On A Night Like This (Callaways #1)

never been a good combination. Not that she'd ever go down that road again. She'd learned her lesson.
    As Aiden lifted the wine bottle to his lips, she couldn't help wondering what his relationship status was. She'd thought about him often over the years, usually whenever she saw a fire truck racing down the street.
    Aiden handed her back the bottle. She took a drink, and then impulsively asked. "So, is there a woman in your life, Aiden?"
    "No," he said, motioning for her to hand back the bottle.
    As she did so, she said, "Does no mean not now or never?"
    "I wouldn't say never," he said, taking a drink.
    "Why are you being so cryptic?"
    "Why are you being so curious?" he countered, meeting her gaze.
    "Because I'm always curious. It's who I am. It's what I do. I ask questions and investigate. I solve problems."
    "That's very impressive. I don't have any problems."
    "Really? A fellow firefighter punched you in the face and a few hours later you're in a heated argument with your father and brother. Sounds like a few problems to me."
    His lips tightened. "Well, those problems have nothing to do with a woman. I'm single and that's the way I like it. What about you?"
    She reached for the bottle, stalling for a second. She wished she had a better answer, because it would have been so much more gratifying to tell Aiden she was madly in love with someone, and he'd missed his chance with her. Not that he had a chance now even though she was single.
    "Sara?" he prodded.
    "I'm single at the moment. I've been busy working, building my career. There hasn't been much time for romance. Practically speaking I'm probably just too analytical for love."
    He gave her a thoughtful look. "Love isn't practical, and most relationships don't hold up well to analysis."
    "Yeah, I've noticed that."
    "You don't still make up those pro/con lists, do you?"
    She frowned. "I can't believe you remember that."
    "How could I forget? You were always weighing your options. You were afraid to take a step without a ten-point plan."
    "You make me sound dull and cowardly."
    "More like smart and quirky," he said with a grin.
    "Great. Just the way every woman wants to be described," she said dryly.
    "Interesting is a better word. How's that?"
    "Not much better. Everyone knows interesting is just a nice way of saying someone is a little odd."
    He smiled. "I can't win, can I?"
    "Probably not." She paused. "I had to be careful when I was growing up, Aiden. I couldn't afford mistakes. My father demanded perfection. Anything less was unacceptable. I'd get grounded for bringing home a B. My father took away my license for six months after I missed curfew."
    He raised an eyebrow. "When did you miss curfew?"
    "You know when," she said pointedly.
    "Ah, another mark against me."
    "Not against you. It was my mistake."
    "Look, Sara, no one is perfect. You have to accept that."
    "It's easier when I'm not faced with my father's disappointment. I shouldn't have come home."
    "You had to because you're an optimist."
    "I don't think I am," she said slowly.
    "Of course you are. You still have hope that you and your dad will become a loving family after reviewing all evidence to the contrary. What's that if not optimism?"
    "Stupidity," she suggested, then took another swig of the wine.
    "Hey, don't drink it all," Aiden protested.
    She handed over the bottle, wiping her mouth with the edge of her sleeve. "What do you think of the wine?"
    "It's very good."
    "I think so, too. I wonder if my dad will notice that it's gone."
    "It might be good if he did. Maybe it would wake him up to the fact that things and people you ignore eventually disappear."
    "He'd love for me to disappear. Until this weekend, I'd pretty much done just that. I hadn't seen my dad in five years, not since my grandmother's funeral. I should have left things the way they were."
    "Your father will recover. The house will be redone. It will work out, Sara."
    She smiled. "Maybe you're the optimist, not me."
    He grinned. "I just know you. When you set your mind to something, you succeed."
    "Do you really think you know me after all the years we've been apart?"
    "People don't change that much."
    She pointed to the bottle. "Now who's the hog?"
    He passed it to her. "Sorry."
    "This is weird, isn't it?" she asked. "The two of us in my backyard after so many years. I feel young and old at the same time."
    "I know what you mean. Being in my old room feels strange and yet oddly reassuring."
    "My old room just feels strange.