Chapter 5

FIVE

Auden

Lunch with Wade is a surprise, in the best way. It was the longest that we had been alone together, the longest that we had talked. I hadn't expected him to be so easy to talk to, but from the moment we sat down at the diner, the conversation flowed like we'd been friends for years.

We talked about work, of course, about the Montgomery project and all the challenges we might expect, but we also talked about life outside of Lilac Harbor. I told him about some of the places that I'd traveled to, about places that I wanted to go to next. Wade told me about some of the places that he had remodeled around the area.

"I guess I've always been good at building things," Wade says, leaning back in the booth, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the rim of his glass. "I think that shop class in high school was my favorite class. I was good at it without really trying."

"Lucky you! I almost cut my finger off in shop class. Multiple times," I mumble and he nods.

"I know. I remember. I was the one unplugging the saws."

A memory of his dark gaze meeting mine as the table saw whirred to a stop. I never put it together, probably because I was too scared and embarrassed that I almost lost a finger, but he's right. He was always the one saving me.

That realization has my body warming and butterflies taking flight in my stomach. Either his reaction time is fantastic, or he was watching me back in high school a lot closer than I had realized.

Could it be that my little crush wasn't just one sided? Is it just one sided now?

"Thanks for that," I say softly and he nods.

"Anytime."

For a moment, the world seems to shrink to just the two of us, sitting in that booth, sharing an unspoken moment, but then the bell above the door jingles, and I look up to see my two friends walking in, their faces lighting up when they spot me.

"Auden!" Lena calls out, waving as they make their way over to our booth. "What a coincidence! We were just talking about you."

"Hey, you two," I said with a grin, scooting over to make room for them. "What are you doing here?"

"We were just grabbing lunch," Arlowe says, sliding into the booth across from me. "We had called you to see if you wanted to join us, but you didn't answer."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't hear my phone," I apologize, digging around in my big purse until I find my phone.

Sure enough, I have two texts and a missed call from them.

"No worries," Lena says, eyeing Wade and then me.

"Wade and I were just—" I start, but before I can finish, Arlowe cuts me off with a sly smile.

"Wade, huh?" she says, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

I roll my eyes, but I can't help the smile that tugs at my lips.

"Yeah, guys, this is Wade Collins. He's the contractor on the Montgomery project. He went to high school with us," I tell Lena and she nods.

"I remember. Nice to see you again," Lena says.

"Nice to meet you, Wade," Arlowe adds, offering him a friendly smile. "I've heard a lot about you."

Wade raises an eyebrow, glancing at me with an amused look. "All good things, I hope."

"Mostly," Lena teased, nudging me with her elbow. "Nah, I'm just kidding. Auden has just told us that you're her neighbor and the contractor for her work project. It's still nice to meet you and put a name to the face."

"Likewise," Wade says.

There is a moment of silence, and then Arlowe leans forward, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "So, Auden, we were thinking about hitting up the Lucky Horseshoe tonight. It's been ages since we had a girls' night out. What do you say?"

My first instinct is to say no, to come up with some excuse about work or being too tired., but then I think about it. It has been a long time since I'd gone out and had fun. I've missed hanging out with my friends and just letting loose and enjoying life. I've been focused on work for too long, so maybe a night out would do me some good.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun. I'm in."

"Great!" Lena said, clapping her hands together. "We'll meet you there at eight?"

"Perfect," I agree, already looking forward to it.

Wade shifts beside her, and I turn to him.

"You should come with us," I blurt out, the words escaping before I can think them through.

He looks a little taken aback, but then he smiles, a little apologetic.

"I'd love to, but I've got plans tonight."

I try not to show my disappointment, but I can't help feeling a little bummed that he won't be joining us.

I wonder what kind of plans he has. Is it a date? He said that he hasn't dated before, but maybe he's ready to now.

"Maybe another time," I say, hoping I don't sound too deflated.

"Next time," he says, and there's something in his voice that makes me believe him.

The waitress comes over and clears our plates. I toss down some money and promise to see my friends tonight before I stand and follow Wade out the door.

As we walk back down the street, I glance over at him, feeling a strange mix of hope and nervousness. I think that lunch went well, but it's hard to tell with Wade.

"Thanks for lunch," he says as we reach the front door.

"Anytime," I reply with a smile.

"I'll get it next time," he says and my heart lodges in my throat.

Like a date? I think.

I don't ask though, just smile and nod.

"Deal," I say as I unlock the front door and we head inside.

The mood between us seems to have shifted again as we walk back inside the old building. It feels like we're back to being coworkers, focused on the job at hand. Things aren't as tense as they were yesterday, so I guess that I'll say that's a step in the right direction.

As soon as we got back to the old bank, we both got lost in our own projects. Wade disappears into the front room to start on the electrical work, while I head to the back to test out some paint colors.

I try to forget about my disappointment that Wade won't be joining us tonight. I can't help but wonder again what his plans are.

Eventually, I forget about Wade and his plans and I focus on work. I'm in my element, the creative energy flowing through me as I imagine what the finished product will look like. I figure out what paint color I like the best and make a note of the color number in my journal, then send a quick update to the Montgomery's for their approval, along with some pictures.

By the time the afternoon sun starts to dip low in the sky, casting a warm golden light through the front windows, I've managed to get most of my work done for the day. I stretch, feeling the tension in my shoulders as I stand up and look around the room. The place was starting to take shape, the vision I had for it slowly coming to life and a secret thrill goes through me.

I always have that reaction when I'm working on a project. It's one of my favorite parts.

I sigh as I stand and head out to check on Wade, wondering how he's getting along with the electrical stuff.

As I reach the front room, I can hear the faint sound of music. It's some classic rock tune that I can't quite name and I smile as I round the corner and see him up on a ladder, working on the new chandelier. He's busy working away with his tools, completely in his element.

He looks so focused, so intent on what he was doing, that I almost don't want to disturb him, but then he looks down at me and flashes me a quick smile.

"Hey," he says, standing up and wiping his hands on a rag. "All done for the day?"

"Yeah, I'm getting ready to head home. I just wanted to check on you and see if you needed anything before I headed out."

"Nah, I'm all good. I'm done too so I just need to clean up here. I'll lock up on my way out."

"Sounds good," I say, hoisting my bag higher on my shoulder. "We'll, I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you. Have fun tonight," he says and I nod.

"You too."

It's on the tip of my tongue to ask him if he's going on a date, but I know that I'll look desperate then, so I bite my tongue and just wave as I head out the door.

As I head over to my car, I can't help but feel a pang of disappointment, like something was missing. I push the thought aside, trying to focus on the excitement of seeing my friends tonight instead of missing Wade, but as I drive back home, I can't help but wonder what it would have been like if Wade had been coming with me tonight. If we'd spent the evening together, talking and laughing and maybe, just maybe, finding out what else was hiding beneath the surface.

I shake my head, trying to banish the thought as I pull into my driveway, but even as I drove away from the Montgomery house, I couldn't stop the small, secret part of me that wished things had turned out differently, that I was going out with Wade tonight instead.