Chapter 266
Aria’s POV
I instinctively glanced at the man standing next to Paul.
That night in the car had been too dark for me to clearly see his face-I only remembered how pale he’d looked, almost sickly. Now I could finally see him properly. Beneath his refined brows sat a pair of expressive, almost flirtatious eyes. His nose was straight and defined, with perfectly proportioned lips below.
I only allowed myself that quick look before politely returning my attention to Paul. “Did you need something, Mr. Garcia p>
“Nothing particularly important,” Paul replied with an easy smile. “It’s just that you did us such a huge favor last time. The least we could do is show our appreciation, right? Are you free today? Maybe join us for lunch p>
He turned to Owen beside him. “Your flight to the West Coast isn’t until this afternoon. Treating your lifesaver to lunch won’t interfere with that, right p>
I watched them both, about to decline, when Summer finally emerged from the gate.
She spotted me and jogged over. “Aria! Sorry, have you been waiting long? I got caught up with something that delayed me p>
Her seat had been toward the back of the plane, and right before landing, someone had claimed their phone was missing. The crew wouldn’t let anyone disembark until it was resolved or reported to security.
“Everything okay?” I asked automatically.
“Yeah, all good. They eventually found it in their own trash bag,” she rolled her eyes.
Summer finally noticed Paul and Owen standing there.
“Who are these guys?” she asked me, her eyebrows raised in question.
I glanced at the two men, momentarily unsure how to explain our connection.
Summer, assuming they were hitting on me, jumped in defensively: “Sorry, she’s not interested. No phone numbers, no social media p>
Paul laughed. “Miss, I’ll admit your friend is absolutely gorgeous, but we’re not exactly hard on the eyes ourselves. Do we really look like random guys trying our luck p>
I realized the misunderstanding and quickly explained. “I met them in Atlantic City. I helped them out with something small, and we just happened to run into each other now p>
They weren’t exactly friends-more like acquaintances at best.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!” Summer’s hands flew to her face in embarrassment. “Forgive me, gentlemen! It’s just that my girl Aria here gets approached constantly, so I’m a bit overprotective! Totally my bad p>
Paul didn’t seem offended. Instead, he looked at me curiously. “So what do you do, Miss Jones? You don’t strike me as someone from the entertainment industry p>
Initially, he had wondered if I might be some obscure actress or influencer, but on second thought, that didn’t make sense. With my looks, I wouldn’t be unknown if I were in entertainment.
Paul clearly kept up with the rotation of faces in that world, yet he couldn’t place me anywhere in his mental database.
When we’d exited the plane, he’d spotted me standing alone, typing on my phone. There was something about my posture, my presence he couldn’t quite articulate it, but apparently just watching me stand there had conveyed some kind of serene, timeless elegance.
“Our Aria is a concert pianist,” Summer announced proudly. “First place winner of the Leirer Award last year p>
Paul’s expression revealed this was completely outside his realm of knowledge. “I don’t know what that is, but it sounds impressive p>
“It absolutely is!” Summer beamed with vicarious pride.
I didn’t want to discuss my career further, so I interrupted their conversation. “Mr. Garcia, Mr. Duncan, I appreciate the gesture, but I’m only in New York for a connecting flight, so I’ll have to decline lunch p>
Paul looked disappointed but nodded. “Of course, we won’t keep you then p>
I acknowledged him with a small nod before turning to Summer. “Let’s go get our luggage p>
Summer had been ready to brag more about my accomplishments, but caught my tone and followed my lead as we headed toward baggage claim.
As Paul watched me walk away, he let out a low whistle. “A concert pianist. Wouldn’t have guessed that p>
He nudged Owen with his elbow. “Had you heard of her before p>
Owen finally pulled his gaze away from where I’d disappeared into the crowd. “No,” he replied simply.
Though from Summer’s reaction, it seemed I was quite accomplished in my field.
Not that it mattered to him.
Paul stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I wonder if she’s single. Someone like her would definitely impress my parents p>
Paul had an ex-girlfriend, but they’d come from vastly different social backgrounds. After trying to make it work for two years aftercollege they’d eventually split up.
His comment carried a hint of self-mockery-men of their status rarely had complete freedom in choosing partners.
Owen gave him a dismissive once-over. “You’re dreaming. She’s probably not interested p>
Paul didn’t appreciate that assessment. “Why wouldn’t she be interested? I’m kind, handsome wealthy, and loyal unlike some people who go through girlfriends like changing clothes p>
Owen didn’t take offense, just smirked. If she were interested in you, wouldn’t she have at least given you her number? ‘Inconvenient for lunch today doesn’t mean ‘inconvenient forever,’ does it p>
Paul had to admit Owen had a point.
Having no good comeback, Paul pulled Owen down to his level. “By that logic, she’s
not interested in you either p>
“I never said I wanted her as my girlfriend,” Owen replied coolly.
Meanwhile, Summer was grilling me about the two men. “Aria, who were those
guys, really p>
I glanced back at her. “Just people I barely know. I helped them out once, that’s all p>
“Ohh, I see p>
Our suitcases had appeared on the conveyor belt. Summer lunged forward before I could move. “Don’t you dare! Those hands are for playing Chopin, not hauling luggage p>
I gave her an embarrassed look. “Are my hands only good for playing piano p>
“Well, they’re also good enough for Thomas Carter to hold,” she teased with a laugh.
I felt my ears burning at the reference to Aiden.
Despite Summer’s protests, I stepped forward to help her with the heavy suitcases. She was also a woman, and those bags were too heavy for her to manage alone. After collecting our luggage, we checked into a hotel near the airport and had lunch there.
At exactly 3:30 PM, Summer and I took a car service back to the airport. Our flight to the West Coast departed at 4:10 PM, and the ride would only take about ten minutes.
After checking our bags and completing security screening, we’d barely been waiting five minutes when the boarding announcement came over the speakers.
I sent Aiden a quick text letting him know we were boarding. As I looked up from my phone, Summer nudged me.
“Aria, isn’t that the taller guy from this morning? The one we met after landing p>
Owen was indeed taller than Paul by at least half a head, so Summer’s description was accurate.
I looked ahead and confirmed that it was indeed Owen Duncan.
What a coincidence.
I had no intention of saying hello. After all, it had been Paul who’d approached me
earlier, while Owen had just stood there silently the entire time.
I’d been the one helping them, so I certainly wasn’t going to chase after unwanted
familiarity.
“Yes, I think so,” I replied noncommittally.
Summer studied him for a moment and let out an appreciative whistle. “Honestly,
he’s ridiculously handsome. Almost on par with your Thomas p>
Hearing her comparison, I found myself looking at Owen once more.
No way.
Aiden was so much more attractive.