Chapter 4

FOUR

Wade

The morning sun was barely peeking over the horizon as I walked up on Auden's front porch, my hand hovering over the doorbell. I'd been up for an hour, running through all the ways today could go, planning every step of how I was going to ask her out to lunch. I figured offering her a ride downtown to work was a good start. I could show her that I was thinking of her and trying to get to know her, trying to make up for the way I'd acted when I first showed up on her doorstep.

I take a deep breath and press the doorbell, the sound echoing through the quiet morning air. I shift from one foot to the other, nervous energy buzzing in my veins, but as the seconds tick by with no response, a sinking feeling starts to settle in my gut. I don't hear any movement inside and I sigh. I try once more to knock on the door, just to be sure, but when there's still no answer, I step back and let out a frustrated sigh.

She already left.

I glance at my watch. It's only just after seven in the morning. Early, but not too early for someone like Auden who clearly takes her work seriously.

Could she still be asleep?

I give it another minute before I determine that she must have already left. I try not to be too disappointed as I head over to my truck and climb behind the wheel, but it's hard. I had it all planned out. I'd drive her to the site, we'd talk about the project, I'd ask her out to lunch, and maybe she'd start to see me as more than just a work acquaintance or her grumpy neighbor.

I should have woken up earlier or mentioned driving in together yesterday, but I didn't think that she'd be gone so early. She was probably already at the site, getting a head start on the day, just like she'd done yesterday. I should have known better. Auden Reed isn't the type to wait around for anyone. She knows what she wants and she goes after it. I've always admired that about her.

I shake off the disappointment and come up with a new plan as I head into town. I'm not going to let this throw me off. I'll just have to find another opportunity to talk to her and to show her that I can be someone that she needs. I need to show her that I could be a good match for her, and maybe, if I was lucky, I'd get that chance today.

The drive to the Montgomery property was quiet, the early morning fog clinging to the trees as I weave my way through the familiar streets of Lilac Harbor. The town hasn't changed much in all of the time that I lived here. I liked that. There was a sense of comfort in the familiar, in knowing that some things stayed the same.

As I pull up to the property, I spot her car parked out front. Of course, she was already here. I grab my tool belt and head inside, the old wooden floorboards creaking under my boots as I make my way through the entryway. The building is quiet, the kind of quiet that only comes in the early morning hours, when the rest of the world is still waking up.

I pause, wondering where Auden could be, and then I hear it. There's a sound of shuffling, of someone moving around in the next room and I quickly follow the noise to the back room and find Auden there, struggling with a box of paint samples.

"Hey. Need a hand?" I ask, stepping into the room.

She shrieks, nearly dropping the box and I lunge, grabbing it before it can land on her toes.

Auden looks up at me, startled, her green eyes wide as she takes in my presence. "Jeez! You almost gave me a heart attack. I didn't hear you come in."

"I just got here."

I turn, setting the box down on the counter.

"Thanks," she said, a little breathless as she eyes the box. "That thing was heavier than I expected."

"Of course. So, what's the plan for today?"

"Well," she starts, glancing around the room like she was mentally ticking off items on a checklist, "I want to start with the colors, especially since it won't matter on this wall that you have to replace the boards on. I've got a few ideas, but I'd love to get your opinion. And then I was thinking we could start on the electrical work, get the old wiring out and start fresh."

I nod, liking her plan. The wiring in this place is ancient, and it needed to be updated before we could do anything else. "Sure, sounds like a plan."

We get to work, and as we move through the building, something starts to shift between us. It wasn't just the awkwardness of the night before melting away; it was something more. We were falling into a rhythm, a partnership of sorts, where the back-and-forth was easy, comfortable. I find myself glancing over at her as she moves through the rooms, taking measurements, holding up color swatches, and talking through her ideas.

She was good. Really good. Not that I was surprised. I knew Auden had always been talented, but seeing her in action, watching her take this old place and breathe new life into it, was something else entirely. It was mesmerizing. She was mesmerizing.

As I was working on the old electrical box in the back room, she walks in with a few paint samples in her hand, holding them up to the wall.

"What do you think of this one?" she asks, showing me a soft gray that had just a hint of blue.

I paused, looking at it critically before glancing back at her. "It's nice."

She nodded, but I could see the doubt in her eyes.

"Are you sure? You really like it?"

"Yeah, it's a good choice."

She eyes me suspiciously and I blink.

"Why? I'm being serious."

She shrugged, looking almost embarrassed. "You just… you looked so bored. I thought maybe you weren't a fan of the color."

I blinked, realizing that she must have taken my usual expression for disapproval. "Oh. No, it's not that. I just… I'm not great with showing emotions, I guess. But you're great with this kind of stuff, Auden. Design, colors, making things look good. I've always known you were good at it."

She looked up at me then, her eyes widening in surprise. "You have?"

"Yeah," I say, wondering if I've said too much.

Too late to take it back now.

"I remember all of your outfits back in high school and the way that you decorated the gym for the dances."

"You didn't go to the dances," she points out and I blink.

"I went to one… for a minute."

She looks like she wants to ask me more, but her phone starts to ring and she heads out front to answer it.

Thank God.

There's no way that I can tell her that the one and only dance that I went to was for her. I had walked in, spotted her hanging out with her friends and having fun and chickened out. I turned around and left almost immediately. I kicked myself the whole way home. I had saved up for weeks to afford the ticket and a nice outfit, and then didn't have the guts to go ask her to dance.

Auden comes back into the room a few minutes later and goes back to her paint samples. We work in companionable silence for a while, each of us focused on our tasks, but the more time we spend together, the more I find myself wanting to know about the woman she's become since we graduated.

The girl I remember from high school had always been kind, smart, driven, but this Auden, she was all of those things and more. She was confident, capable, and there was a quiet strength in her that I couldn't help but admire.

I find myself stealing glances at her all morning, watching the way she moves through the building, the way she seems to be totally in her element, and I can't help but wonder what she remembers about me. If she had any idea that the guy standing next to her, helping her restore this old house, was the same guy who'd spent most of high school pining after her from afar.

Around noon, my stomach starts to growl, and I realize I haven't eaten anything since earlier that morning. I'm about to suggest that we take a break when Auden beats me to it.

"Hungry?" she asks, looking up at me with a grin.

"Starving," I admit, rubbing the back of my neck as I feel a blush heat my cheeks.

"How about I buy you a burger? There's a great little place just down the street," she says, shocking me.

I blink, trying to wrap my head around the fact that Auden just kind of asked me out to lunch. In all of my plans for today, that was never a possibility. I'd been planning on asking her to lunch, trying to make a move, and here she was, turning the tables on me.

"Sure. Sounds good to me," I said, trying to keep the excitement and nerves out of my voice.

We pack up our things and she locks up the place, and then we're headed down the street to Sandbags Burgers. It was the kind of place that felt like stepping back in time the moment that you walked in, with its red vinyl booths, checkered floors, and the smell of sizzling burgers in the air.

We slide into a booth by the window, and a waitress appeared almost instantly, taking our orders with a smile.

"Just a water for me," Auden orders.

"Me too."

The waitress nods and heads off, leaving us to look over the menu.

"I love this place," Auden says with a grin. "I missed so much when I went to college."

"Really? You'd think that there would be a greasy burger place nearby."

She rolls her eyes and I realize that might have been rude. I'm about to apologize, but she starts to talk.

"Lena and I came her all of the time in high school. I think that our names might still be carved into the booth over there," she says, pointing to a booth in the back.

"Lena?" I ask and she smiles.

"Yeah, she's one of my best friends. She went to high school with us.

I frown, trying to remember a Lena, but the only one from high school that I bothered to remember is Auden.

"What about you? What's your favorite place in town?"

"The movie theater," I blurt out and she smiles.

"Yeah? Are you a big movie buff?"

"Not really," I admit.

"Then why is that place your favorite? Did you take all of your dates there or something?"

"No, I don't date… er, or I mean I haven't before."

She blinks and I pray that we don't start talking about my lack of a social life.

"Then why the movie theater?" She asks and I let out a breath that I didn't even realize I was holding.

"I worked there in high school for a bit. It was the only way that I would be able to afford to see a movie. I guess… I guess it was one of the only times that I felt like a regular kid."

I look up and see Auden watching me with pity and I look away. I'm grateful when the waitress comes over with our waters and takes our order.

"What about you? What were your favorite places around town when we were kids?" I ask, desperate to change the topic and make her the center of attention.

"Hmm, let me think."

She lists off a few places and I nod. I've been to the hiking trail and the beach, but as she talks, I can't help but wonder how it would be to go to them again with her.

Our food gets dropped off a few minutes later and we both dig in. We seem to be back on more stable ground, both of us careful to not bring up my childhood as we talk and eat.

Things seem to be going well and I'm about to ask her out to dinner, when the front door opens and I know that my chance is gone.