Chapter Thirty-Seven
Tatum had to consciously remind herself not to rub the small bump that had been forming over the last couple weeks as she walked out of the bar. She couldn't wear any of her tighter tops anymore and her jeans were definitely a no go. It wasn't like she'd gained a lot of weight, but the pressure her jeans put on her stomach felt too uncomfortable and she wanted the tiny baby inside her to have all the space it needed. She had been planning to go into the city to get some maternity clothes, but with the bar demanding so much of her time, she hadn't found the energy to do so. So, for now she was stuck wearing skirts and loose dresses, nothing like the clothes she usually wore. It surprised her Sue hadn't commented on her outfits yet. She squinted into the sun as she walked to her car, cursing softly when she recognised Aaron's truck pull up in the driveway. Please don't see me, she prayed as she tried to walk as inconspicuously as she could to just get to the safe space of her truck.
Her hopes were dashed when she saw the gleeful look appear on his face. "Nice outfit," Aaron said sarcastically as he took in her loose fitting black dress. Thinking quickly, as she really didn't have the energy to retaliate properly, she gave him the best killer glare she had in her before getting in her truck. She chuckled to herself as she sped past him, engulfing him in dust and leaving him spluttering.
Aaron coughed to clear his throat and dusted off his shirt before he headed inside. It was a shame he wouldn't get to annoy the redhead further as she hadn't seemed to have any form of comeback today, but it did mean he could try to schmooze her sister without making anyone suspicious. He liked David, but it was time to put his plan into action and get closer to his ultimate goal: Isabella as his girlfriend.
Isabella had just spent the past two hours listening to her sister going on about some of the cravings she'd finally noticed she'd started having; the things she wasn't allowed to eat; and what she was going to have for lunch after her doctor's appointment that she'd been heading to. It was hard enough to ignore all that food talk normally, but with her stomach rumbling hungrily after only having one meal every other day since David had made the comment about her weight, it was almost torture. She'd resorted to munching on ice cubes to distract herself. She'd been hoping to take five minutes to herself in the back office when she saw Aaron Miller walk in and she had to fight back a grimace. Even though it was probably a good thing that Tatum wasn't around to antagonise him, she couldn't help wishing her sister was still around to take some of the heat.
"Howdy Isabella," he gave her his confident and charming smile as he walked up to the bar.
"Yeah, hi," she said grudgingly. She really didn't want to deal with him while she was feeling this hangry. "What can I getcha?" she offered now, putting on her professional persona. She expected him to throw a mean comment her way and ask for the bar again, but instead, he sat down on the nearest barstool and asked for a beer. For some reason that unsettled her even more.
"The place looks a lot better now," he said after she'd handed him a beer from the tap, smiling when she frowned at him.
"Thanks, I guess," she replied, wondering what the hell he was doing. "Why are you bein' nice?" she asked when he merely smiled and tipped his hat.
"Can't a guy just be nice for no reason?" he asked when she was half expecting him to 'accidentally' spill his drink. When all he did was sip his beer and hand her some cash, she got a little annoyed. She was too hungry to figure out his mind games.
"Any other guy, maybe… But you, no," she shook her head, definitely not understanding what was going on when he actually laughed at that. "You waitin' for David? 'Cause he ain't comin' in tonight."
"I'll wait anyway," he shrugged, taking his hat off and placing it on the bar. He pushed his fingers through his hair and tried to give her a smile that was supposed to be flirty, but the way she rolled her eyes made it clear she didn't trust it. Understandably, he figured, but he was sure she would come to trust him soon enough. He just had to make sure the wedge between her and David grew as he continued to stay nice to her.
"Yeah, okay... Whatever. I don't have time for this," she mumbled, deciding to ignore him and help the rest of the clientele. Sue could focus on Aaron until he was done with whatever he was doing. Maybe he was just acting nice, so he could sit around and watch them work; maybe he was looking for a weak spot to exploit. Isabella ignored the rumble in her stomach and pressed her lips together, determined not to give the oldest of the Miller sons any ammunition.
Tatum curled up under the covers and sighed, trying to quiet her running mind so she could finally get some proper sleep. She'd waited until her sister got home, wondering what Aaron had been up to at the bar, and feeling too restless with just her and David in the house. She'd tried to drop some subtle hints, when he decided to hang out at the Miller's after getting a call from Aaron around midnight, saying that maybe he needed to get some more sleep if he wanted to have enough energy to find a job the next day. But either he hadn't heard her, or he'd ignored her completely as he walked out. The second Isabella got home she asked about the man that was trying to make their lives as miserable as possible and was surprised to hear that he hadn't threatened to do anything. The Colombian described the unsettling way in which Aaron had tried to be nice to her and Sue, and both girls realised he must have had some ulterior motives to visit the bar if he wasn't straight out demanding they hand over the establishment to him and his family.
It wasn't until she was lying in bed that nerves suddenly hit her. She'd taken it as a random comment just to get under her skin in the moment, but she couldn't stop her brain from analysing the way he'd commented on her clothes. He'd never done so before. Did he realise she was dressing differently? Did he know why? And, if so, how had he found out? He couldn't possibly know she was pregnant. She was sure he wouldn't be able to keep that to himself, positive he'd use that information to his advantage if he ever could. Surely if Aaron knew she was pregnant, Sean would know, too. And, though she didn't know the youngest Miller that well, yet, she liked to think she knew him well enough. Sean would have told her, or at least asked her about it. With that comforting thought, she closed her eyes and quickly dozed off.