She arrived at Aiden’s at exactly seven on the dot. She’d never been to his home before and was shocked as she drove down the driveway.
The house had a steep triangle built into the middle with large windows facing the front. Through those windows she had a clear view of the back of the house, which looked to be completely lined with more windows facing the ocean.
This was a mansion compared to her lighthouse. She parked in front and was about to knock when the door opened.
Aiden stood in the foyer wearing a black apron.
A wave of surprise and nerves flooded her. She brought her hands to her face to stifle her giggle but wound up failing fairly miserably.
“What are you wearing?”
“Tonight, I’m serving you.”
She cocked a brow in suspicion. “What?”
He gestured for her to enter. When she did so, he repeated, “I’m serving you tonight. You’ve served me plenty of times; it’s my turn to return the favor.”
“Return the favor, huh?” she replied, unable to keep the teasing tone from her voice. “And what about the steps?”
“My gift to you.” He closed the door and clapped his hands. “Now. I’ve got everything set up here.”
She followed him, doing her best not to gawk at his home. Ginny couldn’t say if she’d ever really been in a bachelor pad before, but when she envisioned a place like that, she imagined black leather couches, a huge television, maybe a neon beer sign.
But this place was nothing like that. Elegant glossy pottery that was clearly art sat atop tables and on pedestals. Potted palms dotted the corners, and several original paintings inspired by the ocean hung on the cream-colored walls.
The windows that she had seen from the outside were just as she had suspected—lining the back wall. They were a good eight feet high and gave the most spectacular view of the sunset. Aiden had his own private beach with one side banked by rocks that the waves crashed against, sending water spraying up over them and pooling below.
“What a view.”
“Thank you,” he said as he led her to a table butted up to the windows. The living room was open concept that housed the kitchen as well as the brown leather couches and television. Sprinkled about the room as well, seated atop small columns like you’d find at a museum, were what looked like relics from shipwrecks.
“Is that a padlock?” she asked, pointing to a piece of metal that was about seven inches long and four inches wide.
He nodded. “It is. It’s from the eighteenth century. I found it in the ocean and had it restored.”
The iron gleamed under the lights, and though there were a few pockmarks on the metal, overall it looked brand-new. “And it even has the key in it.”
He smiled. “That was the best part. It works. Here, I’ll show you.”
He stepped beside her and took the lock from the column. As he moved past her, he left a trail of brine and pine lingering in the air. How she loved his scent. Aiden turned the key and pulled on the bar that arched atop it, yanking it from the casing.
A huff of surprise blew from her lungs. “That is so neat.”
“Here. You can try.”
She locked and unlocked the piece before setting it back atop the column. Aiden had stationed himself behind the counter and was busy pulling something from the oven.
“It smells amazing in here.”
“Thank you. Please sit.”
“Aren’t you going to eat with me?”
He shook his head. “This night is all about you.”
When had she ever been so pampered by a man? “I can’t do that. I’ll feel guilty.”
“Don’t,” he said sternly but added a wink. “You don’t know it, but you’ve affected my life in a positive way. The least that I can do is thank you.”
“If you insist.”
“I do.”
She hung her purse over the back of the chair and sat, folded her hands atop the table and waited.
Aiden came out from behind the counter carrying a plate and holding a bottle of wine. “May I pour you a glass?”
“Yes, but not too much. I have to drive.”
“Of course.”
He filled the glass about one-third of the way and settled a plate before her.
“Are those bacon-wrapped dates?”
He smiled. “Do you like them?”
“I love them. They remind me of Saturday morning breakfasts when the girls were young. That was the one day of the week when we could move slowly, so I’d make pancakes, sausage, eggs, everything they wanted. Then I’d pour warmed syrup over the pancakes, but it would also drip down onto the sausage and when you ate the sausage, it was the best combination of sweet and savory. So yes, I love bacon-wrapped dates.”
“Then enjoy.”
She frowned. “What are you going to do?”
“Work on the next course.”
“There are courses?”
He smirked. “Do I look like I was raised in a barn?”
She laughed. “Plenty of people raised in barns know about three-course meals.”
“It was only a figure of speech.”
“I know.”
She nibbled on a date as he worked. His sleeves were pushed up, revealing strong forearms wrapped in ropes of muscles. Aiden was so much a man—he was strong, liked to work with his hands but also had great business sense. He was just about perfect in every possible way, as Mary Poppins would have said.
But Ginny didn’t want to get ahead of herself. She liked him, but she didn’t want to be so unrealistic as to think he was perfect. No living person was.
As she stared at him, he glanced up from what he was doing. She jumped, embarrassed for being caught. “How are the dates?”
“Wonderful.”
“Are you sure? You looked scared a second ago.”
She waved off his concern. “No, I was just deep in thought.”
“I’d give more than a penny to know what those thoughts were.”
Her gaze skidded away. “Well,” she replied, trying to come up with a good answer, “it’ll cost you at least a dollar.”
He smiled. “I’d gladly pay.”
Time to change the subject before she had to admit her thoughts. “What are you making next?”
“That is a surprise.”
“Another one? I feel so special.”
“You are special.”
That time her gaze snapped back to find Aiden staring at her intently. Heat erupted in her belly, fanning out like a fire to her arms and legs. She glanced away quickly, embarrassed.
“It’s done.”
He brought her a salad made of watercress and filled with hearts of palm. A delicate olive oil–based dressing lightly coated the greens.
“I love watercress.”
He leaned against the table. “I had hoped so. It’s one of my favorites, too. So’s the dressing.”
“Did you make it?”
“I did,” he said proudly. “If you can believe it, it’s an old recipe that Judy Garland shared.”
Her brows lifted. “You’re joking.”
“No. My mom loved it and passed it down to me.”
“You are full of surprises tonight.”
He leaned his hips against the table and folded his arms. She did her best not to stare at the roped muscles, and thought she did a pretty good job since she stared at her salad instead.
She used her knife to slide some watercress and heart of palm onto her fork and took a bite. The crunch of the delicate watercress mingled with the salty heart of palm and the tangy sweet dressing, was bliss.
She moaned. “Aiden, this is so good. I have to make this at the café. If that’s okay, that is.”
“I don’t know. It’s very top secret,” he told her with a curve to his mouth.
She laughed. “I would never want to divulge your family’s secrets.”
“Far be it from me to stop you.” They laughed, only to be interrupted by a dinging coming from the kitchen. He pushed off the table. “That would be your main course. Don’t worry, you have plenty of time to finish your salad. This needs to cool off.”
“Yes, sir.”
“So formal,” he mused.
“This is a very formal dinner, in case you hadn’t noticed. Even down to the white tablecloth.”
He winked. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.”
She finished her salad as he prepared whatever surprise he had left. He whisked her plate away and delivered a delicate porcelain plate topped with lightly breaded fish drizzled in a white sauce.
“What is this?” she asked, inhaling the light scent of fish mingled with lemon, and was that…tarragon?
“It’s grouper topped with my special sauce.”
Her brow curled with intrigue. “Your sauce?”
“That’s right. I invented it myself and I like it. However, few others have tried it, so I’m hoping it’s up to your standards.”
“I’m sure it will be delicious if it’s like any of the other dishes I’ve tried.”
“Fingers crossed.”
The filet covered most of the plate, and Ginny had already eaten so much that she wasn’t sure if she could finish it. “Why don’t you sit and join me?”
“Not going to happen.”
“Your loss.”
“No, it’s my gain.”
“How so?”
He shrugged. “I like seeing you happy. Watching you smile makes me smile.”
Her heart nearly leaped from her chest. What had she done to deserve this goodness in her life? She squeezed his hand.
“I feel the same way.” She tasted the fish, and it was just as good as every other dish, if not better. “This is amazing.”
“Thank you. Dessert should be ready in a few minutes.”
She had eaten most of the fish and was honestly feeling guilty for having him wait on her, so she rose and took the plate to him.
“You didn’t have to do that.”
She shrugged. “I wanted to. The least I can do to repay you is bring you a plate.”
She scanned the kitchen—all stainless steel and top-of-the-line appliances. He even had a double oven.
“You must entertain a lot,” she said, nodding toward the feature.
“No, it came with the house.” He pressed a hand to his belly. “Even though I may look like a chef, I don’t play one in real life.”
She giggled and he flashed her a smile that warmed the tops of her ears.
They stared at each other a moment and the air thickened. Her breath caught as he took a step toward her.
That was when the oven timer chimed. The spell broken, Aiden opened the bottom door and pulled out what appeared to be a—
“Chocolate soufflé, madam,” he said with a mock bow.
“I’m not eating that all by myself.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not.”
He gently placed the chocolate-filled ramekin on a white plate. “Sit and I’ll bring it over.”
But Ginny was having none of that. She scooped the spoon into the dessert and lightly tasted it. The soufflé was still hot, but not so much that it burned her tongue. The fluffy chocolate dessert melted in her mouth..
“This is amazing. You are so having some of this,” she told him.
He frowned, but when she finished her bite, she spooned up more for him. He didn’t argue as she slipped the spoon into his mouth.
He moaned. “Oh, that is good.”
“That is great,” she corrected.
“My turn to feed you.” He took the spoon and gently filled it with the dessert before sliding it into her mouth. “Still good?”
“More,” she said with a laugh.
He gave her another bite, and she moved to take the spoon from him but when their fingers touched, both of them froze.
She glanced up to see him staring into her eyes. Her breath caught and Aiden slipped closer to her. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe as he dropped his lips to hers and kissed her.
In a blink Ginny was sinking into his arms, savoring the kiss and pushing every thought of Jack from her mind.
This was what she needed, right here, this kiss. When it ended, they each pulled back. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and she smiled.
“You taste like chocolate,” she murmured.
He chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever kissed a woman who told me that I taste like chocolate.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
A sparkle twinkled in his eyes. “How about a second time?”
“I’ll take that, too.”
They kissed again. Ginny didn’t know how long they kissed for, but by the time she was leaving for the night—and he insisted on driving her home (she could get her car in the morning)—she was walking on air.
It was only when they said their final good nights that the bubble of happiness burst.
Her phone rang. It was late. Who could it be?
But when she looked down and saw that it was Savannah calling from her old house’s landline, her heart froze. What did this woman want? Why did she insist on calling?
Instead of finding out, Ginny pressed a button and muted the call. Nothing was going to ruin her evening, especially not her dead husband’s ex-mistress.