Chapter 31

“It’s pretty cut and dried.” Aden stood back to let Darren get a lay of the land. “You’re welcome to settle in wherever you want. Nothing’s off-limits, if you were worried about that.”

Darren dropped the duffle bags with a sigh of relief. “Thanks. Have you…lived with anybody like this before?”

“Here? No. But I did before I bought the store.” He smiled. “You’re not worried I’m not going to know how to share nicely, are you?”

“No, it’s not that. I guess I’m just a little nervous.” He hooked his fingers in his pockets and kicked the tip of his shoe against the smooth floor. “I’ve never tried living with anybody before.”

Aden remained motionless, though Darren didn’t think for a moment he wasn’t utterly prepared to pounce if he had to. “You’ve had a lot of change thrown at you in a very short period of time. Take the evening to get acclimated to the place. I’ll close up early and if you’re still not comfortable, maybe we can go out.”