by Cate Beauman
“Of course.” She sat up, giving him more room to move as he grabbed hold of his phone. Standing, she took her robe from the closet, sliding it on as his fingers flew over the keypad. “Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, this is Jeremiah getting back to me.”
She paused as she pulled her hair up in a ponytail, her light mood vanishing. “Why are you talking to Jeremiah?”
“I had him check into the PI crap. They’re definitely violating the agreement.”
“I don’t want to talk about this.” She finished twisting her hair back and walked down the hall to the kitchen.
“Hey, hold up, Soph.” He pulled on boxers and a pair of jeans, stumbling as he followed behind. “I do want to talk about this. We can’t keep avoiding the situation.”
She twisted on the grill section of the new range top. “Why can’t you leave this alone?” she demanded, opening the fridge with more force than necessary, her anger growing. “I’m happy. I’m living my life. I have everything I want right here.” She grabbed the platter of kabobs ready for the flames. “Eric can have his pictures and beer bottles and play all the creepy music he wants…” She stopped, darting a glance his way, realizing she’d said too much in the heat of temper.
He stared at her with his hands on his hips, his jaw clenched. “What are you talking about?”
“Nothing.” She turned toward the large piece of plywood that served as their temporary counter, setting down the food.
“Don’t give me that. Look at me, Sophie, and tell me what the hell is going on.”
She sighed, already weary, and faced him. “It’s no big deal.”
“Let me be the judge of that.”
“Eric had someone play some music in the parking garage the other night and left a few of his favorite brand of beer bottles in front of my store. And some homeless man was sitting next to my car eating sashimi—”
“Goddamn.” He slid a hand through his hair. “Are you fucking kidding me? This is going to stop.” He grabbed for his phone.
“You’re right,” she raised her voice, hoping to stop him before he called the cops or Jeremiah and made this worse. “Eventually he’ll get bored with spending the money—”
“He’s never going to leave you alone until you stand up to him.”
Eric would never leave her alone. Period. But he didn’t hit her anymore, and she could come and go as she pleased. And she wasn’t afraid every single day. But more importantly, she fell asleep next to the man she loved each night in the house she adored. Stone would never understand that the rest didn’t matter as long as she had that. Huffing out a breath, she placed down the first few skewers, listening to the sizzle. “This is about you, Stone. You need to stand up to him. I just need to forget. All I want to do is forget he exists.”
He walked to where she stood, turning her to face him. “It’s not that simple.”
“It is if you let it be.”
His cell phone alerted to another incoming text. “Damn it.” He yanked the phone from its holder. “We’re not finished with this.” He looked at the display and steamed out a breath.
She lifted another kabob and set it back down. “You’re leaving.”
“Hunter needs some backup.”
She nodded, even though she didn’t want him to go. This was two nights in a row where they weren’t going to solve their problems. “Go help him. I’ll see you when you get back.”
“I can see if Shane or Jerrod can cover me.”
She shook her head. “Jerrod and Abby are going out for dinner, and I have twenty more necklace sets I have to finish up before Saturday. I’ll cook up the rest of these and wait for you to get back.”
“I don’t know how long I’ll be.” He walked into the small laundry room off the kitchen, grabbing a clean shirt and socks.
“Then we’ll have dinner together another night.”
“Yeah. Sure.” He snagged his keys from the table, a pair of shoes by the door, and walked out.
She shut her eyes, her stomach sinking when the Mustang started. He didn’t kiss her the way he usually did before he left. This wasn’t how she wanted things to be between them. Shaking her head, she turned off the grill and sat down at the kitchen table, staring at the pretty purple and white blooms Stone had brought her.
Chapter Twenty-four
Sophie sat in her workroom, spiraling sterling silver wire for a pair of earrings while her new assistant, Cynthia, recreated one of the designs she had drawn early this morning. She’d sketched more than two-dozen new ideas over the last three nights, sleeping little since Stone left for Madrid. It was better than laying in bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark.
“This looks wonderful already,” Cynthia said, wrapping a loop above the bead. “These dark pink crystals really make this bracelet pop.”
Sophie smiled at the pretty forty-something woman who reminded her so much of her mom. Her part-time helper and mother of two didn’t have any formal training, but her gentle personality and ability to bring her pieces to life worked well enough for her. “I was hoping it would.” She studied Cynthia’s steady, capable hand as she attached the wire-wrapped bead to the jump ring, knowing she’d chosen well.
At first she’d been hesitant when Abby suggested she hire on help during their Wednesday afternoon lunch date, but the workload was becoming overwhelming. There was no way she could continue to design, run the business end of McCabe Jewelry, and make all of the pieces on her own. Cynthia was on her second four-hour shift of the week, and she was already a godsend.
Focusing on her work, Sophie picked up the fuchsia-and-black-swirled glass bead as her phone alerted her to a text. Her heart kicked up a notch as she yanked it up, her excitement fading when she realized it was Abby, not Stone.
How’s it going?
Great! She typed back, even though it wasn’t. Her necklace sets for the runway had been enthusiastically approved by both Lily and Abby. The shop was more or less ready for customers, but things between her and Stone were still strained. He’d left the country before they had a chance to resolve their last argument. Wednesday morning, he’d tiptoed his way into their bedroom after his night out helping Hunter, and packed a suitcase, telling her Ethan wanted him on the first flight out to Madrid. He’d given her an absent kiss and Murphy a quick rub, then he’d been gone. She hadn’t heard from him since.
She’d hoped he would call to chat the way he usually did during his downtime or send her a simple text that might ease her constantly queasy stomach, but her phone had remained stubbornly silent, at least where her husband was concerned. Maybe he was waiting for her to reach out to him. Licking her lips, she glanced at her watch. Eleven thirty, which meant it was eight thirty in Spain. “I’m going to… I’ll be right back.”
“Sure.”
She stood. “Can I bring you some water or maybe a bowl of fruit salad? I made it fresh this morning.”
“I’m good for now, sweetie, but I’ll take you up on some of that fruit when we have lunch.”
She smiled again. “Okay.” She walked out of the workspace with Murphy following her into the stairwell leading to the empty apartment upstairs. Sitting on the first step, she stroked the puppy’s ears when he settled his head on her thigh. “Here goes nothing,” she murmured, selecting Stone’s number in her directory. The line connected, ringing several times before going to voicemail.
“This is McCabe. Leave a message.”
She closed her eyes, missing his deep voice. “Hi. Um, this is Sophie. I just—I just want…” Her tongue grew thick and clumsy. She swallowed, trying again. “I don’t need anything. I don’t know why I’m calling, actually. I guess I just needed to tell you I miss you and can’t wait for you to come home—not that I know when that is...” She wanted to tell him she loved him and hated being at odds, but she didn’t. “That’s it. I guess I’ll talk to you later. You can call me back if you want.” She pressed her lips together. “Okay. Bye.”
She hung u
p, resting her head against the wall, no longer sure of what to do. Stone wanted her to stand up to Eric, certain doing so would banish him from their lives once and for all, but Stone didn’t know Eric the way she did. Stone had no idea that antagonizing Eric was like dancing with the devil himself. What Stone saw as an ending to their problems she saw as a dangerous beginning. She didn’t know if she could walk that path, even for Stone.
Murphy whined, crawling into her lap.
“Aw, Murph.” She cuddled him close, kissing the top of his head, absorbing the comfort he was offering. “Thanks, buddy.”
~~~~
Stone closed himself in his hotel room and walked to the bed, lying back against the mattress, sighing as his head hit the pillow. He hadn’t slept well in days. Between the jet lag and twelve-hour shifts he could hardly see straight. Then there was Sophie. Their last argument had kept him up late for the past few nights, despite utter exhaustion. He closed his eyes, scrubbing his hands over his face as his cell phone started vibrating against his hip.
He pulled the phone free, glancing at Sophie’s name and number on his screen, and let it ring. He’d thought of her since the moment he left, but hadn’t bothered to check in. What was the point? The last thing he wanted was another strained conversation in which they both said nothing that mattered to pass the time. She would tell him about her runs with Murphy or the latest pair of earrings she was making, which was typically fine, but not now, not while fucking Eric Winthrop was hanging heavy between them. The bastard was harassing her, and she was happy to sit back and let him. Just thinking about it made him clench his jaw and caused his stomach burn with anger.
They were supposed to be dealing with the asshole together, yet she refused. She was afraid. He got that, but she didn’t have to be anymore. He was here to help…when he wasn’t out of town, which was all the damn time lately. This was their fight now—his as much as hers, yet his hands were tied until Sophie was willing to take the next step. He’d put in another call to Jeremiah before the flight out of LA, but there was little more either he or their attorney could do without her help.
His phone beeped, and the light flashed red. Sighing, he retrieved Sophie’s message, listening to her soft voice and stuttering hesitations he hadn’t heard in weeks. He sat up, resting his head in his hands as she told him she missed him. He missed the hell out of her too. There was nothing he wanted more than to be back home with Sophie, but he set his phone down on the bed next to him, staring at the carpet instead of returning her call.
He didn’t know how to stop being angry with her for letting another man come between what they had. He wanted to focus on their future, but they couldn’t move forward with their relationship until she was willing to deal with her past. Sophie would have to wait until tomorrow night when he got home. They could talk then. He lay back down, shielding his face with the pillow, too damn tired to get up and turn off the light.
Chapter Twenty-five
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.
