A hint of a smile played around his lips. “I’ve always known you were here in Love, Sophie.”
Sophie sputtered. “W-what? And you waited all this time to come and see me?” She supposed it had been foolish of her to believe that a man of her father’s vast resources couldn’t have located her. Maybe deep down she had known all along he’d had his eye on her. It had allowed her to stand on her own two feet and gain a measure of independence.
“It was difficult, to say the least, but I owed you that much. I knew how badly you’d been hurt. You were so desperate to make a clean break from your life. It’s probably one of the most selfless things I’ve ever done, because I worried about you and almost came here to get you half a dozen times or more. When I was your age I ran off to join the army. My father wanted to stop me, but he realized I had to grow into the man I needed to be.”
Roger reached down and caressed her cheek. “You’ve turned into your own woman, Sophie. One who knows what she wants and the kind of life she wishes to lead. How many ways can I say that I’m sorry, baby girl? I made so many mistakes. I said and did things I deeply regret. And I know how much pain I caused you.”
Sophie swiped away tears with the back of her hand. “Oh, Daddy. It was all such a mess. I had no business getting engaged to John. I never loved him. How wrong would it have been to marry a man I didn’t love? But I was so wrapped up in making you proud of me. I didn’t want to let you down.”
“And then I let you down,” her father said in a tortured voice. “I took John’s side when I should have been firmly rooted in your corner. I chose to believe him and his lies, when I know you are the most truthful person I’ve ever known. As a father, I should have known.”
Sophie scowled as John boldly stepped forward. “Sir. I just want to let you know that I intended to tell you about Sophie being here in Love as soon as I straightened things out between us. I’m still very committed to being a part of the family.”
Sophie couldn’t be certain, but she thought there were beads of sweat on his forehead. Leave it to John to sweat in Alaska!
“Save it, John,” Roger roared. “I wouldn’t believe a word out of your lying mouth if you had your hand on the Bible. It took me way longer than it should have, but I see your true colors. You were never fit to marry my Sophie. Shame on me for believing you were!”
“Who is this man, Sophie?” Jasper barked, stepping forward so he was standing next to her. His brow was furrowed. “And why did he fly in on the Java Giant helicopter?” A group of residents stood behind him, clearly intrigued by the drama playing out before their very eyes.
Her stomach clenched. Sophie hated the look of confusion radiating from Jasper’s eyes. Why hadn’t she just told the truth from the beginning? After all this time, what would they think of her? She prayed the townsfolk and her dear friends wouldn’t think her whole life here in Love had been a big fat lie.
The crowd around them was growing larger. Sophie felt almost claustrophobic from the way everyone was beginning to press in. Hazel stared at her with wide eyes. For once her dear friend was speechless. Cameron couldn’t seem to look away from the helicopter. Noah stood at the edge of the crowd, taking it all in without saying a word. What could he say? He’d been revealed as a liar and a fraud. And he didn’t care for her. It had all been a pretense crafted in order to get close to her for surveillance purposes.
She cleared her throat. “He’s my father, Jasper. His name is Roger Mattson. And he owns the Java Giant corporation.” Sophie took a deep, fortifying breath. She jabbed a finger in John’s chest. “My real name is Sophie Mattson. This man was my fiancé until I discovered he only wanted to marry me because I was Roger Mattson’s daughter. If I were to marry him, he knew he’d be in line to inherit the company.”
Shocked gasps rang out in the crowd.
“When the bottom fell out of my world, I came here to Love,” she explained. “To soothe the pain. To reinvent myself. To get as far away as possible from people who only saw me as a wealthy man’s daughter.”
“So, you’re rich?” someone shouted out.
“You’re the Java Giant heiress,” Zachariah cried out. “That means you’ll inherit the company someday.”
Sophie could barely keep her head up. So many pairs of eyes were focused on her like laser beams. “Yes,” she said in a shaky voice. “My father is a very wealthy man. But I’ve always been of the mind that it isn’t my money. Not really.”
“You knew this town was in bad financial shape, Sophie,” Dwight said in a hurt tone. “As town treasurer, I’d like to know if you ever thought of helping us out.”
The question hung in the air like a live grenade. Sophie didn’t have a single clue as to how to answer it. Part of leaving her life in New York City had meant leaving her big trust fund and bank account behind. And even if she still had access to it, she wasn’t sure giving the town a large cash donation would have been the right answer to the long-standing problems. In her opinion, money rarely solved difficulties.
“It wasn’t her job to save this town!” Noah shouted from the crowd. The townsfolk parted and he came forward, stopping a few feet away from Sophie. He looked angry and protective, as if he might take on the world on her behalf. Something unfurled in her heart at the sight of him in battle mode. An hour ago it would have made her deliriously happy, but now all it did was make her furious.
“I don’t need you to defend me!” she said in a raised voice. She glared at Noah. It hurt to look at him, but she wasn’t about to avoid his gaze. His lies hadn’t broken her. Even though she loved him and her heart was shattered, she would still hold her head high. He was no better than John, with his secret agendas and lies.
Noah moved even closer. “Sophie, please hear me out. I’d like some time alone with you so I can explain everything,” he said, his voice full of tenderness.
It frightened her how badly she wanted to listen to him. How vulnerable she was to his vast array of charms. One word from him and she might just crack and forgive him. But she couldn’t. Shouldn’t. So many times in the past Sophie had been used as a commodity—by friends, teachers, family members, boyfriends—but she had never imagined Noah would treat her as such. At the moment she felt all used up. She had nothing left to give.
She held her chin up, refusing to budge an inch. She might love Noah, but she was nobody’s fool. “There’s nothing to talk about. You came here with an agenda, Noah. To spy on me. To profit from doing so. Isn’t that right?” Her lips twisted. “You must have laughed yourself silly by how easy it was to fool me into falling for you...sharing my feelings, opening myself up to you, believing in you.”
“Everything was real between us, Sophie. You can’t fake something like that.” Noah had a pleading tone to his voice. “I love you.”
The words almost made her knees buckle. A few hours ago those three little words would have sent her soaring into orbit. But now she simply felt numb.
“What are you saying, Sophie? Noah isn’t really a cook?” Hazel shouted.
Sophie turned toward her friend. She saw the look of hurt on Hazel’s face, and wondered how much of that was due to her. It was embarrassing to air her dirty laundry out here in the open, in front of everyone, but the crowd didn’t seem inclined to leave. Matter of fact, some of them seemed to be enjoying it.
“No, he’s not, Hazel. Noah is a private investigator hired to keep tabs on me by my ex-fiancé.” Her lips quivered. “I was just a means to an end. A big fat paycheck.”
The buzzing of the crowd kicked up a notch. Several residents were openly glaring at Noah, while others were shaking their heads in her direction. Sophie could only imagine their thoughts. People had a tendency to make judgments about a person when they discovered that individual was wealthy. Shyness suddenly turned into snobbery. If you were proud of something it became vanity. Sophie had never wanted to be re
garded as anything other than a newcomer to town who worked at the Moose Café.
Ever since her arrival here Sophie had been skirting around the truth, living a lie. She’d told herself that telling a white lie wasn’t too bad, but she’d been kidding herself. All to avoid the truth of her real identity and her connection to the Java Giant empire. At first she’d been simply running away from her life and trying to cut ties with her past. Then, slowly but surely, she’d grown to love all the townsfolk, and she had been fearful that they would view her differently if they learned who she really was. As Sophie Miller, she’d been accepted with open arms and as a regular person. Sophie Mattson had always been treated as a commodity, a rich man’s daughter.
“Daddy. Please get me out of here,” she begged. Sophie buried her face against her father’s chest and sobbed her eyes out. He sheltered her in the crook of his arm and led her toward the Java Giant helicopter.
“I’ve got you, Sophie,” he said in a reassuring voice as he settled down beside her in the roomy interior. “We’ll be at the Anchorage airport in no time. Then we’ll take our private plane back to New York.”
All Sophie could do was nod. She was in shock. Pain. Despair. Her heart was broken into little pieces. And she felt so sorry about having misled the people of Love. It was all way too much for her to have to face.
As the helicopter took off, Sophie resisted looking out the window. She knew she must be going crazy, because she thought she heard Noah calling her name above the roar of the blades. She felt her father smoothing back her hair, all the while saying her name in the most tender tone imaginable. It reminded her so much of when she was small and he would comfort her after a skinned knee or a broken toy. She pressed her eyes closed, wishing things could be as simple as when she was a little girl, yet knowing it was impossible.
* * *
Noah looked up at the sky, following the progress of the helicopter as it drifted farther and farther away. He placed his hand against his chest as a sharp pain seized him. He knew it wasn’t anything physical, although it felt as if he might break in two. He’d lost Sophie, and he had the strangest feeling he might never see her again. Watching her leave with her father was akin to seeing all his hopes and dreams for the future go up in smoke.
Everything he had meant to tell her had been lost in the madness swirling around them. John’s appearance. Sophie’s devastation. The townsfolk gathered around them. The helicopter coming from out of nowhere.
“Why couldn’t you just stick to the assignment?” Noah turned to see Sussex standing behind him. “Now you’ll never get your last portion of the money. And you won’t get the girl, either.” The man made a tutting sound. “Too bad you didn’t realize your place, Catalano. People like you don’t end up with heiresses like Sophie Mattson.”
Noah clenched his fists at his sides. He’d earned the paycheck from Sussex, but at this point, he didn’t care about the rest of the money. What mattered most was Sophie. While his mind rejected John’s statement, a part of Noah wondered whether Sophie was too good for him.
“I’ve about had it with you,” he seethed.
“Why?” John sneered. “Because you don’t want to hear the truth?”
Noah took a step toward him, so there was no longer any distance between them. “For being an absolute fool and hurting the woman I love.”
Sussex shook his head. “I’m not the only one who caused her pain. But don’t worry. I fully intend to help Sophie recover, once I get the opportunity.”
Was the man delusional? Did he still truly believe he had a shot with Sophie?
Noah scoffed. “You asked her to marry you for one reason only—the Java Giant empire. Sophie knows it. I know it. And it appears that your boss, Roger Mattson, now realizes it. I’d look for a new job if I were you.”
John’s face blanched. Noah could see reality crashing over him. With a withering look, he stomped off. Noah could only pray he never saw Sussex again.
Jasper came forward and shook his fist at Noah. “I had a gut feeling you were a snake in the grass. How could you treat Sophie like that?”
“I know you don’t like me, Jasper. You’ve made it abundantly clear. I’m sure you think I’m a low-down dirty dog—” Noah began.
Jasper cut him off, “That pretty much sums it up.”
Noah sliced his hand through the air. “I’m not going to argue with you. Trust me, I have more important things to deal with right now. For starters, I have to find the woman I love and make things right. Nothing else matters.”
Hazel, with her hands firmly planted on her hips, marched up to him. He braced himself to feel the full impact of her wrath. It gutted him to lose the woman’s friendship and respect.
“Is that true? Do you really love Sophie?” she asked in a gruff tone.
“More than my own life.” Noah knew he’d never said anything with more conviction. What he felt for Sophie was epic. His throat tightened at the prospect of losing the love of his life.
Cameron walked up and met Noah’s gaze head-on. “I consider myself a good judge of character. I don’t like the fact that you’ve been spying on Sophie for her slimy ex, but from what I’ve seen, you really love that girl. That’s got to count for something in this world.”
Relief flooded through Noah. At least he still had a few people in Love who believed in him, even though he wasn’t certain he deserved the benefit of the doubt.
“So, are you just going to stand here and watch that helicopter fly farther and farther away? Or are you going to fight for Sophie?” Hazel said in a thunderous voice.
Jasper sputtered. “I can’t believe you’re encouraging this scallywag to try to win Sophie back.”
Hazel cut her eyes at him. “Let me tell you something, Jasper. I’m a true romantic at heart. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have waited around for you all this time. How many years did I love you, when you barely knew I was alive? Humph! Way too many to count. People stumble. We all fall at one point or another. We fail to do what’s right and we hurt the very people we love the most. I’ve done it. And so have you. Some of the best couples in this town have had their trials. If I remember correctly, we’ve encouraged many a couple to fight the good fight. How can we do any less for Noah and Sophie?”
Jasper sighed, then reached out and drew her close to his side. “That right there is the reason I love you to pieces, Hazel Tookes.” He pressed a kiss on her cheek. “You’re right. If Sophie loves Nickolai here, I’ll support it.”
“It’s Noah!” Hazel, Cameron and Noah all hollered at once. Jasper smirked and ducked his head. Noah knew full well he’d been messing with him all this time. The mayor was as sharp as a tack. He’d known his name from the get-go.
Noah shrugged. “Hazel, I appreciate the support, but I don’t even know where to start in order to fix this.”
“What we need to do is put our collective thinking caps on. If I know Sophie like I think I do, she wouldn’t miss our wedding for anything in this world. She’ll be back.” Hazel thumped him on the shoulder. “And you need to be ready to lay it all on the line. Do you think you can do that?”
Noah swallowed past the huge lump in his throat. “I don’t have a choice,” he replied, grateful when Cameron sent him an encouraging nod. “God planted me here in Love for a reason. And it has everything to do with meeting Sophie and falling in love with her. I’m prepared to do anything I need to in order to win her back. Or fall on my face trying.”
Chapter Twelve
Sophie gazed out of the window, silently admiring the view of Central Park from her penthouse apartment. It had been four days since she had left Alaska. Four days during which she had barely eaten or laughed or smiled. Having a broken heart always sounded like such a cliché, but for the first time in her life, Sophie knew how it felt. It made the events of last year seem like child’s play. And even
though Noah had been the instrument of her pain, she couldn’t simply snap her fingers and fall out of love with him.
The distance between New York City and Alaska did nothing to soothe her pain. Being back home didn’t mend her heartache. It gave her a buffer against Noah and his lies, but it didn’t stop her from loving him. She wasn’t sure anything could.
Her father padded down the hall in his robe and slippers. He was carrying a tray of scones and an assortment of coffee drinks. He had a newspaper under his arm. Much to Sophie’s surprise, he had taken off a week from Java Giant in order to be with her and help her heal. He poured coffee into two mugs and handed Sophie one. She blew on it, then took a sip, savoring the rich chicory flavor. If nothing else, lying about in her pj’s drinking coffee was comforting.
Roger raised his eyebrows at her. “Sophie. You’ve been moping around for days. There’s nothing I want more than to have you here in the city with me, but something tells me your heart and mind are back in Alaska.”
Sophie bowed her head. She had cried more tears in the last few days than in her entire life combined. She’d prayed and cried. Then prayed some more. She lifted her head and met her father’s steely gaze. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I found a home in Love.”
“You didn’t hurt my feelings. Parents raise children up to spread their wings and fly. How can I be upset that you found a place to soar?” He narrowed his gaze. “And that young man Noah? What you found with him? It looked pretty serious from where I was standing.”
Sophie took a long sip of her coffee. Her father’s eyes were probing. “Come on, Sophie. You can tell me.”
“I fell in love with him.”
Roger let out a sigh. “Finally. I’ve been waiting for this day for what seems like an eternity.”
Sophie let out a hollow-sounding laugh. “I always thought love would lift me up. And it did for a while. But now it’s as if someone ripped off my rose-colored glasses and forced me to see reality.”
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