"No." He chuckles. "Why all the questions about my relationship?"
I shake my head. "Sorry. You're right. I'm being nosy."
"It's fine. And hey, I wasn't kidding about what I said earlier. If you're interested I know some guys in New York I could set you up with, although now that I've gotten to know you, they might not be good enough for you."
I smile, feeling my cheeks warm. "Thanks. That's nice of you to say."
"Give me your number and I'll text you next time I get together with the guys. You can meet them and decide for yourself if you're interested."
It's nice of him to offer. The only problem is I'm interested in him, not his friends.
"Thanks, but I really don't have time to date."
"Doesn't mean you can't hang out with us. I'd like to see you again. I don't want this weekend to be it." He looks at me as he says it and I swear I feel something between us, but I'm sure I'm just imagining it. He has a girlfriend.
I'm definitely feeling something for him. I felt it when I first saw him. It was a rush, a flutter in my stomach, a pitter patter of my heart. I thought it was a reaction caused by my anger at him for the trouble he caused but now I think it might've been something else.
"It's almost five," Aiden says. "Should we get a table?" He looks back at the empty dining room. "We better hurry before they run out."
I laugh. "Maybe we should just eat here. Save the tables for the other guests."
He stands up. "C'mon. Let's grab the one by the window." He takes his credit card from his wallet and sets it on the bar. "We're ready to settle up," he says to Charlie.
"Sure thing." Charlie takes the card and swipes it in the machine, then brings it back, along with the receipt.
Aiden adds a twenty dollar tip before signing the slip. The bill was twenty-five.
"Thanks!" Charlie says, his eyes widening when he sees the tip.
"Shall we go?" Aiden says, offering me his arm to help get down from the barstool.
I get up by myself and glance around the empty restaurant. "I think I'll just take mine to go. I could use some time to catch up on work."
He gives me a confused look. "I thought we agreed to have dinner."
"I changed my mind. I started thinking how much I needed to get done and realized I really don't have time to sit down and eat."
"Then you're in the wrong job." He smiles. "C'mon. We don't have to be here all night. We'll have a nice dinner and then you can go back to your room."
He's very persuasive. Knowing he has a girlfriend, I was determined to go back to my room but that smile of his and those gorgeous blue eyes are making me change my mind.
What's the harm? It's just dinner. And after tomorrow, I'll probably never see him again.
"You said the table by the window?" I ask, smiling back at him.
Aiden’s eyes pause on me a moment and I swear I get that feeling again. The feeling there's something between us.
I look away from him and walk quickly to the table, that flutter in my stomach returning. Maybe it's hunger. I did skip lunch.
"Do you think we'll get service?" I ask as we sit down.
"I'm not sure," Aiden says, looking around for a waiter. "They might just show up with our food."
"I hope the place is doing okay. I would've expected at least a few more people at dinner."
"It's probably too early."
"Yeah, I guess it is," I say with a laugh. "My parents are the only people I know who eat this early."
Charlie wanders over to our table. "Welcome to The Maple Farm Inn. Can I start you off with a drink?"
We all laugh.
"I'll just have water," I say.
"You sure you don't want wine?" Aiden asks. "We could split a bottle."
"Water is fine," I say, already feeling the two drinks I had at the bar.
"I'll have the same," Aiden tells Charlie.
"Coming right up." He turns to leave, then turns back. "Oh, our special tonight is pork roast with a maple syrup glaze, mashed sweet potatoes, and buttermilk rolls with maple syrup butter."
"I'm sensing a theme," Aiden jokes.
"I'll have the special," I tell Charlie.
"And for you?" he asks Aiden.
"I'd like to look at a menu."
"Oh, sorry, but the special is all we're serving tonight."