I ran my fingers through my hair, and as soon as it was dry, I shut the switch off on my hairdryer. I ran my brush through it, styling my strands with my fingers, and once I was satisfied, I grabbed the hairspray. As I stood in front of the mirror, looking myself over, I couldn't stop ringing my hands. My stomach still felt uneasy, and the anxiety was building in my chest, making it harder to breathe. I took another sip of gin and soda, praying that the alcohol would kick in and calm some of this anxiety I was feeling. I slipped my dress on and checked the time.
I still had forty-five minutes. I grabbed my glass and went out to the living room, sitting down on the couch. I grabbed my phone and called the restaurant to confirm the reservation time. I felt like I was going crazy. I had just booked the reservation not even twenty-four hours ago, and here I was, paranoid that perhaps I had made it for the wrong date, or the wrong time, or perhaps they didn't mark it down in their book.
I hung up the phone and glanced at my watch. I could get going but didn't really want to arrive too early. I didn't want to seem too eager. I'd rather walk into the restaurant late than be there before him.
I sat back, grabbed my drink and my notepad and pen, took a sip of my drink, and tried my best to come up with some sort of proposal.
4
Chase
The sun was directly in my eyes, making it hard to concentrate on the cars in front of me. Twice I had almost rear-ended the car in front of me. I tapped my thumb on the steering wheel to the beat of the music that was blaring through my speakers. I pulled into the parking lot and found a spot, quickly cutting the engine.
I pocketed my keys as I walked up the steps to the doors of the The Manor House and entered in behind the couple in front of me. While I stood waiting to speak with the hostess, I still couldn't help but wonder what the hell Sophie needed. I had not been able to figure out what could be so important that she needed to tell me in person. The urgency in her voice had me worried that something was wrong. Was she sick? Was she in legal trouble? It had driven me crazy most of last night and well into this morning, until I had no choice but to head to the gym and blow off some steam.
"Can I help you?" the young hostess behind the counter asked.
"Reservations for two. Should be under Sophie Lancaster." I watched as she ran her finger down the list of names in front of her, finally stopping and crossing our name off.
"Your table isn't quite ready yet, sir. If you would like, you can have a seat in the bar area, and I'll come and get you once it's ready. Should only be about ten to fifteen minutes."
"Sounds good, thank you." I made my way towards the bar, sitting in the first empty seat I found. I ordered myself a crown and cola and Sophie a gin and soda. The bartender set the drinks down in front of me, and I was passing him a twenty when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Sophie standing behind me.
I couldn't help but allow my eyes to run over her. I had never seen her in the dress that she wore, but it hugged her curves perfectly. She smiled at me, and I cleared my throat and stood up. "Here, take a seat," I said, offering her my bar chair.
"Thank you."
"This is for you. Your favorite: gin and soda," I said, moving the glass in front of her and leaning in to kiss her cheek.
Sophie looked up at me, quickly kissed my cheek, and smiled. "You remembered!"
"How could I ever forget? It was the only drink that didn't end up making you hang your head out of my car window every weekend when we were in college," I said, winking at her as we both laughed. Even though we still got out with our college friends once a month, Sophie never drank gin and sodas when we were out anymore and hadn't in years. It had strictly been a college thing.
"That is sadly very true. Although I don't think it’s a secret that I still can't hold my liquor very well." She smiled and looked up at me. As soon as I met her eyes, we both took a sip of our drinks. I placed my glass back down on the bar and looked back down to see the smile she had worn was now replaced with a look of nervousness. She was fidgeting with the strap of her clutch that sat neatly tucked in her lap.
"What's up, Soph?" I questioned, downing the rest of my crown and cola and signaling the bartender for another.
"Nothing, why?" she let out a nervous laugh.
"Look at you. You're a nervous mess. You never fidget, and you've just about broken the strap on your clutch."
"I'll be right back. I need to use the ladies’ room." Before I could say anything, she had jumped up and dashed through the crowd over to the washrooms. Minutes passed, and I was beginning to get worried.
I glanced down at my watch to try and determine how long she had been gone when the hostess came to tell me that our table was ready. I was about to ask her to hold the table when Sophie finally reappeared. Something was up. She didn't have her usual glow. The look on her face reminded me of the time we had been hanging at her parents’ house and we had accidentally broken her mother's antique lamp. It had been a present from her father. I smiled inwardly to myself as I remembered her standing with her hands behind her back trying to tell her parents what had happened.
"Our table is ready," I said as she got closer.
"Awesome. Just awesome," she mumbled. I frowned as I watched as she picked up her glass and waved for me to go first, but I refused and instead waved my hand, signaling for her to go first. Once she was in front of me, I placed my hand on the small of her back and together we walked to the table.
I was hoping to find out immediately what was going on, but once we were seated and the hostess had left, Sophie had conveniently buried her face in her menu. I frowned, and even though it was killing me, I didn't say anything while we looked over the menu. We had both settled on our choices by the time the waitress had returned to drop a fresh basket of bread onto the center of our table. We ordered quickly, and I reached in and cut a piece of bread for Sophie, passing it to her. She barely made eye contact with me as she reached over and took it from my hand. Her odd behavior was seriously beginning to get to me.
I sat forward, crossed my arms in front of me, and leaned on the table. "The suspense is killing me here, Soph. What was it you needed to talk to me about?" I asked, taking a sip of my Crown and Coke, while she buttered her bread and took a bite.
She looked around the room, ignoring me. I let out a breath and started slicing the loaf of bread again. "You know I adore you, right?" her soft voice questioned.
I looked up at her, pausing from cutting the loaf of bread. "Yes, of course, and I you." I winked, trying to lighten the mood, but she completely ignored me.
"And you know I'm not getting any younger, right?"
I frowned. "Neither am I."
"And historically you've always come through for me." She swallowed hard, setting her bread down on the side plate. "No matter what."
"Okay, let’s cut to the goods here, Soph. What's going on? Are you okay? Are you sick? In legal trouble?" The way she was carrying on, I feared she had some sort of terminal illness.
I proceeded to cut more slices off the loaf of bread.
"Well, it’s just I want a baby, and I want you to be the father," she blurted out.
My head shot up. I looked at Sophie, who sat across from me still chewing on her bread as if she had just told me who won the hockey game on Friday night. I swallowed hard, not sure I believed what I had just heard.
"Did you hear me?" she asked, waving her hand in front of my face.
"You—you aren't getting any younger, and you...you want my swimmers?" That was all I could get out before I felt a searing hot pain in the hand that was holding onto the loaf of bread. I glanced down and saw blood starting to soak into the white napkin I was using to hold onto the bread with.
"Shit," I mumbled, pulling my hand towards me.
"Oh my God, Chase." Sophie jumped up and grabbed her napkin and my hand and quickly pressed the napkin against the cut, gently but firmly squeezing. She held it for a couple of seconds, and then pulled the napkin away to inspect
the cut. I sat there not knowing what to say or do, completely shocked at what she had just blurted out. "It's okay. I don't think you need stitches or anything. Just hold the napkin tight, and the bleeding should stop," she said, continuing to examine my hand.
"You want my swimmers?" I mumbled, completely forgetting about the cut on my hand.
As the waitress approached our table, Sophie asked for a band-aid, and I raised my glass, signaling for another Crown and Coke. Hell, at this point, they could just bring me the entire bottle of Crown. My appetite had fled after what Sophie had asked, but I sure as hell needed to get loaded.
I couldn't believe my ears. Sophie, the girl who had told me no all those years ago, now wanted...a baby...my baby. I felt like I was going to faint. I swallowed hard. "Why me?"
"Well, honestly, I'm thirty, and there is absolutely no one on the horizon for even a date, never mind a relationship that would lead to a baby anytime soon. Second, I've known you all my life. I'm comfortable with you. You have a good work ethic, you’re smart, not to mention attractive. You are caring, kind, and considerate, and I seriously can't think of a better father for my child." She let out a deep breath and brought her glass to her lips.
"I see."
The waitress appeared carrying our food and set our meals down in front of us. The craving I'd had all day for bacon-wrapped filet mignon smothered in onions and mushrooms was now long gone. I stared down at the perfectly cooked steak, my mind spinning in circles, while Sophie was busy cutting a piece of steak into bite-sized pieces. She popped a piece into her mouth, the nervous look now gone as she chewed. I didn't know what to say. I felt as if I were in the middle of a very bad dream.
I had no idea how long I had sat there watching her eat, but the next thing I knew, she had cleared her plate while mine was still full and getting cold.
"Are you okay? Aren't you going to eat?" she asked, looking a bit worried.
I picked up my glass of Crown and Cola and took a large drink. I shook my head and set the glass back down. "I'm not really all that hungry," I mumbled.
She nodded and pulled the napkin from her lap, moved her plate to the side, and placed her arms on the table. "Well, now that I have laid everything out, do you have an answer for me?" Her eyes filled with hope.
I looked at her. She was expecting an answer right now? It was as if she had asked me to pick something up from the store for her, not give her a baby. I let out a breath, looking down at my plate, and then at my napkin-swaddled hand.
"I'll have to think about it, Sophie. This is a big decision, and one I am not going to take lightly."
The excitement in her eyes had disappeared and was now replaced with disappointment, and I certainly didn't like seeing it; however, there was no way I could just commit to something like this.
"Sir, was there something wrong with your meal?" our waitress asked as she picked up Sophie's plate.
I shook my head, afraid to speak.
"Would you like that plate boxed up?" the waitress asked as she dropped our bill on the table.
I nodded. As soon as she had cleared our plates away, I reached for the check folder, but Sophie grabbed it first. "I'll get this," she said and opened the folder.
"No, give it to me please," I insisted, holding my hand out, but she shook her head and slid her credit card into the slot and set it beside her at the edge of the table. She kept her head down, ignoring me, and sifted through her purse.
We sat in silence, Sophie going through her purse, and me thinking about how I could have done things differently. It seemed to take forever, but finally the bill had been paid, and I now sat with my takeover package in front of me. Sophie quickly put her credit card back into her wallet and stood. "When can I expect to hear from you?" she questioned.
I thought for a second. I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship, so I answered with the first thing that came to my mind. "Next week?"
She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek, smiled shyly at me, and turned and walked away. I sat back down at the table, trying to grasp what the hell had just happened. I was at a loss for words and really wasn't sure I should get behind the wheel.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Hunter's number. It was almost eight. I knew he was probably putting the kids to bed, but I needed my brother. The phone rang five times before an out-of-breath Hunter answered. "Hey, man, what's going on?"
"Hey, listen, can you come pick me up?"
"Ah, why? Is everything okay?"
"I'll explain when you get here."
"Where is here?"
"The Manor House," I choked out and hung up the phone before he could refuse.
5
Sophie
I left the restaurant and walked across the parking lot, feeling completely and utterly defeated. The whole night had been an utter disaster. Not only did I make a complete ass of myself, but I also injured my best friend. That cut looked pretty bad. I crawled into the driver’s seat of my car, threw my purse on the floor, and started the engine. I sat there for a few moments trying to center myself and finally pulled out of the spot.
I blew out a breath as I pulled up to a stoplight. The feeling of humiliation continued to sink in. There was no coming back from this now. Why hadn't I really thought through the entire conversation? I slammed my hand down on the steering wheel, annoyed with myself. I really didn't know what I was expecting. Had I expected him to be like he had always been: eager to help me with whatever dilemma I had been facing? Perhaps that was just it. Perhaps I had expected him to turn around and instantly agree. Instead, he had cut his hand, hadn't eaten dinner, and barely said two words to me the entire time we had been at the restaurant. He also had drank one too many Crown and Cokes, and I just left him there to fend for himself.
I should have turned around and went back to get him, make sure he got home safe, but instead I turned the radio on and proceeded through the green light, the guilt of the night sinking farther into me. What if I had just ruined our lifetime friendship? My stomach sank at the thought of no longer having Chase around. The thought of not having him in my life nearly made me sick.
A blaring horn pulled me from the thought, and I immediately noticed I was driving into the oncoming lane. I quickly righted my vehicle and drove a ways down the road to my apartment.
I locked the door behind me, turning on lights as I entered my condo. I kicked off my shoes, dropped my purse on the floor, and slipped out of my coat, hanging it in the small closet. My mind was still racing a mile a minute over how I could have done things so differently.
I grabbed the remote from the table and turned the TV on, drowning out the quiet of my apartment, and wandered down the hall to my bedroom. I looked at myself in the full-length mirror, my makeup slightly smudged now from the few tears that I hadn't even realized had fallen on my way home. I turned away from my reflection and unzipped my dress, letting it fall to a pile in the middle of the room. I slipped out of my bra and panties and put on my sweats that were lying on the bottom of my bed. I needed to relax. I quickly washed my face, put my hair up in a messy bun, and shut the light off.
Time had passed once I had found something on TV, and I now lay on the couch trying to get lost in an episode of Friends; however, the only thing on my mind was how I had foolishly proposed my bright idea to Chase. Over and over, the words I had so casually dropped ran through my mind like a bad nightmare. Perhaps I should have been more prepared than I was. Perhaps I should have written them all down to present to him in a more business-like way. He may have been more receptive if I’d had everything in a nice presentation folder, like one of his legal briefs he had shown me numerous times. Nevertheless, the damage was done, and it was out in the open now, and all I could do was wait. Wait for his answer, either yes or no, or perhaps he would say “Get away from me, Sophie, and don't bother coming around again.” Honestly, I wasn't even sure what it was I expected him to say. Was I really expecting him to drop everything and say yes? Or was the answer he
gave me more the one I was expecting?
I reached for the phone and relaxed back against the pillow behind me and debated calling Chase and apologizing. I dropped my head back against the pillow and pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to gather up the courage to dial Chase's number. Instead, I let out a sigh and called Jenna. I needed to talk to her, but the phone just rang and rang. I was just about to give up when I heard her answer completely out of breath.
"It’s about time you called me!" Jenna blurted into the phone. "You said you would call by seven."
"Yeah, sorry, I lost track of time. What were you doing? You're all out of breath. Oh my God, I didn't...I didn't interrupt anything, did I?" I questioned, my face heating.
Jenna broke out in laughter. "Good Lord, girl, Matt isn't even home from the office yet. Besides, if you think I would answer the phone in the middle of that, you are crazier than I originally thought. If you must know, I was running on the treadmill. Get your head out of the gutter. I'm trying to be good this month. I fell off the wagon last month going to Aroma Mocha almost every weekend, and my waistline is showing it."
"Girl you are crazy. You're perfect!" I glanced at my watch. "Besides, it’s almost ten. You should be in your sweats relaxing."
"Ha, tell that to my jeans, and I'm in my sweats. Also, running is a form of relaxation I guess." She giggled. "So what took you so long to call me? You could have saved me from all this torture tonight, and we could have gone and gotten ice cream."
I let out a small laugh. "I had somewhere I needed to be after work."
"You had somewhere you needed to be? Where? You basically live at the office, and when you aren't there you are at home."
"Well, I had something to do after work. I just got home about a half an hour ago."
The Malone Brothers Boxed Set Page 49