"You're welcome," Tom says, watching us as we go past. "Everything okay?"
"She's just a little tired," Aiden says. "We'll see you tomorrow, Tom."
Aiden helps me up the stairs, then down the hall to my room.
"Need help with the key?" he asks.
"I can do it," I say, getting the key from my pocket. The sick feeling has passed but now I'm really tired. I lean back against the door. "I'm glad I went out tonight. I needed a break."
"I did too." He smiles and puts his hand on my shoulder. "You sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine. I'm already feeling better."
He remains in front of me, his eyes on mine. My pulse races as I wonder why he's not leaving. I don't want him to leave, but he needs to. He's not mine. He belongs to someone else.
As if he read my thoughts, he slowly backs away. "You have my number so just call if you need me. My room's at the end of the hall."
"Thanks," I say, not able to tear my eyes from his. I stand up, resting my hand on his chest to steady myself. "I had a nice time tonight."
"Me too."
He slowly leans down to me and my pulse quickens even more. He's going to kiss me. I didn't think he would but here it comes. I close my eyes, waiting for it, knowing I should stop him but drunk Sophie won't let me. She has a mind of her own.
"Go ahead," he says.
My eyes pop open and I see him standing up straight now, holding my key in his hand. He unlocked my door. That's why he was leaning down. He wasn't trying to kiss me. He was taking my key from my hand and reaching behind me to open the door.
"Goodnight, Sophie," he says, handing me the key.
"Goodnight." I watch as he goes down the hall.
I go inside my room and lean against the door, letting my heart rate return to normal. I thought for sure he was going to kiss me, but Aiden wouldn't do that. He wouldn't cheat on his girlfriend. He had the chance to, but he didn't take it. Knowing that makes me like him even more.
In the morning I wake up to a pounding headache and a sick stomach. I call Aiden and tell him I can't go hiking with him. I tell him it's because I don't feel good but that's only part of the reason. The other part is because I have feelings for him. Feelings I shouldn't have for a guy who has a girlfriend. It's best if I just leave and try to forget this weekend ever happened.
"Checking out already?" Tom asks when he sees me coming down the stairs with my bag. I wasn't supposed to leave until tomorrow but going back early will show Bianca how committed I am to my job, which will put me one step closer to that promotion.
"I need to get back to New York. My boss wants to meet about an event we have coming up."
"On a Saturday?" He shakes his head. "You city folks need to learn how to relax."
I smile. "I don't see that happening anytime soon." I hand him the key.
He leans toward me, lowering his voice. "Normally I'd have to charge you for cancelling this late but I'm going to just forget about it. How's that sound?" He winks.
I sigh in relief. "Thank you. You have no idea how grateful I am. I fully expected to pay so this is a nice surprise."
"How was your stay? Better than last time?"
"Much. No boyfriend to fight with."
He chuckles. "You two just weren't a good match. I always say you know when you know."
"Meaning what?"
"If you're a match, you'll know right away. All this nonsense about taking weeks or months to figure it out is a waste of time. If someone's right for you, you'll know it right off the bat."
"I'm not sure I believe that."
"Because you're listening to all those people saying you have to wait before deciding if you like someone."
"If you don't take time to get to know the person, how do you know if you really like them?"
"You listen to your heart. It's as simple as that." He walks over to the printer to get my receipt. "You ever feel your heart going crazy, pay attention. The person you're with might just be the one for you." He hands me the receipt. "And it's not always what you're expecting."
"I don't understand."
"When you meet the person, you may mistake love for hate. Either one can get your heart going."
I laugh. "How do you know this?"
"Lois. When we first met, the woman hated me. Said I was immature. Lazy. Couldn't pay attention. All true, by the way, but hey, I was seventeen. I was just a kid."
"So how'd you win her over?"
"By being persistent. I knew there was something between us. She did too. We both felt it. Our hearts went crazy whenever we were around each other. She assumed it was anger. She kept telling me to get lost and I kept showing up, which angered her even more."
"But she married you."
"Because she figured out she couldn't live without me. When I quit working here at the inn to help my dad on the farm, Lois realized she missed me. She went out with some other boys and her heart did nothing. Didn't even skip a beat. She came and found me on the farm, gave me a basket of her homemade rolls and strawberry jam, and told me she couldn't stand me."
"What? I'm confused."
He laughs. "That was her way of saying she loved me. After she said it, she kissed me like no girl ever had." He blows out a breath. "Let me tell you, it was a scorcher. And the rest is history."
"I'm not sure it works that way anymore."
"Sure it does." He lowers his voice. "You seemed pretty ornery when a certain young man showed up here yesterday."
"Because
