well. She took the night off. I called in one of the local chefs to help out."
"What's going on?" I ask, concern in my voice. "Is it progressing faster than they thought?"
He looks back at me, his usual carefree smile replaced by a worried frown. "We don't know. She goes in for more tests next week."
"Tom, I'm sorry. I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you."
"We've been through it before. I just didn't expect we'd be doing it again."
"Maybe you should hire that chef to come in full-time. Let Lois rest."
"That would just make her feel worse. Cooking is what she loves. I can't take that away from her. We have several chefs on call who've agreed to help out when she needs it. For now, that's the best we can do."
"If there's anything you need, please let me know."
He pats my shoulder. "You figure out this deal with the inn. If I can get a good enough price, it'll be a sign it's time to sell."
"I'm working on it."
He smiles. "Get out there and take care of your lady. You got yourself a good one. You're a lucky man."
"You too. Tell Lois goodbye for me. See you soon, Tom."
When I get back to the parking lot I see Sophie's van pulled up behind my car.
She rolls down her window. "Ready to go?"
"Not yet." I go over and give her a kiss. "Now I'm ready."
I follow her back to New York until we're in the city and break off in different directions. Owning a car in New York is more than I can afford so I'm lucky the company pays for mine, along with the reserved parking spot. If I ever lose this job, I'll be back to taking public transportation or walking everywhere.
When I go in my apartment I'm surrounded by the smell of Celine's perfume. I've been opening the windows every night trying to get rid of it but it's still lingering in the air.
"Hello, Aiden."
That explains it. Celine is here, reeking of her expensive perfume.
"You need to go." I toss my duffle bag on the leather couch. "I told you not to come over without telling me."
"I don't need your permission to come over."
"Yeah. You do. You don't live here. You never did." I walk past her to the kitchen. "You need to leave."
She comes over to me, smiling like she's enjoying making me angry. "Why are you being such a grouch?"
I let out a long sigh, rubbing my hands up and down my face. "I'm tired. It's late. I've had a long day and I want to go to bed."
"How was Vermont?"
I pause, wondering why she asked, and why she used that tone that I swear sounded accusatory, like she knows I was with Sophie. But there's no way she'd know that. Nobody saw us together, at least nobody we know.
"It was good." I open the fridge. "We're getting closer to a deal."
She comes up beside me. "Why didn't you come back sooner? Wasn't your meeting in the morning?"
I shut the fridge and turn to her. "I didn't know you were in charge of my schedule. Did your father approve that?"
She glares at me. "Stop being so rude! I simply asked a question."
"The answer to which is none of your business. We're not a couple anymore." I fold my arms across my chest. "What are you doing here? It's after ten."
"If you don't have to answer my questions, I'm not answering yours." She walks off, going to the chair to get her coat.
"You're in my apartment." I follow her to the door. "I have a right to ask why you're here."
She puts her coat on, pulling her long blond hair from the neckline before fastening the buttons. "I thought I left my earrings here but I couldn't find them. Are you happy now? You got your answer."
"You came all the way over here at this time of night to look for a pair of earrings?" I ask, knowing she's lying.
She stares back at me, looking like she's trying to come up with a better excuse. "I think we need to talk about this."
"About what? You coming over here? There's nothing to talk about it. You need to stop doing it. I gave you more than enough time to get your things. Now you're just—"
"Aiden, stop." She puts her hand on my arm. "I meant that we need to talk about us." She looks down, then back up at me. "That's why I came over