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“Do you know what you want to do?” Aiden asked as he leaned his elbows on his thighs.
I knew what I had to do. I couldn’t sell it. Sure, it held memories, but Gram would have wanted us to reopen the inn. “Are you sure you want to manage it?”
Aiden straightened. “I don’t want to work for anyone else. Heath had talked about me working with him, and I might still want to do that. But I want the inn to be open. It’s what Gram would have wanted, and I can see myself living there. I can hire someone to manage the front desk. I’ll handle any repairs, and maybe work for Heath, too.”
“That sounds like a good plan. So, you’re not reenlisting?”
He glanced over at me. “It’s time to come home. I’ve been gone long enough. I’ve missed you. I need some time to decompress.”
“I’ve missed you, too. But I don’t want you to feel like you have to come back because of me.”
“Let’s be honest. You don’t need me. You never did. I want to build a life for myself. It’s time.”
“If you’re sure that’s what you want to do? I won’t sell. I want you to be happy, and I know the Monroes would prefer that the inn stayed in the family.”
Aiden straightened and draped his arm over the back of the bench. “You’re happy with Heath?”
“In the back of my mind, I knew it was a bad idea. You’re friends with him, and he’s never been able to get over that.”
His forehead wrinkled. “What are you talking about?”
“We dated after you left.”
Aiden stood; his fingers curled into fists. “Heath went after you when you were seventeen?”
I sighed. “I wouldn’t say it that way. We ran into each other in the woods, we played and talked, got to know each other. He was only a year older than me.”
“He was eighteen,” Aiden bit out.
I didn’t point out that seventeen is over the age of consent in Maryland, especially when we didn’t do anything. “Heath didn’t—we didn’t—ugh. I can’t talk to you about this. Just know that he was a good guy. He didn’t do anything I didn’t want or wasn’t ready for.” I held up my hands. “But he never crossed that line. He wanted to wait, and eventually, he decided he couldn’t go behind your back, and he broke things off.”
His shoulders relaxed slightly. “Is that why you moved away and didn’t come back?”
I nodded miserably. “I couldn’t see him again. It hurt too much.”
“Then you came home and fell back into his arms?” Aiden asked, and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His face was a blank mask.
“It wasn’t quite like that. We got to know each other again and realized our feelings were still there. We never got over each other or found anyone else who made us feel the same way,” I said carefully.
Aiden dipped his chin. “Tell me one thing. Why does it have to be my best friend?”
I shrugged. “We don’t plan who we fall for. Heath resisted because of you, and I didn’t fully trust our relationship because I was worried about what would happen when you came back.”
Aiden glanced in the direction of our parked car. “I need to talk to him.”
I stood and touched his arm. “I understand that, but try not to be too hard on him. We both went into the relationship with our eyes open. We knew you might not like us together. That you might feel like Heath betrayed your trust.”
“I asked him to protect you.”
Irritation burned through my gut. “I’m a strong person. I took care of myself. I didn’t need anyone looking after me.”
“I know you are.”
My phone buzzed with an incoming call from my neighbor, Izzy. “It’s my neighbor. I have to take this.” I moved out of the room for privacy and hit answer, “Is everything okay?”
“You asked me to check on your house every few weeks. Everything was fine last time—”
“Izzy, what’s wrong?” My heart pounded harder at her words.
