“Well, I came in to see if I borrow an outfit…”
“Sure,” she said, with a laugh. “Poor, Soph. You came in for a shirt and ended up having to listen to a life lecture.”
“It wasn’t a lecture. It was sage advice.” I nibbled on my lower lip. “I’m sorry about what happened to Gabriela. Does Mom know?”
Sam nodded. “Mom knows all my secrets at this point.”
I laughed. “Mine, too.”
She smiled at me. “What are your secrets, Sophie-bean?”
For a second, I wanted to tell her all about Jake and how crazy I was for him, but I didn’t. It wasn’t the right time. Instead, I kissed the top of her head. “Oh, you know me. I have no secrets. I’m an open book.”
“Thank goodness,” said Sam, rolling over and curling up to fall back asleep. “Keep it that way.”
Chapter 6
~Jake~
I shouldn’t have been so nervous about Skyping Sophie the first time. After all, I’d been chatting with her for weeks. She knew more about me at this point than anyone, even my best friends.
Heck, she’d become my best friend. When did that happen exactly?
But I was nervous. So nervous I cleaned my room, took a shower, and even put gel in my hair before I Skyped her. I didn’t use gel for just anyone, but I’d do anything for Sophie, which was scary.
Why did I feel so much for a girl I barely knew, a girl I hadn’t even met? It was strange, and unhealthy, and would doubtless lead to a huge disappointment. No one could ever be as right for me, as perfect for me, as Sophie Barnes. It wasn’t possible. This kind of thing didn’t happen.
When she answered, though, her sweet face appearing on the screen of my laptop, she smiled at me, and suddenly everything was all right. I relaxed, unable to hold back a grin as I leaned against the propped up pillows on my headboard.
“Hi, Sophie,” I said.
Her smile widened. “Hi, Jake. A funny thing happened to me a few minutes ago…” she said, and prattled on about something her cat had done. It made me laugh out loud and forget this was kind of a big step for us. We talked for hours, until she let out a yawn and curled up on her bed, her eyes still on me.
“You’d better get to sleep,” I said.
She gave me a crooked smile. “I don’t want to hang up.”
“Me, neither.”
She let out a sigh. “But I have to wake up early and help my mom with pies.”
“And I promised I’d go with my parents to visit Dylan, so we should say goodbye.”
She shook her head. “Not goodbye…goodnight. See you tomorrow, Jake.”
She reached out to touch the screen with her fingers. I reached out, too, and it was almost like we touched each other. Almost, but not quite.
“Goodnight, Sophie,” I said, and closed my laptop.
I stretched, glancing at my clock. Three a.m., and I was exhausted, but thirsty, too, from all the talking. I padded down the steps to the kitchen, trying to be quiet so I wouldn’t wake my parents, but I shouldn’t have bothered. My dad sat at the kitchen table in his pajamas, a steaming mug in his hands and a sad, faraway look in his eyes.
“Hey, Dad,” I said.
He blinked, and I could tell he forced himself to try to sound normal. “Jake. Why are you up so late?”
I shrugged. “I needed a glass of water. What about you? Couldn’t sleep?”
He stared into the contents of his cup. “Nope, so I made a hot toddy. I thought it might help me sleep. Want one?” he asked, giving me a wink. His hot toddies included just a dram of whiskey with a lot of honey and lemon, or at least the ones he made for me did. I suspected the one he drank right now might be heavier on the whiskey part.
“Sure,” I said. “Let’s get lit.”
He laughed and got up to make me one, his movements slow and precise. I swear he’d aged ten years since Samantha called a few weeks ago to tell us something was wrong with Dylan. Both my parents had. And my mom seemed even worse off than my father.
I sat at the table and took a long slip of the hot toddy. As suspected, it was mostly honey, lemon, and water with barely a splash of whiskey. I looked at my dad over the rim of my cup.
“He’s going to be okay, Dad.”
He gave me a wistful smile. It broke my heart. “I hope so. It’s hard to see him like this.”
“I know, but Dylan’s strong. He’ll get through this. We all will.” I gave his arm a squeeze. “Did you eat anything today? Can I make you something?”
I started to get up and he stopped me. “I had a sandwich at the hospital cafeteria. Nasty, but at least it filled me up.”
I laughed, thinking about what Sophie had said about hospital food. “That reminds me…” I said, and remembered he didn’t know about Sophie, and shut my mouth.
He looked at me curiously. “That reminds you of what?”
I let out a long breath. What should I do? I glanced at my dad, and decided the last thing we needed was to have secrets between us.
“I want to tell you something, but I’m not sure how you’ll react,” I said, and I told him about Sophie. “So we started out as, you know, Facebook friends, but now…well…I think we’re more.”
He tilted his head to one side. “And this makes you happy?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“But you’ve never met in person?”
“Nope.”
“I see.”
I cleared my throat. “But I want to meet her. She’s…special. I think you’d like her, too.”
He gave me a smile, and one that actually reached his eyes this time. “I’m sure I would. We like Sam, after all, and your mom has become close to their mother. They talk all the time. Does Sophie’s mother know?”
“Yes. Sophie told her.”
“Of all the girls you could have dated…” He shook his head. “But I guess it doesn’t matter. All that matters is your happiness. If you’re happy, we’re happy.”
I took another swig of my drink, and stared at the mug. “Should I tell Mom?”
He let out a long, slow breath. “Maybe wait a bit. She’s going through a rough patch. It might not be the best time. I think you should meet Sophie in person first, and talk to your mom about it afterward. What do you think?”
“Agreed.”
“And when do you plan on meeting her?”
“I have no idea.”
I gave him a kiss goodnight, and went back to my phone. As I put my phone on my nightstand, it buzzed. A text from Sophie.
I had the most brilliant idea. What are you doing the first weekend in December? Want to meet up? For reals. In the flesh. Person to person. Face to face. Mano a mano. NOT online…?
I grinned. Hell, yeah. But doesn’t mano a mano mean physical combat, like we’ll have some kind of duel?
Duh. No. It also means hand to hand. Like within touching distance. Or at least that’s how I interpret it, and I’d kind of like to be within touching distance for once. What do you think?
Tell me when and where. I’ll be there.
Chapter 7
~Sophie~
My grand plan had been to meet Jake for the first time in a neutral location, as far away from my family as possible. Switzerland would have been an ideal venue, but since it wasn’t exactly feasible, I came up with something else.
“What if we meet in Rochester?” I asked as we Skyped. “It’s kind of a halfway point. I drive an hour and you drive an hour.”
And it was neutral territory. No parents. No friends. Just Jake and I. Mano a mano.
Jake didn’t answer right away. Instead, he looked serious, his dark brows wrinkling as he frowned. “No.” He shook his head slowly, his eyes downcast.
My breath hitched in my chest. “Do you mean ‘no’ you don’t want to meet me? Is that what you’re saying?”
He looked up at me in surprise. “What? No. Heck no. Of course, I want to meet you, but not in Rochester.”
“Well, we could choose another town…” I s
aid, and he stopped me.
“I want to do this the right way. Come to your house, meet your parents, and take you out on a proper date. No sneaking around. No lying about it. This is important to me. I’m not messing around here.”
For a second, I stared at him, speechless. Somehow, I managed to shut my gaping mouth, and mumble, “Okay,” without sounding like a total idiot. I may have sounded like a partial idiot, but not a total idiot. I considered it progress.
He leaned closer. “So, I guess you’ll have to tell your dad about me before Saturday. What are you going to say?”
“Hmmm. I’ll tell him the truth.”
“And what’s the truth?”
I nibbled on my lower lip. “You’re special. You have excellent taste in movies. You have a great sense of humor.”
He smiled. “I do?”
“Definitely. You get all my jokes and obscure references. I don’t have to explain anything to you. It’s never happened to me before.”
“You’re saying I speak geek?”
I nodded. “You’re fluent. It’s impressive. I’m also going to tell him our relationship has nothing to do with Dylan or Sam. We’re different people. It’s a different relationship. It’s a fluke that we met because of them.”
“A fluke or fate?”
I felt my cheeks get warm. “I’ll go with option number two.”
He gave me a sexy, crooked grin that made my insides melt faster than butter on a hot stove. “I’ll go with the second option, too. Whatever this is, it isn’t random, Sophie. I’m sure of it.”
It turned out my mother took care of things for me. She broke the news to my father after they’d dropped Sam off at college. I found him in the kitchen, and he looked wiped out, both from the drive and from worrying about Sam. He washed his hands at the sink and turned to look at me, slowly drying them with a paper towel.
“What time is he coming to pick you up?” he asked.
“Um, he said he’d be here around eleven on Saturday so he could take me to lunch. I think we might see a movie afterward. Sound okay?”
“Do I have a choice? I have a feeling you’re going to go through with this whether I like it or not.”
I felt my cheeks go hot, but I couldn’t deny it. “It was Jake’s idea to come here, to be upfront with you.”
“Has he told his mother yet?”
I shook my head. “No, but his dad knows. His mom is a mess right now.”
“Understandably. Your sister is a mess, too. I’m concerned about her.”
“I know, which is why we aren’t saying anything to her. Not yet at least.” I pulled the sleeves of my shirt down until they covered my hands, and crossed my arms over my chest, hoping I’d made the right decision about Sam, hoping I was doing the right thing now. “I want you to be okay with this, Dad. It would mean a lot to me.”
“I know.” He gave me a long, steady look. “You aren’t like your sister. I realize that. You’re careful. You think things out first. I always assumed when you finally dated someone seriously, it would be the right guy. Someone special.”
“Jake is special, Dad.
He studied my face. “But did it have to be this guy? Did it have to be Dylan’s brother?”
“Yes. It had to be him. It had to be Jake.”
He let out a sigh. “Then heaven help us. We’re going to need it.”
Chapter 8
~Jake~
Walking up the stone path to Sophie’s house, I’d never been so nervous. What am I doing? I’d questioned my sanity the entire way here, but now I seriously thought about turning around and heading back to the car.
This was a bad idea. And I’d lied to my mom about it, which made me feel awful.
“What are you up to today?” she asked before heading out for her daily vigil at Dylan’s bedside.
“Nothing,” I said. “Just studying. Later, I might go see a movie with friends.”
“How nice,” she said, a little distractedly. She glanced around the kitchen. They’d come home late last night, and a pile of dirty dishes sat in the sink. The dishes seemed like a testament to how exhausted my mother was at the moment. She had a thing about dirty dishes. She couldn’t stand to leave them for an hour, let alone all night. She bit her lip. “Maybe I should stay home today. Clean up the house. Make a nice lunch. I’ve been neglecting you lately. I’m so sorry, Jake.”
I heard the hint of tears in her voice and gave her a hug. A wave of guilt assailed me, but I had to think quickly. “I’m fine, Mom. Go see Dylan. He needs you. I’ll take care of the dishes.”
Worst person ever. Normally, I would have encouraged her to stay home and rest. She looked exhausted. But I didn’t. Not today. I needed her out of the house, so she wouldn’t ask too many question.
For a second, I thought she might argue, but instead, she slowly nodded. “You’re right. He needs me. I know he does. I want you to understand how important you are…to both of us. I don’t want you to feel for a second that we’ve ignored you or your needs. I hate leaving you alone like this all the time.”
“Mom,” I said, lowering my head so my eyes were even with hers, my hands on her shoulders. “I’m fine. Check on Dylan today. If he’s doing better, maybe we can hang out together tomorrow. That would be nice, right? You could get some rest. Eat some pancakes. I’ll even make them for you. What do you say?”
She shot me a tiny smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Sounds like a plan. You’re a good boy, Jakey.”
She gave me a pat on the cheek and wandered around the room to gather up her purse and car keys. I could tell her thoughts were already with Dylan, all alone in his bare, sterile hospital room. Her mind was always there. It was like the body walking around the kitchen and talking to me was the shell of the person she’d once been.
Another wave of guilt hit me, this one like a tidal wave. She was suffering through one of the worst thing she’d ever experienced in her life, and what was I doing? Lying to her so I could drive two hours each way to see a girl. And the “Son of the Year Award” goes to Jake Hunter, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much.
Her phone buzzed with a text, and she answered it, letting out a long, slow breath. “It’s Sam again. Poor kid. She texts me every morning, but at least she doesn’t call anymore.” She stared out the window at my dad who’d pulled the car out of the garage, warming it for her. “I can’t stand to hear her voice. Isn’t that strange? It brings up too many difficult emotions, too much pain. It’s not her fault, but it…hurts.”
My dad entered the kitchen. “Are you ready, hon?”
She nodded, giving me a kiss on the cheek. “Be good today. No wild parties,” she said, with a wink.
“Oh, you know me,” I said. “I’m all about the parties.”
She laughed, as she always did when I said things like that. I was the least likely person to party. After seeing how alcohol affected my brother, I had no desire at all to drink. In fact, I found the whole idea repellent.
My dad held the door open for her, and looked at me. “Be careful,” he said, with a nod. He knew where I was going. He’d given me the keys to his Volvo, enough cash for about a dozen lunches, and a box of condoms, for some unknown reason. I’d taken the cash and the car keys, but left the condoms in my room. That was so not going to happen today. I was even more sure of it when I arrived and stood in front of Sophie’s house.
Sleep with Sophie? I wasn’t even sure I could manage to get through lunch. I was so nervous, my hands shook, and I felt physically ill.
Now that would make a great first impression. Throwing up on a first date. An excellent way to ensure no future dates of any kind. Ever.
I glanced over my shoulder, wondering again if I should run back to the car and forget about the whole thing, when the door to the house opened and Sophie flew out. She didn’t walk, she ran to me, her hair flying behind her like a flag and a huge smile on her face.
“Jake. You’re here. Finally.”
She flung her a
rms around my neck, pulling me close, and suddenly, I knew it would be okay. More than okay. Things would be perfect because Sophie Barnes was finally with me, in my arms, holding me like she never wanted to let me go.
I learned a lot about Sophie online, but I missed a lot, too. I didn’t know her eyes were more green than brown in the sunshine, and I had no idea her long, brown hair had pale blond streaks through it. I also didn’t realize how tiny she was, or how perfectly she’d fit into my arms. And I had no clue about how she’d smell, like strawberries and sunshine and something sweet and familiar I couldn’t place. The scent of Sophie herself. Unique and wonderful.
She stared up at me, studying my face the same way I studied hers, and she grinned. “This is the best day ever,” she said, and she caught sight of the gift bag I’d brought with me. “Wait. Did you get me a present?”
“Yes,” I said, handing it to her. “I know you’re allergic to flowers, so I went for the next best thing.”
She dug in the bag, tossing the tissue paper aside, and when she saw what I’d brought her, she nearly fell over laughing.
“A cauliflower?” she asked, giving me a punch on the arm. “Seriously?”
“Yes. Maybe your mom can cook it for you.”
“No way,” she said, hugging it close. “This is a gift from Jake Hunter. I’m keeping it forever.”
She linked her hand with mine and led me to the house. “Or until it rots,” I said.
“Or until it rots,” she agreed, and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thanks, Jake. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me, too,” I said, and I meant it.
Chapter 9
~Sophie~
Jake was in my house, talking to my dad, charming the socks off my mom, and (gasp) holding my hand. Well, I guess I’d kind of aggressively grabbed him in a near chokehold of a hug, dragged him into the house by his hand, and refused to let go, but it didn’t matter. He was here. With me. Sitting on my couch and looking adorable.
Sophie and Jake (Passports and Promises) Page 3
