by Karen Booth
“We need to get your foot elevated. Can I carry you somewhere so you can lie down?”
The idea of lying down near him had her thinking all sorts of crazy thoughts—she nearly answered that her bedroom was right upstairs. Nearly. She needed to retrain her brain to stop thinking about him that way. There had been a time when she was skilled at keeping herself in the friend zone, but she was out of practice. “I can walk.” She had no idea if that was true. Her foot was throbbing like it had its own heartbeat.
“I’m sure you can. But I’m not going to let you hurt yourself when I can stop it.”
“So I’ll sell you my two billion dollars in Manhattan real estate?” She might as well just put it out there. His true intentions would go far in reminding her that however gorgeous and sexy he was, Jake was a threat to the future she wanted for herself.
“No. So you’ll listen to me when I say that I need to hide out here for a few hours until the storm passes.” Placing his knee on the tread immediately below her, he reached out for her. “Come on. Put your arm around my shoulders.”
Sophie was prepared to protest some more, but this close, Jake’s heady scent filled her nose, and that switched her brain into a far too accommodating creature. She’d long ago developed a serious weakness for his heavenly smell of soap and sandalwood, and the years apart had not managed to dull her reaction to it. Sophie raised her arm and he came in closer, making the fragrance even more intense. He wrapped his hand around her waist and scooped up her legs with his other arm. She had no choice but to curl her other hand around his neck and turn her face into his chest as he straightened and picked her up from the stairs.
“Where to?” he asked.
Sophie was too mesmerized by the sensory delights of being this close to Jake to think of an immediate answer. He was wearing the softest black cashmere sweater, which was a delicious contrast to the way his facial hair scratched at her temple. His body radiated so much warmth, she just wanted to stay like this. Everything about him seemed designed to draw her in. “Across the hall. The arched doorway.”
Jake carried her into the sitting room. “I’m going to set you down on the couch.” His warmth quickly evaporated as he let go, a very real reminder of what a disappointment it was when he decided to step away. He grabbed a pillow for behind her back and another to go under her foot. “Now ice?”
“Kitchen. Straight down the center hall. You’ll find it.”
He sauntered out of the room while Sophie took the opportunity to watch him walk away. Talk about a man who looked good coming and going—that was Jake. It was as if his butt was made for those jeans. But now that she was alone, doubt and reality crept back in, reclaiming their stake on her. Jake had a motive for being here, and no amount of admiring him in those jeans or breathing his inebriating scent was going to change it. Jake wanted to buy her dream out from under her, and she wasn’t going to let that happen.
* * *
Jake found the ice with no problem. It was his confidence that was escaping him.
“What am I doing here?” he mumbled to himself. “This was so dumb. How desperate could I possibly look?” No answers came—spoken or otherwise. He opened several drawers until he located a dish towel to wrap up the compress for Sophie. He found himself almost glad that she’d hurt her foot. It gave him a diversion so he didn’t have to answer her questions, but he knew they were coming. She never let him off the hook.
“Here we go,” he said, waltzing into the room as if this was a casual meeting of the minds and it wasn’t strange that he’d driven hours to get to her. He sat at the far end of the couch and carefully slipped his hand under her foot. Touching her bare skin made a long-gone recognition flicker to life inside him. He looked up at her and their gazes connected, completing a circuit, or at least that was the way it felt on his end. He quickly looked away. He had no business feeling this way about Sophie. Whatever heat and desire that had once been between them might still be smoldering, but he couldn’t allow it to burst into full flame. One time, however amazing, was history. Nothing more.
He gently placed the ice pack on what was now a bulging red bump.
She winced. “Do you think I broke it?”
“Can you move your toes?”
She managed a wiggle. “A little. It hurts, though.”
“How much does it hurt?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never broken a bone before.”
“Seriously? I broke my left arm twice before my tenth birthday.” As a kid, he was always getting into trouble while running around the neighborhood, but that was preferable to being in the house. His home life had been lonely and unhappy, especially after his mom left him with his grandmother and never came back. He didn’t like to think about it too much, even when he fully owned that it had made him into the man he was today. Independent. Determined. Untrusting.
“I was not rough-and-tumble, Jake. I was the girl reading fashion magazines and thinking too much about boys.”
“But then you ended up in business school.”
“That was Gram’s idea. It was always her plan to groom Mindy and me to run Eden’s.” Sophie shifted in her seat and looked right at him, chipping away at his resolve with her warm brown eyes. “I know that’s why you hunted me down.”
So much for small talk. At least he didn’t have to sidestep topics or make excuses. “I wouldn’t say I hunted you down so much as I used the resources at my disposal to find you.”
“I talked to Mindy. I think she was hoping that sending the hot handsome guy to distract me might make me give in to the idea of selling.”
A smile played at the corner of his mouth, but he tried his damnedest to suppress it. He shouldn’t be happy that she’d called him hot or handsome. “I don’t know what her thought process was, but I know she understands that the three of us can help each other. A lot.”
Sophie frowned. “So that really is the only reason you’re here. One more attempt to get me to give in to you.”
The thought of Sophie giving in to him...well, it was too much to take. He’d never get any business done, or repair this friendship, if he was focused on that. “That was part of it. Sure. But I also hate the idea that I can’t call your office and get you to pick up the phone. I don’t like the fact that I went to see you and it was like our friendship had never existed.”
“My grandmother died a month ago, Jake. Believe it or not, this is about more than you and me and our history.”
“But we were close once, Soph. Really close.”
“Were, as in past tense. A lot of years have gone by, during which I heard from you exactly zero times.”
“The phone works both ways. I could say the same thing for you.”
Sophie jerked her foot back from Jake’s hand. “I had my reasons.” She leaned on the sofa arm and attempted to stand up. “Ow.” She slumped back down on the cushions. “I can’t have a broken foot. I don’t have time for it. I have too much stuff to do.”
“Hey. Easy. It’s Friday.” He glanced out the window, where the snow was coming down even harder than it had been fifteen minutes ago. “By the look of things, neither of us is getting out of here anytime soon.”
“Was it snowing when you left the city?”
“It was. Not too bad.”
“And you kept going?”
He’d thought about turning back once or twice, but two things kept him from doing that—first, his promise to his fellow investors that he would close this deal this weekend, and second, he wanted to spend time with Sophie. That line about hating the fact that she wouldn’t take his calls was true. He didn’t want her to hate him. “The forecast said it was only supposed to be a few inches.”
“There’s practically a foot out there already.”
“I’m sure it’ll slow down soon.”
Sophie sat back against the sofa cushion. “Do you mind sta
rting a fire? It’s a bit drafty in here.”
Jake was perennially hot, but if memory served, Sophie got cold all the time. “Sure thing.” He hopped up from the sofa. “Where’s the wood?”
“Utility room off the kitchen.”
He hustled down the hall, found the wood, a stack of newspapers and a carrier. Supplies in hand, he headed back to the sitting room. He stopped for a minute to look at a few of the family pictures in the hall. One in particular held his attention—Christmas morning. Sophie looked to be about thirteen, with spindly legs and a mouth full of braces. Also there were her sister and parents, as well as her grandmother. Each face was so happy Jake found it hard to believe it was real. His own memories of Christmas looked nothing like that. How fortunate Sophie had been to grow up with that in her life—something she didn’t have to doubt or question. Jake would have done anything to have had that when he was a kid.
“I can’t believe Mindy sold me out,” Sophie said as he returned to the room.
He opened the flue and stacked the wood across the cast-iron grate. “I called her after our run-in at your office. I thought an in-person conversation was better than one where you’re unbearably busy and a million people are running around.” He crumpled newspaper and tucked it between the logs, then used one of the long fireplace matches to start the fire.
“So you wanted to separate me from the herd.”
He slid the fireplace screen into place and joined her back on the sofa. “From where I sit, you’re already separated from the herd. You’re trying to steer a sinking ship all by yourself. And the one person who could help you, your sister, wants nothing to do with it. I don’t see how you’re going to do it. What happens if she demands a buyout?”
Sophie collected her long hair in her hand, draping it over one shoulder. Jake had always been so mesmerized by the color. He had a serious weakness for blondes and for redheads. Sophie’s color was somewhere in between, and he’d never seen that particular shade on anyone, making her doubly alluring. “I guess I’ll have to figure out a way to raise the money or propose a payment plan. She is my sister. I’m sure she’ll work with me.”
“I don’t know. She could really use that money for her business. It’s important to her.”
“My business is important to me, too. Everybody acts like this is no big deal and it feels like life or death to me.” Her tone bubbled over with desperation. It was clear that all she wanted was for someone to hear her. She must be awfully tired of Mindy’s not listening.
Jake had come to Eden House prepared to show Sophie the problems with the sustainability of her business, but this might not be the time to share everything he’d learned. Plus, one could argue that pointing out the trouble spots would only help her turn things around. He had a loyalty to her, but his first responsibility was to himself and his fellow investors. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to upset you.”
“Look. Here’s the deal. Nothing about Eden’s can even be decided until the will is read on December 18. Can we just agree to not talk about the sale until after that day? I don’t want to be stuck in a house with you if we have this hanging over our heads.”
This was a clever move on Sophie’s part, one he hadn’t seen coming. He took a moment before responding. He had to cover his own butt. At the very least, his fellow investors expected him to get a leg up on any other potential buyers. “Make me one promise?”
“That depends.” She cocked an eyebrow at him. “But I’m listening.”
“Promise me you won’t make a deal with anyone else without first talking to me. Please don’t pull the rug out from under me. I shouldn’t even admit this. I know I’m just showing my cards, but chances are that I will always be able to sweeten the deal.”
She eyed him with an overwhelming sense of distrust. It felt as though she was peeling back his layers, which made him extremely uncomfortable. “I’ll have your back as long as you have mine. Trust is just like the phone. It goes both ways.”
Jake sensed this was as close as he’d get to a victory. At least for today. “Does that mean you’re willing to mend fences?”
“I’m willing to try. I think champagne might help.”
Four
Sophie was proud of herself. She’d found a way to get Jake to back down about Eden’s, albeit only a temporary fix. As for their friendship, was it a good idea to repair it? Was it even possible? Her doubts mostly stemmed from the hurt she was still clinging to after eight years. She could admit that much to herself. But it wasn’t as simple as forgiving and forgetting. Her attraction to him was still bubbling away inside her, and now that she was back in close proximity to him, there was no telling when she might just boil over and do something stupid like kiss him. Or beg him to take off his sweater. Maybe give her a naked back rub. Stuck together until Mother Nature stopped it with the snow and the road conditions improved, there was no telling what she might do.
“You stay put,” he said. “I’ll get everything from the kitchen if you just tell me what I’m doing.”
“It might be easier if I go with you.”
“You want me to carry you again?”
A fun idea, but she needed to maintain her independence. “Maybe you just let me put my arm around your shoulders and I’ll hop along on one foot.”
The corners of his mouth turned down in the most adorable way. “I’m not sure.”
“I’m a grown woman, Jake. I think I can take the risk.” Using the arm of the sofa, she pushed herself to standing, balancing on her one good foot. “Should I see if I can put any weight on the bad one?”
He shook his head. “No way. Let’s save some excitement for tomorrow.” Stooping lower, he wrapped his arm around her waist. His touch was tentative, as if he was recognizing the walls still towering between them. She hated that they were there, but she’d been the one who’d spent so much time and effort shoring them up. And they did protect her. There was no discounting that.
She followed his cue, gently draping her arm across his firm shoulders. She leaned into him, and they ambled down the corridor, Sophie traveling one hop at a time. She used a hand to steady herself on the wall, but otherwise depended on him. If this wasn’t a metaphor for the first two years of their friendship, she wasn’t sure what was. She’d always felt a step behind him, and as if he would always be more capable. One more reason to be glad they’d agreed to table any discussion of Eden’s. She despised being at a disadvantage, especially when what was on the line meant so much to her.
“I noticed some of the pictures,” he said, gesturing to the wall. “Looks like you had some nice times with your family here.”
“The best.”
Jake stopped right in front of the one of Mindy and her standing by the pool. This particular snapshot had always made Sophie cringe. She was thirteen and Mindy fifteen. The vast differences in development between girls at those two ages was so evident, it was like a before-and-after picture. Mindy had real hips and breasts, curves and confidence. Sophie was flat-chested and board-straight, incapable of filling out her pink two-piece.
“I love this one,” he said.
“You would. This is the only one I hate. Gram thought it was cute.”
“It is cute. You’re adorable with your braces and those long legs.”
“What? No. There’s nothing adorable about it. I’m so awkward, it’s painful to look at.”
He shrugged, studying the photograph. “I don’t think it’s awkward. I can see the beginnings of the beautiful woman you eventually become.” He traced his finger along the lines of her body in the photo. “I can see where every curve will eventually be. Knowing what you look like now, the transformation is remarkable.”
It wasn’t often that Sophie’s opinion of anything having to do with herself could be changed or turned around, but he had a point. She’d always looked at the photograph and allowed herself to feel dragged ba
ck to the days when she wasn’t confident in the way she looked, rather than taking stock in how far she’d come. “I never thought of it that way.”
“Most people don’t see themselves the way the world does, but I’ve always suspected you might be one of the worst at it.”
“What does that mean?”
“You don’t give yourself enough credit for anything. You never have.”
“If you’re trying to flatter me to get me to soften my view on selling Eden’s, it won’t work.”
He looked down his nose at her, admonishing her with his piercing green eyes. “We agreed not to talk about it, remember? We’re supposed to be on a mission for champagne.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” He tugged her away from the photograph and they finished their trip to the kitchen. Sophie used the counters to help herself get around the room as she directed Jake to the refrigerator. “There’s some amazing cheese in the fridge. Smoked Gouda and Camembert with truffles. Grab that while you’re in there and I’ll get some crackers.”
“Sounds like dinner.”
“That was pretty much my plan. It’s not fun to cook for one.”
Jake nodded. “I know that all too well.”
Sophie had to wonder how it was possible that after all this time, they were both still single. She’d had a few near misses over the years, but no one who’d meant enough for her to be devastated that it hadn’t worked out. No, she’d used up all her devastation and crushed feelings on the man standing in her kitchen. “The Krug is right on the shelf. It was supposed to be for Christmas, but it’ll only be Mindy, myself and our mom this year. I doubt we’ll drink three bottles on our own.”
“Mindy said you usually come up for the weekend to decorate the house. Why go to that much work if it’s such a small celebration?”
“It wasn’t always small. When I was little, my grandfather was still alive, and it’s only been five years since my dad passed away. Gram had friends who would come and visit, too.”