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April wanted to storm out of the apartment again, but this time never come back. But she looked at the man beside her. His eyes full of regret and confusion.
Whatever the ending, she needed to try and stick it out. It was worth it for her to stay. At least until she knew more.
"Maybe we should just eat dinner," she suggested, and stood to move to the table.
Nigel kept his distance, but followed her to his own seat. The dinner was nothing less than uncomfortable. They ate in almost pure silence. Both unsure of what to say to make things better.
April wanted this man more every day, but today it was hard to see their future together. She had so many more questions.
It felt like it'd been an eternity when she finally left the apartment. She'd given Nigel a hug, that felt like nothing was wrong between them. But as she walked to her car down the chilly street, she kept telling herself that something had changed.
Their relationship wasn't what it was just a few days ago. She wanted so desperately to go back there. To be happy with him again. Maybe someday soon, after she processed all of this, they could go back to normal.
Whatever normal was.
CHAPTER NINE
Before Millie could come in the next morning, April had a laundry list of things to do. But she didn't care because when her new hire arrived, the weight would be lifted from her shoulders.
She could handle the rush in the meantime. It was a welcome distraction from Lily and Nigel.
All she could see was a ring on Lily's finger, delicately placed there by Nigel. It wasn't that he was engaged before. She had been married not too long ago herself, for a long time.
It was the fact that his ex-fiance was back at his doorstep, practically begging to get back together with him. And she had no idea that he was once engaged.
They hadn't been given a chance to talk about their past relationships, but at least April told him upfront about her ex-husband.
April had been in love before, and failed miserably at it. She wanted to love again, and make sure that this time it was for good. But now she was left with doubts that maybe it wasn't meant to be.
Love was hard. Was she ready for something hard? Like facing what happened between Nigel and his ex and how he handled the situation with her?
It felt like he kept Lily a secret. As if she was something he needed to hide. The only reason he told her about them was because she happened to be there when Lily showed up that night.
Would he have said anything if she wasn't there? Maybe.
Maybe not.
The thought made her heart ache, and she tried her best to push it aside. She had a business to run, after all.
As she cleaned up after breakfast, she saw her father step into the lobby. Here we go again, she thought.
"I can't get my tv to work in there. Any chance you could take a look at it today while I'm out?"
The request was simple enough. Even easier now that she had Millie to look after the other guests. "Sure. What are you doing today?"
"Well, I was thinking about going shopping in town. Get some new towels and maybe some pillows."
It took everything in April not to roll her eyes. Of course, he was going to replace the things he hated about the place so far. "Sounds good," she replied in a straightforward tone with a frown across her face.
Behind them, Millie walked into the lobby, her hands full. In one hand she held a warm coffee, in the other a bag full of her belongings for the day. She sat behind the desk and spread out what she needed.
It was nice to have a self-starter for an employee. "Good morning," Millie said, bright-eyed and cheery. "Have the Millers checked out of their room yet?"
"I don't believe so. They should be down any minute."
Millie leaned across the desk with a smile. "Would you like me to go check on them?"
April watched her father walk away, presumably to get ready to go out. The lobby began to fill with guests as they began their days. "No, that's alright. I think they'll be coming down soon," she said.
