I understood now. “Yes. I really did.” And you will too.
Her eyes grew big, luminous, and there was something hesitant in them. “Can… May I ask what your family did that was so awful?”
I looked out over the city I loved and sighed. “Some other time perhaps.”
When Maia didn’t reply, I glanced sharply back at her, afraid I’d hurt her feelings. Instead her sad smile was one that offered understanding.
“That was quick.” Logan was stooped over, his elbows leaning on the railing of our landing as he watched us climb the stairs. I looked up at him, and my smile faltered when I took in his appearance. He looked as exhausted as Maia.
“Turns out Maia is not much of a shopper.” I threw her a teasing smile as we stepped onto the landing to join Logan. I held up the bags in my hand. “I had to force-feed her.”
He straightened up, eyeing the bags and then Maia. “Did you get everything you needed?”
She nodded shyly.
We had gotten her everything she needed. Clothes, underwear, shoes, and toiletries.
Logan reached for the bags Maia was carrying. “Let me help you with those.”
I smiled at the way she watched his every movement with big round eyes, completely fascinated by him, before I let us into my flat. They followed me inside to the guest room, and I dumped the bags on Maia’s bed. Logan followed suit, and he took in the room. “This is nice. Do you like it, Maia?”
“It’s really nice,” she agreed quietly.
“Oh, here.” I dug in my purse for his credit card and handed it to him. Our eyes met, and he gave me this little smirk. I laughed. “Don’t worry. We were kind.”
His smirk turned into a tired smile, and I ignored the little pang of feeling it produced in my chest. “I’m sure you were. Have you guys had lunch? I thought I could take you out.”
“We haven’t. But you know… I’ve got some work to do. Why don’t you take Maia?”
We locked gazes again, and that little pang I felt quadrupled at the gleam of gratitude in his eyes. “That sounds great. What do you think, Maia?”
She nodded, and I could see her trying to mentally bat away her nerves like she had done in our landing yesterday when she’d confronted Logan. My gosh, was that only yesterday?
“What do you fancy?” Logan said as he guided her out of the room.
“Um… a cheeseburger?”
“Oh, my kind of food, girl. I know where we can get a good burger.”
“Have fun!” I called after them.
Maia gave me a wave at the door, and Logan lifted his chin toward me in what I assumed was a macho good-bye. When the door closed behind them, I bit my lip.
What the hell was I doing?
“What the hell are you doing?” Aidan yelled.
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.”