by Anna Sugden
She couldn’t compete with family, even if one part of that family was definitely ex. Nor did she want to. Wasn’t that the point she’d been trying to make to Scotty all along? She didn’t want to get involved because of exactly these kinds of issues.
Still, it hurt that she was pushed aside so easily.
Sapphie seemed to be experiencing a lot of unfamiliar feelings since she’d slept with Scotty. What was it about him that turned everything upside down and unsettled her?
She was saved from that troubling turn of thought when her cell rang.
“Welcome back,” Issy said. “I’m always happier when you’re in town. I like knowing you’re close by.”
Warmth filled Sapphie. This was one friendship she could count on not to change. “Me, too.”
“Would you like to come over? J.B. will be at the practice arena this evening, so Sophia and I are on our own and would love your company.”
Sapphie’s spirits lifted. “An evening with you and my practically perfect godchild is exactly what I need.”
“Great, because Sophia wants to show off her new trick. She started to crawl this week.”
“I told you the child is a prodigy. She only learned to roll over a few weeks ago.”
Issy laughed. “You might be the teensiest bit biased, but she can scoot on her butt pretty fast.”
“I’ll drop off my stuff, get cleaned up and come over.” Looking out the window, she gauged how far she had to go. “I’ll be with you in an hour and I’ll bring dessert.”
After she’d hung up, Sapphie’s good mood lasted for the rest of the journey. Energized, she whizzed through the emails she’d abandoned earlier.
But when she arrived at her apartment, the unsettled feeling returned. As she padded to her bedroom, she looked around. It was a conveniently located, fully serviced pied-à-terre that suited her needs. For the first time, though, she was aware that the apartment looked like what it was—a place where she spent a lot of time, but it certainly wasn’t home.
Identical to her other apartments, it was sleek and efficient, with every convenience. High-end appliances and equipment, designer furniture and decor. It was also as impersonal as a hotel room.
Not one thing in the apartment belonged to her. Nothing of hers decorated the place—no knickknacks, no photos. More to the point, she didn’t have anything personal to put in the apartment. What did that say about her?
Sapphie stepped into the shower. Letting the water pound her body, she tried to get her head out of the strange place it seemed to be in.
This was what she wanted. No muss, no fuss, no responsibility.
So why, as she washed her hair, was she thinking wistfully of the heartwarming coziness of Issy’s place? By contrast, this apartment seemed cold and bland and characterless.
Sapphie winced—she’d scrubbed her skin raw with the massage sponge. Good job she’d already shaved her legs or she’d be cut to ribbons. The sooner she got out of here, the better. Leaving her hair to dry naturally, she dressed in navy shorts and a red short-sleeved top. She slipped on red wedge sandals, then grabbed her purse and headed out the door.
En route to Issy’s apartment, she picked up a few quarts of ice cream. Thankfully, the closer she got to her friend’s place, the more that weird feeling dissipated.
When Issy opened the door, Sophia threw herself toward Sapphie with a squeal of excitement. Sapphie dropped the shopping bag to catch her, settling the infant on her hip.
“Someone’s very pleased to see you.” Issy laughed, retrieving the ice cream and leading the way upstairs.
Sapphie nuzzled her goddaughter’s nose. “I’m really happy to see her, too.”
“Bad week?”
“Just busy and a bit intense,” Sapphie replied lightly, not sure she could explain the strange feeling. “But then, when isn’t my life like that?”
“True. Well, you can chill out tonight.” Issy poured drinks, then set the glasses on a tray already laden with their dinner plates. She indicated for Sapphie to precede her outside. “I thought we could eat out there.”
“Sounds perfect.”
Sapphie put Sophia in the playpen, where she showed off her crawling skills to her godmother’s admiration. The friends ate overlooking the lake as the sun set.
Sapphie took a long drink of her wine. “Ah, I needed that.”
“You and me both. I thought the first few months were tiring, but since Sophia started to move about, she’s running me ragged.” Issy rolled her eyes. “Once she sets her mind on something, nothing will make her veer off her path.”
“Hmm, I wonder where she gets that from,” Sapphie said, smiling.
“Her father, for sure.”
“Uh-huh. Because you’re so easygoing.”
“Of course.”
Issy caught Sapphie up on what the other Ice Cats and their families were doing. Most of them had returned to Jersey and were prepping for the new season.
“That was lovely.” Sapphie sighed and pushed her chair back from the table. “I’m stuffed. If I eat another bite, there won’t be room for ice cream. As it is, I need a breather.”
“Me, too.” Issy lifted Sophia onto her hip. “We can save dessert for when I’ve given little madam her bath and put her to bed.”
“Oh, fun. I’ll help.”
“No need. You can relax out here.”
“I want to.”
Issy arched an eyebrow. “Only because she’s angelic for you. She saves her hissy fits for her poor mom.”
Sophia’s halo was shining as Sapphie bathed her. Sophia loved the bubbles and water and soon had her godmother covered in both. Sapphie didn’t care—she enjoyed playing with Sophia. Maybe because it was something out of the ordinary. Taking care of a precious child who wasn’t her responsibility was different from having to look after her sister when she was growing up. It also wasn’t a requirement. Sapphie chose to do it.
Once Sophia was clean and in her crib, she fell asleep almost immediately. The friends then returned to the balcony and dug into the ice cream.
“How’s the house hunting going?” Sapphie asked.
“Slowly. There still isn’t much on the market that we like. But there’s no rush. Something will come up.”
“You don’t sound too worried about it.”
Her friend was normally one for detailed plans and didn’t like them disrupted. Also a function of their childhood, when they could rely only on each other.
“I’m not.” Issy shrugged. “I don’t know why.”
“Perhaps because you’re settled here, so you don’t want to start over somewhere else.”
“You could be right. Plus I’m not sure I want to move with the season about to start. Much as I love J.B., I know what he’s like once he’s playing. He’ll be so focused on his game that little else matters,” Issy said fondly, though at one point in their relationship, that single-mindedness about hockey had almost split them up permanently. “It doesn’t matter to him where we live as long as it’s an easy drive to the arena and the practice rink. I’ll keep looking, but I won’t mind if we don’t move before spring.”
“I don’t blame you. I can’t imagine the upheaval.” Sapphie gave an exaggerated shudder. “All that packing and unpacking. It’s much easier to travel light.” She ignored the twinge in her chest that reminded her of how she’d felt earlier.
Issy gave her a penetrating look that saw too much. “Maybe, but it makes me happy that my home is full of things that are special to me.”
“And it’s lovely.” Sapphie cut off the wistful tone, saying briskly, “That wouldn’t work for me. Plus I need more than one place.”
“You could still create a home out of your apartment in Chicago, although I wish your home base was here.”
“Fun
ny you should say that. I was thinking along similar lines myself. Maybe I should put an offer in for your apartment when you’re ready to sell.”
Issy stopped, loaded spoon halfway to her mouth, and stared at Sapphie. “Excuse me. Did you just mention buying somewhere?”
“I was thinking that maybe it’s time I have a place that feels more like me.” She cast her mind to her earlier inventory of her apartment. “Maybe have my own furniture. I don’t even have a fork to my name.”
“What’s brought this on? You’ve never cared about owning stuff before.”
Sapphie shrugged. “Maybe it’s time I did. Now I’m on the downward slope to forty—”
“You’re thirty-one.” Issy waved off that excuse.
“Well, I can’t keep up this pace forever. Once I start to slow down, it would probably be nice to have somewhere to live that is mine, with my things in it.”
The thought had never crossed her mind before—in fact, she’d always rebelled against the idea—but now that it had, she wondered if she should start building a base for the future.
Issy’s spoon clattered into her bowl. “Okay, who are you and what have you done with my best friend?”
“Ha-ha. Very funny.”
“I’m serious. Are you all right? Is something going on you haven’t told me about?”
“I’m fine. Possibly just a little tired of feeling like I’m always on the move.”
“You’re sure you’re not sick?”
“I’m perfectly healthy.” Sapphie hoped that Issy wouldn’t dig deeper to things she didn’t want to discuss. “Anyway, I thought about having my home base in Jersey rather than Chicago. Maybe because I’ve been spending more time here lately. Obviously, you’re here, too, and my gorgeous goddaughter. In fact, all my friends are here.”
Issy frowned. “I guess that makes sense. But what would you do with your own place? How would you find the time to decorate and furnish it? And you’d still need services to look after it. Plus you’d be responsible for everything that went wrong with it.”
Issy was only trying to help by playing devil’s advocate. Still, Sapphie started to feel unsettled again. The warm glow of having her own place began to be replaced by the sensation of ropes winding around her, tying her down.
Was she taking things a step too far because she was having a weird day?
She took a deep breath. “I don’t have to do it all myself. Tracy or Maggie at Making Your Move could find me someone to help set up the apartment and then get someone to manage it.”
Something in her voice must have given away her uncertainty, because Issy backed off.
“Well, you can have first dibs on this place if we sell. And if we don’t move, I’d love to have you as a neighbor. These apartments come up for sale all the time. There’s one several doors down that’s going on the market soon. I’ll give you their number and you could get ahead of the game.”
Those ropes tightened a little further. “Great. I can at least look into it.”
“This sudden desire to settle in New Jersey wouldn’t have anything to do with a certain retired captain?”
Trust her friend to nail it. “Perhaps. I don’t know,” she replied honestly.
“How are things going?”
“I thought it was okay. That we’d come to an understanding. Now I’m not so sure.”
She explained what had happened prior to leaving for Chicago, including that kiss. Then how he’d changed plans, not once but twice. She didn’t admit how much that had stung.
Issy grimaced. “Ouch. That can’t be fun for him. Having to appease your daughter by being nice to a woman you don’t like anymore. Why do kids always assume their parents should be friends once they’ve split up? There’s a reason they got divorced.”
Sapphie shrugged. “Anyway, I didn’t want to cause trouble for him, especially when there’s nothing serious between us.”
“Still, not the best start.”
“No. Maybe it’s a sign that we shouldn’t be seeing each other.”
“Give it, and him, a chance. There’s obviously something between you that’s worth exploring. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
“Maybe.” Or maybe she’d regret it more if they did.
Before Issy could say anything more to convince her, J.B. arrived home.
Sapphie left a short while later. Like a reverse of her earlier journey, she grew more and more unsettled the closer she got to her apartment. Walking inside, she felt suffocated. Sapphie strode to the sliding doors and opened them, breathing deeply. The breeze off the river soon permeated the apartment.
It was still too early to go to bed, so she poured herself a drink and grabbed the thriller she’d started reading on the plane. After a few minutes, she realized she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to read about a serial killer targeting single career women and set it aside. Instead, she walked onto the balcony, drink in hand, and looked out over the Hudson at the lights of Manhattan.
Maybe she’d been premature in her thoughts about changing her life. Not that it was a bad idea, but perhaps right now wasn’t the best time. There was too much else going on. Too many variables to consider. She should take it slowly and really think about what she wanted for the future.
Meanwhile, she’d be perfectly satisfied to keep the status quo.
Her phone rang. Surprised to see Scotty’s number, she almost dropped the phone. “I thought you were meeting with your agent.”
“I am. We’re at Grey’s and waiting for Andy to show. He’s caught in a traffic holdup in the Lincoln Tunnel. I wanted to make sure you got in okay.”
She was touched he’d called, but her edginess remained. “Of course. I’m an old hand at traveling.” Then, worried that sounded a little abrupt, she added, “Thanks for checking.”
“I’m really sorry I canceled. You know I wouldn’t have changed our plans if it hadn’t been important.”
His sincerity eased some of her tension. “It’s fine. I’ve been over at Issy’s enjoying a pretty sunset and cuddles with my goddaughter. Not to mention a huge bowl of ice cream.”
Scotty’s deep chuckle sent tingles dancing over her skin. “I can’t top that, so maybe it was for the best.”
“It will be if you get the deal signed, sealed and delivered.”
“The signs are encouraging. Speaking of which, Grey confirmed that our offer for the Brew House has been accepted.”
“That’s good news.”
They talked about what that meant in terms of timing for the project. Then Scotty had to hang up because his agent had arrived. “See you on Monday.”
“I’ll be there, bright and early.”
As she disconnected, it occurred to her that even without buying a place to live here, she’d just tied herself to New Jersey. And to Scotty. She hoped she hadn’t made a terrible mistake.
* * *
PAINFULLY POLITE.
Two words Scott would never have thought he’d use to describe working alongside Sapphie. Yet that was exactly what the past four days had been.
From the moment she’d arrived at the Cats’ offices on Monday morning, they’d taken part in a cagey dance. Unlike in the locker room, where guys told him straight up something was a load of crap, he and Sapphie disagreed using cocktail-party-style niceties. Every comment, every response, was measured.
If keeping on his verbal toes all day long wasn’t tough enough, working so closely with her was a different kind of torture. The underlying attraction in the air. The constant battle against the urge to touch her—even simple gestures like smoothing a stray strand of hair from her cheek. The way her scent lingered long after she’d gone home. Not to mention his daily fight to hide the fact that he spent from nine to five in a near-permanent state of arousal.
Their day
s followed the same pattern. She’d be in her office working when he arrived. He’d bring her coffee and they’d head to the meeting room to tackle the list of projects from the review. Over lunch Sapphie went to her office to have a sandwich at her desk, while Scott stretched his legs and got some air. He’d ask her to join him, but she always declined.
He’d wondered if her cooler attitude was because he’d screwed up last Sunday. But when he’d asked yesterday if anything was bothering her, she’d denied it.
Scott swiveled his chair to stare out the window at the people arriving for work. He and Sapphie couldn’t continue like this. He had to change things up. Fix what had gone wrong between them.
But how? Work would only get more contentious. They’d started by tackling simpler issues that could be solved easily. Unfortunately, they’d exhausted those yesterday. The outstanding issues were the most complicated and the ones where they were most at odds.
Still, he had to try. It would make the next few weeks more comfortable, at least. He decided to test the water by cashing in the rain check for last Sunday’s brunch.
With a strategy in place, he strode to the meeting room and set his things on the table. He paid no attention to the wall opposite, where a line of flip-chart pages—detailing their agreed position on each of the resolved issues—hung, walking instead to the wall where the charts contained the problems still to be discussed. He’d barely glanced at the first one before Sapphie walked in.
His heart kicked. He should be used to that—it happened every time he saw her—but he wasn’t. Today’s summery yellow dress hugged her curves and skimmed her knees, emphasizing her shapely calves. Matching peep-toe pumps showed an enticing glimpse of red nail polish. She looked smart, professional and delicious.
“Good morning. We have a lot to get through today, if we want to keep to schedule. Especially as you’ll be observing some of the training-camp sessions next week.”
At her brisk tone, he snapped his gaze up from her legs. “Before we get started, I still owe you brunch. How about Sunday?”
Her blue eyes widened. “You don’t need to do that.”
