by Debbie Mason
If Kitty was trying to make Sophie feel better, it wasn’t working. “We should probably focus on the meeting for now. Is there anything I need to know? Jasper gave me a list of reliable vendors.” Sophie raised the clipboard.
Kitty angled her head to look at the list. “Hmm, I wonder why he highlighted Charlie Angel’s name. He owns the Salty Dog, you know. He’s not what I’d call reliable. Truth be told, he’s something of a scoundrel. Rumor has it he’s into something illegal.” Far from looking scandalized, Kitty looked intrigued.
“Sorry, I forgot to mention the highlighted names are the ones to avoid.”
“I should have realized Jasper would never recommend Charlie. They have a long-standing feud.”
“There seems to be a lot of those in town.” Sophie prayed that, once her secret was revealed, she wouldn’t start another one.
Kitty gave her an impish grin. “Yes, it’s quite fun. There’s never a dull moment in Harmony Harbor.”
After her conversation with Kitty, the meeting went much better than Sophie expected. Though the divide between the members of the Widow’s Club was somewhat worrisome. Half of the women sat with Rosa on one side of the room, the other half with Kitty. Anytime Rosa or Kitty offered a suggestion, her supporters cheered while her opponents booed.
However, Sophie’s biggest concern, at least for now, was Helga. The sandwiches she’d served were unpalatable at best. And Ava, whom Sophie had asked to assist in the kitchen today, was nowhere in sight. Sophie drew her gaze from the kitchen door as Dana Templeton approached.
Sophie smiled. Although she wasn’t exactly sure why, she felt sorry for the beautiful redhead. She seemed incredibly lonely and sad.
Dana gave her a small smile in return. “If you need any help, Sophie, you can add me to your list.” Her well-modulated voice bespoke wealth and privilege. Everything about her did, from her conservative, tailored clothing, to her hair and manicure.
“I’d love to have your help, Dana. I was at Mistletoe Cottage yesterday. You did an incredible job. Are you an interior designer?”
“Thank you. No, I’m…I’m not qualified to do anything really.”
“Don’t sell yourself short. It takes more than just a good eye and exquisite taste to do what you did.” She studied the woman, getting the sense that Dana was carrying a heavy burden. As a woman who knew the feeling only too well, Sophie was moved to try and help. At the very least, offer her friendship. “If you have the time and are interested, I could really use an assistant. Something of an event planner. There’s not a lot of money in the budget, but I’ll speak to Mr. Wilcox and Kitty about working out an arrangement for free room and board.” Now that Sophie had made the offer, she really hoped Dana would take the job. Because the more she thought about it, adding wedding planner to the already overlong list of things she needed to accomplish in the next few weeks was overwhelming.
“Money isn’t an issue, Sophie. I have all the time in the world too. I’d be more than happy to be your assistant.”
“Change of plans, you’re no longer my assistant. You’re the official event planner-slash-wedding coordinator. And it’s only fair that you be compensated. I have a meeting with Kitty and Mr. Wilcox this week.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Please say you’ll take the job. I”—she glanced at the women clustered into small groups talking before turning back to Dana—“I have some personal issues I have to deal with in the next few days, and I’m afraid they might complicate my interactions with Bethany and Michael.”
“I need something to keep myself occupied, Sophie. I’m more than happy to take the job. If you can give me an idea what you had in mind, I can get started right away.”
“That would be great. Why don’t we go to the study and we can look at what I have so far? Then we’ll set you up in an office of your own,” Sophie said as she gathered her things.
“I just have to get something from my room. I’ll meet you in your office.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Sophie went to each group of women to say her goodbyes before heading to the study. A pretty blonde caught up to her as she left the dining room.
“Sophie, I’m Brie Fitzgerald. I’m managing Guppies for my grandmother.” The woman offered her hand. “I just wanted to check and make sure everything fit.”
“Yes, perfectly. My daughter loved everything.”
Brie smiled. “I’m sure Jasper was relieved. It took him two hours to find what he wanted. It had to be the best.”
Once again Sophie was touched by the thought and care he’d taken to choose Mia’s snowsuit. “It was very kind of him.”
“Our holiday wear just came in. We’re hosting an event to reveal the line to our customers next weekend. Be sure to stop by with your daughter.” Something caught her attention, and she smiled and waved. “I see someone I know. Nice meeting you, Sophie. I’ll e-mail you an invitation to the event.”
“Nice meeting you, too, Brie. Thanks for the…” Sophie didn’t bother finishing the sentence because Brie was already halfway across the lobby. Curious to see who put the flirty smile on the woman’s face, Sophie glanced at the entrance. The man the manager of Guppies was obviously anxious to see, and interested in, was none other than Liam Gallagher—looking ridiculously hot in his firefighter’s uniform.
Liam kept his smile in place and returned the blonde’s wave. He’d always had a good head for names, but for the life of him, he couldn’t remember the name of the pretty woman walking his way. Probably because he was focused on Sophie and caught the moment her eyes lifted in his direction. Saw the panic come over her face. She looked exhausted. No doubt his threat had kept her up last night. She wasn’t the only one who hadn’t gotten any sleep. When he wasn’t responding to calls—there’d been two minor pileups and a chimney fire—he’d been thinking of Sophie. Sophie and Michael. At least they’d distracted Liam from his own problems. He’d been fine for the first two calls, but had another flashback when they’d responded to the chimney fire.
Sophie backtracked and took the back hall. He didn’t blame her for wanting to avoid him. He’d been angry yesterday. For the most part, in his opinion, rightly so. He’d been angry on his cousin’s behalf and Mia’s. They both deserved to know the truth. Part of his anger was fueled by jealousy too. He was jealous that Mia and Sophie would now be tied to his cousin forever. They’d share a bond and connection that Liam never would. One that he’d finally admitted to himself that maybe, just maybe, he wanted. Or at the very least thought he might. That’s why the news had hit him so hard and he’d said things he regretted. He planned to apologize to her and withdraw his threat. He still expected her to tell his cousin, but it would be on her timeline, not his.
He smiled at the blonde when she reached him. He’d met her when her nephew and niece escaped from the house up the street to get an early start trick-or-treating. The little boy had been dressed as a fireman. “Hey there, how’s your nephew?”
“Still wearing his uniform around the house.” She grinned. “You don’t remember my name, do you?”
“Sure I do. Bad habit, I always call pretty women there.”
“I’ll put you out of your misery, but only because you complimented me. It’s Brie.”
He leaned back and gave her a distracted smile. He had a clear line of sight to the study. He had a feeling that’s where Sophie was headed. “I won’t forget again. Have you taken your nephew for a visit to the station yet?”
“No, but now that you’re working there, I’ll be sure to bring him by. Maybe we can grab that coffee.”
“I’m just helping my dad out for a couple days. I’m heading back to Boston Friday.” He glanced toward the study again. Sophie was there and caught his eye then quickly looked away. “Brie, I have something I need to do.”
“No problem. How about—”
Liam heard Sophie cry out as she opened the door to the study. He ran toward her, belatedly realizing he’d cut
off Brie. “Sorry, another time,” he called over his shoulder.
“Soph, what’s…What the hell happened in here?” It looked like a tornado had blown through the study. Papers were strewn from one end of the room to the other. All the desk drawers were pulled out, two of them lying on the floor.
“I don’t know. It looks like someone broke in. Maybe they were looking for Colleen’s…” As though just realizing who she was talking to, her expression closed off, and she gestured to the door. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Look, I know you’re mad, Soph. But—”
“You don’t know anything about me, Liam Gallagher. So just get your sanctimonious self out of here and leave me alone. Go back to your girlfriend.”
She turned away from him and put her purse and leather portfolio on the corner of the desk. He shut the door, crossed his arms, and leaned against it. She looked over her shoulder. “I said—”
“I heard what you said. Maybe I overreacted yesterday. It was a shock. I’m not going to tell Michael. You can do it when you’re ready. But, Soph, you have to tell him.”
She bent over to pick up some papers. “Are you expecting me to thank you? Because if you are, you can forget about it. After what you said to me...” She whirled around and threw a fistful of papers at him. “I didn’t deserve that, Liam. I’m a good mother. I did the best I could. Maura would have taken my daughter from me or insisted that I give her up. The Michael I knew then, the Michael he used to be, would have given in to her and you know it.”
“Calm down.” He moved cautiously toward her. “I should have given you a chance to explain. Will you tell me now?”
She moved away from him. “No, you lost your chance. I have a meeting with Dana in a few minutes. I have to clean this up.”
“It’ll go faster if you let me help.”
“Fine.” She turned away to clear off the top of the desk. “Just put them in a pile here, and I’ll organize them later.”
“Soph?”
“What?”
“Brie isn’t my girlfriend,” he said, crouching to pick up a file folder filled with documents.
“And I’m supposed to care, why?”
“I didn’t want you to think I was seeing someone when I’ve been making out with you.”
“Please, we didn’t make out.”
He gathered the papers into a pile and straightened to put them on the desk. One fell off. “Really? Maybe you’d like to clue me in to exactly what we were doing then.” He scooped the paper off the floor, briefly scanning the document as he returned it to the top of the pile. No, couldn’t be. He rubbed his eyes and read the names on the birth certificate again, mother and daughter, the date of birth. His knees went weak.
“What’s wrong with you? What are you looking at?”
He raised his gaze to hers. “When was Mia conceived?”
“None of your damn business. Just get out—”
“Sophie, tell me when Mia was conceived,” he said through clenched teeth.
“July twenty-eighth. The night of the party at Greystone, okay?”
“Where?”
“Oh my God, I don’t know why you think this is any of your—”
His jaw pulsated from clenching it so tight. “Either you tell me or I ask Michael.”
She glared at him. “Kismet Cove. Happy now?”
Afraid his legs were going to give out, he pulled the chair over to sit down. He cleared his throat, but his voice still came out a rough rasp. “Mia isn’t Michael’s, Sophie. She’s mine.”
Chapter Fifteen
Honorable, honest…virtues Liam’s parents had instilled in their sons. Up until that night at Kismet Cove, Liam had done his best to live up to their expectations. It hadn’t been difficult. His father modeled the attributes every day and ingrained them in Liam and his brothers. He’d made a drunken mistake, but it had been an honest one. Silence had seemed the better part of valor. He’d been protecting Sophie, Michael, and in the end, he acknowledged, himself.
He’d never intended to go to the party. Couldn’t stand seeing his cousin with Sophie. He’d done his best to avoid them that summer. But the day of the party at Greystone, his cousin started asking him questions, and Liam knew he was close to figuring it out. So he went. And like pretty much everyone there, he had too much to drink…
Liam’s T-shirt stuck to his skin. The night was hot and sultry and smelled of salt water and roses. He stretched out on the damp grass and tracked the clouds moving across the moon. He closed his eyes when everything started to spin. It didn’t help, and he staggered to his feet.
“Hey, lightweight,” Marco called out to him. “Where you going? Get over here and meet my new friend. She’s got a cousin.”
He waved him off. “I’m gonna crash at the manor. Have fun.” The word cousin left a bitter taste in his mouth. He pretty much hated his right now. Hated what Michael was doing behind Sophie’s back.
As Liam made his way to the trash can to toss his half-full bottle of beer, he saw Sophie staring at a couple making out under a tree. It was Michael and Shay Angel. Standing in her white string bikini with her long hair streaming down her back, Sophie was so beautiful it hurt to look at her. He wanted to go to her, take the wine bottle from her hand, and tell her to forget about his asshole cousin. Tell her she’d picked the wrong Gallagher; she should have picked him.
He headed for the manor. She wouldn’t listen to him. Wouldn’t care that he’d been in love with her for years. He heard the sound of a bottle breaking, a muffled cry, and turned to see Sophie running for the beach. He called out to her. She was drunk, upset, and heading for Kismet Cove. It was dark and dangerous. He started to run, tripped over a rock, and landed on his knees. Shit, he was wasted too. He pushed himself to his feet, calling out to her as he ran across the grass to the beach. He jumped from a boulder into the cold sand. He heard her crying, the sound muffled by the waves rolling onto shore. A few feet to his right he saw a flash of white and went to her, kneeling at her side. “Soph—”
She threw herself into his arms, nearly knocking him on his ass. “I’m sorry—” He started to apologize for his cousin being a jerk, but she shut him up with a kiss. He tasted the wine on her lips, in her warm mouth when she opened and touched her tongue to his. He groaned as he pulled back. No matter how much he wanted Sophie, he wouldn’t let her use him to forget about Michael. “You’ve had too much to drink. You’re upset.”
“No, I want you. I want this,” she said, pieces of white cloth flying over his head. She took his hands and placed them on her full, bare breasts. Breasts he’d fantasized about. He’d spent two years fantasizing about her naked and under him, and then she was. She stripped off his shirt and tugged down his shorts. He couldn’t resist anymore. He wanted her, and she finally wanted him. “I love you. I’ve always loved you,” he whispered in her ear as he buried himself inside her. She wrapped her legs around him, taking him deeper, rocking against him. He worshipped her with his hands and his mouth. She moaned and writhed beneath him. He wasn’t going to last much… “Soph, I don’t have a condom on. I have to pull—”
She giggled. “You know I’m on the pill, silly. You…yes, yes.” She lifted her hips, her legs tightening around his waist.
“You know.” The words dropped into his head like a stone in the ocean. Ripples of shock crashed over him as they sank in. She didn’t know. She didn’t know it was him. His heart raced and his stomach turned. He had to stop. He had to stop now. Panicked, he struggled for control. “Sophie, we have to stop. You have to let me…” She moved her hands to his ass, deepening the connection. “Jesus, no, don’t…” He trailed off on a groan as he shuddered his release.
She stroked his hair. “Oh, Michael, that was so good. I love you. I love you too.”
He shouldn’t have gone after her. Ah, but he was the gallant Gallagher, wasn’t he? He’d helped her back into her bathing suit and got dressed without saying a word. Smiled when she said something she thought to b
e funny. Turned his head when she tried to kiss him again, took her hand so she’d stop touching him, and walked her back to the manor.
He couldn’t find his cousin. Later he found out that Michael had taken off with Shay. Liam had dragged a lounge chair over to Sophie, sat her down on it, and went in search of Marco. He’d told his best friend that Michael had to take off and Sophie was drunk, and he should take her home. Liam never told anyone about the night Sophie had broken his heart. He didn’t want to ruin his friendship with her, Marco, or Michael. No matter that his cousin was an idiot, he was still family. Michael left Harmony Harbor two days later. Three days later, Liam headed out West to fight a wildfire.
He felt Sophie staring at him and scrubbed his hands over his face. “Soph, I can explain—”
“I think I know who I slept with, Liam,” she snapped; then her eyes went wide and filled with concern. “You’re delusional. Should I call a doctor? No, that wouldn’t be good, would it? For your job, I mean. I’ll call your dad.”
“What are you talking about? I’m not delusional.”
“It’s all right. Your grandmother explained what happened to you. That you’ve had problems since the warehouse fire.”
For a split second, he was tempted to let it go at that. It would be easier than telling her what he had to. But he had a daughter. Mia was his. All he’d been thinking about was how to tell Sophie what he’d done without her hating him. He’d forgotten the most important person in all of this. Their little girl. Maybe somewhere deep inside him he’d already known she was his, sensed the connection.
“Come here, Soph. Come here and sit down.” She did as he asked, taking the seat across from him. He moved his chair closer and took her hands in his. “I’m not delusional. Mia is mine.” She tried to pull her hands from his, and he tightened his grip. “No, you have to hear me out. I didn’t mean for it to happen, Soph. You have to believe me. I thought you knew it was me.”