“She wasn’t interested in working from Montana. I guess it doesn’t have the same equipment as the pharmaceutical company.”
“Does she know that for a fact?”
Ryan helped himself to a cookie. “I don’t know. All I know is that I miss her.”
“She sent me a letter the other day.”
“Who?”
“Sophie. She wanted to know how much it cost for all of the security work my team provided. When I told her it had been taken care of, she called me on the phone.” John took an envelope out of his pocket. “Here’s a check for the money you paid me. Sophie settled the account in full.”
Ryan dropped his head into his hands. “She wouldn’t even let me do that for her,” he muttered. “Do you know what she left in my office?”
“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
He took an old cookie jar off the shelf behind him. “She put lots of money in here. The notes almost popped out when I took the lid off.”
John looked inside the container and smiled. “What was going on out here?”
“You can get your mind out of the gutter because nothing happened. Sophie wanted to pay me something toward the cost of her staying here. I wouldn’t accept any money, so she hid it in the jar. When I got home after the concert, she’d left the cookie jar in the middle of the table with a thank you note attached.”
“At least she’s polite.”
“Unlike me.”
John looked closely at Ryan. “I’m no psychologist, but I’d say that Sophie has a hard time accepting help from anyone. Do you think that’s got anything to do with what’s happening now?”
“It’s got everything to do with what’s happening now. At least with her mom and sister staying in Bozeman, she might make it back here a few times a year.”
“I guess you have to work out if that’s enough.” He didn’t wait for Ryan to reply. “I came out here to give you the check. Make sure you put it in the bank.”
“Why didn’t you deposit the money electronically?”
“Because I wanted to see your face when I told you Sophie had paid the bill.”
“Can Sophie afford to pay you? It was a lot of money.”
“Maybe you should call her and find out.”
Ryan stared at his friend. He hadn’t spoken to Sophie since she’d left Bozeman. He wasn’t even sure she’d answer the phone, but anything was worth a try. “I’ll have to find her cell phone number.”
“I wrote it on the back of the envelope. Don’t mess up this time.”
When John left, Ryan looked at the envelope and frowned.
He needed to think carefully about what he wanted to say to Sophie. He’d already made a mess of their relationship and he knew he couldn’t afford to make things worse.
He sat down at his desk and pulled out a clean sheet of paper. He’d make a list, prioritize what was important, and call her when he had everything organized.
If she didn’t answer her phone, he’d fly to Dallas and see her. Anything had to be better than missing her from a distance.
***
Sophie sat in Angel Wings Café and gazed through the window. When she’d flown in last night she realized how much she’d missed Bozeman and the friends she’d made here. It was good to be back.
“Hey, stranger. I hear you ordered the biggest hot chocolate on our menu?” Tess stood beside her table with a hot chocolate in one hand and a plate of cake in the other. “Mind if I join you?”
Sophie smiled at her friend. “It’s good to see you.”
“You, too. What brings you to the big metropolis of Bozeman? I thought you weren’t due back for another week?”
“I wasn’t, but I’d had enough of Dallas.”
“Is the pressure of being famous getting to you?”
Sophie sighed. “You saw the stories?”
“Who hasn’t? You’ve made the headlines of most of the major news agencies in the world. For the first time ever, there’s going to be a treatment that will halt or cure Alzheimer’s disease. The Scientific Journal has called it a modern-day miracle and you, my friend, invented it. You’re the golden girl of the moment.”
“I don’t want to be a golden girl.”
A waitress brought over a cup of coffee for Tess. “Thanks, Kate.”
Tess smiled at Sophie. “Make the most of your fame. I’m surprised no one’s linked the ground-breaking scientist with the ex-fiancée of a country music superstar.”
“I can thank Dorothy for that. She refused interviews with any reporters who mentioned my name alongside Ryan’s. So far her strategy has worked.”
“How is she finding working with a scientist?”
“Frustrating.” Sophie laughed.
“She’ll get used to it.”
Sophie had no doubt that Dorothy would. The publicist was in her element and Sophie was happy to hand over all media queries to her. It would have been even better if Dorothy didn’t keep telling her what Ryan was doing.
She scooped the thick, creamy froth off the top of her drink and smiled at Tess. “This reminds me of the first time I met you.”
Tess nodded. “A lot has happened since you first came into the café. Are you enjoying working with the pharmaceutical company?”
“It’s great. We should have a more workable solution for dispensing the supplement by the end of next month. Producing the supplement in a capsule will make it more stable.”
“Do you still think it will be available for sale in the next six months?”
“I hope so. A lot of people are working around the clock to make it happen.” She put her spoon down and smiled at Tess. “We had an endorsement from Oprah Winfrey yesterday.”
“You’re kidding?”
“Nope, Dorothy sent me the link.” Sophie pulled her cell phone out and showed Tess the story. “Dorothy was over the moon. Apparently the customer care team at the pharmaceutical company has been answering so many calls they had to employ more staff.”
“What does this mean for Sophie Elliott?”
“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 th
e 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 a
rrived 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.”
Playing For Keeps (Emerald Lake Billionaires 2) Page 22
