"College. Celine got engaged her senior year of college. They were supposed to get married a year later but she called it off and kept the ring. That must be the ring you're talking about."
Sophie eyes me like she doesn't believe me. "You're saying she made it up?"
"Yes, which means she somehow found out about us." I sigh. "Sophie, I had no idea she would do something like that. She's obviously jealous of you and wanted us to break up."
"She'd really do that? Fake an engagement?"
"Unfortunately, yes. I wish you'd called me when this happened. I could've told you it was all fake."
Her eyes narrow again. "What about the offer for Tom? I saw the amount, Aiden. It's not even close to what that place is worth. How could you do that to him?"
"I didn't. I—"
"He told me about his wife. Is that why you did it? Because you know he's desperate to sell?" Her voice cracks, her kind, sweet heart breaking at the thought of Tom being taken advantage of. My heart breaks for him too, which is why I'm going to stop this deal before it goes through.
"It wasn't my deal," I say. "What you saw wasn't the deal I made. Roger took the contract I did and changed it. He sent it to Tom before showing it to me. I didn't know until I got to work this morning and saw it on my desk."
She doesn't say anything, but I see her mind working, like she's trying to figure out if I'm telling the truth.
"I can show you the original offer. I have a copy of it on my laptop and a printout at my apartment." I put my hand on her shoulder, leaning down to look in her eyes. "I promise you, what you saw was not my offer. I offered Tom twice that amount."
"Celine said they're tearing the place down," she says, tears in her eyes. "How could you let that happen?"
"I didn't. The original offer listed out exactly what renovations we'd be making. The contract specifically said we'd do everything possible to maintain the original structure so that it remained a historic building. I went over the plan with Roger and he agreed to it. He made me believe we were restoring the inn, not tearing it down. He lied to me."
She doesn't respond. I don't think she believes me.
"Sophie, you know how much I loved all those summers at my grandfather's inn. You know how upset I was when they tore it down. I was trying to prevent the same thing from happening to Tom's inn. The last thing I'd want is to see it destroyed."
"How could you not know about this? About the contract being changed?"
"Roger did it behind my back. He knew I wouldn't go along with it so he changed it without telling me."
She shakes her head. "I don't know how you can work for someone like that."
"I can't. And I don't. I quit."
Her brows draw together. "You what?"
"I quit. As soon as I found out about the contract I went to Roger's office to try to change his mind but he wouldn't even listen. When he told me he was planning to tear the place down, I quit."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I'm still figuring that out. For now, I'm going to call Tom as soon as we're done here and tell him not to take the deal."
"But he has to sell the inn. He needs the money."
"I know. I'll figure something out. I just need some time to think." I look past her at the boxes. "Sophie, seriously, what is going on? Why is all your stuff packed?"
She lets out a long sigh. "I got evicted. I have to be out today."
"And you didn't tell me?"
She shrugs. "I thought you were with Celine."
I go past her into the apartment, noticing it's even tinier than I imagined. It really is the size of a closet.
"Aiden, we can't stay," she says, closing the door. "I need to pack this stuff up and go."
"Go where?"
"To Vermont. I made a deal with Tom. He's letting me stay in the room they give employees if they need to stay overnight because of a storm. He said I could stay there in exchange for helping out in the kitchen. It'll just be for a few weeks, until my community service is done."