Saving Sophie: Book Seven In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series (24 page)

Sophie glanced at her watch, wincing as she pulled
through the Cooke’s security gate. She was more than half an hour late, but what else was new? “Late” seemed to be her thing these days. Just months ago she’d lived by the clock, forever terrified of running even a few seconds behind. Now she considered it a personal victory if she made it to any event by the specified time. Today was no exception to her tardy tendencies after the interviews and photo session with Lily’s preselected reporters and their photographers eager for their sneak peak at Lily Brand’s latest “it girl” and next big project.

Being thrust into the limelight was something new for her, and she was handling it fairly well. Somehow she’d managed to converse with the reporters without her usual stammering and look directly into the various camera lenses and smile, even when she wanted desperately to turn away. She’d overheard one of the journalists call her “Lily Brand’s new darling”—a compliment and one she would happily take. Now if only things at home were moving along as smoothly as her professional life seemed to be.

She pressed her lips together with the latest rush of worry. Stone had come home sometime during the night, never bothering to wake her—like he never bothered to call her back. She’d rolled over in bed at dawn, gasping when he lay on his side of the mattress, sprawled out in jeans and a t-shirt with his shoes still on. She’d wanted to crawl into his arms and feel the gentle kisses he always pressed to her shoulder when they lay together, but he’d breathed the long, deep breaths of the truly exhausted, so she let him be. Reluctantly, she’d gotten up and dressed for her day, preparing for the onslaught of chaos at McCabe Jewelers when she’d wanted instead to stay home and fix things with the man who seemed to be slipping away.

More than once she’d looked toward the big glass windows of her shop, hoping he might stop by and finally say hello, but he never did. Hopefully the Cookes’ latest gathering would be just the thing to get them back on the right track. A lazy afternoon with good friends and delicious food was the perfect opportunity to relax and finally set their differences aside.

She drove down the long drive, grinning when she spotted Stone’s Mustang among the row of cars, relaxing her shoulders with her new sense of optimism. She and Stone were going to be fine. Couples disagreed from time to time. Once she convinced Stone to ignore Eric’s demented idea of fun, their problems would disappear. She parked and opened her door, letting Murphy run off to join his friends on the lawn. “Have fun,” she called after him, laughing while Mutt, Bear, and Reece greeted the smallest of the crew with several sniffs and a few barks. Shaking her head, she grabbed the platter of desserts she’d whipped up yesterday morning and hurried up the front steps, walking into the house without knocking. There was no need to knock when she belonged.

“Sophie!”

She smiled, crouching down as the children ran up to her. She gave Emma, then Kylee and Olivia a one-armed hug. “Look at these pretty little girls all in one room.”

“Auntie Ab made us matching dresses.” Olivia showed off her simple aqua green sundress as Kylee spun in hers. Emma copied Kylee, giggling.

“Beautiful. Maybe I can talk your Auntie Ab into making one for me to0.”

The girls’ eyes widened, and they clapped.

“You can be like us. We’ll go ask,” Kylee said.

“I think you should, but I have something for you first.”

“You do?” Olivia asked, all but vibrating with excitement.

“Do?” Emma chimed in.

Sophie grinned at the sweet black-haired toddler with her mother’s kind blue eyes. “I do.” She set her purse on the floor, pulling out matching charm bracelets for Olivia and Kylee and a chunky bubble gum bead necklace for Emma.

The older girls screamed and jumped around.

“Can we put them on?” Kylee demanded.

“Yeah, can we?” Olivia repeated.

“I hope you will. I made them just for you.” She settled the pale pink and purple ribbon necklace around Emma’s neck, then focused on the blonds, who were both very eager for their jewelry. “The clasps are magnetic, so you shouldn’t have much trouble taking them on and off.”

“Thank you, Sophie.” Olivia hugged her.

“Yes, thank you.” Kylee moved in next.

“Tank,” Emma imitated her sister.

“You’re welcome.” She kissed their three soft cheeks, adoring the Matthews’ and Cookes’ children. “But you’ll need to be careful,” she reminded them as she fastened the bracelets in place on each of the girl’s wrists. “We don’t want these to break.” She was more than certain the jewelry would hold strong. She’d used sturdy sixteen-gauge wire and larger baubles for the charms in hopes of avoiding any accidents, but Kylee and Olivia were busy little girls. “You don’t want your sister or brothers choking.”

“My brother still lives in my mom’s tummy,” Kylee informed her.

“That’s true.” She touched Kylee’s nose. “But he’ll be here before long.”

“My brother doesn’t live in my mom anymore, and he cries
all
the time,” Olivia added with a roll of her eyes.

“He won’t forever,” Sophie reassured, sliding her fingers through Livy’s hair. “We want to keep Emma and Owen safe.”

“Okay,” Olivia agreed. “Let’s look in the mirror and show everybody.”

The girls both took one of Emma’s hands and ran off.

Sophie grinned, making her way to the kitchen. “I’m sorry I’m late,” she said, and the group of women, her girlfriends, stopped talking as they leaned against the granite countertops or sat at the large kitchen table.

“Don’t worry about it,” Wren said, moving from her spot by the plate of antipasto. “Jewelry designers about to make their big splash are allowed to run behind.” She snagged the tray of assorted brownies. “I’ll take these.”

Sophie smiled as Wren pulled the plastic wrap off the platter and grabbed a sample of double chocolate chunk.

“I’m pretty sure you make the best desserts I’ve ever tasted,” Wren said over her bite.

“Thanks. Has anyone seen Stone?” She craved him, needing the big hug and kiss she’d wanted this morning.

“I think he’s out on the deck,” Sarah said, popping a grape in her mouth.

“I’ll be right back. I want to say a quick hello.” She walked to the glass doors, her heart skipping a beat when she spotted him leaning against the railing with a beer in his hand, talking to Amber. He was so sexy in his jeans and snug gray t-shirt, his hair tucked back with a kerchief. She pulled open the door, absorbing the warm breeze blowing her long, dark-green halter sundress around her feet, and stepped outside.

Stone glanced her way through his sunglasses, pulling a sip from his beer bottle.

She smiled, giving him a wave, walking his way. Her smile faded when he made no move to acknowledge her or meet her halfway. Instead, he continued his conversation with Ethan’s gorgeous secretary, who was wearing a flirty denim skirt and tight, raspberry-colored top.

Hesitating, she almost stopped but kept moving his way. He must not have seen her after all. She weaved around a couple of Stone’s coworkers and stopped at his side.

Amber made eye contact, giving her a small smile. “Hi.”

“Um, hi.” She crossed her arms in the sudden awkward silence, looking from Stone to Amber, feeling as if she were intruding.

“Hey.” Stone didn’t smile, nor did his voice warm as he spoke. There was no kiss as he hooked his arm around her waist and continued his conversation. “It’s early.” He took another easy sip from his beer. “The Dodgers aren’t out of the running yet.”

“That’s optimism if I’ve ever heard it.”

She swallowed the wave of hurt, staring down at the deck, absorbing Stone’s nasty slap of indifference. She’d eagerly awaited his homecoming from the moment he left, and he stood next to her as if he could take her or leave her.

“Hey, Sophie.” Shane walked up, smiling, his stunning green eyes reflecting in the bright sunshine.

She tried to smile. “Hi.”

“How are things going over on Rodeo Drive?”

“Good, thank you.” She did her best to keep her voice steady. “It was nice seeing you again, Shane. If you’ll excuse me.” She pulled herself out of Stone’s hold, looking into the dark lenses of his glasses, and went in the house, picking up her purse she’d set on the counter. “I’ll be right back,” she mumbled, making her way out the front door before anyone stopped her and hurried down to the driveway, grabbing the keys from inside her bag. “Murphy, come,” she called.

He hesitated, then came running, jumping into the front seat as she opened the car door.

“Let’s go home.” She took her seat, glanced at Stone’s Mustang, then turned over the engine and drove away, sniffling as her eyes filled. Apparently she and Stone wouldn’t be figuring things out anytime soon. Maybe he didn’t want to.

Shaking her head, confused, she zigzagged her way through the backstreets of the Palisades and turned on Highway One. Tuesday night he’d taken her to bed, telling her how good they were together. Now he couldn’t even look at her, let alone talk to her. Maybe standing by her side was proving to be too much trouble. Perhaps her problems with Eric were more than he could or was willing to handle.

I’m all in.
His words echoed through her head as she let loose a humorless laugh. “Stupid,
stupid
Sophie,” she muttered, repeating one of Eric’s most favorite lines. She’d fallen in love with a man who’d promised her a year of his life, and he was ready to bail after a month. Stone had assured her he could stick out their farce of a marriage, but clearly he’d changed his mind, which he had every right to do.

Minutes later, she pulled off the highway, sighing as she glanced in her rearview mirror. She spotted David’s white Toyota turning into the parking spot several yards back by the beach and ignored it. She took the road to the cliff, speeding slightly around the curves, at her wits’ end. Enough was enough.

“Come on, Murphy.” Hurrying into the house, she changed into her running clothes, needing to rid herself of the sickening feeling she hadn’t been able to shake. “Should we run?”

Murphy barked.

“I agree.” They were going to run until she could think again and didn’t feel like crying anymore. “Let’s go, Murph.” She locked up behind her, making her way over the walking bridge at a jog, hoping the breeze and sound of the waves might soothe her as Stone’s arms hadn’t back on Ethan and Sarah’s deck.

~~~~

Stone glanced toward the glass sliders, as he’d done several times since Sophie went inside, hoping she would come back out. The door slid open again while Amber went on and on about the virtues of her beloved Marlins. He swallowed another sip of beer, burying his disappointment when Kylee and Olivia stepped on the deck instead of his wife.

He’d been a jerk when Sophie tried to say hello several minutes ago. She’d looked so damn beautiful in her long green dress, walking his way as the sun glistened off her soft, creamy skin. She sent him one of her shy smiles, the irresistible kind where she peeked up from under her long lashes as she tossed him a hesitant wave, and he’d simply lost his breath, which pissed him off. He didn’t want her to knock him flat every time he saw her. Four days in Spain was supposed to have lessened her hold on him—and he thought it had.

During the endless flight home, he’d convinced himself he was done with her. He was sick of the sleepless nights and useless arguments. He was finished with compromising his needs, because Sophie wouldn’t deal with her past. If she wanted to stay married to him and cash in on her grandmother’s trust, she was going to have to choose: finally deal with Eric with the help he was offering, or take her chances on her own. He refused to dance on some fucker’s puppet strings because she wanted to look the other way. It was Eric or him.

Then he saw her in their bed last night, asleep in her pink tank top by the pale light of the lamp on her side table, and his resolve started to crumble. When she walked out on the deck half an hour ago, making him ache with need, he knew she could make him crawl. Giving her the cold shoulder when he’d wanted to grab her up and hold her close had been his attempt at showing her and himself that no one brought him to his knees, not even Sophie.

Now, he leaned against the railing in the warm Pacific breeze, yearning for the woman he wished he could cast aside, knowing he was completely sunk. In mere months the violet-eyed beauty had done to him what he thought no one ever would: She’d made him fall deeply and desperately in love. As he’d held her loosely against him, breathing her in and doing his best to ignore her, he knew there would be no ultimatums. He couldn’t walk away from her even if he wanted to. He and Sophie were in this thing for the long haul.

His gaze followed the Matthews and Cookes’ spitfire daughters around the deck as they held something up for everyone to see. They started his way, and Kylee tapped his arm.

“Hi, Stone,” she interrupted Amber.

“Hey.”

“Do you like it?” She and Olivia held up their wrists.

He crouched down, instantly recognizing Sophie’s work. “What have you got?”

“Charm bracelets,” Olivia said. “Sophie made them.”

“She did, did she?” He set his beer on the wood, twisting their arms gently from side to side, studying the pink and purple doodads hanging from the thick silver chain. “Looks good.”

“Sophie’s your wife,” Kylee told him.

“I heard something about that.”

“She’s a very nice sharer,” Olivia smiled.

“She makes good bracelets,” Kylee added. “And she’s pretty.”

He grinned. These two certainly had their fair share of charm. “I can’t argue with you there.” He let their arms go, looking into bright, excited eyes. Sophie was crazy busy with everything going on, yet she’d found the time to make two little girls’ day by bringing them bracelets. She was kind and sweet, and he a first-rate asshole. “I think I should go inside and tell her I got to see your pretty jewelry.”

“She’s not here,” Kylee offered.

He frowned. “She’s not?”

Olivia shook her head. “She got her purse, and now she’s gone.”

“Do you know when she left?”