Playing For Keeps (Emerald Lake Billionaires 2) (30 page)

“It means I’m going to be able to pick and choose whatever job I want. I’ve already had offers from four research institutes. One of them was in Europe.”

Tess sipped her coffee. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know. Hayley and mom are staying here. Apart from when I was hiding, I’ve never been away from my family for longer than a couple of weeks.”

“Are any of the job offers close to Bozeman?”

Sophie shook her head. “I wish one of them was. It would make my decision easier.”

“Have you checked with the university here?”

“I’ve got an appointment with the Dean of the microbiology faculty in an hour.”

Tess slid the plate of cake closer to Sophie. “This sounds like the perfect time for a sugar rush. Annie baked her favorite cake this morning. It’s raspberry ripple with lemon frosting.”

Sophie picked up a fork. “I want to live and work in Bozeman. Do you think I’m crazy?”

“I’m not the best person to ask. Look at me. I could have lived anywhere in the world and I chose Bozeman. I guess my answer would depend on why you can’t imagine living anywhere else.” Tess scooped a piece of cake onto her fork. “Apart from your mom and sister, and our amazing friendship, is there anyone or anything else in Bozeman you can’t live without?”

Sophie put some cake in her mouth and ignored the gleam in Tess’ eyes. The sweet taste of raspberries mingled with the tart freshness of lemon, distracting her from far more complicated thoughts. “Yum, this is delicious.”

“Annie makes amazing cakes. Well?”

Sophie tapped her chin with the handle of the fork. “You know I like Ryan, but he wasn’t that happy with me the last time I saw him.”

“People change.”

“He could have talked to me before he told everyone we weren’t engaged.”

“We don’t always do things the right way around. Maybe the dean at the university isn’t the only person you need to visit?”

“It won’t make any difference.”

Tess shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. In the meantime, enjoy Annie’s cake and tell me what you know about Montana State University.”

For the next few minutes, Sophie told Tess everything she knew about the university. The science faculty had a number of well-funded research projects underway. The staff had a broad range of skills and experience, and their work was highly regarded.

Without having met anyone, Sophie knew she could work at the university for the next few years.

Or the rest of her life.

***

Ryan stood on the patio and watched a flock of birds fly over Emerald Lake. With fall fast approaching, nature had moved into a different cycle. The leaves on the trees were changing. Instead of vibrant green, a sweep of bright orange and deep red filled the landscape.

Everyone was getting ready for a cold winter.

But he hadn’t come out here to enjoy the scenery. He had something important to do. Something that could change his life.

He took his phone out of his pocket. It would be one o’clock in the afternoon in Dallas. Sophie would either be having lunch or just starting.

He’d spent the last hour thinking about what he would say to her. He’d made notes, repeated the important parts, then thrown the whole lot in the trash. Sophie deserved more from him than a carefully contrived speech, even if it did come from his heart.

If she didn’t want to speak to him, then at least he could move on with his life, write a few songs and make the rest of the world happy.

He took a deep breath and called her number. The phone rang for so long that he thought he was going to have to leave a message. When Sophie answered, he nearly dropped the phone.

“Ryan?”

“Hi.” He ran through the list of things he was going to say. If he didn’t speak soon, she’d think he was a prank caller and hang up. “I thought I’d call to see how you are.” He rolled his eyes. This was worst than he thought it would be.

“I’m good. How are you?”

“I’m good, too.”

He cringed. It was no wonder his songs were going nowhere. “Have I called at a good time?”

“Yes. I’m walking back to my car. I’ve just finished a meeting.”

Ryan moved to the edge of the patio. “How’s your job at the pharmaceutical company?”

“It’s interesting. We’re making good progress with the supplement. It’s amazing how much you can do when you’ve got a team of forty scientists working on a project.”

“I saw your interview on TV the other day.” He heard Sophie groan. “It was a good interview.”

“That was the worst experience of my life. The reporter was supposed to stick to the questions we’d agreed on. But he decided to add a few extra questions at the end. Dorothy was standing off-camera, telling me to wrap up the interview. It wasn’t easy.”

Ryan smiled. He knew how neurotic Dorothy was about interviews. He could almost guarantee that the reporter wouldn’t be allowed to interview Sophie again. “You looked confident. I wouldn’t have realized what was going on if you hadn’t told me.”

“What about you? How are the songs going for your next album?”

He looked at the lake and frowned. “They’re a work in progress. I’ve got a few issues with the lyrics.” He crossed his fingers and hoped Sophie didn’t know how bad everything was. If Dorothy had told her about his writer’s block, she might think he’d called her out of desperation. He had, but not because he needed help with his songs.

Sophie didn’t say anything, so he filled the space with another question before she disconnected. “How’s Dallas?”

“It’s a nice place to live.”

Ryan looked around him. Sophie would have enjoyed the changes around the lake, the transition from summer to fall. “Are you planning another visit to your mom and sister?”

There was silence on the end of the phone. Everything was coming out wrong. He sounded as though he was waiting for her to come back to Bozeman. He was, but he didn’t want her to think it was the only reason he’d called.

“Sophie? Are you still there?”

“You don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?”

“I’m in Bozeman. I arrived last night.”

Ryan froze. “I didn’t… I mean, I saw Hayley and your mom yesterday and they didn’t say anything about you coming to Bozeman.”

“That’s because they didn’t know. I decided at the last minute to catch a flight out here. I haven’t seen them in weeks. Mom’s making great progress.”

Ryan nodded, then remembered that Sophie couldn’t see him. “She is. She listened to some of my music yesterday and didn’t run out of the house screaming. I guess she liked it.”

He took a deep breath and ignored his pounding heart. “I was wondering, if you didn’t have anything else planned, would you like to meet somewhere for lunch?”

“Are you sure? I thought you wouldn’t want to see me again?”

“I do. I mean, I want to see you again. But only if you want to see me?”

“I’d like to meet for lunch. Where do you want to go?”

Ryan thought fast. He didn’t go into town for lunch very often. It needed to be somewhere quiet where they wouldn’t be recognized. “What about at the café beside the library?”

“Okay. Do you want to meet me there in an hour?”

“An hour sounds good. I’ll see you soon.” And before Sophie could change her mind, he ended the call.

He ran inside, headed for his bedroom, and grabbed a clean set of clothes from his closet. If he was going to meet Sophie, he might as well try to make a good impression.

Faded jeans and an old T-shirt wouldn’t make her realize how much he loved her.

***

Sophie walked toward the library entrance. Her heart pounded so fast that she didn’t know if she’d be able to string two words together. She still had ten minutes before she’d agreed to meet Ryan. She could go into the library, read a magazine or check her emails.

“Hi Sophie.”

She turned around. Ryan wasn’t far behind her. He took her breath away, made her long for a life that was so much more than the one she had. “You brought your guitar?”

His cheeks turned red. “I need to buy another set of strings.”

Sophie pushed her hands into the pockets off her jacket. “Are you ready to go in for lunch?”

Ryan nodded. He didn’t say anything as they made their way through the wide entrance of the library building. To the right was the Lindley Perk Coffee Shop.

“I looked on your website the other day,” Sophie said, trying to control her nerves. “You’ve got a big tour coming up.”

“It’s not the biggest tour I’ve done, but it will still be a busy time. We have thirty-two concerts spread over two months.”

“Are you ready for it?”

“No, but that’s never stopped me before.” He held the café door open for her. “We’re promoting my next album. If nothing else, that should give me an incentive to get the songs finished.”

Sophie looked around the café. People were eating at four of the tables, but the others were empty. At least she wouldn’t make a fool of herself in front of half of Bozeman. “Why are you having trouble writing your lyrics?”

Ryan put his guitar against the wall and held a chair out for her. “I’ve had other things on my mind.”

Sophie sat down. “Is your ex-wife still taking you to court?”

“I haven’t heard from Cindy in more than a month. Her lawyer sent me a letter. She’s not going to contest the rights to the song.”

“That’s great.” Sophie was tempted to ask him more questions about Cindy. But after the way they’d said goodbye, she didn’t feel as though she had any right to pry into his life.

Neither of them spoke. Just when she thought lunch had been a bad idea, a waitress arrived at their table.

“Welcome to our coffee shop.” She passed Sophie and Ryan their menu. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes to take your order. Would you like any drinks?”

After they’d ordered coffee, Sophie wasn’t sure what to say.

Ryan cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you the way I did at the concert. I knew you were excited about your supplement and that your job is important to you.”

Sophie blinked. She hadn’t expected Ryan to apologize. “I got caught up in the excitement of what the formula would mean for a lot of people. I didn’t stop to think about anything else.”

“What’s next for you?”

“I need to spend the next couple of months in Dallas. After that, I’m not sure what I’m going to do. Thank you for apologizing. It means a lot to me.”

Ryan took a deep breath. “When you told me the patent for your supplement had been approved, I thought you’d leave Bozeman and never come back. I wanted you to know how much you meant to me, but it all came out wrong. I want to be part of your life, but I’m not sure how you feel.”

Sophie knew what she wanted to say, but she didn’t know where to begin. “Nothing is the same anymore. I used to be happy spending most of the day in my lab, but that’s changed since I met you. I miss you all the time. When I see something funny, I want to share it with you, but you’re not there. I don’t know how we can make a relationship work, but I want to be part of your life, too.

Ryan held her hand. “Sophie, I want to ask you something…”

The sound of cutlery hitting the floor had both of them turning toward the back of the café. Their waitress was looking at Ryan as if he were Super Man.

As soon as Ryan looked up, she rushed over to their table.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but I was just talking to a friend and I realized who you are. It’s so great to have you in our café. I won’t tell anyone you’re here, especially since you’re with your ex-fiancée.”

The waitress looked at Sophie as if she was crazy to be an ex anything around Ryan. She took a deep breath and continued on at a million miles an hour. “If I was in your place, I wouldn’t have ended the engagement. My cousin, Annabelle, went to one of Ryan’s concerts. She said it was the best thing ever.”

Ryan pointed to the counter behind her. “I think our coffee is ready.”

Their waitress turned around and waved another staff member toward their table. Ryan smiled as a young woman joined them.

“This is Andrea. She makes the most wonderful food. We work together on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.”

Andrea put their coffee on the table, shook Ryan’s hand and nearly swooned.

The first waitress used her order book to fan her friend’s hot face. “We’re not used to having celebrities in here,” she whispered.

“Thanks for the coffee,” Ryan said before Andrea swooned again. “Could we order lunch now?”

Their waitress stopped fanning her friend with her book. “Sure. What would you like?”

Ryan looked at Sophie.

“I’ll have a short stack of pancakes with maple syrup, please.”

“And I’ll have an all day breakfast,” Ryan said quickly. “Could you give us some time on our own?”

“Of course. I’ll bring your lunch out when it’s ready.” Their waitress grabbed Andrea’s arm and pulled her back behind the counter.

Sophie kept an eye on the kitchen in case other staff were waiting to pounce. “Do you get that a lot?”