in return, but instead he said, “Well, Miss Summers. It’s a pleasure doing business with you. If there are any problems, you have my cell phone number, or you can call my office. You may come over at any time you like Monday to Friday, but inform me of the approximate time. I will pay you every Friday unless you wish otherwise, and you can find the check on this table.”
The abrupt change in his persona was so jarring that when he stuck his hand out to her she stared at it like he’d thrust a hedgehog at her. Finally, she reached out and shook it.
“Umm, thank you,” she said.
He gave her hand a good, firm shake. And that was that.
Reaching around her, he opened the front door. In a daze, she stepped out onto the front porch, Colin following behind. Back in her sweltering car, sitting on molten lava, she turned to him. Maybe it was her imagination, but he seemed to be as mystified as she was.
“Well, that was certainly something.”