"You can take it off."
As he does, my eyes drop down to his chest, then his abs. I want to touch them, run my hands over the ridges, feel the hardness of his muscles.
"What are you waiting for?" he asks with a hint of a smile.
I get into bed, embarrassed he caught me staring. He gets in next to me and turns off the light. We're both on our backs. I'm staring up at the ceiling, trying not to think about the things I told myself we wouldn't do.
Aiden puts his arm out. "Come here."
I turn to him, resting my head on his chest. His skin is warm and smooth and has just a hint of his cologne.
His arm closes around me. "Goodnight, Sophie."
"Goodnight."
He kisses my head and I smile, loving this moment. It's almost too perfect to be real. I've fallen so hard for Aiden, and every moment I spend with him, I fall for him even more. I might even be falling in love with him.
In the morning I wake up and realize I'm in Aiden's bed. It wasn't a dream. It was real.
"Aiden?" I ask, patting the bed but not feeling him beside me.
"Over here."
I turn and see him setting something on the table by the bed. "What's that?"
"Coffee. Tom said you like it with milk. I hope I made it okay."
I sit up. "Tom knows we spent the night together?"
"No. I told him I knocked on your door to make sure you didn't oversleep. If he asks, that's the story, and that I offered to get you coffee."
I take a sip. It's just the way I like it.
"Lois has a tray of pastries set up but I wasn't sure what you like." Aiden sits next to me on the bed, already dressed in jeans and a button-up shirt. "I have a lot to learn about you."
I smile. "I like those flaky pastries with the cream cheese filling."
"They have those. You want me to get you one?"
"I can get it myself." I shove the covers back and get out of bed, clutching my coffee so it doesn't spill. I take another sip. "Why are you all dressed up?"
"I'm wearing jeans."
"With a dress shirt."
He stands up. "I'm meeting with Tom this morning and his accountant. We're going over the profit and loss statements from the past few years. I'm hoping they’ll help me convince Roger to make a move on the offer."
"I thought Tom wasn't ready to sell."
"He might be if he gets an offer. And he really doesn't have a choice. He needs to sell the place."
"Why? Does he need the money?"
"That's part of it." Aiden walks over to the window and yanks open the drapes. "Ready for your first day of community service? At least it's a nice day." He turns back to me. "What do they do if it rains? Do you still have to work?"
"I don't know." I set my coffee down and pick my jeans off the floor and put them on. "Hey, if Tom decides to sell, will your company make a lot of changes? I know you said they'd fix stuff but what else? Would they add TVs to the rooms?"
"I'm guessing they would. Why?"
"It makes me sad knowing it won't stay this way. It's a historic building. Does it really need to be modernized? Can't people go a night or two without TV or an internet connection?"
"They could, but most people don't want to, especially young couples and families. If we want to keep people coming here throughout the year, not just in tourist season, we need to give them what they want, and what they expect when staying at a hotel."
"But this isn't a hotel. It a historic inn. I bet people would stay here if there was more to do, and I don't mean watching television or playing on the computer."
"Then what do you mean?"
"Parties. Events. Concerts. As an event planner I could think of a million ideas that would be better than turning these rooms into just another basic boring hotel room." The alarm on my phone goes off. "I have to go get ready." I run up to Aiden and give him a kiss. "Thanks for a great night. And the coffee."
As I turn to leave, his arm goes around me and he pulls me back. "Not so fast. What about tonight?"
"What about it?"
"Don't go. Stay with me. Another night."
I smile. "Okay."
He kisses me. "Now you can go. You need a ride?"
"No. I'll take the rental. Bye.”
I go to my room, feeling lighter and happier than I have in years. My life is a mess right now but I don't care. I'll worry about that later. Today I just want to think about Aiden and how happy he makes me.
Even cleaning up trash doesn't bother me. Seven hours into it, I've picked up dirty diapers, slimy banana peels, used condoms, and tons of cigarette butts. It's a disgusting job but it doesn't get me down. Whenever I'm feeling a moment of self pity, I think of Aiden and it instantly brightens my mood.
As I stab a chip wrapper with the pokey stick, the tool we use to pick up trash, I notice a car slowing down beside me. I smile when I see it's Aiden.
He rolls down his window. "How's it going?"
"Great!" I say, laughing. "What are you doing here?"
"Just wanted to check on you. I got us dinner reservations for tonight at a place downtown. I thought we'd mix it up. Try something new."
"Good idea. You think Tom will be upset we're not eating at the inn?"
"He's the one who suggested the place. You're done soon, right?"
"Yeah, at five. I'll need a long shower to get all this stuff off me before we go."
"That's fine. Dinner's at seven. It's close so I thought we'd just walk there."
"Ms. Chambers!" the
