I winced and pulled my phone away from my ear.
“Grace? Grace!”
“I’m here,” I snapped. “Stop yelling before you blow out my eardrum.”
“I was shouting at my teammate, who is acting like a complete arse,” he said. “Sorry. I’m in the locker room. Anyway, I probably should be yelling at you. Would you like to explain to me what on earth made you think it was a good idea to take in a strange homeless girl who may or may not be your annoying next-door neighbor’s long-lost daughter?”
I’d decided it was best to call Aidan and let him in on my current situation, because he’d be pissed off at me if he found out about it much later. However, I was now rethinking that decision.
“Well, when you say it like that, it sounds nuts.”
“Because it is nuts.”
“Look, they needed my help.”
Aidan grunted at that. “I’m coming over to meet them.”
I frowned at the thought. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Maia is overwhelmed as it is.”
“I’m sorry this girl is going through all this and I think it’s amazing that you want to look out for her, but I’m looking out for you. I’ll be over at yours in a bit to meet them. No arguments.”
I smiled because it wasn’t so bad having someone care about me. “Fine. But I’m not feeding you.”
He was quiet a moment. “But I’ll be hungry.”
I snorted, knowing he was pouting like a little boy on the other end of the line. “Fine. I’ll feed you.”
“Do you have feelings for this guy? Is that what this is?”
I froze at Aidan’s question, hot oven tray held aloft in midair. “What?”
“Um… Why don’t you put the sausage rolls down before you answer that?”
True to his word, Aidan had come over after his training, and I’d decided to heat up some snacks like sausage rolls and little mini samosas for our lunch while Logan was out with Maia.
I had not expected to be hit with a question I really didn’t know how to answer.
Putting the hot tray down, I tugged off my oven gloves and turned my back to put them away so I didn’t have to look Aidan in the eye. “It’s not like that. Impossible though it may seem, I think Logan and I might be friends.”
“Just friends?”
I laughed, but even to my ears it sounded hollow. “Of course.” I turned around to look at my friend. “Aidan, I’m not his type at all.”
“That’s not what I asked.” He leaned across my kitchen counter. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Oh, I won’t.” I waved off his concerns. “Logan is not my type either.” I adamantly ignored memories of the dream I’d had about him, or the fact that every time he shot me that crooked smile I felt a flare of pleasure-pain in my chest. I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew I was damn well going to ignore it. “I’m just helping out a neighbor. And mostly I’m helping out Maia. I think you’ll understand once you meet her.”
I began to plate up our food, and Aidan was quiet until I sat down beside him. “What do you mean?”
I cocked my head to the side in thought. “She reminds me of me.”
My friend smiled. “Then I’m sure she’s worth all the effort you’re putting in.”
I returned his smile with a grateful one of my own and then caught him up with the situation to date.
It wasn’t much later that we heard my front door open, and my ears pricked up at the sound of Maia’s giggle. Relief whooshed through me. I had to admit I’d been anxious for her, and for Logan, wondering if they could get over their awkwardness around each other long enough to enjoy lunch together. From the sounds of that giggle, things might have gone all right for them.
“I’ll ask Grace,” I heard Logan say. “She’ll back me up.”
I smiled at Aidan’s raised eyebrows and called out, “Back you up about what?”
“About music from —” Logan suddenly cut off his reply as he and Maia entered the kitchen. His eyes narrowed on Aidan. When I looked at Maia, her expression was almost an exact mirror image of her father’s.
I swallowed my laughter. “This is my friend Aidan Ramage.”
“The rugby player.” Logan’s voice seemed to rumble with suspicion.
“Rugby player?” Maia said softly.
“Aidan plays for Scotland,” I explained to her. “He’s one of those friends I was telling you about. We’ve been friends since first year at university.”
Aidan was standing now, towering over me, eyeing Logan and his daughter.
“Aidan, this is Logan MacLeod and Maia.”
“MacLeod,” Logan added. “Maia told me her surname is MacLeod.”
“But that…” I frowned. “Does that mean you’re on the birth certificate?”
“I’ll find out tomorrow. I’m heading to the register office on Princes Street.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Aidan broke in. “I understand it’s an interesting situation here.”
Logan drew his eyes over him, carefully, deliberately, and really quite intimidatingly. “It’s a private family matter.”
Aidan shrugged at the warning, not at all intimidated, but also not offended. “Grace is involved, and Grace is my family,” he said pointedly.
I knew Logan understood, but he didn’t seem any happier about it. Maia was worrying her lower lip with her teeth, gazing up at Aidan as if he were about to take everything away. One of the reasons I loved Aidan was because he was a pretty perceptive guy. He smiled disarmingly at Maia, and she blushed to her roots. “I just wanted to check in and make sure Grace was okay.” His gaze drifted back to Logan.