“Sex?” Sabrina smirked. “Come on girl, no one knows my big brother’s reputation better than I do. You forget, he and my husband played on the same football team for years. Dylan’s told me stories that…” She pinched her lips together as she reached for her water. “Let’s just say, I know more than I ever cared to about Dalton’s sexual prowess.”
Sophie frowned as her stomach clenched. “What’s that supposed to mean?” It was difficult to even think about Dalton with another women after the intimacy they’d shared. She knew she shouldn’t concern herself with his colorful past, but her curiosity got the better of her.
Sabrina laughed. “I am not having this conversation with you. In fact, I wish I could expunge it from my memory. I probably wouldn’t have heard it at all if Dylan hadn’t been half in the bag at the time.”
“Is it that bad?” Sophie asked, wishing she didn’t have a masochistic streak. If she was smart she would just let it go.
“Let’s just say he’s had an affinity for…” Sabrina shook her head. “No, I can’t. I don’t think he’d want you to know. And if it was my man, I don’t think I’d want to know.”
“Now you have to tell me,” Sophie squealed. “You can’t just leave me hanging like that!”
“You have to remember the life he lived then was very different than the life he lives now. He’s content being with just one woman now, so long as that woman is you.”
That made Sophie feel marginally better, until Sabrina’s implication dawned on her. “You’re saying he’s had multiple partners at the same time?” When Sabrina’s eyes shifted to the dance floor, Sophie leaned in, grabbing her hand. “Are we talking threesomes or sleeping with more than one woman-”
“Please don’t ask me to discuss the details of my brother’s sex life with you,” Sabrina said, withdrawing her hand. “I can’t. How the hell did we get on this topic anyways?”
Sophie felt her stomach churning as she thought about the wild life Dalton had led. Being a single guy in Las Vegas, trying to heal a broken heart, there was no telling what lengths he might go to just to banish her from his mind, assuming her was still thinking about her at all. She had to know.
“Excuse me,” Sophie said. “I have a call to make.”
Sabrina ran her tongue over her teeth, obviously withholding a self-satisfied smile. “I thought you might.”
Narrowing her eyes, Sophie asked, “Were you trying to goad me into calling your brother?”
Shrugging, Sabrina asked, “It worked, didn’t it?”
Chapter Eight
When Dalton saw Sophie’s number flash across his screen he thought about ignoring it, for half a second. He was here to celebrate his buddy’s upcoming nuptials, not get caught up in more drama with the guy’s sister.
“I’ve got to take this,” he said, slapping Brett on the back. “I’ll be right back.”
“No worries, take your time,” Brett said, reaching for his beer. “We’ll be here when you get back.” He gestured to the blackjack table. “I’ve got to win my money back.”
“God, that could take all night.”
“Smart ass.” Brett grinned before pointing to the phone in Dalton’s hand. “Say hi to my sister for me and tell her she better be taking good care of my fiancée.”
“How do you know it’s her?” Dalton asked, swiping his finger across the screen to connect the call before she hung up.
“No one else puts a smile like that on your face.”
Dalton realized he was smiling, for the first time since he’d left Sophie’s apartment. “Hey, what’s up, Soph?”
“Have you ever had a threesome?”
He almost dropped his phone as he made his way outside to get away from the noisy crowd intent on winning the next jackpot. “What?”
“You heard me. Have you or not?”
He considered telling her it was none of her business but he knew that would just make him sound guilty and that’s not the way he wanted this conversation to go down. He missed her. He was glad she’d called and he wanted to make sure she knew that.
“No. Why?”
“You haven’t?” She sounded as though she was skeptical. “Are you sure?”
He chuckled as he sat down on a raised stone flowerbed with built-in bench and water fountain in front of the casino. “Uh, I think I’d remember something like that. Why are you asking me this?”
“I was just talking to your sister and she reminded me how wild you’d been before you met me. I guess it made me wonder whether you’re in Vegas living it up now that we’re apart.”
Dalton would deal with his sister later. For now, his only concern was putting Sophie’s mind at ease about who his heart belonged to. “We may be 1200 miles apart, but that doesn’t mean I’m not missing you like crazy, baby. I have been ever since I left you. I’ve wanted to call a hundred times, but I was trying to respect your wishes, to give you some space to figure things out.”
“I appreciate that,” she said, sounding defeated. “I’m sorry. I had no right to call demanding answers about your past. What you did before we started dating is none of my business.” She sighed. “Hell, what you’re doing right now is none of my business.”
Definitely not what he wanted to hear. He was hoping she’d been calling to tell him she’d had all the time she needed and was ready to find a way to work things out with him.
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t care,” she said, softly. “The thought of you with someone else…” Her breath shuddered, letting him know she was fighting to maintain control. “I’ve never been like this with anyone else.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jealous, insecure, scared.”
He loved that he’d made her feel things she’d never felt before, but he didn’t want her to feel bad. “You have no reason to be jealous or insecure. I’m crazy about you. But I do get the scared part. I’m scared too, Soph.” It was difficult to admit he felt so lost, but he knew he had to let her know she wasn’t in this alone.
“I hate this.” Her voice trembled when she said, “It’s so unfair that I’m doing this to you. You don’t deserve this. You’ve been nothing but wonderful to me and this is how I repay you, by jerking you around.”
He didn’t want her beating herself up for things that were beyond her control. “Hey, don’t say that, sweetheart. This isn’t your fault. You’ve spent years trying to build your business. You got an incredible opportunity to take it to the next level. Of course you had to pursue it. I understand that.” Just because he understood, didn’t mean he had to like it. “When I was playing professional ball, I would have gone anywhere without considering anything or anyone, just to keep playing the game I loved.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Always.” He wasn’t ready to let her go. It felt so good just to hear the sound of her voice, after what seemed like years of insufferable silence, even though it had only been days since they’d seen each other. “How’s your night going?”
“Okay.” She hesitated before adding, “I’m really trying to be a good maid of honour. I want Carly to have a good time at her bachelorette party.”
“But your heart isn’t it, right?” He didn’t need her to confirm, he felt the same way. “I thought about bailing on your brother tonight too, but I knew if I did I’d just be sitting at home feeling sorry for myself, fighting the urge to go to High Rollers and beg you to talk to me. I figured it’d be best for both of us if I got away while you were there. The last thing I want to do is pressure you.”
“I wish you were here,” she whispered. “I miss you so much.”
“I can catch the next flight out.” There is nothing he’d like more than to wrap up the weekend with her in his arms.
“As much as I’d love that, I think we better stick to the original plan.”
He grit his teeth, trying to keep the frustration from permeating his voice when he said, “You mean you still want to take that break?” If they were face-to-fac
e he’d kiss her, hold her, tell her something that felt this bad couldn’t be good for either one of them, but the distance separating them made him feel helpless.
“I have a meeting at the studio tomorrow, then I’d like to spend some time with my parents before I head back.”
“So you’ll be tied up?” He wanted to believe that was the only reason she didn’t want him to return, but he knew better.
“Yeah.”
“Okay, so…” He wanted to ask her when he would hear from her again, but the last thing she needed was for him to start making demands she couldn’t meet. “Uh, when will you be back in town?”
“I’m going to try to come back a few days before the wedding so I can help Carly with the last minute details.”
“Sounds good.” At least he would only have to wait a couple of weeks to see her. Since they were both in the wedding party, she couldn’t avoid seeing him, even if she didn’t want to be his date on the big day.
“Well, I guess I should get back to the party,” she said, sounding no more eager than he was to re-join the festivities.
“Yeah, me too.” There was a prolonged silence before he broke down and said, “I love you, Soph. Just remember that.”
“I love you too.”
***
Carly was seated at the front of the room, in the studio she loved, amidst the women she considered her second family, wishing for the days when meetings like this had been filled with energy, excitement, and creativity instead of fear and uncertainty.
“I want to thank y’all for holding down the fort while I made this transition. I’m sure most of you are wondering whether I intend to move the operation to L.A. now that it’s my home base.”
She knew that would mean she would lose most, if not all of her employees if she did that. They had roots here. This was their home. Relocating her studio would mean starting all over again, trying to fill shoes that were impossible to fill.
“Is that your plan?” Deidre, who was the first person she’d hired, asked.
She locked eyes with Deidre and saw the pleading she was too selfless to express with words. She’d told Sophie a hundred times over the past years she’d given her the best job she’d ever had and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. She had a young son to support and bills to pay. She was understandably terrified, just like all of the other women sitting before her. Their futures were in her hands and it felt like she had an impossible decision to make.
Sophie needed to be able to oversee production of her product. Even though she trusted these women to bring her designs to life, she knew it was easy to misinterpret designs and there was so much that went into creating a piece. She needed to be hands-on, to walk them through it.
“I feel like things have been moving at a frenetic pace the last little while,” she said, purposely avoiding the questions she couldn’t answer. “I’m just trying to take a little time to catch my breath right now, to figure out what my next step should be.”
Taking time. That seemed to be the common theme moving through her life right now. She used to be the person who was able to go with her gut and make split second decisions, but now she felt paralyzed with fear, afraid of hurting the people she loved and respected most.
“You know we love you,” Deidre said. “We’ll support any decision you make.”
Sophie was mortified when tears stung her eyes. She’d never cried in front of her employees before, not even when she told them about the deal she’d made with Jeremy. “I appreciate that.”
“This is your business, Sophie,” one of her seamstresses, Michelle, said with a smile. “We know that sometimes you have to make difficult decisions and just know that we won’t hold it against you, no matter what you decide to do.”
Feeling overwhelmed by their show of love and support, she cleared her throat, trying to hold it together. “Thank you.” It was obvious the ladies had discussed this at length and had decided to present a united front.
“Do you want to tell us about what’s been happening in L.A.?” Deidre asked.
Wringing her hands to try and release some of the tension, Sophie admitted, “Jeremy and I have been butting heads on a few issues. He wants to make a deal with an upscale department store. Of course, that means our product would be mass produced, likely oversees, so we could keep labour costs down.” She saw the fear and resignation on their faces as they stole glances at each other. “But I haven’t committed to anything yet. I’m just not sure that’s where I want to go. Obviously it would increase the company’s revenue exponentially, but we’d no longer be associated with the unique, one-of-a-kind, product this business was built on.”
“So what are you going to do?” Michelle asked.
“Honestly? I don’t know yet. I know I can’t hold them off forever. They want an answer, but I’m not going to go along with this just to make other people happy. I have to do what I feel is right for the future of the company.” She took a deep breath, praying her voice would remain steady. “And please know I’m considering all of you in this decision. You’re more than just employees to me. You’re my friends, my family. I know you’re not supposed to let personal feelings get involved when you’re running a business, but I can’t help it. That’s the way I’ve always done things and I don’t regret it for a second. I know we’ve been as successful as we are because you not only care about my vision, but you care about me. And that means everything to me.”
The women stood up together and moved to the front of the room, each taking turns embracing Sophie.
“We love you,” Deidre said, brushing away Sophie’s tears. “And that’s not going to change, no matter what you decide. You’re the best boss we’ve ever had, and working here has been fun.” She laughed. “And I never thought I’d get to say that about a job, so thank you.”
Hugging her friend tightly, Sophie said, “Thank you. You’ve helped to remind me of what’s important.”
***
Sophie pulled up to her friend’s little lakeside cottage and smiled at the whimsical touches that told the world an eclectic artist lived there. There were hand painted stepping stones leading up to the front door. Brightly coloured, salvaged, wood furniture decorating the wrap-around covered porch, and the small structure had been painted soft turquoise with a hot pink door.
Sophie was struck by the fact her friend’s conservative husband must really love her to let her turn their charming little cottage into a canvas for her self-expression.
Before she could close the car door Shyanne, or Shy, as her friends called her, bounded down the front steps to greet her. “There’s my girl,” Shy said, opening her arms wide.
Sophie allowed herself to be enveloped by Shy’s love and total acceptance. It felt like a calm port after being battered by a relentless sea. “I’ve missed you.”
“Right back atcha,” Shy said, giving her a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek.
Shy’s long dark hair was streaked with bright blue today. The streaks had been pink the last time Sophie saw her a few months ago. Her feet were bare, as always, and each of her toes were painted a different color, as were her nails. She said she loved color too much to commit to just one.
“Come inside,” Shy said, looping her arm through Sophie’s. “I’m in love with this new herbal tea you have to try. It’s steeping, should be just about ready.”
Sophie hadn’t been a tea drinker until she met Shy. Now she loved experimenting with different flavours, taking a few minutes out of every day just to sit and enjoy the piping hot beverage, often smiling when she thought of the woman who taught her the importance of taking a few moments for quiet contemplation every day.
“Where’s my favorite little man?” Sophie asked, referring to Shy’s nine month-old son, Trevor.
“I just put him down for his nap,” she said, beaming at the mention of her little boy. “That should give us a little time to catch up before he wakes up.”
Sophie couldn’t wait to bury her lips in those
chubby little cheeks or inhale the delicate scent that tugged at her maternal instincts. “I can’t wait to see him.” Squeezing her friend’s arm, she commented, “You look more amazing every time I see you. This life of domesticity must agree with you.”
Shy laughed as she opened the front door, gesturing for Sophie to enter ahead of her. “I still can’t believe it myself sometimes. I was the free-spirit, the one who spent five years back-packing through Australia, with no plan and no money. I never would have thought I’d end up married to a banker, living in this quaint little cottage with a baby and a pet, no less.”
The Persian cat, who was basking in the sun filtering through the large picture window facing the lake lifted his head, as though he sensed his mistress was talking about him.
“I was the girl who didn’t want to settle down.” She laughed as she led Sophie into the small kitchen where she had a pot of tea steeping and a plate of fresh baked oatmeal raisin cookies on the small upcycled wood table Shy had hand-painted and stenciled to reflect her love of bright colors. “I swore I’d never fall into the ‘conventional’ trap,” she said, making air quotes around the word. “But just look at me now.”
Sophie was looking at her friend and what she saw was an enviable life. She was doing exactly what she wanted to do, in her own little piece of paradise, spending her days and nights with the two people she loved most in the world.
She couldn’t help but compare her own life to Shy’s. At the end of the day she fought relentless traffic to get to a place that would never feel like home. She didn’t dare go out after dark, given the stories she’d heard. She didn’t have time for a social life, even if she could summon the energy. These days her life consisted of work, work, and more work. What happened to the balance she’d enjoyed when she and Shy were neighbours? Back then she’d had friends, fun, and boundless energy to pursue all of her passions.
Possession (Texas Titans #8) Page 9