“So I guess she talks about me, huh?” Aidan recognized it for the taunt that it was. He had the sudden and violent urge to reach out and yank that smugness right out of the bastard’s throat. Then he remembered that Mary seemed to think very highly of him and swallowed what he was going to say next. Instead he said, “You are very important to her.”
The man didn’t seem to have expected that. He was silent for several minutes. Aidan could hear Max’s nails lightly tapping on the ceramic tile, followed by the soft sound of jingling tags as if Andrew was petting him. Aidan might not know much about Mary’s past, but he did know she would never willingly leave Max with someone else unless she had no other choice.
“Andrew, where is Mary?”
“Before I answer that – and I’m not saying I’m going to – let me ask you something. Are you really Aidan Harrison?”
“Yes.”
“CEO of the Celtic Goddess Aidan Harrison?”
“Yes.”
“Worth more money than I’ll ever see in my fucking life Aidan Harrison?”
Aidan sighed. “Yes.”
“Well, damn,” Andrew breathed.
“Does Mary know?”
“About that stuff? No,” Andrew admitted. “Believe it or not, Mary could care less about that kind of stuff. If she did, she never would have married Cam.”
Cam. Now he had a name. “Tell me.”
“Look, I’m not sure I should be telling you anything, man, but for whatever reason, Mary likes you, and I haven’t known her to be wrong about anyone yet.”
Aidan didn’t know what to say about that, so he said nothing.
“You millionaire types like pizza and beer?” he finally asked.
“Yeah.”
“Good. Me and Max haven’t eaten yet. What do you say to heading over this way and bringing a large pepperoni and bacon from Mario’s and a six pack with you?”
That’s how Aidan found himself at Mary’s door less than an hour later. From the outside, everything looked the same, but from the moment he stepped inside, it felt wrong. This was Mary’s house. She should be here.
The two men appraised each other. Andrew was a couple of inches shorter than Aidan, with dark reddish brown hair, cut close. He was casually dressed in jeans, white leather high-tops, and a long sleeved T that showed he was in decent shape. He looked nice enough, until Aidan saw the intensity of his eyes. This was the type of man people tended to underestimate, Aidan sensed immediately. He would not make that mistake.
Andrew smirked when he saw Aidan dressed similarly. “At least you don’t dress like a wealthy, arrogant, self-serving prick.” He relieved Aidan of the beer and walked toward the kitchen.
“At least you don’t have any preconceived notions,” Aidan shot back following along behind him.
Andrew snorted, dropping the beer on the table before opening the back door. Max bounded in and made a beeline straight for Aidan. Andrew watched closely as Aidan greeted him.
“He likes you,” Andrew murmured, as if it made no sense.
“That surprises you, doesn’t it?”
“Hell, yes, it does. Took Max six months before he’d let me pet him like that, and animals usually love me.”
“But Max doesn’t know he’s a dog, does he?” Aidan said, scratching a particularly good spot under Max’s neck that had his right hind leg thumping.
Andrew grunted, but Aidan saw a hint of reluctant approval in the other man’s eyes.
“So, are you going to tell me where Mary is and why you’re babysitting Max?”
“No.” Andrew devoured half a piece of pizza in one bite. “Not yet.”
Aidan exhaled slowly, sizing up Mary’s business partner. It was something he’d become particularly adept at over the years. Being able to read a man and anticipate his reactions to various strategies went a long way in his business. Brute force probably wouldn’t work on this guy, and offering him a wad of cash would probably just piss him off.
“Okay,” Aidan said, swallowing his pride. He wouldn’t do this for anyone but Mary. “What can you tell me now?”
Andrew finished off his first slice, took a long drink from his beer, and pulled a second piece out of the box. “Mary and I are business partners, but we’re a lot more than that. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”
Aidan met his stare head-on. “Good to know.”
“So. You wanted to know about Cam, right?”
Did he? He wasn’t so sure anymore. Maybe he should take a page out of Mary’s book and just trust her to tell him on her own terms and in her own time. But he found himself nodding anyway.
“Cameron O’Rourke was a good man. Born and raised right here in Birch Falls. We went to school together. He was the quarterback on our high-school football team. Hell of a shortstop, too. He was also class valedictorian, and prom king.”
Aidan disliked him already.
“Mary transferred to Birch Falls sophomore year with her mom after her dad died. She was on the quiet side, but smart and funny, and Cam acted like an idiot trying to get her to notice him.”
Aidan knew just how he felt.