When he reached his apartment he parked and headed inside. The clean scent of pine greeted him, reminding him the cleaners had come today. The flip of a switch verified the thought. Although he wasn’t a slob, the space had obviously been tidied up—cereal bowl in the dishwasher, throw pillows in their proper places, vacuum lines on the carpet.

He tossed his keys on the table and headed toward his bedroom, a hot shower on his mind. The helmet and jumpsuits were hot, and it had gotten up near ninety degrees today. Having someone strapped to the front of his body didn’t help matters.

Before he pulled off his shirt, his phone buzzed an incoming call. He checked the screen and felt a pinch of disappointment when it wasn’t Sophie’s pretty face smiling back at him.

He accepted the call anyway. “Hey, Dad. How are you?”

“Not bad. Just getting ready to head to Hooley’s to watch the Braves game with the guys. They’re off to a great season so far.”

Aiden had forgotten they played tonight. “Sounds fun. Tell the guys I said hi. And I have some exciting news for you—there’s a company that wants to buy the rights to SpringChute.”

“Well, how ’bout that. My son, the inventor!”

Aiden chuckled. “I’ll be calling them Monday, see what they have to offer. It could be substantial.” Aiden expounded on who the company was and what could happen. After his dad ran out of questions, he turned to another topic.

“So what’s your girl think about all this? And how’s her business going? I’ve been praying she’d have a good week.”

Aiden had been putting off this conversation. “To be honest, I haven’t talked to Sophie since Monday—I don’t think it’s going to work out between us.”

“What? Why not? You two are meant to be.”

“Come on, Dad. She’s way out of my league and you know it.”

“I know no such thing. That girl was head over heels for you back then and I’ll bet she still is.”

Aiden caught an image of the way she’d looked at him after they kissed last Saturday night, eyes hooded, full of want. His legs nearly buckled at the memory. Had it only been a week ago?

“There are issues at play here, Dad.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’ve pushed her right out of your life again?”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Never mind that it might be true.

“I didn’t hear a denial anywhere in there.”

Aiden sighed. Was his dad going to make him spell it out? “She’ll be just fine, Dad. Sophie’s a strong woman, and eventually someone else will come along that’s better for her.”