She shook her head. “It doesn’t offend me, don’t worry. He was a prick. I still feel really bad for saying it, though. I was talking about it to an old friend ages ago, and she made me feel like a total monster for not missing him at all. She said he was my father, and I have to love him no matter what he did.”
“Yeah, well, she wasn’t there to see the shit he did,” I said, once again remembering Sophie cowering in my arms in the backyard playhouse after the bastard had put out a cigarette on her leg. A lot of kids in my school had taken up smoking to be cool when I was around fifteen or so, but every time I so much as looked at a cigarette, it reminded me of that moment and I felt sick to my stomach. Some things you just don’t forget.
“I better take a shower and go to bed,” she said, standing up a moment later. “I still have twigs in my hair from when we…um, from when I fell over in the woods.”
“Okay,” I said, grabbing our wine glasses and walking over to the sink. “I’ll clean these. You go shower.”
She smiled and said goodnight before walking out the door towards the other cabin, and I watched her out of the window until she’d gone inside. There was a funny twinge in my guts as I looked at her, and strange emotions took hold of my mind; emotions that I’d been trying to suppress for a long time now. It had been in a childish, innocent way all those years ago, but I’d loved her back then…and now I was pretty sure I still did.
CHAPTER EIGHT
SOPHIE
I was back in the city now, and I was on Skype with Cerie and Lana as they helped me plan out an outfit for my sixth date with Dan. The kiss with Drew had only happened a week ago, and I’d tried to push it as far from my mind as possible. We’d both agreed that it was a mistake, and I didn’t want to be the kind of girl who cheated on the guy she was seeing, even if Dan and I hadn’t exactly made things official when it happened.
But damn…it hadn’t felt like a mistake at the time, as much as I’d tried to convince myself it was.
“What do you think of this?” I said, holding up a crimson dress to my webcam.
“It’s cute,” Lana said.
“It’s more than cute, it’s sexy,” Cerie said. “But if you wear a little red dress like that on a date, I think Dan’s gonna be expecting a lot more than a goodnight kiss afterwards. Seriously, if I was a guy and saw you wearing that, I’d go and buy myself a stack of condoms and book a hotel room.”
I laughed. “Okay, red dress is out then. How about that dark purple one I bought last time we went shopping?”
Dan and I hadn’t gone any further than a few cuddles and kisses after our dinner and movie dates, and I’d been pleased when he’d stopped referring to it as us just ‘hanging out’. He’d made it pretty clear that he thought I was something special, and I’d completely changed my tune on the virginity issue. I’d been so wrong that night when I went out clubbing with my friends. I didn’t want to just throw it away with some random hot guy anymore. I wanted it to be special.
If and when the time came with Dan, I wasn’t going to chicken out like I had that night with Drew, because this time I’d know it was the right thing to do. But not tonight. We hadn’t really been seeing each other for long enough for me to know beyond a shadow of doubt that it was right, as much as I’d liked spending time with him.
I decided on the purple dress, and before I headed out for the evening, I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Drew was sitting at the table playing on his cell phone, and he looked up at me with an approving expression as I walked in.
“Where are you going dressed like that, young lady?” he said in a joking tone.
I rolled my eyes. “Funny. Dan’s taking me to Rida.”
Rida was one of our city’s most exclusive restaurants, and I’d been thrilled when Dan told me where he’d made the reservation.
“He’s pulling out all the stops, huh?” Drew said, his face darkening slightly at the mention of Dan.
After the camp, we’d reached a tentative level of friendship again, but I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure I trusted him. The way he’d gone from being a douche to suddenly being nice in the last couple of weeks had set off my spidey-senses, and I didn’t believe that anyone could change their tune so fast. I still had my suspicions that he was up to something, but the awkward kiss we’d shared had confused me even more. If he was only being nice to try and hook up with me, then why had he pulled away and said it was a mistake?
Maybe he was going for the long con. Maybe he’d only done that to make me view him as a nice guy, when in reality he didn’t think it was a mistake at all. Or maybe I was just being paranoid.
“All right, I’m heading out,” I said, putting my glass on the sink a moment later. “What are you up to tonight, by the way?”
He answered as I stuffed my cell phone and keys into my purse.
“Dunno, might be catching up with an old friend. Anyway, have fun on your date.”
The way he accentuated the word ‘date’ set my teeth on edge, but I fixed a sweet smile to my face instead of letting him know that it annoyed me.
“Thanks. See ya later.”
I felt his eyes on my back as I walked out of the kitchen, but I didn’t turn around.
***
Rida was just as nice as I’d heard, and I looked around at all the other restaurant patrons as Dan sipped at his drink.
“Is it just me, or is everyone here really good-looking?” I asked. Even the wait staff were attractive, and I felt slightly bad about my thighs as I watched a slim, leggy woman pass by our table.
Dan grinned. “Not as good as you,” he said, reaching over and patting my hand.
I smiled back at him, already feeling better. I’d been trying to be less insecure for the last few weeks, but it was hard sometimes, especially when I was surrounded by model lookalikes.
“Back in a sec,” he said. “Need to use the bathroom.”
As I waited for him to return, I saw a familiar face out of the corner of my eye. Drew. What the hell was he doing here? I turned to get a better look and noticed that he was strutting in with a girl beside him. She was a slim brunette with elfin features that made her look like a modern-day Audrey Hepburn, and I felt an odd pang of jealousy in my stomach as I looked at her.
Drew spotted us and headed over. “Isn’t this a coincidence?” he said, smirk affixed to his face.
I gritted my teeth before replying. “No, not really. I told you I was coming here tonight.”
“Did you? Hm, I must’ve forgotten.”
Bullshit. I’d only told him forty-five minutes ago. I had no idea how he’d even got a reservation on such short notice, but I guess being a hot billboard model had something to do with it. What I did know was that he’d come here to get on my nerves. Why else would he have so conveniently picked this restaurant? What the hell was he playing at?
The girl smiled warmly and stuck her hand out. “You must be Drew’s stepsister,” she said. “I’m Ana.”
I accepted her hand and tried my best to smile back at her even though I was mad at Drew for purposely intruding on my date. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too. I’ve heard a lot about you. Drew and I are old friends,” she explained.
My shoulders sagged with relief as I realized they were just friends, but I couldn’t figure out why. He could go on dates if he wanted. It was none of my business. Why should I care?
Drew clapped his hand on her back. “Yep, Ana used to date my best friend from high school.”
“And then he cheated on me, so Drew decided he’d rather be friends with me instead of him,” Ana chimed in.
“No shit,” Drew said. “Fuck cheaters.”
He gave me a pointed look as he said that last part, but I had no idea why. Was he making a dig at me for kissing him back the other night, even though I’d been seeing Dan?
“Yeah, fuck ‘em,” Ana said before putting her hand over her mouth. “Oops. Probably shouldn’t talk like that in a place like this.”<
br />
I smiled at her, and as Dan returned, she and Drew turned to face him. Dan’s face suddenly lost some of its color, and Ana’s eyes hazel widened.
“Dan! What are you doing here?” she asked.
“Just here with my friend Sophie. How about you?” he replied in a nonchalant tone.
My heart sank a little as he described me as his ‘friend’. We’d only been dating for a couple of weeks, but it still stung considering how on our last few dates he’d gone out of his way to tell me I was special and really meant something to him.
“Does Zoe know you take your friends to such nice restaurants?” Ana said, a teasing tone in her voice.
Dan’s face was completely white now, and I had a terrible feeling I knew where this was going.
“Who’s Zoe?” I asked in a small voice, and the smile vanished from Ana’s face.
“Wait, I thought you guys were friends,” she said, throwing an accusatory stare at Dan. “If you’re friends, then how the hell has she never heard of Zoe? Zoe as in my best friend and your girlfriend?”
She looked back at me as Dan didn’t respond. “Oh my god. You had no idea, did you?”
I shook my head, unable to say a word. I was afraid I’d burst into tears if I did. Dan the seemingly wonderful guy had a girlfriend. Apparently I’d just been some sort of side-piece. I’d been feeling guilty about kissing Drew back for all of five seconds at the camp, yet Dan had been seeing someone else the whole time behind my back.
Dan stood up. “Look, I can explain…”
Ana cut him off. “Save it, asshole. I’m calling Zoe right now.”
She whipped out her cell phone, and Dan immediately smacked it right out of her hand, causing every other diner in the restaurant to look over at us with their eyes wide.
Dan turned his attention towards Drew. “You fucking prick,” he said. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? This is your fault.”
“Sure, man, keep telling yourself that. It’s my fault that you’re a cheating asshole.”
Dan’s hands balled into fists, and Drew straightened his shoulders and rose to his full height, towering over Dan’s five foot ten frame. “You gonna hit me?” he said. “Go on. I dare you.”
I could see the restaurant manager making a beeline for us. Ana grabbed Drew’s shirt and tried to yank him back. “He’s not worth it,” she said, glaring at Dan. “Let’s get out of here.”
I was still sitting, seemingly frozen, and Ana grabbed my arm, gently pulling me to my feet. “Come on,” she said.
As we headed out the exit, Dan stormed past us, not even bothering to look back, and more tears welled up in my eyes.
“If you ever try to screw with my stepsister again, I’ll fucking wreck you, you sack of shit!” Drew called out after him. Dan quickened his pace and soon vanished behind another building.
“Ana, would you mind catching an Uber home?” Drew continued as we reached the parking lot. “I should take Sophie home.”
She nodded. “Sure. I think I should go see Zoe and tell her what the hell just happened before Dan gets into her head and tries to deny it.”
She patted me on the shoulder and then headed off, and Drew looked at me and motioned towards his car. “C’mon, get in.”
Suddenly I wasn’t sad over being played by Dan, I was angry. Angry at Drew. I knew I was probably misdirecting my emotions, but I was so mad that I wanted to punch him.
“How could you do that?” I asked, my face turning hot.
“Huh? Do what? Save you from dating a fucking tool?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s the fact that you obviously knew what he was up to, and you never told me. I even asked you the other night why you thought he was a jerk, and you said you just ‘had a feeling’.”
He put up his hands. “Relax. I only just found out he had a girlfriend earlier today. I was chatting to Ana, and she suddenly started going on about this dreamy guy her best friend is dating. She told me his name and some other details and I put two and two together.”
“So you’ve known all day,” I said, crossing my arms. “And yet you chose to let me and Ana know what he was up to by staging a huge scene in public. You had to humiliate me in front of an entire restaurant just to make your point!”
He had the good grace to look slightly ashamed. “Look, I knew you wouldn’t believe me if I just came and told you in private.”
“Bullshit.”
“Well, would you have believed me?” he asked, his eyes darkening.
I hesitated. I guess he kinda had a point. If he’d tried to tell me in person, I probably wouldn’t have believed him. I might have just thought he was making stuff up and trying to get me away from Dan for his own selfish ends. But still, embarrassing me in front of an entire restaurant was a pretty nasty way to reveal the truth to me.
“It’s just…I thought we were kinda getting back on track to being friends again, and then you go and do this!” I said. “Everyone back there was staring at me like I was a total moron! Do you know what that felt like?”
He shook his head and sighed. “I guess this is what I get for trying to do the right thing for someone I care about.”
“Oh? How’s the weather up there on your high horse?”
He took a step closer, towering over me. “Are you seriously gonna keep being a bitch? You should be angry at that fucking prick for stringing you along like that, not me. In fact, you should be thanking me for showing you who he really was!”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” I said before getting in his car and looking out the window, ignoring him as he got in the driver’s side.
We drove in silence, and when we were home I got out of his car as fast as I could, slamming the door behind me and then running inside. I heard him come into the house behind me, and he called out after me as I headed upstairs.
“You’re welcome!”
Asshole.
I threw my purse down and then saw that my Mom had put some of today’s mail on my desk. I hadn’t noticed it earlier in my haste to get ready for my ill-fated date. Expecting to only see more college-related stuff, I absentmindedly flicked through the stack. One letter in particular made me raise my eyebrows in a quizzical expression. It was a small white envelope with my name and address printed on it in block letters, only there was no stamp or postmark. That meant someone had come directly to the house and slipped it in the mailbox for me. Strange.
My blood ran cold as I opened the envelope and scanned the single page it contained. I loathed that cliché, but when something terrifies you, you really can feel it all throughout your body. Your blood literally feels cold in your veins, and your heart almost stops pumping for a moment. I’d thought the woods experience at the summer camp had been scary, but that was nothing compared to this.
The letter only said one thing, but it was enough to make my mouth go dry in an instant.
Hello, darling. Miss me? Don’t worry, I’m coming home to see you soon. The time is nearly right.
Love,
Daddy
Normally I would have thought it was some sort of sick prank, but I remembered exactly what my father’s handwriting had looked like. This was it, without a doubt. Not only that…the paper smelled like him. I still remembered his cologne as clear as day, and there was a hint of it on the letter. But how was that possible? He was dead, wasn’t he?
Not according to the paper I held in my shaking hands right at this moment.
I suppose they never did find his body. Maybe he had survived and washed up somewhere, and decided to fake his own death for the last seven years for whatever reason. Who knew what that man was capable of? All I knew was what was right in front of me.
The letter was from my father. He was alive.
CHAPTER NINE
DREW
Game over. For now. Not that any of this was really a game anymore. I watched Sophie storm away, and it got me so hard that I was just about ready to explode, right here in my boxers like a thirteen year old boy who’d ju
st touched his first boob. Jesus, even when she was mad and screaming at me, she still made me horny as hell.
I sighed and then headed back outside to my car. Screw being in the house with her tonight. All that would achieve was making me feel guilty as fuck. Deep down, I knew that I should feel that guilt. She was right. I shouldn’t have humiliated her in public. It was a dick move. I hadn’t wanted her with Dan because I wanted her to myself. I was being selfish, but at the same I was trying to help her because of how much I cared. I knew that guy, and I knew he was bad for her, especially after I’d found out he was dating my friend Ana’s best female friend.
If I had Sophie, I wouldn’t string her along and cheat like that asshole had done. No, I’d treat her how she deserved. I hadn’t exactly made the best attempt at showing her that tonight, though, and I cursed myself for being such an asshole. Why the fuck had I thought it would actually be a good idea to expose Dan’s seedy behavior right in the middle of their date?
I’d blown off a promo gig at a club tonight, but it was still pretty early and I needed something to take my mind off everything. I called up my agent, and she said if I could make it to the place within the next half hour, I’d still get paid. Just as I went to start my car up, I got a text.
Goddammit, it was Vanessa the ex. She’d been texting me every day for the last couple of weeks, and I’d ignored and deleted every one of the messages. Too bad for her. She could beg and plead all she wanted, but I wasn’t getting back with her.
Please call me. I’ve been trying to contact you, but you aren’t picking up or texting back. It’s really important, the text said.
Sure it was. I deleted it and then gunned the engine, speeding down the quiet suburban street. I had better things to do than deal with Vanessa’s shit. Right now all I cared about was thinking of some way to make things up to Sophie.
***
I was only an hour into the promo shift when one of the bartenders motioned for me to go over to him.
“What’s up?” I said, practically having to shout over the thumping bass of the music.
He pointed down behind the bar where I’d left my phone and keys.
Dare: A Stepbrother Romance Page 7
