He groaned again but didn't move. She laughed, so happy she couldn't believe this was her life.
Chapter Seventeen
Tuesday night was lady's night at Bart's Bar. Sophie had a standing date with Rainy. They were meeting with Rainy’s sister, Melinda, who was in town visiting after a big break up with a longtime boyfriend. Zeke was at loose ends. He wanted to be with Sophie. He didn't want time to think about what was happening between them. She was different than he'd thought. She had a great sense of humor. He'd always believed she had a chip on her shoulder, but he was beginning to think she'd used that harsh veneer to cover a frighteningly soft heart.
He loaded the washer with his third basket of dirty laundry and added soap. Sophie had commented on his tidy whities. Remembering what happened with her afterward brought a smile to his face. He whistled a tune as he unloaded the dishwasher. He'd gotten behind on his domestic chores after spending so much time at her house. His doorbell rang. He put the bowl he was holding into its spot and went to the door.
Eugene, the man who'd been his roommate the last two years of college, stood at the door with a big smile.
"Surprise!" He pushed past Zeke and made himself at home on the couch.
Zeke shut the door and turned to the friend he hadn't seen in over a year.
"What brings you to Texas?" Eugene graduated at the top of their class, and several pharmaceutical firms tried to recruit him. He accepted a generous offer and moved to New York City right after graduation. Over the years, he'd morphed from a west Texas, boots and Levi wearing cowboy with a slow drawl, to a sophisticated urbanite. Zeke liked both versions of the big man with an even bigger heart.
"Vacation time. I've been in Marfa for four days. I miss the place, but I can't see ever living there again. I'm used to taxis. I had to rent a pickup truck. It's been ages since I drove one of those big boys." He kicked his feet up onto the coffee table and put his hands behind his head.
"Want a drink?" Zeke asked. His fridge was empty, but they could fix that situation quickly.
"Beer would be good."
"Get your feet off my table and your butt off my couch. We're going to Bart's Bar."
"Sounds good. I haven't been there in ages. Hope it hasn't changed much." Eugene was already heading out the door. Zeke grabbed his keys and locked up behind his friend.
"I'll drive. You can drink all you want." He slapped Eugene's back. "Good to see you, man. So glad you dropped by. How long do you plan to stay?"
"Got a flight at DFW tomorrow morning. If I get sloshed, you'll wake me up on time, right?"
"You got it." He'd done it many times before. He could do it again. Mornings weren't an issue with him. Plus, he planned to stay sober.
A short drive and a few minutes later, they were pushing through the doors of the bar. Zeke tried to view the familiar place through his friend's eyes. It was a typical Texas bar with neon beer signs above the polished wood bar, cheap beer on tap, and an impressive display of premium liquor bottles lined up along the back wall of mirrors. Landscape paintings of oak trees, bluebonnets, and whitetail deer hung on the walls alongside a framed picture taken on the town's golf course of Bart with his arm wrapped around the local judge. The music blared from the jukebox, which offered nothing but country-western songs, mostly oldies since Bart was no spring chicken. Patsy Cline was singing about being crazy as they walked in.
"Table or bar?" Zeke asked.
Eugene surveyed the room and zeroed in on the table of women in the back. He didn't answer, just strode toward them. Zeke followed, interested to see how Sophie would react to his old buddy's ridiculous pick-up lines. Eugene had been famous back in the day for coming up with some of the most unusual lines. They worked many times, but Zeke was convinced it was because of the guy's good looks and six-foot-two frame. He stood back to watch Eugene and gauge the reaction.
Melinda looked up first. Eugene wasted no time. He put his hand on the back of her chair and asked, "Remember me?"
All three women were staring at him. Melinda shook her head, but she was smiling.
"Ah, that's right," Eugene said as he snapped his fingers.
Melinda's eyebrows drew together. He had her attention, and both Rainy and Sophie were captivated by the scene unfolding.
"What?" Melinda asked.
"We've only met in my dreams. Mind if I sit?" He reached behind him and pulled a chair up beside Melinda. She nodded. Rainy and Sophie exchanged head shakes. Then Sophie saw Zeke.
"Are you with that one?" She pointed to Zeke.
"Guilty."
"Pull up another chair." She motioned to Zeke. He didn't hesitate. Eugene bought a round for the table and held up his long-neck beer bottle for a toast.
"To the lone star state. Texas, with the prettiest women and the cheapest beer. Ain't no place like Texas." They clinked glasses and bottles and said, "Here. Here." As usual, Eugene had the women eating out of his hand.
"Where'd you find this one?" Rainy asked Zeke.
"He showed up in my dorm room, Junior year. Couldn't shake him loose after that."
"You needed me," Eugene said.
"Like hell."
Eugene leaned forward to get everyone's attention. He pointed his beer bottle at Zeke.
"This guy was so messed up before he met me. He had the worst pick up lines and couldn't get any women."
"Oh yeah?" Sophie asked. Her eyes were dancing.
Zeke groaned because he knew what was coming. Eugene told this story every time they went out. The story was true, in Eugene's mind, but nowhere else.
"Yep. Horrible, just horrible." Eugene hung his head. He should have been a stage actor.
"Tell us," Rainy said. The other two nodded eagerly. They were all giggling like school girls.
"Well, one of his most used lines went like this. He'd walk up to a woman, look her up and down, then with an exaggerated drawl; he'd say, 'What has teeth and holds back the Incredible Hulk?' The woman would inevitably groan and try to turn away. Before she could, though, he'd finish with, 'My zipper.'"
All the women groaned. Zeke shook his head.
"You all know me better than that," he said, laughing it off. "That was one of Eugene's lines I had to cure him of."
"That's pretty bad. The worse one I'd heard before that was when I was at a dance in high school," Melinda said. "This guy asked me if I knew about the sale at his apartment. He claimed that all clothes there were one hundred percent off. Then he invited me over."
"You went, right?" Eugene asked. He now had his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close for a hug. She smiled up at him, still laughing.
"Ee-ewe!" she said.
"Mine was in college. A guy told me I must be a banana because I was so a peelin'." Rainy rolled her eyes and drank some wine. Her face was crimson red from laughing.
Everyone moaned at the terrible pun.
"What about you?" Eugene asked Sophie.
She glanced at Zeke before answering. He nodded subtly, curious to hear her answer.
"You must be cake. Damn, I want a piece of that." She smirked. "As if."
"Is that what you said to him?" Zeke asked.
"Damn straight." She picked up her glass, and all three women clinked.
"You ladies have no idea how hard it is to approach you cold," Eugene said. "I about piss my pants every time I approach a beautiful woman."
"Well, that sure makes you seem more appealing," Rainy said, making quote signs when she said appealing. The table broke out in glee. Zeke watched Sophie as her eyes lit up, and her walls went down. She was as relaxed as he'd seen her. He liked what he saw. She had this habit of covering her mouth when she laughed that was endearing. When she really got going, she stomped her right foot and slapped her leg. He loved seeing her this way.
The evening continued with lots of drinks and laughter. Eugene laid the charm on Melinda, but in the end, he went home with Zeke. Melinda had seemed tempted, but she'd ultimately decided a one-night stand was not he
r style.
Eugene slept on Zeke's couch, fully clothed and with his shoes on. Zeke heard his friend snoring all night. He had one helluva time getting the guy to wake up and poured a gallon of strong coffee down his gullet before he'd let him drive himself to the airport.
He'd learned a few things about Sophie during the evening that he thought were interesting. She'd told them about several boyfriends and their blunders. He planned to use that information to stay on her good side. She'd revealed that she hated men who stole the covers on a cold night. He'd have to figure out how to avoid that one. He had no idea what he did with the blankets and sheets. The bed looked like someone had thrown a grenade during the night, and all the bedclothes had exploded. He'd work on that one. Somehow.
She'd also said she liked getting flowers. Now that was information he could use. He stopped by the grocery store on the way to work and picked up a bunch of daisies. They were on her desk when she got to work. He'd scrounged up a spare vase from the employee break room and stuck them in. He left no note, but she'd know they were from him. All he had to do was hide and wait to see the smile on her face.
Chapter Eighteen
Sophie noticed the flowers as soon as she opened her office door. She skipped over to the bouquet and stuck her nose in to soak up the sweet smell. There was no note, but she remembered talking about flowers at the bar. She turned to see Zeke sitting forward at his desk, smiling at her. He winked. Her heart did a flip, and she mouthed a thank you. The man had listened and acted upon what she'd said. When was the last time a man did that for her? She couldn't remember a single time. Her every instinct was to run across the hall and jump the man's bones, but she resisted. She threw him a kiss as she slowly closed her door. She had work to do, and Zeke was a major distraction. She'd reward him later. She smiled as she waited for the computer to start up.
Her morning whizzed by. Her stomach growled when lunchtime came. She opened her door and stepped across the hall. Zeke was on a phone call, so she sat across from him and waited.
"Want to go to my place for lunch? We could stop and pick up a sandwich on the way." She crossed her legs and watched his eyes follow her movement. She didn't pull her skirt down like she usually would. She liked his eyes on her.
"Let's do it," he said.
Oh yes, she thought, I'm going to make you happy that you bought me flowers. She slipped her hand in his and squeezed before letting go and following him out into the hallway.
"Be back in an hour," he said to their shared assistant, Janine. She nodded and kept typing. Robin stood and walked to her door.
"Can I ask a question?" she said to their retreating backs. They both turned. "For Zeke," she clarified. He told Sophie he'd meet her in the parking lot and walked back to Robin's office.
"What can I help you with?" he asked.
"I can't find the page with the contract forms. Could you help me?" She sat in her chair, so he had to come up behind her to see the computer screen. He tried to tell her where the page was, but she couldn't seem to follow directions. She looked up at him with big brown eyes and asked if he would take the mouse and just go to the page. He reached over and clicked a couple of times to bring up the site. She leaned back and into him with the top of her head. He could smell a soft flowery perfume. In the past, he would have enjoyed her flirting. Today, he wanted out of her office and on to lunch with Sophie. He stepped back and cleared his throat.
"Anything else?" He stuck his hands in his pockets and took another step away from her.
"That's it." She smiled up at him, and he'd be damned if she didn't bat her eyelashes. What was that all about? He'd never done anything to make her think he was in the slightest way interested in her. He left as quickly as he could.
At Sophie's house, they barely made it through the door before they'd dropped the sack of junk food on the coffee table and stripped off each other's clothes. She pulled him into her bedroom and made sure he'd bring her flowers many times again.
As they unwrapped their cold burgers and fries, Sophie asked him about his friend from the night before.
"He's a good guy. A little over the top at times, but good at heart."
"Melinda liked him." Sophie bit into her burger and wished she hadn't finished her cold drink. She needed something to wash down the grease.
"She seemed to like him. I'm surprised he couldn't get further with her. He usually brings someone home if he sets his sights on her." He shook his cup: nothing but ice.
"She's not like that."
"Yeah. Rainy's the same way. Have you noticed her looking at Gabe like she wants him for lunch?" He got up and filled his cup with water from the tap. "Want some?" he asked.
"Yes." She went to the kitchen and handed him her cup. He filled it and gave it back to her.
"Can't say I have, but I've watched Gabe wipe the saliva from the corner of his mouth when she's walked away from y'all's table. Why doesn't he ask her out?"
"Don't know. I've never figured my brother out. He's strange. He likes to work. Gets along with my father, something I've failed at my whole life." He shrugged. She could see the hurt in his eyes.
"Do you think you two will ever get along?"
"I don't know. I've always wanted something different than his plans for me. A constant disappointment. The man pushed me into this job I didn't and still don't want, then he pushed us together, making sure I knew he didn't trust me to succeed on my own."
When she started to interrupt, he kept talking over her protestations.
"It's not about you. Believe me. My father wants me to be like Gabe, but I'm not that guy. I live for the outdoors and have a whole different ideal for my life. The only business I ever wanted to be in was something that involved a boat on the water. I have this cabin on the lake. I bought it last summer after saving for years. I feel alive when I'm there. Someday, I want to live on that lake. Life in town has a lot of advantages, but I'd rather be surrounded by trees with a view of the water. The only thing that's saved me since Tucker convinced me to work for him is the window with the view of the river."
"Your place on the lake sounds terrific, and believe me when I say that I don't like the work situation any better than you," she said. "I hated you when you got that position out of the blue. I've worked my butt off for that company. It was a huge insult. I still can't believe we're together. That was one huge obstacle."
"It's my inherent charm," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. Sophie couldn't hold any of the work drama against him. He was nothing like she'd thought.
"I'm glad he did it. I mean, not that he insulted either of us, but that he threw us together." She walked into his arms and hugged his waist. "I like having you across the hall. We're a good team."
He leaned back and looked down and into her eyes.
"You think?"
"I think." She closed her eyes, anticipating his kiss.
"Am I invited over tonight?" he asked when they parted.
"Yes, sir," she said. "I've got plans for you." She pulled away from his arms and went to retrieve her purse.
"Plans? Want to clue me in?" he asked as they left her house.
"Oh. You're going to like what I have in store for you." She sent a sizzling look over her shoulder as he followed her to the car.
Chapter Nineteen
Thursday came too soon. Zeke had spent every night with Sophie, but she didn’t invite him to her family dinner. He needed time to run errands and meet with his brothers, catch his breath, so he didn’t mind; didn’t really think much of it. At Rainy’s, Nat was waiting with cold brews and burgers on order. Zeke slid into their usual booth and nodded.
“How’s the dog biz?”
“Slow. I’m thinking of adding boarding to generate more income.”
Gabe slid in beside Nat as Rainy delivered their standard order of food.
“Yo,” he said. He stuck a fry in his mouth and watched Rainy walk away. Zeke watched Gabe watch her.
“Fine looking’ woman,” Zeke sai
d to gauge his brother’s reaction.
“She sure is,” Gabe said, never taking his eyes off her swinging hips. He reached for another fry and dipped it in ketchup before eating it automatically. Zeke and Nat exchanged grins that went unnoticed by their brother.
“Anything going on there?” Nat asked.
Gabe turned around with a clueless face.
“No idea what you’re talking about. You guys going to eat or not?” He bit into his cheeseburger and raised his eyebrows. Zeke and Nat shook their heads and started on their meals.
“What’re you doing with Sophie?” Gabe asked Zeke.
“As much as I can, brother. As much as I can.”
Nat snorted, but Gabe shook his head in disgust. Zeke couldn’t reveal his feelings about Sophie to these guys. He’d never hear the end of it. Plus, he figured he’d be standing in the parking lot watching the dust from her car soon enough. Women always tired of him, had a fit, and stormed off into the sunset. Why would this end any differently? She was great, but she was still a woman. They were all alike at their core.
“You’re disgusting,” Gabe said.
“Only because you’re not getting any,” Nat said. Zeke nodded and grinned.
“True that.” He felt a twinge of guilt for talking trash about Sophie, but not enough to fess up. His brothers would razz him mercilessly if he did. He wanted them to think this was just a short fling, nothing to waste time discussing. He’d once shared his feelings about a girl back in high school, and some things a man never forgot. Having brothers was often wonderful, but all things had two sides. When it came to women, Zeke played it cool around his siblings to protect himself.
“On a serious note,” Gabe said. “I heard from the Walsh lawyer team. “They have some issues. Want to meet with me next week, you want to come and take Sophie along? Or do you trust me on this one?”
“Depends on the issues. Can we talk about it tomorrow at the office? I need some downtime.”
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