Pete looks past me. "Looks like we have our answer."
I follow his eyes to the door and see Celine walking in, wearing a camel-colored trench coat and large sunglasses, and holding one of her many designer purses. Her blond hair hangs in a soft waves around her narrow face and swings when she walks. She's a beautiful woman, the type that makes guys stop and stare, but then they meet her and see that her personality isn't so beautiful.
I've thought about ending things with her since last summer but kept holding out hope things would get better between us. We've even talked about breaking up, but it never happened. I need to stop putting it off and just end it. There's a chance her father will fire me but I doubt it'll happen. He values me too much to lose me, and he knows his daughter and I haven't been getting along.
"Hey, babe," she says, coming up beside me and kissing my cheek. "Move, please," she says to Griffen, who's next to me.
He lets out a sigh as he moves to the other side of the table, giving the guys a look of annoyance. They should be more understanding. It's not like they haven't dated girls the rest of us didn't like.
"I had the worst day," Celine says as she takes a seat. "The caterer I hired for the firm's client dinner cancelled and now I have to search for a new one. You know how impossible it is to find someone this late?"
"The dinner isn't for weeks," I say.
"Yes, but it's on a Saturday when every caterer in the city is busy with weddings and other events. Daddy's going to be furious when he finds out."
Celine and I both work for her father's investment firm but she's more of an on-call employee who gets paid a full time salary. When we have an event or need something catered, she arranges it or manages someone else who arranges it. She says she likes doing it and yet she complains about it constantly, saying how stressful it is, even though she only works a few hours a week.
"I'm sure you'll find someone else," I tell her. "How do you like being back at school?" I ask John, since he hasn't said much tonight.
"It's okay. A lot of drama with the administration. I might start looking for another job."
Celine looks at him like he's the most boring person on the planet. She's easily bored. It's hard to keep her attention.
"Where are you thinking of looking?"
Before he can answer, Celine says, "Could one of you boys flag down the waitress for me? I'm dying for a glass of wine."
"I'll get it," I tell her, getting up to go to the bar. "Chardonnay?"
"Yes. Thanks, babe." She gives me the smile that says I did a good job. I hate that smile. It's so condescending, and one of the many reasons we need to break up. I should love my girlfriend's smile, not be annoyed by it.
When I return with her glass of wine, I stop in my tracks when I see someone walking in. We lock eyes and I smile at her. She smiles back. She has a beautiful smile. I can't imagine ever being annoyed by that smile, or ever being tired of seeing it. I've been wanting to see it for weeks now, since the last time I saw her.
My heart's beating out of my chest seeing her there, just a few feet away. I wasn't sure I'd ever see her again, but now that I have, all those feelings are flooding back. Feelings I've tried to deny, knowing I'm with someone else.
"Aiden, what's taking so long?" Celine says, startling me. "Why are you just standing there?"
I look back at her, noticing the stark contrast between my girlfriend and Sophie. They're both beautiful women but only one makes my heart beat out of my chest. Only one sparks something in me I can't put into words. It's an energy, an excitement, a feeling that the thing I've been looking for is finally right here in front of me. Something I didn't even know I wanted.
Continuing to the table, I set down the glass of wine then walk swiftly to the front of the bar where Sophie is standing.
I look her in the eye and smile. "Hi. I'm glad you came."
Chapter Seven
Sophie
My stomach's doing flip-flops and my heart's banging against my chest seeing Aiden again. I've thought about him nonstop since that night at the inn when he said goodbye to me at my door. I almost called him every day since, but stopped myself before I did, knowing it's wrong. Knowing he has someone else.
"Hi, Aiden," I say. "It's good to see you."
"Good to see you too. What have you been up to?"
"Just working a lot. Sorry I didn't get back to you."
"I understand," he says in a way that makes me think he actually does. I wonder if that means he knows how much I like him, and how returning his calls and texts would've been wrong.
I want to ask him why he kept texting and calling me but I'm not sure I want the answer. Was he just calling to check on me as a friend? Part of me is hoping it was more than that, but again, I know that's wrong, which is why I've been avoiding him.
I went back and forth about coming here tonight. But then I decided it was time to stop obsessing over Aiden and focus on finding someone new. Aiden offered to let me meet his friends, and I figured I'd take him up on it. If his friends are anything like him, I might actually hit it off with one of them.
"Come sit down," he says, motioning me to the table. There are four guys sitting there, all very good-looking, although not as good-looking as Aiden. There's also a woman at the table, a very attractive woman around my
