Chapter 4

Winnie

Aldis’s houseis nothing like I expected. I had figured that he would live in some converted building somewhere downtown. I thought it would be edgy, bare, and littered with motorcycle stuff.

Instead, I follow his motorcycle to a quaint-looking two-story house that’s close to the animal sanctuary. In fact, it’s just three miles down the road.

The house is in good condition with what looks like a fresh coat of white paint on it. It has a wraparound porch and reminds me of that house from The Notebook.

“Is this where you grew up?” I ask him as I climb out of my car, pushing a cat back in as I go.

“No, I grew up in Chicago.”

“Oh. What brought you to Maplewood then?”

“A dart on a map.”

“Wha-really?” I ask, and he grins.

“Yeah. I got out of the military and knew I didn’t want to go back to Chicago, so I tossed a dart at a map and it landed here.”

“That’s kind of crazy.”

“Maybe,” he agrees easily. “I don’t regret it though.”

“Are your parents still in Chicago?”

“Probably,” he says with a shrug. “We aren’t close. I haven’t spoken to them since I was eighteen.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. They’re not great people. They’re selfish and rude. I don’t miss them.”

Aldis is surprisingly open and honest.

I love it.

Everyone I knew in New York were pretentious. They lied as easily as they breathed, trying to appear more rich or important than they actually were. Aldis is a welcome change.

“Should we get the cats?” I ask, and he nods.

“How do you want to do this?”

“I’ll grab a few and you grab a few. It will take a couple of trips.”

He nods, heading to unlock the front door as I round the hood and open the passenger side door. I grab a few of the cats and promise to be right back before I head up to the front door. I pass Aldis on the way.

When I step inside, I take a quick look around. The place is clean, everything in its place. There’s a framed photograph of a motorcycle on the wall, but that’s it.

“Did you just move in?” I ask him as he comes up behind me.

“No, I’ve been here a year. I just don’t have a ton of belongings, I guess.”

“Me either. I sold or donated most of my things before I left New York.”

We set down the cats and they run off to explore their new temporary home. Aldis and I head back out to the car and make a few more trips before we have all of the cats inside. The cats are all a little freaked out, probably from the chaos of the events from tonight, but they seem to like Aldis’s place well enough.

“Are you hungry?” Aldis asks me.

“Starving.”

“Let’s see what we have.”

I follow him into the kitchen and take a seat on one of the barstools at the counter. Aldis starts to rummage around in the fridge.

“I can make some tacos?” He offers, and my stomach growls.

“Sounds good. Can I help?”

“No, I’ve got it. I know you must be tired. Why don’t you go take a shower and get settled in? I’ll come get you when the food is ready.”

“Sure, that sounds good. Um, which bedroom is mine?” I ask, and he stops gathering ingredients.

“Sorry, let me give you a quick tour. Come on, Red.”

A shiver runs down my spine. I’ve never had a nickname before, and I’m finding that I like it. Every time he calls me Red, a little zing of pleasure courses through me. It makes me feel… special in a weird way.

I follow him down a hall and into the living room.

“The living room is here, office back there, there’s a half bath right there,” he says as we continue walking.

I grab my bags as we head upstairs, and he points out the bathroom, linen closet, his bedroom, and the three guest bedrooms.

“You can take your pick of whichever room you want,” he tells me, and I smile.

“Thanks.”

“Of course. I’ll see you downstairs in a few.”

He heads downstairs, and I pick the guest room that’s closest to his bedroom. I don’t stop to analyze why I chose that one as I set my things down and pull out a clean pair of pajamas and my toiletries.

I head back out to the bathroom in the hall and shudder when I see my reflection. Dirt and ash are dusting my hair and streaking across my face. I look like a sweaty, dirty mess, and I probably smell like a bonfire.

Just my luck to be rooming with the hottest guy I’ve ever seen and I look like this.

I sigh, trying to forget about the rapidly growing crush I have on my new roommate as I strip and turn on the shower.

Thoughts of Aldis filter in as I shower and change into my pajamas. I head downstairs, my mouth watering and my stomach growling as I smell the taco seasoning and ground beef.

“It smells so good,” I say as I enter the kitchen.

“Perfect timing,” he says as he pulls the taco shells out of the oven.

He puts three shells on a plate and passes it to me.

“Help yourself.”

“Thanks.”

I make my tacos and take a seat at the counter. I wait for him to join me before I dig in. I practically inhale my food, and Aldis chuckles.

“Good?”

“Very. I skipped lunch today so I was starving,” I explain.

“You shouldn’t do that,” he chides me, and I nod.

“I know. I just forgot to pack something today.”

“What’s your favorite food?” He asks me as he adds two more shells to my plate.

“Anything that I don’t have to cook,” I say with a laugh. “I’m pretty terrible in the kitchen. We had private chefs growing up so I never really spent a ton of time cooking or in the kitchen.”

“I could teach you if you want to learn.”

“Maybe,” I say as I add some more cheese to my taco. “What about you? What’s your favorite food?”

“I’m a steak and potatoes guy, but truthfully, I’m not picky. I think the military helped with that. I mean, once you’ve had some of those MREs then you can pretty much eat anything.”

I laugh. and he tells me about some of the food he ate when he was in the military.

“What branch were you?” I ask as we clean up.

“Navy. I was a SEAL.”

“Did you like it?”

“Sure. It felt good. Until I was shot.”

“Oh my gosh!” I gasp, and he smiles.

“It’s fine. I’m fine, but it ended my military career.”

“What do you do now?” I ask as I help him load the dishwasher.

“I’m a consultant. I was the technology guy when I was in the service. I did coms and basically anything that had to do with a computer or satellite. When I got out, I started my own company. Usually it’s law enforcement or other security outfits. They come here to the training facilities and we run them through some programs and help train other operations on handling that stuff.”

“That’s cool,” I say honestly, and he nods.

“I have a place here in town, and people come from all over to go through it.”

I smother a yawn and then wince.

“Sorry! I don’t think your job is boring or anything,” I rush to say, and he laughs.

“No worries. I’m sure you’re tired after today.”

I nod, and he closes the dishwasher.

“Let’s head to bed.”

I nod and follow him up the stairs.

“Good night, Winnie. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Night, Aldis.”

I give him one last smile before I head into my bedroom. Two cats have taken up residence on my luggage, and I smile as I slip into bed.

Tomorrow I’ll figure out what to do with the cats, and I’ll do my best to bury my feelings for Aldis.

Tomorrow, I promise myself, as my eyes fall closed and I fall asleep.