fact that I won't see him when I get back to New York.
Chapter Twenty
Sophie
At the end of dinner, Tom comes over to us, frowning when he sees I only ate a few bites of my meal. He points to my plate. "Was there a problem?"
"No, I'm just not that hungry."
"It's okay if you didn't like it." He leans down and lowers his voice. "Lois isn't cooking tonight. We called in a substitute chef. He's good, but he can't even come close to what Lois can do in the kitchen."
"Why didn't Lois make dinner?"
"She's a little under the weather," he says, glancing at Aiden. "She's taking a few days off."
"Oh. Well, tell her I hope she feels better."
"Will do." He takes my plate, then picks up Aiden's. "How about some dessert?"
Aiden looks at me to decide.
"I think we're done for tonight," I say to Tom.
"I'll get your check." He winks at Aiden. "Nice night out. Maybe take her on a stroll downtown?" He smiles as he walks off.
"What do you say?" Aiden asks. "Walk downtown? See the lights?"
"I think I just want to go to bed." I set my napkin on the table.
"Sophie," he says with a sigh. "I know you're upset. I am too. And I promise I will do everything possible to speed up this deal so we can be together in New York like we both want."
"And if it takes months, you're okay with not seeing me?"
"Of course not." He leans toward me across the table. "This is killing me, Sophie. I want to be with you more than anything but there's so much at stake right now."
"What's at stake? This deal with Tom? I don't get why that has to get in the way of us seeing each other. If someone else at the firm takes over the deal and Tom doesn't like it, he can just tell them no and not sell the inn."
Aiden looks down. "It's not that simple."
"Why? What do you mean?"
"I can't tell you." He looks up at me. "I just need to be the one to handle it."
"Even if it means not being with me," I say, a hint of anger in my tone.
Gus stops by with the check. "No rush. You sure you don't want dessert? More wine?"
"We're good," I tell him. I must've sounded angry because he nods and quickly walks off.
Aiden sets some cash on top of the bill. "Let's go."
We get up and leave the restaurant.
"Sophie, wait," Aiden says as I head to the stairs. "Let's go for a walk."
"I can't." I turn back and see him standing there, looking desperate for me to get over my anger so we can enjoy our weekend. But how can I enjoy it knowing on Sunday I'll have to go back to pretending we're not a couple? "I need to go to bed. I have to be up early."
Aiden walks up to me, taking my hand. "Please. Just walk with me."
I reluctantly agree to it, and he leads me out the door. We walk across the gravel driveway to the narrow sidewalk that leads into town.
"It's cold out here," I say, noticing the chill in the air. Or maybe the chill I'm feeling is from the tension between Aiden and me. "We need to go back."
He puts his arms around me and pulls me against him. "Is that better?"
I love it when he holds me like this, which is why I don't want it limited to weekends. If it was only for another week or two, I'd be okay with it, but months? That's too long.
"Sophie, please don't be mad at me. When all this is over I'll explain, but right now I need you to trust me."
"About what?" I look up at him. "What is it you need to explain?"
"I can't tell you yet. But if you knew, you'd understand."
"Then just tell me now."
He looks me in the eye. "I'm asking you to trust me. Can you do that?"
I want to trust him, but how can I trust him if he won't tell me what's going on?
"I want to go back," I say, pushing away from him. "I'll see you in the room."
I walk quickly back to the inn.
"Sophie, wait!" Aiden catches up to me. He tries to take my hand but I shove it in my pocket.
We get to the inn and go up to our room. I take my overnight bag from the chair and pull out a t-shirt to sleep in. It's the t-shirt I'd planned to