huffs. "You don't know men very well." She walks off, heading to some trash piled up by the side of a tree.
I meet her over there. "What are you saying? That Aiden is just using me?"
"Yep." She shrugs. "But hey, don't feel bad. It happens to all of us. My ex had me convinced he was working nights at the gas station. Turns out he was hooking up with his co-worker." She stabs a beef jerky wrapper with her stick. "I kept telling him I smelled perfume on him. He told me I was making it up just to start a fight. So one day I followed him, and sure enough, he drove straight to her apartment building."
"What did you do?"
"I waited for them to come out." She rolls her eyes. "His face was attached to hers as they walked out."
"Did you confront him?"
"Not until he got home. He denied it. Said I was making it up. We got in a big fight about it."
"Is that when he left?"
"No. We made up after he promised to never do it again. But then he did, with someone else. The point is, men cheat. They all do. It's just who they are. They like having more than one girl, and having one in a different town is even better. Less to worry about."
"I know a lot of people in relationships who don't cheat."
"That you know of," she says, going back to the road. "Let the guys do the stuff by the trees. Too many bugs down there."
"Aiden wouldn't cheat on me. That's not why he's doing this."
"If it makes you feel better, then go ahead and believe that," she says, reaching down to pick up a water bottle. She drops it in the sack. "Ugh, it was covered in slime. I just got it all over my glove."
"Go get a new one."
She walks down to the truck that has our supplies.
What she said about Aiden isn't true. He cares about me. He wouldn't cheat on me. He wouldn't still be with Celine. He doesn't even like her anymore.
But that night at the client dinner, they seemed like a couple. Aiden is either a really convincing actor or he's still with Celine.
What am I saying? He's not with Celine. Why am I even letting my mind go there?
When I'm done with my shift I go back to the inn, exhausted, but looking forward to another evening with Aiden. I'm still not happy we can't be together in New York but I'm over my anger and just want to have a nice time tonight. Dinner. A walk downtown. Then back to our room for a repeat of this morning.
"Sophie!" Tom calls out, catching me before I go upstairs.
"Yes?" I turn around.
"Did you get Aiden's message?"
"What message?"
"He had to go back to New York. You just missed him. He said he texted you."
I check my phone. He texted me five times but I didn't see the texts because I don't have a signal outside of town where we were picking up trash today. His texts all say he's sorry, but none of them say why he had to leave, other than a vague excuse about having to work. What could be that urgent that he'd have to leave and rush back?
"Did he say why he had to leave?" I ask Tom.
"He said it had something to do with work."
"That's all he said?"
"That's all he told me. You could call him and ask."
"Yeah, okay." I head up the stairs.
"Are you joining us for dinner?" he calls after me.
"No," I call back. "I'm not hungry."
I was, until I found out Aiden left. What if work wasn't the real reason he went back? What if Bess is right and Aiden's still with Celine but telling me he's not?
I'm starting to doubt Aiden and everything he's told me. I don't know if it's because of what Bess said or because I know Aiden's keeping something from me. He keeps saying he can't tell me what's going on, but what does that mean? And why can't he tell me? If he can't be honest with me, how can I trust him?
Chapter Twenty-One
Sophie
It's been three days since I saw Aiden. He's called me several times but I let it go to voicemail. When he texts me, I text him back that I'm busy at work. I know I can't keep avoiding him, which is why I've decided to call him tonight. I'm not sure what I'm going to say. I've thought