Aaron was not particularly happy to see Pete Van Pelt hurrying toward them from the parking lot, looking much more casual today in a polo shirt and jeans. He smiled broadly at Shelby, ignoring Aaron for the moment. “Hi, Shel,” he said.
“Pete, what are you doing here?”
“It’s such a nice day, I decided to take a drive, maybe enjoy a slice of one of your mom’s delicious pies. I hoped I’d run into you, have a chance to say hello. You look very nice, by the way.”
“Thanks, Pete, but I’m afraid I have to run,” she said, slanting a slightly baffled look at Aaron. “I’m delivering lunch to my brother. He was hurt a couple days ago, and he’s going to be laid up for a few weeks.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is he up to having company? I could accompany you, give him my regards.”
“Oh.” She shuffled her weight a bit, then shrugged. “Sure, come on. We can take one of the carts. I’m sure he’d enjoy the company.”
“Nice to see you again, Aaron,” Pete added, as if belatedly remembering his manners.
“You, too, Pete. Now if you’ll excuse me. Later, Shelby.”
He turned and moved quickly toward the cabin, his mood considerably dimmed from only a few minutes earlier.
Chapter Nine
Aaron looked as though he’d just climbed out of the shower when he answered the door in response to Shelby’s light knock that evening. His hair was wet and his white T-shirt clung to his damp chest. Beneath the hem of his loose jeans, his feet were bare.
“I hope you haven’t eaten yet,” she said, hearing the slight breathiness of her own voice but hoping he hadn’t noticed. She slid the strap of an insulated tote bag off her shoulder. “I brought food.”
He hesitated for a moment, then moved out of the doorway and motioned her inside. “As a matter of fact, I haven’t eaten. And I’m starving.”
“I thought you might be after that day of manual labor.” She carried the tote to the bar.
“Have to admit I haven’t worked that hard in a while,” he said, placing a hand to his back as if to press against the kinks there. “And the worst part? Your uncle has twenty-three years on me and he still worked circles around me.”
She laughed. “We’ve always said Uncle Bryan’s like that windup bunny on TV. He never runs out of energy. Dad has always been content to work the marina, but Bryan has to be all over the resort doing a little bit of everything.”
“I thought maybe you’d have other plans tonight,” he said as he opened a cabinet and took down a couple of plates.
“Other plans? No. You and I mentioned having dinner together again this evening.”
“Well, yes. But that was before your boyfriend showed up this afternoon.”
She paused with one hand inside the tote bag, her jaw almost dropping in surprise at his tone. She must have been mistaken, she told herself with a slight shake of her head. After all, Aaron wasn’t invested enough in this temporary alliance to be jealous, was he?
“Pete?” she asked, though she knew exactly whom he meant. “Yes, that was odd that he came by today. Last night was the first time I’d seen him in months. I suppose that made him think about driving out today to see everyone.”
“To see you.” He stressed the distinction.
“Maybe,” she admitted. “I guess he was curious about what I’ve been up to since we broke up. I know he asked a few questions about you—how long I’ve known you, whether we’ve been dating, that sort of thing.”
Setting forks beside the plates, Aaron reached for drinking glasses to fill with ice. “Looked to me like he wants you back.”
“He’s the one who broke it off,” she said with a shrug.
“So he’s changed his mind. Maybe seeing you with someone else woke him up to what he was missing.”
The thought had crossed her mind that Pete’s interest in her had been renewed after seeing her with another man—a very handsome and dashing other man, at that. Pete had tried flirting a little that afternoon, but she’d kept her own responses strictly friendly, sharing impersonal small talk in the golf cart, focusing on Steven during their short visit with him, then sending Pete on his way afterward by telling him it had been nice to see him, but she had to get back to work.
“Maybe we’ll talk later?” he had asked.
“Sure,” she’d said breezily. “I’ll give you a call sometime.”
After searching her face for a moment, he’d left. She hoped he’d figured out that the chances of her calling him were very slim, despite her polite prevarication.