Christian pursed his lips, weighing Jackson's plot summary. "I don't recommend you quit your day job just yet."
"Fine. But I was serious about the marriage counseling gig."
"Understood. I'll be here until the book is complete." Christian stood. "Which, as your luck would have it, should happen very soon."
A voicemail was waiting for Christian when he returned to his room. He recognized the area code. New York.
"Hello, CJ. This is Lisa Caldwell calling from Median Publishing. I hope you are well. I understand that you and Burns Golden have been chatting about your upcoming release. CJ, regardless of where you are in your conversation with Mr. Golden, I would like the opportunity to talk with you, in person, if I may. Please return my call at your earliest convenience."
A couple of years ago, one well-placed punch took opportunity down and Christian had been licking wounds of his own ever since. He'd done more than nurse his wounds—he'd bound them, watched them heal, then exposed them to daylight again, despite the naysayers. He never expected to hear from his past ever again.
But now that he had, and in light of his current precarious situation, Christian wondered if he should consider letting bygones be bygones.
Sophia was beginning to think she could pull this off.
"Those numbers are fantastic," Wade said, the hush of wind and water spiraling between them. "You should be proud—and thrilled. Are you?"
Since the viral post that had moved Sophia's designs into the spotlight, she had been pulled into a whirlwind. Ups, downs, sideways, and up again. Now as she and Wade walked along the beach in front of the inn, she allowed her new reality to settle into her mind. "I-yes. Yes, I believe I am ... thrilled."
Wade took hold of her fingers as a wave careened toward them then sputtered onto land. He laughed as he drew her away from the ripple of water. "You should be!"
She returned his smile, grateful for the water's coolness as it filtered between her toes and the warmth of evening air as it brought on the night. He let her hand go and they walked lazily side by side, her heart and mind as calm as the sea.
"You probably already know this, Sophia, but I am very proud of you, too." Wade beamed as he walked beside her with her sneaking glances as he spoke. "I know this is not what you expected ... to come here and immediately find yourself digging back into your design company. You could have turned away from interest in your designs—but you didn't. And look at you now."
She glanced toward the inn. A lone figure on a balcony stood out among the others. She knew that Christian watched the sea for inspiration, and likely, this was what drew him out here tonight as well. She raised her hand in a wave, but as she did, Christian turned and retreated inside.
Sophia lowered her hand, wrapped her arms around herself, hugging her body. He probably went back inside to write about what he had seen and how it had inspired him.
"How do you feel about the progress on the sale of Sea Castle?" Wade said, snapping her back into the moment.
She returned his gaze. "I will be honest—I haven't had a lot of time to think about it. Jackson has kept me updated with some of the details, but"—she laughed now—"I have not had much brain space available, I'm afraid."
Was that how writers' brains worked as well? Could they handle myriad details while also writing a story from scratch? How did they keep it all straight?
"Think about how the Florida sale will help you," Wade was saying. "The additional dollars will not only help Jackson pay off debts, but you'll have the funds you need to turn your attention to remodeling the inn. Of course, none of this will be possible until after Fashion Week—I know you will be thinking of nothing else until then."
"True."
"Are you sure you won't consider attending yourself?"
"Oh, no. I have Raven for that. She's a pro at Fashion Week, so I will happily leave all of that to her."
He nodded. "Spoken like a true introvert."
"Guilty."
"Nothing to be feeling guilty about." He smiled and reached for her hand again, enveloping it in his. "You know yourself. I respect that."
She allowed him to pull her along on the beach, her hand comfortable in his, a sense of calm warming her. Safety. He was right about the sale of the Florida property too, though a tinge of sadness over the entire ordeal zinged through her. "I still regret that the Sea Castle must be sold, but I can't say that I don't agree with moving forward. It is the right thing to do, especially if I finally begin to see fewer lines on my brother's face."
"I agree. A decision that will affect all of your futures." He reached for her other hand and swiftly gathered her to himself, kissing her lightly on the lips. She did not resist, though she'd been taken by surprise. His voice held a certain breathlessness. "I promise to let you get through Fashion Week before I lose my mind completely over you ... but after that, I want to talk to you more fully about your future, Ms. Agli."
Wade would make the perfect husband. Handsome, caring, smart ... though her body hung heavy with fatigue, and her mind had cramped from an overload of information, Sophia began to grow fond of the idea of Wade Prince—with her.
She nuzzled close to him as the afterglow of the sun disappeared and the temperature of the night began to drop. When they reached the path, they each slipped their flip-flops back on. He then walked her back toward the inn, one hand looped around her shoulder.
"There you are!" Trace said. The concierge ran toward them as they stepped along the winding path that edged the cliff. She held a note in one hand and clutched her heart with the other, her shoulders heaving.
Sophia put an arm around Trace's shoulders. "Are you okay? What's the matter?"
"I've been running all over the grounds looking for you," Trace said. She thrust the note into Sophia's hands.
Must speak to you ASAP - Raven
Sophia looked from the note to Trace, concern gripping her. "Did you talk to her yourself?"
"I sure did. She said it's urgent. You have to call her tonight. That's why I ran all over this place looking for you."
Sophia whipped a look at Wade. "I'm sorry. I'd better take this. I hope you understand."
"I do indeed. Duty calls." He walked them to the inn's glass doors and gave Sophia a gentle salute. "I'll give you a raincheck on dinner." Then he kissed her on the cheek and disappeared.
"He's a cutie," Trace said after he'd gone. "Kind of old for you, but I wouldn't pass on him either if it were me he was mooning over."
"Trace!"
The concierge laughed and patted Sophia's arm. "I was going to ask you not to tell the boss, but then it hit me—you kinda are the boss!"
Sophia shook her head, laughter filling her. "Thank you for flagging me down, Trace. I do appreciate it."
"Right-o! Now go and answer that girl. She was frantic!"
What could be so urgent that Raven could not wait until tomorrow to call? Sophia furrowed her brow while waiting for the elevator, which seemed to be stopped on the fifth floor. With a quick pivot, she entered the stairwell instead and hurried up to her room.
Inside, she found her phone plugged into its charger. Five missed calls.
"Sophia! Thank God you finally called me back!"
"Is everything okay, Raven? What has happened?"
"I can't believe that I'm having to tell you this, but I cannot attend Fashion Week for you."
Sophia lowered herself to the bed. It was either that, or pick herself up off the floor. "I don't understand. Are you leaving me for another client?"
"Not exactly. It's just—I've landed my dream job. I'm leaving fashion to take a public relations director position with Hayes Hotels."
Sophia couldn't breathe. She sat there, deflated, knowing she should find some way to offer Raven her congratulations—but she needed her!
"I don't know what to say, Raven. Of course, I'm thrilled for you, but ... is there any way you could begin your new position after New York?"
"I had hoped to, but the compa
ny has an all-week management meeting scheduled for that same week in Seattle. They specifically hired me now so I could be there for training—I swear I didn't know about it when I was interviewing. Shoot, Sophia, I thought this job was a long shot for me anyway. Truly."
"I see. Dream job?"
"I'm really sorry, but hey, you love New York, right? Now you can go back in my place."
"Me?"
"Or maybe hire an assistant to go with you? I can probably find somebody in my contact list to assist."
Even as she said it, Sophia knew finding someone at this late date was less than ideal. The strongest candidates were already booked. And those who weren't would be too green to learn what they needed to know in such a short time.
"When do you start?"
"Next week. That means I can give you a whole week's training before I leave. Oh, except that I had planned to take Friday off for a three-day getaway, but that leaves four days!"
Four days to finish last-minute details on her designs ... and learn everything she needed to know about her biggest selling event of the year. She hung up and continued to sink into her bed, longing to yank the soft comforter over her head so she could sulk properly.
Friends don't let friends go down that road ...
Christian's admonishment from the other night, when she'd been allowing herself to sink into the abyss of despair, rose to her mind. Liddy would know what to do. Meg would have some ideas too.
Before she could take action on that enticing comforter, Sophia knew she had better make some phone calls.
"So the plan is that I'll handle things up until New York, then you two"—Liddy shot her pointer fingers at Sophia and Meg like she'd just pulled them from a holster—"wing it to the City. Have I mentioned how thoroughly jealous I am?"
"Only like a dozen times already," Meg said.
Liddy leaned against the vinyl criss-crossed deck chair, pouting. "You know I'd go in a heartbeat."
"But you don't want to leave the baby. We get it, Liddy. Stop apologizing!" Meg turned to Sophia. "How are you doing with all of this?"
"Well, I'm worried, nervous—a little petrified." Sophia removed her sunglasses and looked at them both. "Oh, but I am so grateful to you both for helping me. Thank you very much."
Meg gave her sister-in-law a side hug. "Wouldn't have it any other way. Plus, I love New York so much. Hopefully there'll be some downtime so we can pop into some of my favorite restaurants. Maybe even a show."
Sophia adjusted the floppy hat she'd worn, trying to hide doubt from her face. She had attended Fashion Week a couple of times, but only for certain shows and never as her own representative. If everything she had heard from Raven was true, they'd be on their feet all day—and curled up in their hotel room beds as soon as they stepped off the showroom floor and out of their heels.
"Tell me where we are with the Instagram photos, Liddy. Have they all been posted?" Sophia asked.
Liddy wrinkled her forehead, her smile comical. "For someone dating a social media wizard, you sure are unworldly. Do you even have a Facebook account?"
"Hold up." Meg leaned toward her sister-in-law, her mouth agape. "You're dating Wade?"
"N-no, it's not—well, we are close friends, but ... who said we are dating?"
Both women looked at Liddy, who sputtered and lifted her hand in surrender. "I didn't come up with this on my own. Trace said you two looked quite cozy the other evening. Said you'd been on the beach together and that Wade was, uh, getting handsy."
"Oh!" Sophia's face inflamed—she could feel it.
"Sophia, honey, why didn't you tell me that you two had been getting so close?" Meg said. "Wade's a great guy—I just didn't realize how you two had, you know, progressed. Jackson will want to know—can you tell him soon?"
"But it was his idea, wasn't it?" Liddy shot back.
"Jackson, a matchmaker? I love the man, but he can be quite clueless." Meg laughed. "I mean that in the most loving way."
"I don't know," Liddy said. "If I were a betting woman, I'd put my money on little brother being behind this one."
Sophia watched the two women banter, her cheeks no doubt scarlet. She wasn't a prude, but she had always kept her private life private. Growing up with a sister like Gia to undermine her efforts at life and love—and everything in between—she had learned to set boundaries. And still, look at all the upheaval she'd managed to cause.
Perhaps this was the reason she had not mentioned to anyone how fond she was becoming of Wade.
"Wade and I are not officially dating. But if that changes, you two will be the first to know." Even as she said it, his words from the night before ran through her mind. I promise to let you get through Fashion Week before I lose my mind completely over you ... "Now," she said, "shall we continue?"
For the rest of their meeting, Liddy and Meg let the matter rest. Even after they'd gone, Sophia lingered by the pool that overlooked the ocean. How had she ever preferred the grittiness of the city to this? Two children—a boy and a girl—each took turns jumping into the pool, climbed back out again, and jumped in again, all the while crying out, "Daddy, Daddy, look at me! Look, Daddy!"
A typical scene that she could never quite remember from her own childhood. Not that her stepfather had ignored her. He helped her with math and stood in the gap when Gia was being a pest. He loved their mother, and though he traveled for work often, she could not remember a time when he hadn't returned home with gifts and stories from his travels to the States.
If only those arrivals home weren't followed by his drinking ... to excess.
"I'm such an idiot," she murmured.
"Come here often?"
Sophia looked up to find Christian watching her.
"Not as often as I'd like." She nodded at a chair. "Please, join me?"
He gave her a half smile and pulled out the chair. "You looked lost in thought," he said when he'd sat down.
"My mind had wandered, yes." She ran a quick search, but couldn't exactly recall what she had been thinking about when Christian interrupted her. "But I'm glad you brought me back to the present. I have so much to prepare for today."
"Really? I thought you were nearly done." One of his eyebrows rose, his eyes watchful, lucid. If he weren't a writer, Christian could be a cover model for some rugged, outdoorsy magazine. She pictured him in the jungle with a machete ...
"Sophia?"
She blinked. "Sorry, sorry. I received some news yesterday. My rep, Raven, abruptly quit."
Both of those brows rose now. "What does that mean for your presence at Fashion Week?"
"It means that I will have to attend."
He nodded. "So you're going home."
She smiled regretfully. "It appears so. Thankfully Liddy has jumped in to help me prepare, and Meg will attend the show with me. I don't know what I would do if they had not agreed to step in."
"I think you'll do great. No one knows your product better than you."
She swallowed back a response that would likely have been negative and forced a smile. Though she believed what he said in theory, the thought of selling the brightly colored dresses caused her to sweat. She fanned herself with a napkin, the effect less than adequate. "Sorry." She gave a brief laugh. "It's awfully hot."
He winked. "I often have that effect on women."
She laughed, embarrassed.
He added, "Of course, they are usually menopausal women, but hey, I'll take what I can get."
Sophia continued to laugh and fan herself. He'd made her forget about her problems, a feat he had accomplished regularly since the moment they had met.
"I want you to know that I'm not stalking you, Sophia."
"Why would I think that?"
"Because I'm going to New York myself. I'll be there the same week as you."
"But you hate the City."
He sat back and chuckled. "Hate is a strong word. I'm just not as enamored with New York as some people. You, for example. But, who knows, maybe this time my ex
perience will be different."
For the second time this morning, Sophia sensed her spirit lift. First when Liddy and Meg agreed to step in after Raven's abandonment, and now, inexplicably, from the knowledge that Christian would soon be in New York as well. She folded her arms on the patio table and leaned toward him. "I guarantee it will be different because I'm going to show you around."
"Won't you be somewhat preoccupied?"
"Meg has agreed to be the face of our booth. I'm sure I will have some time to show you why you need to love New York as much as I do."
He gave her a doubtful smile, but said, "I'm willing to give it a shot."
"Good. Now, why will you be in New York?"
"Haven't I already told you?"
She tilted her head to one side. "No, I don't think so. Unless ..."
"Unless?"
"Is it because you are following me there?"
He grinned and leaned onto the table as well until they were nearly nose to nose. "How can I convince you, beautiful Sophia, that I am not the stalker that you think I am?"
She stared back at him. "I would help you out if I weren't so terrible at witty comebacks."
"Oh, I don't know. You've caught me off guard more than once."
"I doubt that—I'm pretty slow."
He frowned and pulled away slightly. "Why do you do that?"
"I don't know what you mean? What do I do?"
"Criticize yourself."
She gave him a laugh and waved him away. "I was kidding, of course."
He rubbed the back of his neck and watched her, his forehead knotted. It unnerved her how he seemed to parse her words, as if reading more into them than what she'd meant. Maybe that's what writers did, though.
"Promise me you'll treat yourself better—you deserve it."
She glanced away, the direction of this conversation uncomfortable. She swung a look back at him. "You never did tell me why you're going to be in New York during Fashion Week."
A smile broke across his face. "Well, that's coincidental, I assure you. Actually, I've agreed to meet with my former publisher about the book I'm working on."
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