Her mouth had gone dry. Now that she saw he was serious, she went through a short list of people in her life. Anyone who could step in for a few days and help. But there was no one. How pathetic was that? She was twenty-five years old and had no one she could call in an emergency.

Aiden must’ve already reached the same conclusion, otherwise why would he put his life on hold for her?

She curled her fingers into her palms. “I don’t need your pity, Aiden.”

“Oh, for crying out loud. It’s not pity. This is my fault. I placed the—”

“No, it’s not.”

“—ladder and left you there to manage alone. Do you use Walgreens or CVS?”

Sophie clamped her lips together. Her stomach was turning, and she didn’t know if it was the pain or the conversation. And why did it bother her so much that Aiden was willing to stay? She should be grateful. But he was a threat to her mental well-being. Ever since their truce yesterday she’d begun softening toward him again.

He had to go.

And yet there was also some foolish part of her that wanted him to stay. Her stupid, gullible heart wanted what it couldn’t have. Besides . . . it was incredibly sweet that he was willing to stay. And she had to get her shop open.

She had to face facts: Even if she muddled through on one foot, there was no way she’d be open in time for Nathaniel Quinn’s release party. Bye-bye, instant revenue. Bye-bye, community support. Bye-bye, any chance of scheduling another book signing with the biggest publisher in the US.

She closed her eyes, defeated. How had she wound up in this impossible predicament? All she’d wanted was to get out of this with her heart intact. Yet, no matter what she did—

God, what is going on? Why are You leaving me stuck with the one man who has the power to break me?

“Sophie . . . ?”

She mentally rewound the conversation to his last question and sighed. “Walgreens.”

Even she could hear the flat, hopeless tone of her voice. She couldn’t stop him from staying. In fact, she needed him to do just that. And needing Aiden was never a good idea.

Moments later he pulled into the pharmacy parking lot and shut off the engine. He turned in his seat, then went still.

What was he thinking? His decision to stay stood in stark contrast to the way he’d left before. She had to admit, it showed a lot of growth. Once again she had a dream to achieve, and this time he was staying to help her achieve it.

The gesture warmed her through—and scared her silly. “Thank you for staying. I appreciate your willingness to help.”