"But you admit it was an accident."
"Yes, but I was still furious. If he had just rolled up his window we wouldn't be having to go to court." I feel my pulse quicken just thinking about it, seeing Aiden getting out of his car, acting all cool and collected like it was no big deal.
Tom's smiling at me.
"What?" I say. "It doesn't mean anything. Anyone would be mad if someone did that."
"Just think about it." He winks at me. "Have a good trip back."
"Thanks." I walk off.
"See you again soon," he calls after me.
What does he mean? I'm not coming back here.
As I'm walking out I realize I am coming back. I have to come back for court and this is the only place to stay, unless I want to drive twenty miles to the next town.
Now I'm getting angry again. In a few weeks I have to rent a car and drive here again and I'll probably have to spend the night, which means spending even more money I don't have.
Damn Aiden and his carelessness. I like the guy but I don't like the situation he's put me in. As I walk to the car my heart beats faster, and it's not because of Aiden. He's just some guy I met who is going to end up costing me a fortune and making me miss another day of work.
On the drive back to New York I try to forget about him and this whole disaster of a weekend. But no matter how hard I try, I can't get that man out of my head.
Chapter Six
Aiden
It's been two weeks since I saw Sophie. She took off the next morning so I never got a chance to tell her goodbye. I've called her and sent her a few texts but haven't heard back from her. I wish she'd at least tell me she made it home okay.
"Hey, man." Pete sits next to me at the bar. "Sorry I'm late."
"Don't worry about it. I haven't been here long."
Pete's one of my friends from back home in Boston. He moved here last year for a job at a biking magazine. He shares my love of the outdoors. We've gone on several weekend bike trips in and around New England, including one that took us through Vermont and the town with The Maple Farm Inn. Pete and I stopped for lunch in the tiny downtown and I overheard some of the locals saying the inn might go up for sale. My boss has been looking to buy properties in New England so I told him about the place and that's how I ended up there the weekend I met Sophie.
"I'll have the usual," Pete says to the bartender.
We have a few different bars we meet up at but this one's our favorite. It's kind of a dive but that's why we like it. The atmosphere is relaxed, not pretentious like the upscale trendy bars Celine makes me go to.
"Still haven't heard from her?" Pete asks, noticing me staring at my phone.
I set it down. "No. I doubt that I will. She hasn't returned any of my messages."
"I'm sure she's fine." He takes his beer from the bartender. "Thanks."
"I just wish I knew for sure. Not hearing from her makes me think something happened."
"Did you say you'd stay in touch?"
"No, but all I'm asking for is a text back, telling me she's okay."
He turns to me. "What's the deal with you and this girl? Why are you so obsessed with her?"
"I'm not obsessed with her."
"Every time I see you I hear about this girl. And you're always checking your phone to see if she called. Does Celine know about her?"
"Yes. I told her the night I got back."
"Did you tell her you had dinner with this girl?"
"Yes, and she was fine with it. Why wouldn't she be? It was just dinner, and it was with a woman I barely know."
"And yet you're obsessed with her."
"Stop saying that. I'm not obsessed with her."
"What exactly happened that night?" He pauses. "Did you have sex with her?"
"No! What the hell? I wouldn't do that to Celine."
"Did you kiss her?"
"No," I say, looking him in the eye. "What the fuck, man? You know that's not me."
"I'm just trying to figure out what's going on here. Why you can't just forget about this girl."
He's right. Why am I doing this? Why do I keep thinking about her? Why can't I get her out of my head?
I let out a sigh. "I don't know. I guess I just never hit it off with someone like that before. She was easy to talk to and I found myself opening up to her in a way I normally don't do. I even told her about wanting to take over the inn in Maine."
"No shit? You won't even tell your parents that."
"Because they'd think I was crazy. It doesn't matter. The place is long gone."
"Why'd you tell this girl about it?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe because she didn't know me. She didn't have expectations about me. I could tell her anything and it wouldn't matter."
"Shit, man," he says, shaking his head. "You gotta to stop texting this girl. You're on a slippery slope. Once you start opening to a girl, other things start happening."
"I'm not going to cheat on Celine. Sophie is just a friend."
Pete takes a drink of his beer. "What else happened that night?"
"I already told you. We had a few drinks at the bar and then had dinner."
"And that was it? You went back to your rooms?"
I consider whether to tell him what else happened, knowing he'll give me shit about it but needing to get if off my chest.
"What'd you do?" he asks with a sigh.
"We um...we went for a walk."
"At night?"
"It was just after seven. It wasn't that late. The owner, Tom, and his wife, insisted we walk down the street and check out the
