I need to end things with Tanner. He's a great guy but I don't like him the way I should. I can't get past seeing him as a friend. When I kissed him the other night, it didn't feel right. There was no passion, not even a spark. I was going to give it more time but seeing Aiden again confirms that I need to let Tanner go. I'm not even dating Aiden and yet I feel more for him than I do for Tanner.
"Hal," Aiden says, walking down the hall to meet up with an older man in a black suit. "Thanks for doing this."
"I'm happy to," the man says, shaking Aiden's hand. "It's good seeing you again. How are your parents?"
"Good. Dad's been working a lot. Mom keeps telling him to slow down but you know how he is. Work is how he relaxes."
The man smiles. "I don't see retirement in his future."
"No. Definitely not." Aidens turns to me. "Sophie, come meet Hal."
I walk down to them, standing next to Aiden. "Hi, I'm Sophie. Nice to meet you." I shake the man's hand.
"Hal Turner. I went to college with Aiden's father."
"He's the lawyer I was telling you about," Aiden says. "He lives in Burlington but was kind of enough to make the drive down."
"I don't mind," Hal says. "It was a beautiful drive with all the leaves."
"You get stuck behind any tourist buses?" Aiden asks.
"Only one. I know the back roads so I'm usually able to avoid the tourist routes." He smiles at me. "So this is the girl your parents told me about. Any wedding plans in your future?"
"Oh. No," I say with a laugh. "I'm just a friend."
"Celine decided to stay back in New York," Aiden explains. "Sophie is the girl I told you about on the phone. The one who also got a ticket for littering."
"I didn't even know I did it," I say. "One minute I was talking to my boss and the next thing I know I'm being pulled over by a police officer."
"It was my fault," Aiden says. “When the papers flew out of my car and hit her windshield she couldn't see."
"What did I teach you?" Hal says, his brows drawing together. "Never admit fault."
"She's not going to sue me." Aiden glances at me and smiles. "Are you?"
I smile back. "No. But you owe me dinner for having to miss a day of work."
"Deal." He looks back at Hal. "You want to join us? The inn we're staying at has really great food."
"Wish I could but I need to get back to Burlington. The wife invited some friends over tonight for cards." He checks the time on his watch, then pulls a folder from the black leather messenger bag hanging off his shoulder. "Did you fill out the form?" he asks me.
"From the clerk?" I nod. "Yes."
"If you have questions for Hal," Aiden says to me. "Go ahead and ask."
I look at Hal. "What if I want to plead not guilty? Like I said, I didn't do this on purpose."
"Pleading guilty is the fastest way to get this over with. You'll have a misdemeanor on your record but that's better than coming back here for a trial."
"Those are my only options? Plead guilty or go to trial?"
"I'm afraid so."
A woman comes racing out of the courtroom, tears running down her face.
"That doesn't look good," I say in a low voice as she heads to the restroom.
"The judge today is a tough one," Hal says. "He likes his rulings to make a statement, or so I've heard."
"What does that mean?" I ask, sounding panicked. "For Aiden and me?"
Hal chuckles. "You have nothing to worry about. You're charged with a very minor offense. At the very most, he'll give you the maximum fine but I'm guessing it'll be somewhere in between the minimum and the max."
"Why wouldn't it be the minimum?" Aiden asks. "It was just a few sheets of paper and a water bottle. It's not like we dumped garbage all over the road."
"The judge likes to stick it to out-of-towners. Teach you a lesson so you'll know how to behave when you come back to visit."
"Great," Aiden says with a sigh.
"How much of a fine are we talking about here?" I ask, thinking of my nearly empty bank account.
The door of the courtroom opens and a man appears. "Chambers and Mills?"
"That's us," Aiden says.
"Let's go." Hal leads the way, walking tall and confidently as he goes in the courtroom. Now I'm wishing I'd told Aiden I wanted Hal to represent me, not that I could afford him, but maybe I could've paid him in installments. I didn't think I'd need a lawyer but hearing Hal talk about the judge has got me worried.
We walk to the front of the room and take a seat as another case finishes up.
Aiden is scheduled before me. I'll just do and say whatever he does. I'm sure Hal already advised him what to tell the judge.
"Aiden Mills."
As his name is called, Aiden stands up with Hal right beside him. The man up front says something about Aiden's rights and what he's being charged with but I'm so nervous I'm barely able to focus on what's happening.
"Guilty," I hear Aiden say. I immediately pay attention, my eyes going from Aiden to the judge.
The judge looks down at the paper he's holding and mumbles something to himself. He's old, with a pudgy round face and thick white hair. His black-rimmed glasses sit low on his nose, which is red, like he has a cold.
"You want to explain why you were littering?" the judge asks, his eyes going to Aiden.
"It was an unfortunate accident," Aiden says. "The papers were on my dashboard and flew out the window. I would've stopped but—"
"But you didn't," the judge says, shaking his head. "Fine of $200. Next time you visit, I suggest you keep your windows closed."
"Yes, Your Honor."
That's it? I drove all the way up here for that? Why couldn't I just stay in New York and pay the fine? Does the judge not have enough to do so he makes people show up in court for minor offenses?
"Sophie Chambers."
I hear my name and slowly stand up as Aiden sits down. The process repeats with my rights being explained and then I'm asked how I plea.
I pause a moment. "Guilty."
The judge stares down at me, eyes narrowed, lips pursed. Why does he look so angry? He didn't look at Aiden this way. He seemed annoyed with him but not angry.
"Go ahead," the judge says. "Explain to me why you threw a bottle out the window."
"Well, I didn't actually throw it," I say, hearing my voice shaking. "It fell when I grabbed the steering wheel. Honestly, I don't even remember dropping it."
"Of course you don't." He chuckles but he's not smiling. His eyes remain like little slits as he leans back in his chair and folds his arms, resting them on his protruding belly. "Miss Chambers, do you realize the harm plastic does to the environment?"
Actually, I do. Tanner told me all about how plastics are clogging up the oceans, forming actual mountains of trash under the water. He even showed me pictures. Most of our conversations are about the environment and especially the evils of plastic water bottles. I'm surprised Tanner even agreed to date me after hearing why I was ticketed, but I told him it was an accident and that I'd start using a reusable water bottle from now on.
"Yes, Your Honor," I say to the judge, answering his question about plastics in the environment.
"And yet you still chose to toss a plastic bottle out the window, knowing the damage it would cause, both to our environment and to the beautiful scenery that we here in Vermont value and hold dear, and that supports our tourist economy."
"Your Honor, I regret that it happened and I am very sorry that it did. I agree that Vermont is a beautiful state and it was not my intention to take away from that beauty."
I hear Aiden clearing his throat. I glance back at him and see him tightening his lips. He's telling me I'm talking too much. He's right. Why am I talking? I need to keep quiet.
Looking back at the judge, I watch as he looks over the sheet of paper he's holding. He sets it down and looks at me.
"Miss Chambers, I'm glad to hear you say that."
Say what? What is he ta
lking about?
"It's always nice to hear city folk say how much they enjoy visiting our state, taking in its beauty."
Why is he still talking? He barely said anything when it was Aiden's turn. He just gave him the fine and that was it. He didn't give him a speech like he's giving me.
"I think it would be good for you to continue to enjoy its beauty by helping to keep it that way. I'm sure you would agree that seeing our beautiful country roads littered with plastic bottles and other trash is an abomination that can't be tolerated."
I feel Aiden looking at me but don't dare glance his way. I keep my eyes on the judge, anxiously waiting for him to hurry up and give me my fine.
"That is why I am not going to fine you," the judge says.
He's not fining me? This is amazing! I'm finally getting a break. Ever since I moved out East it's been one bad thing after another, but now, finally, something good happens.
"Instead," the judge says, "I'm ordering you to do community service."
My moment of happiness comes to an abrupt halt. Community service? He's giving me community service? Meaning I have to come back here?
"You'll participate in our roadside cleanup program starting as soon as possible. You will complete forty hours total, to be done within two months of your first day of service."
"But Your Honor, I don't live here. I—"
"I am well aware of that," he says with a slight smile. "You can serve your time on weekends if you choose. I know how you New Yorkers hate to leave your precious Manhattan but perhaps spending some time here in Vermont will show you that small town life isn't so bad."
Small town life? I already know about small town life. I'm from a small town!
I want to shout that to him but can't, so I remain quiet and wait for him to continue.
"Sentencing of forty hours community service." He bangs his gavel and the next case is called up.
That's it. The hearing is over. The decision is made. And I can't do anything about it.
Chapter Ten
Sophie
Aiden and Hal get up and I follow them out of the courtroom.
"I can't believe this," I say, still shocked by my sentencing.
"Sophie, I'm so sorry," Aiden says. "Maybe we could get you out of this." He turns to Hal. "What are our options? Can we appeal?"
"It's not worth it for something like this. She just needs to do the time."
"Forty hours?" I say. "That's a whole week of work. I can't take a week off."
"You can do it on the weekends," Hal says. "I doubt they'd let you do it all at once anyway. The person in charge of road cleanup will have to fit you in the schedule with everyone else."
"I can't go on the weekends. I have events I have to be at."
"Your social calendar will have to be put on hold for awhile."
"The events aren't for me," I explain. "These are work events."
"She's an event planner," Aiden says to Hal. "Most of the events are on the weekends."
"I see. Well, you'll just have to work around it." He checks his watch. "I need to be heading back. Any other questions before I go?"
"No, I'm good," Aiden says. "You have anything, Sophie?"
I shake my head, feeling like this can't possibly be real. How does Aiden get a fine and I get community service? It doesn't make sense.
"Wait," I say as Hal turns to leave.
He turns back. "Yes?"
"Why did Aiden get a fine and I have to pick up trash?"
"Based on what the judge said, I assume it's because of the plastic issue. Aiden littered with paper, which breaks down in a relatively short amount of time. Plastic, on the other hand, doesn't decompose for—"
"Five hundred years," I say with a sigh. "Or in some cases, a thousand years." I glance at Aiden. "Tanner."
He gives me a slight smile, knowing how Tanner goes on and on about this stuff. I like that he's passionate about the environment but sometimes I just want to talk about something else.
"The judge seemed determined to teach you a lesson," Hal says. "It's unfortunate, but maybe it'll help to know that you're not being singled out. He does this in a lot of his cases." He checks his watch. "I should get going."
"Thanks for driving down," Aiden says.
"Tell your parents I said hello."
"Will do. Have a safe trip back."
When he's gone, Aiden turns to me, putting his hands on my shoulders. "I am so sorry about this. I'll do anything I can to help."
"There's nothing you can do," I say with a sigh. "You can't do the community service for me."
"I can drive you up here on weekends so you don't have to rent a car."
"I'm not letting you do that. Besides, you work on weekends."
"Not always. And I could work while you're picking up trash. I'll go to the inn and sit at the bar and work. I'm sure Charlie wouldn't mind."
I softly smile. "It's sweet of you to offer but I can't have you do that. And I'm pretty sure Celine wouldn't like that."
"Celine and I are—" He stops and looks down.
"Celine and you are what?"
"Doesn't matter," he says, looking back at me. "The point is, I'm willing to do this. I'm more than willing. I'm the one who got you into this. The least I can do is help you get through it."
"I don't need you to. I'll figure it out." I watch as two people leave the courtroom, a man and a woman. The woman looks like she's about to get sick. I'm feeling the same way. "I need to get out of here."
I go past Aiden and quickly walk to the door.
"Hey, wait up!" He catches up to me. "Meet you at the inn?"
"Yeah, okay." I walk to my car, still feeling anxious and sick.
My mom calls as I'm driving. I don't want to tell her about this but there's no use lying. At some point I'd have to explain to her why I'm spending all my weekends in Vermont.
"Hey, Mom," I say, waiting a few extra seconds at a stop sign. I feel like I have to be extra cautious in this town, knowing I could get punished for even the tiniest mistake.
"Hi, honey. Is the hearing over?"
"Yeah." I pause. "It didn't go so well."
"Why? What happened?"
"The judge gave me forty hours of community service."
She gasps. "But you live in New York."
"He said I could do it on weekends."
"You work on weekends," she says, as if this never dawned on me.
"Mom, I know all that, and I'm really upset right now so could we talk about something else?"
"Honey, this is what I've been saying all along."
I roll my eyes, knowing a lecture is coming.
"If this had happened here," she says, "we could've got Harry to go to the courthouse with you and convince the judge it was all just an accident. You wouldn't have even had to pay a fine."
Harry is a trial lawyer and one of my dad's golf buddies. He knows all the judges in town and is friends with most of them.
"Mom, that's not helpful. I don't live there and I don't have plans to move back. I'm just going to do the community service as fast as I can and try to forget this nightmare ever happened."
"Honey, just think about it. Think about how much simpler your life would be if you moved back. It'd be cheaper, that's for sure. And you'd get to see your family, and Macie. She sure does miss you. Every time I see her she tells me how much she misses having you around."
"She's used to not having me around. I haven't been there for years. I lived in Kansas City."
"Yes, but it was close enough that we could see you."
"Mom, I need to go. I just got to my hotel." I pull in and park under a gorgeous, bright orange maple tree.
"You're spending the night?"
"It's too late to head back. It's already after three and I don't want to drive home in the dark. Besides, the inn owner offered me a free room so there's really no reason to race back to New York."
"Why would the inn not charge you?"
"The owners are really nic
e and they felt bad I had to come back for the court hearing. It's a beautiful inn, Mom. You'd love it," I say, gazing at it as I sit in the car. It's a two-story inn, white with black shutters. Wrapped around the front is a large porch with a swing and some Adirondack chairs. Colorful mums in hand-painted pots line the entrance, along with an assortment of orange and white pumpkins of different sizes. Red and orange maple trees surround the property and off in the distance you can see the mountains. It's like looking at a postcard.
"You'll have to send me a picture," my mom says.
"I will, although a picture can't really capture how beautiful it is here. The fall colors are amazing."
"Then maybe it's nice you'll be able to spend some time there."
"It would be if I didn't have to worry about work." I watch as Aiden's car pulls up beside me.
"It's too bad Macie couldn't be there. It's such a shame you girls didn't get your weekend together."
"Mom, I have to go," I say as Aiden gets out of his car. "Aiden is here."
"Who?"
"Aiden. The guy who also got ticketed for littering. He had court today too."
"Is he heading back to New York?"
"No, he's staying the night. We'll probably have dinner together."
"Didn't you say he has a girlfriend?"
"Yes. She was going to come with him but something came up."
"She doesn't mind you having dinner with him?" she asks in a tone that implies it's not right to have dinner with a man who isn't single.
"Mom, this isn't a date. It's just dinner." I open my door as Aiden approaches. "I have to go. Bye, Mom."
"How's Mom?" Aiden says as I get out of the car. The way he says it like he knows her makes me smile.
"She's fine. I told her what happened."
"And?" he asks, shutting the car door.
She told me to come home."
"Like to visit?" he asks as we walk to the inn.
"No. For good. She wants me to move back."
"Why?"
"Because I don't belong in the big city, according to her, and pretty much everyone else from my hometown."
"Why is it up to them to decide?" he asks as we go in the inn.
"It's not, but that doesn't stop them from telling me I should move back."
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