Priceless Ink: A Small Town Romance
Page 18
“Excuse me?”
She shrugged. “You asked my opinion and I gave it.”
“Yeah, but…”
“But you were hoping I would have some insight for you? You thought I would hear out your pleas and change my mind based on how you appear convincing?”
“Appear— Look, I don’t know what you think, but I happen to like Joe and—“
“Yeah, yeah. Trust me, I’ve heard all of it. You’ve changed, despite it being less than a week. You suddenly don’t care about money or anything like that. But trust me, when you’ve been here for a few weeks and the appeal of it all wears off, you’ll be running back to your daddy and begging him to forgive you.”
“Look, I don’t know what’s going to happen. But I can tell you that I really like Joe and I’m…”
“You’re what? Hoping this will work?” She sighed and shook her head. “Don’t get me wrong, Sofia. I really like you, despite how we first met. I can see that you’re really trying here, but I don’t think it’s enough. You came to me for validation because of how Josh and I met, but the difference was, Josh and I were running toward the same thing. You and Joe are on completely different pages.”
“But you killed men.”
“And so did he,” she said bluntly. “It wasn’t because we went on some killing spree or something. We did it out of necessity.”
I shook my head, a little shocked by all this. They were all a crazy family of completely normal people. I headed back to the kitchen to help Kat when my eyes lingered on Joe. He was still playing with the little girl, who was pulling at his hair and grinning. She was adorable, and Joe was such a natural. That’s always how I had imagined my husband behaving with my kids, but growing up in my family, touching and hugging was a no-no. I couldn’t remember ever getting a kiss on the cheek.
“Hey!” The door opened again and this time Andrew entered. He took one look at me and dismissed me without a second glance. He started bantering with Joe, play fighting while Joe held the baby.
When the door opened again, I felt like I was getting whiplash. A tall, dark haired man entered with a big grin on his face. How many people were coming tonight? He walked right up to Will and Charlie, like he was part of the family.
“That’s Nathan, Charlie’s ex-lover,” Kat said, walking up to me. “Seriously, just join the town Facebook page. It’ll catch you up real quick.”
She turned back to the stove and after a moment of people watching, I turned back and joined her. She taught me how to cook the spaghetti and how to use the oven to make the garlic bread. I was sweating from the heat of the kitchen by the time we were finished, but it smelled so delicious.
The oil on the stove for meatballs was bubbling, so I lifted the pan, thinking that I should move it before it got too hot. But the handle was hotter than I expected and I ended up tipping the pan over. Oil splashed over the side and hit the burner. Flames shot up in the air and I screamed stepping away from the stove.
Joe started shouting for everyone to get out, but I grabbed a pot of water and threw it at the flames. I was tackled to the ground just as the flames spread out of control.
Joe
After putting out the fire in my brother’s kitchen, I reassured him that I would not let Sofia touch anything else in there. The cabinets all around the stove were scorched and would need to be replaced. It was a disaster. On the upside, Kat had already moved some of the food to the table, so dinner wasn’t a total disaster. We just wouldn’t be having meatballs.
Sofia had been pretty quiet since almost burning the place down. Her hair was slightly singed in spots, but for the most part, she was okay.
“You’re having a rough week,” I said, pushing her down into a chair.
“Rough doesn’t even begin to describe it. I almost burnt down a house!”
“Hey,” Andrew said, tapping her knee. “I’m sure it could have happened to anyone.”
She shot him a glare. “Why are you being so nice to me? You hate me.”
“Hate is a strong word. Let’s just say that I don’t want my brother being hurt.”
“Oh, and you’re so sure I’m going to do that. All of you think I’m here to destroy your brother’s happiness and leave him high and dry!” I winced at her tirade. She had definitely drawn all the attention to her. “Is that what you think of me? That I’m so evil? Oh, here’s Sofia with her lack of skills and her desire for nice things. She can’t properly clean anything and she’ll burn down your house if you try and teach her how to cook, but that’s all part of my bigger plan, to lure Joe into liking me despite all my faults just so I can…do what exactly? What the hell do you think I’m going to do to him? Yeah, I’m the demon in disguise, ready to ruin all your lives and make sure that Joe’s heart is left in shreds when I’m done!”
And then she put her fingers up in the shape of horns on her head and started growling at everyone. I glanced at my brothers, hoping like hell they wouldn’t laugh, but of course they did.
“Since when is the devil a dog?” Andrew laughed.
“That was a dog? I thought it was a bear,” Robert joined in.
Sofia turned bright red and was about to bolt when Eric stepped in. “Knock it off, guys. Sofia hasn’t done anything to you. Stop trying to freak her out.”
Sofia’s face crumpled in confusion and she turned to me. “Freak me out?”
I smiled softly. “They’re just messing with you because it’s what they do.”
She looked back at them in confusion. “So, you don’t think I’m here to ruin Joe’s life?”
“Only if you try and kill him with Pine Sol again,” Robert laughed.
Kat sidled up to her and whispered, “This is about the time you tell them all to fuck off.”
I saw Sofia’s mouth open, like she was ready to do it, but then she shocked the hell out of all of us. “Grow feathers and shit in a tree.”
She stormed out of the room, leaving us in a confused silence.
“Did she just call us birds?” Andrew asked. “Is this a new insult I should know about?”
✯✯✯✯✯
After she stormed out of the room, I went after her and finally convinced her that they were all just fucking with her. As for her parting shot, she said that she had just heard it in a movie once and it sounded like a good thing to say. I calmed her down and she agreed to come back and hang out with us. It took a while for her to loosen up, but when she did, it was great to see.
Since dinner was half-baked, Kat put out some cheese and crackers for all of us, but it seemed like Sofia was the only one going after them. After sitting here for a little bit, she finally loosened up a little. I could have killed my brothers for being such dicks to her.
“Here,” Kat said, handing her a beer. She looked at it with a wrinkled nose, but then took a long drink and choked on it.
“Have you had alcohol before?” I asked.
“Of course. Wine with dinner, but never more than two glasses.”
I glanced over at Eric, raising an eyebrow. He sighed and moved across the room, grabbing some shot glasses and some vodka. Setting it on the table, he looked at her pointedly. “You ready to have some fun?”
“Like you would know.” I grinned at Sofia. “Eric’s the lightweight in the family. He never touches alcohol because he can’t handle it.”
“Hey, I choose not to drink, asshole.”
I grinned at her again, giving her a little wink. She blushed bright red and shoved a cracker with cheese in her mouth. Her eyes rolled back and she groaned as she chewed. “Oh my god, this is so good.”
“It’s just cheese and crackers,” I said, confused by her moans of ecstasy that were turning me on way more than I wanted to admit.
“I haven’t had cheese and crackers since I was a little kid.”
“Seriously?”
She tilted her head as she chewed, waiting until she had swallowed before speaking. “Pedestrian food,” she said in a low voice. “That’s what my father w
ould say. Besides, too many carbs and fats.”
“So, what exactly did you eat?”
“Chicken, fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, but limited because of all the sugars. I haven’t had bread in years.”
“How have you survived?” Anna asked.
“Yeah, Anna can’t survive without fresh donuts every morning,” Eric grinned.
“Hey, you eat them too!”
“Ooh, fresh donuts. What’s that like?”
“You’ve never had fresh donuts?” Kat asked.
“I snuck one once from a friend’s house, but it was like, two days old, so I would imagine that it wasn’t nearly as delicious as it could have been.”
I was determined to get her fresh donuts every morning after today. Her parents were psychotic. They had her brainwashed into thinking that food was bad. I had seen her eat over the past two weeks, almost like she was worrying about whether or not it would be okay to eat. Slowly, she was getting better about just eating what she wanted, but it was a process.
I watched her across the table, laughing with all my family. She looked happy. Not that I knew if she was unhappy before, but the little she had told me, I couldn’t imagine that her life was very fulfilling. She looked carefree now, laughing at the crazy stories my brothers were telling her.
I could also tell that she had been drinking a lot. I wasn’t sure how many times my family had refilled her glass, but she was definitely heading toward drunk. I needed to get her out of here or I would be carrying her home. But I wasn’t ready to leave yet. I was enjoying having someone around the table with me. After years of watching my brothers find someone to be with, I wanted it to be my turn.
“She just ran away from a wedding,” Eric leaned over and whispered.
“Huh?”
“You’re looking at her right now like you’re already half in love with her.”
That’s because I was. Once I broke through those barriers, I saw a woman I couldn’t ever let go. I just had to convince her that I was worth sticking around for. But that didn’t mean that I was ready to admit that to any of my brothers. They would all think I was insane, especially Andrew. I’d already heard what he thought about the whole thing. I didn’t need the rest of them joining in.
I shot him an irritated glare. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know you’ve been staring at her the whole night. I know that’s the same look that all of us get when we see the woman we love. And trust me, she’s got too much baggage for you to go falling in love with her.”
“I never said I was falling in love with her.”
“Hey, I’m just telling you to be careful.”
“I am. All I did was give her someplace to go after she ran out of the church.”
“Uh-huh. And what about the last week?”
I shifted in my chair uncomfortably. “She needed a place to stay.”
He snorted. “And in the future?”
My anger snapped and I turned to him with a glare. “And so what if she stays with me? You know I fucking like her. I’ve seen a change in her over the past week. She makes me happy. That’s all that should matter.”
“Drive her home.”
“No,” I said, leaving no room for argument.
“Then she’s staying with you for good?” he hedged.
I gritted my teeth, not wanting to answer the question. Because the truth was, I didn’t know how long this would last.
“If you really like her, then I’m behind you. Just make sure that you’re not just a dalliance for her.”
“A dalliance?”
“Whatever. I’m not just worried about you. I’m worried about her.”
“Why?” I asked, watching her across the table. “Look at her. She fits in so well.”
“Does she? I mean, she’s having fun drinking with us. But what happens when-“
“Don’t even give me that shit about her leaving me.”
“I was going to say, what about when you get tired of her? It’s not exactly like you’ve ever done this before. And she’s not your typical girl. She’s high class. You can’t just fuck her and leave.”
“Don’t be so salty. I’m not that big of an asshole.”
He rolled his eyes at me. “You can’t talk like that around her. She’s not gonna know what the fuck you’re talking about if you say things like salty.”
“No shit,” I grumbled. I turned away from her and looked at Eric. “I already fucked that up.”
He burst out laughing, covering his mouth as best he could. “Did she stare at you like an idiot?”
“Pretty much. She had no clue what I was saying.”
“Nobody does.”
I let his comment roll off my back. “I felt like such an idiot.”
“You should. You don’t even make sense when you talk like that. A woman is hot so you say she’s thirsty? Who says shit like that?”
“Thanks, man. That really makes me feel better.”
“Well, someone’s gotta point it out. If you want that woman, you need to at least pretend like you have a little class.”
“Right, like she would go for a guy like me.”
“She has so far, hasn’t she?” He sighed heavily. “I don’t know, man. I’m lost on this one. Part of me says there’s no way this will work, but the other part of me says that I could be totally wrong and you should go for it.” He didn’t know that I had already gone for it, and it was amazing. “Maybe not tonight, because she’s already drunk off her ass. And whatever you do, do not ask her to Netflix and chill. I doubt she even knows what Netflix is.”
“Everyone knows what Netflix is.”
“Not a woman like that. She’s high society. I doubt she sits around watching TV.”
“Wow, judgmental much?”
“I’m just being realistic.”
I watched as Sofia laughed so hard she fell out of her chair. Sighing, I stood. “Well, I think that’s my sign that I need to get her home.”
“Yeah, you want to take her home because she’s had too much to drink.”
I flipped him off and went to help Sofia off the floor. I noticed nobody else was helping her.
“You guys are so nice, helping a lady off the floor.”
“Like any of you would help me,” Andrew retorted.
“Alright, sweetheart. What do you say we head home?”
“To your place, right? I really don’t want to go back to that dull mansion in the city.” She belched, covering her mouth. “If my mother saw me right now, she’d probably smack me with a ruler.”
I glanced around at all the guys, a concerned expression on my face, which mirrored all of theirs. Did people actually punish with rulers still? Wasn’t that a bit archaic?
“Well, don’t worry. All my rulers are hidden away.”
“Aw, that’s a shame. I’m sure we could find something to measure.”
She burst out laughing and I actually freaking blushed. Wrapping my arm around her, I led her over to the door, ignoring the way my brothers and their girlfriends were chuckling. Sofia was drunk off her ass. She probably wouldn’t remember anything she said in the morning. After wrapping her up in her jacket and zipping it up, I led her out to my bike, but then thought better of it. I wasn’t sure how wasted she was, but if I couldn’t trust her to hold on, that could cause some serious problems.
As if reading my mind, Andrew followed me out and tossed me his keys. “Yeah, maybe not a good idea to ride the bike.”
I tossed him the keys and nodded. “Thanks, man.”
I helped Sofia into my brother’s truck and buckled her in, sure that she was beyond capable of doing it herself. By the time I got around to the driver’s side, her head was leaning against the window and she was snoring. Loudly. It was like a freaking freight train right beside me.
Chuckling, I started the truck and headed home. She was gonna have a killer headache tomorrow. I took the drive slowly, wanting her to get some sleep in before I had to wake he
r up at my place.
Andrew was already inside when I got there. Originally, I hadn’t planned on having a roommate, but I had two bedrooms in the apartment above the shop, and Andrew didn’t want to live with Eric and Kat now. They were trying to build a family, and it felt too much like we were in the way.
Gently opening the door, I caught Sofia as she started to slouch out of the truck. I unbuckled her and shook her, but she didn’t wake up. Sliding my arms under her, I lifted her in my arms and shut the truck door with my foot. I had to hit the buzzer on the door since I couldn’t reach my keys.
“Yeah?”
“Let me up.”
“Did you forget your keys?”
“No, I had to carry Sofia.”
“She’s passed out, huh?”
“Obviously.”
“Huh, well it’s not like any of us knew she couldn’t handle her alcohol.”
I growled in frustration. “Will you just hit the damn button?”
“Of course, if I left you down there, you’d have to sleep in the truck. All the tight space and not much room for wiggling around, it could be very cozy for the two of you.”
“I swear to God-“
“I would imagine her head would end up in your lap, which might be uncomfortable when you wake up with morning wood.”
“Andrew!”
“Then again, what a nice way to wake up, am I right?” he laughed.
“Not very nice for you when I kick you out, asshole.”
“Geez, fine.”
The buzzer sounded and I yanked the door open, irritated that I was living with my brother. I climbed the stairs sideways since the stairwell wasn’t big enough for me to just walk up while carrying Sofia. Her head was hanging backwards, exposing her long neck, but it was anything but sexy. She even had some drool slipping out the side of her mouth. But somehow, seeing her like this, a complete mess and totally undignified, it made me want her even more.
Andrew already had the door open when I reached the top of the stairs. He was grinning at me like an idiot, waggling his eyebrows like I was about to get it on with an unconscious person. I shoved past him and headed for the bedroom. When I set her down on the bed, she finally stirred, making a gurgling noise as she woke up. She bolted upright in bed and grabbed at my shirt, pulling me closer.