WindSwept Narrows: #5 Sophie Addison

by Diroll-Nichols, Karen

  It was late evening before Sophie signed into the game and began playing. One of the key things she loved about playing the game was it blocked out junk from her brain for a time. She had her headset on while she played, listening for her young friend and music.

  The familiar clicks of someone logging into the channel had her reaching to lower her music while working to find the magic items on her list.

  “Hey! You leveled without me…” came Nate’s friendly growl.

  “That’s ‘cause you’re out chasing girl…how’d it go? Straighten things out?”

  “Not until Monday,” he answered vaguely. “How was your Saturday?”

  “Nice…warm…marketing and returned my costume…and found the perfect one for next Friday…placed a call to Mac to see if he can give me a name…I saw them talking, so I know he knows the guy from last night…but no answer yet,” Sophie outlined easily.

  Nate had his phone out in a second, quickly texting Mac to not return her call until they could talk, his mind catching on her other comment. “Perfect costume? Another charity event?”

  “Friday night…do you realize, that unless you create it yourself, the majority of costumes out there for females revolve around being sexy?”

  “It’s an evil male conspiracy,” he commented mildly. “I’ve seen some pretty gross costumes, though…it’s the whole zombie thing…blood and guts…”

  “Not into gross or zombies…they’re already dead, for pity sake,” Sophie rolled her eyes. “So…barring gross…I thought Anna from Van Helsing might be good…then decided to go all out…”

  “I’m afraid to ask,” Nate pulled his checkbook out, finding the online site and buying his ticket to the costume event.

  “Sailor Moon,” she said simply, listening to the coughing on the other end of the line. “You okay over there?”

  “Tell me you aren’t serious,” he asked when he was sure his voice worked.

  “Dead serious…perhaps not Sailor Moon exactly…but definitely a wicked school girl,” she chuckled huskily. “I’ve got the skirt and blouse, a nice pair of boots and a hair bow…it’s going to be fun…”

  “Are you trying to start a bar fight?” He asked, struggling to ignore the picture she had painted in his mind.

  “A bar fight? I’m not going into to a bar…the event is downtown…”

  “And the guy you’re looking for? Is he going to get in a fight when some guy with no manners…”

  “Oh…I hadn’t thought of that…” Sophie frowned at the monitor. “Well, he’ll adapt. I have faith in his abilities and I can handle myself. Boots can do wicked damage if they need to.” She took in a long breath. “You do know…at some point, if she truly isn’t interested…”

  “There’s a fine line between pursuit and stalking,” he finished the sentence for her. “Yeah…I’ve thought of that…”

  “Oh good…I’m thinking an arrest wouldn’t look good on college applications…”

  “I don’t think it’ll be a problem…we just have some issues to work out…”

  “Confidence is a good thing…c’mon…you’re behind and I have this tough quest to knock out…”

  Chapter Four

  Sophie left her car a little before seven in the morning, her hands busily working the chop stick looking spikes into the back of her head, holding the light mesh frame around the wound knot of dark hair. Her smile was absent as she passed some of the guys from the computer section, her frown on the call Mac never returned. She saw Flynn talking to Mac, so she hoped he would know how she could reach him.

  People passing vaguely registered, her mind on the schedule she had set up for applicants to interview with Logan and Cade. It was going to be a very busy couple of weeks. Sophie typed out a note to Abby, outlining the encounters, words used and her concerns regarding the floor manager in training. Her stomach ached, feeling like a tattle tale but she set it all aside and began reading through the notes left for her.

  Nate stood with his friends and co-workers, watching the long legged dark blue pencil skirt cross the parking lot. The open sides of the fitted short jacket flapped in the wind, her head down and a puzzled frown creasing the red tinted full lips.

  “You don’t have a chance,” Mike said with a laugh, laughter from the other guys echoing his comment. “She’s like every principal from every school I’ve ever been in…”

  “Don’t bet on it,” Nate turned and headed back to the arcade, the others trailing. Tee shirts and jeans were the standard clothing, badges hung on their waists or necks from lanyards. “What do you have against her? You don’t even know her.”

  “Know her type,” came the response from Elliot. “The stuck up cheer leader type.”

  “She goes for the fancy suits,” Andy said with a shrug. “She even dresses like ‘em.”

  “She’s a professional admin,” Nate returned with a shake of his head. “I think it’s called standards.”

  “Dude, you need some serious reality checks,” Phil headed to his console with a chuckle.

  Nate continued on to Mac’s office, the clipboard in his hand as the other checked off things from the list. Most of the offices had been wired and they were waiting for a shipment.

  “So explain the text,” Mac looked up from the shipment list. There were tons of boxes to open and distribute and set up.

  “It’ll be resolved later today, not to worry. I got people opening the boxes and we’re moving them out as fast as we can,” Nate assured him, pointing to the floor plan he was looking at. “Accounting is mostly finished and will be done today. The only issue I have, is the instant we get each area filled, they start bringing in people and want the furniture rearranged.”

  “Each manager is being told, firmly, to give the current layouts of their offices a sixty day trial period before moving anything. Abby worked with a professional on the layouts,” Mac told him. “I thought of that…and moving and re-upping computers will be at the bottom of our to-do list if they ignore that rule.”

  “Okay…I’m a little more calm…I’ve got Phil and Jerry finishing the wiring…”

  Nate was vaguely listening to the lunch discussions when he sunk into the chair. Movies, games and coding questions floated around the table for the first few minutes before he lost interest, watching the dark suit enter the large lunch room.

  As usual, her head was bent, but this time, her eyes were on a bright blue pouch in her hands. He watched her snap it and hold it to her temple, a visible wince on her face. She went to the farthest corner of the room, away from people and sinking into a chair near the corner. She pulled another chair over, her legs stretched over it and head back, the blue pouch over her eyes, glasses on the table.

  “Ten bucks,” Jerry slapped a bill onto the table, grinning at Nate.

  One pale brow rose, a frown creasing his lips as more money joined the pile.

  “She’ll throw you out like yesterdays trash,” Mike added his money to the stack.

  “Elliot, hold the money,” Nate said seriously without looking at any of them, he pushed against the table and headed to the far corner. He knew they were watching but was only concerned about Sophie. He felt his stomach in his throat, his palms rubbed over the sides of his jeans. “Bad day?” He asked quietly.

  Sophie lifted the corner of the ice pack, saw a bright orange tee shirt with some game in big letters across the front and lowered her palm to the chair arm again. The voice…if her head wasn’t pounding so bad…

  “Not the work…not sure…you’d think on a bright sunny day the world would be a little more kind to your brain,” she said with a sigh.

  “When’s the last time you peeked outside?” He asked curiously.

  “Haven’t…so I guess this morning about seven…have I missed something?” Sophie was positive she knew that voice. “The damn barometer up here plays havoc…”

  “The sky is darker than your suit, Baroness,” Nate told her, wincing and watching her feet slowly slide off the chair,
heels hitting the floor in a loud thunk. He pulled a chair from behind him, straddling it and waiting.

  Sophie sat up slowly, letting the ice pack fall into her palm. She lifted her glasses, wide brown eyes peering at the man sitting quietly watching her. Longish amber hair side parted and teasing his ears.

  “I…a storm…figures…I have tablets for that. But…you…here? Why…how…” Sophie closed her eyes. Maybe it was an optical illusion brought on by the headache.

  “There’s a perfectly logical explanation,” Nate extended his palm, lifting hers and letting their fingers twine. “Nate Cooper…Arcade Division. Mac’s second in command.”

  Sophie opened her eyes to stare first at their hands and then at his face, the familiar blue eyes peering at her patiently. She swallowed and slowly pulled her fingers free, wrapping them around the ice pack and holding it to her temple.

  “You’re with the guys toward the front…you match them…I’ve seen you out there…”

  “Match…”

  “The clothes…they’re usually out front when I get here in the morning,” she continued to stare.

  “Friends and co-workers, yes,” Nate nodded. “We were lunching and I saw you come in…”

  “I…sent a note to Mac…asking…I should…I wanted to…”

  “I know. He told me.”

  “I…I owe you an apology for Friday night…leaving…I wanted to find you and…and tell you that,” Sophie reached behind her head, pulling the cross sticks free and letting her hair fall to her shoulders. “I don’t know if I have an explanation that makes sense…”

  “Cold feet?”

  “I…yes…mostly…”

  “Have you eaten?”

  “Not hungry…” She slipped the hair decoration into her pocket. “You knew who I was at the charity event,” she said after a quiet minute.

  “Guilty.”

  “Your friends are staring at us,” she said, unable to stop herself from staring. The mask he’d worn had hidden the high cheekbones and pale brows.

  “Yeah…about that…they have preconceived notions that include words like high school principal and cheer leader,” Nate breathed a quiet sigh of relief when one corner of her mouth lifted.

  “They look like kids…” Sophie winced at the expression crossing his features. “I know…I know…”

  “They range from twenty-nine to thirty-three…maybe it’s the radiation from all the time we’ve spent around computers,” Nate tossed out, his hands clasp on the table.

  “And the pile of money?”

  “A wager that you’d chew me up and spit me out,” he answered honestly, his grin crooked.

  “I see…and you went to the charity event just to find me?” Sophie felt a warmth in her stomach that was spreading.

  “I…” Nate lifted one hand, rubbing his neck. “I have to confess it was the single most expensive date I’ve ever had,” he admitted slowly.

  “I…oh…” Dark lashes widened considerably. “The minimum donation was a thousand dollars,” she said in disbelief. “It’s for a very good cause…they all are…I…” she continued to stare, her head shaking in amazement when the chime began in her pocket. “I can’t believe you would…just to…me…”

  “Phone?”

  “Timer…lunch is over,” she stood up slowly, aiming the ice pack at the trash with an expert toss.

  “What’s your cell number, Sophie?” Nate pulled his phone out, tapping in the number she recited. “You didn’t get lunch…”

  “I…I’m good…I’ve got to go…tons to do,” she blinked and shook her head again. He spent a thousand dollars just to spend time with her. Sophie went toward the entrance to the large cafeteria, her palm up and waving casually at the table full of gaping guys watching her leave.

  Nate walked slowly back to his friends, casually collecting the money laying on the table before heading to the food line. He selected a fruit plate and a large chocolate milk, paying and joining the still staring friends at the entrance.

  “You got her number?” Was the amazed question.

  “Got her number,” Nate confirmed.

  “Shit…what the hell…”

  “How can you…”

  “Guys, it’s okay to date outside the tribe,” Nate said wryly.

  “What do you got to talk about with a…” whatever Andy was about to say froze in his throat when he met Nate’s eyes.

  “Time to get to work, guys…I’ll be back in a few,” Nate continued on toward the administration offices. He nodded absently to Cade greeting an applicant in the outer office. He smiled at the soft voice singing as she typed, fingers coming to a halt when she saw his approach out of the corner of her eye.

  “Nate…”

  She’d removed her jacket, sleeves rolled to her elbows and hair repinned with a pen stabbed into the side. Some small part of him expected her to be upset that he was there at her desk. But he saw only a smile in her eyes.

  “Brought you a present,” he said simply, setting the food down and winking. “Eat something, Baroness. See you later.”

  “Bye…thank you, Nate,” Sophie stared at the departing long stride before reaching for the bottle of chocolate milk and twisting the cap after shaking.

  She had the stack of applicants scheduled, half the fruit eaten and the chocolate milk gone when Abby approached Cade’s office with a security officer at her side.

  They stood patiently outside the office, Abby’s smile professional when the door opened and the applicant left with a handshake. She held the clipboard out to Cade, nodding at his signature before striding off with the officer.

  “Should I ask what’s going on, Cade?” Sophie reached for the stack of applications with a band on them, holding them out to him when he came to her desk.

  “They’re escorting Fender from the property, Sophie,” Cade took the stack, his head shaking ruefully. “I’ll never get what cave guys like that live in…”

  “I…I thought he’d just be reprimanded,” she said quietly.

  “He’s had the course, Sophie,” Cade shook his head. “He’s arrogant about it, acting like it’s his birth right. Nate told me what happened Friday night,” Cade groaned aloud. “Don’t give me that look…I get it from Abby. I’m immune when it comes to behavior like that. Yea, we know you can take care of yourselves…but it makes us feel useful.” He turned and went to his office.

  Sophie sighed, slumping back in her chair, staring at the monitor.

  She wandered into the foreign territory about two that afternoon, amazed at the tables filled with computers and various parts. Sophie smiled at Mac when he looked up from the bent over large sheet of paper he was studying, following his gaze to the console on the far wall.

  Nate sat staring at a large screen, fingers typing quickly and sending a collection of very odd looking sentences to the monitor. She tapped lightly on his shoulder, one ear pod pulled free and he growled.

  “What?”

  “I’m sorry to bother you…” Sophie took a hasty step back when he jerked the other ear pod free and pushed his chair back, bouncing to his feet in surprise.

  “I…no…sorry…I told them not to…but not you…” Nate stopped, closed his eyes and tried again. “Sorry. What’d you need?”

  “Can I talk to you a minute?”

  “Sure…what…” Nate felt his eyes widen, brows knit when she used one finger, sliding it over and curling it around the neckband of his tee shirt. She turned and led him into the hall. “Soph! Hey…lighten up…damn it! I’ve got a reputation…”

  She stepped aside, letting him straighten his shirt and glare. She met the glare without backing down. “You spoke to Cade about what happened at the benefit on Friday.”

  Nate’s brain shot several possibilities to him at once. “Yes, I did and I’m not about to apologize for it, Sophie.”

  She stared into the bright blue eyes. “Thank you.”

  “I…what? Damn it every time I get a good steam going to defend myself you s
hoot the chair out from under me,” Nate complained.

  “You know…one of the reasons women…girls…don’t file more complaints is because the guy is usually someone with power…and a really good actor,” Sophie said quietly. “We’re afraid no one will believe us. It’s along the lines of you were raped because you dressed for it…I just wanted to thank you, Nate,” her palm patted him lightly on the chest, her smile soft as she turned to go.

  “You’re welcome,” he answered, watching her stride down the corridor.

  “Timing, huh?” Mac clapped him on the shoulder. “Glad it’s you this time and not me. They don’t get it,” he said, glancing casually at the others as they entered the large work area.

  “Would you give up Cassidy because they aren’t in the same place we’ve come to?” Nate saw the answer in his eyes. “They’ll get there eventually. Back to my coding…”

  But he took out his phone, tapping up her number and a short message.

  “Will you go out with me tonight?”

  The text was gone a few minutes when the single word answer returned.

  “Yes.”

  Nate felt lighter than he had in a very long time, his phone slid away and music turned up loud as he typed and linked the systems.

  Chapter Five

  Shortly before four in the afternoon, Mac walked backwards a few steps, his frown still in place when he came across Nate shutting things down.

  “I just saw Sophie running barefoot across the lobby.”

  “Ya know…I wish I had an answer for you,” Nate shook his head. “See you tomorrow.” He went to the front door, his watch up when she came running down the hall from the admin offices, a pack in her hands.

  Long dark hair was pulled into a high ponytail, big brown eyes shining behind her glasses. She wore a long sleeve, scoop neckline girl tee with a bright yellow tank on top and jeans that were rolled to her knees. She was hopping on one foot, trying to get her slip on shoes in place when she came to a skidding stop.