“They’re happy,” I said, nodding around the village circle. “Look.”
Sophie’s eyes scanned the area. She smiled sadly, but her mood quickly improved over lunch. The food was beyond delicious. It was authentic and fresh. Sophie couldn’t stop eating until finally, it was time for us to leave.
“Are we heading to the dig site?” Sophie asked.
“Yes.” I nodded. “We should check in at least once today. Then, I thought we’d head back to the hotel and get cleaned up before dinner.”
“Dinner?” Sophie asked.
“Yup.” I nodded again. “I reserved us a little restaurant a few cities over. It’s nothing fancy, but I think you’ll love it.”
“Restaurant?” Sophie asked. “You mean you got us a table?”
“No,” I said. “I reserved the restaurant.”
“The entire restaurant?” Sophie raised her eyebrows.
“I thought we could use the privacy.”
Chapter 18
Sophie
We left the dig site just as the sun began to set. Back at the hotel, I searched my luggage for something suitable to wear. When Andrew sprung this trip on me, I planned only for work. I knew we’d be outside almost all day. I packed shorts, pants, and shirts. Nothing fancy enough for a night out on the town.
“This is useless,” I mumbled to myself as I stared down at my bag of clothes. A soft knock made me jump and spin around. Andrew was standing in the adjoining doorway of our hotel rooms. He looked like he’d jumped straight out of a GQ advertisement.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. His eyebrows were pulled tightly together with concern.
“I just can’t find anything to wear,” I said. “I only packed practical clothes. Nothing nice or anything.”
“Check the closet,” Andrew said simply. All the concern drained from his face.
With a frown, I walked over to the closet and pulled the door open. The only thing inside was a long purple dress that shimmered when I picked up the hanger. It was beautiful and far more elegant than anything I’d ever owned.
“Where did you get this?” I asked, turning to face Andrew.
“I had Liam order it before we left.” He shrugged. “I thought it might come in handy.”
I laughed. “So, you planned this whole thing?”
“God no,” Andrew said quickly. “I just wanted to be prepared for everything.”
“It’s beautiful,” I said, glancing down at the dress. “I’ll be ready in a few minutes.”
Andrew nodded and turned to go back into his room. He looked back at me with a smile and shook his head.
“What?” I asked, suddenly nervous.
“Nothing,” he said. “You’re gorgeous.”
With that, he slipped back into his room and closed the door to give me privacy. As the door fell shut behind him, I was left with his compliment ringing in my ears. I didn’t stop smiling until we climbed inside the armored vehicle that was our chariot.
“It’s strange, isn’t it?” I asked Andrew as we drove away from the hotel.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“You’re in a suit,” I said. “I’m in an evening gown. And we’re traveling through African cities in a military vehicle. There’s a freaking machine gun above our heads.”
Andrew glanced up and laughed. He knew I was right. This was by far the strangest way to travel. Yet, there was something oddly perfect about it.
“I guess this wasn’t what you had in mind,” Andrew said. “Most people go to Canada or Europe for their first trek outside of the states. You skipped straight to war-torn Africa.”
“It’s perfect,” I said. And it was. I couldn’t imagine anything more exciting or adventurous. Even just being at the dig site was enough for me.
“I hate to bring up work,” Andrew said. “But how much do you think this haul will bring in for us?”
“I’d have to analyze the pieces,” I said with a shrug. “Besides, you know what the artifacts are worth way better than I do.”
“I’m just curious about your opinion,” Andrew said. There was something hidden behind his smile that I didn’t recognize. As soon as I noticed it, it was gone. The subject shifted away from work, and by the time we arrived at the restaurant, Andrew’s question had flown free from my mind.
“I can’t believe you did this,” I said when we stepped inside. “How did you even pull it off?”
“They needed the money,” he said. “One perk of being wealthy.”
“Your definition of wealth and mine are two very different things.” I laughed.
“How so?” Andrew asked.
“Well, my family isn’t exactly poor,” I said. “My parents always did well for themselves. Most of my friends think of me as rich. If they met you, they definitely would not think that anymore.”
“I may not be rich for very long.” Andrew sighed. “With the way the business is going.”
“Your finances just need some sorting,” I said confidently. “We’ll get everything squared away. Don’t worry. Your fancy lifestyle is perfectly safe.”
“Good,” Andrew said, feigning seriousness. “Because I would hate to fire Liam.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” I teased.
“Never,” Andrew said. He laughed and then his expression turned solemn. “I could never do that to my mother.”
“Your mother?” I asked.
We were served our drinks and food quickly. Having the entire restaurant to ourselves made the wait time virtually nonexistent. A short, dumpy waiter laid plates in front of us without a word before he disappeared behind a curtain.
I waited for Andrew to elaborate, but he was too busy staring at the food. We ate slowly, and while the food was incredible, I barely knew what it was. Something in Andrew’s expression had drawn in my full attention. Still, I didn’t want to push him to talk about his mom if he wasn’t ready.
“She hired Liam herself,” Andrew finally said, almost twenty minutes later. “Liam and my father were always close, but it was my mom who he really adored. I think she reminded him of his sisters.”
“He told me about them,” I said with a nod. “He really misses them.”
“And her,” Andrew said simply. “Liam can talk about my mom for hours. Not that I blame him. She was incredible.”
“Will you tell me about her?” I asked cautiously.
Andrew smiled sadly. At first, I thought he would say no. After a few minutes, his eyes met mine, and he launched into story after story about his mother.
“I loved her,” he said. “Emily Hopper was the shining light of every room she entered. It was impossible not to notice her. My dad used to joke that it was simply her beauty that drew everyone in, but it wasn’t. She just radiated personality, you know? Every word she said was full of emotion, and every time she looked at you, it was like her eyes were piercing your soul.”
“Sounds intense,” I said.
“She was,” Andrew said. “But in the best way. God, I couldn’t get away with anything when she was alive.”
“No?” I laughed lightly.
“Hell no.” Andrew shook his head. “I think I spent most of my teen years grounded.”
“Troublemaker,” I teased.
“Mom was just on top of me all the time,” Andrew said. He looked down at his plate and smiled sadly. His eyes were dark with emotion, but he kept talking. “She knew everything I was going to do before I even did it. I still don’t know how she did that.”
“I think it’s a mom thing,” I said. “Mine was the same way.”
“She was?” Andrew asked, lifting his gaze to mine.
I nodded. “Although my mother was much more reserved,” I said. “She was shy. Quiet. My dad usually claimed people’s attention.”
“I can see that,” Andrew said. “Rick is rather…”
“Vivacious?” I finished for him.
“That’s one way to put it,” Andrew said. He was still smiling, but like always, talking about
my dad put him in a slightly sour mood.
“Tell me more about your mom,” I said quickly. “I feel like I don’t know anything about your family, and yet, you know so much about mine. It’s crazy that we never met as kids. Our dads worked together for so long.”
“Twenty plus years,” Andrew said. He chuckled to himself. “Mom kept me away from the business as much as she could. Which, with my father, wasn’t an easy task.”
“She kept you away?” I frowned. “I always thought you grew up in the industry.”
“I did,” Andrew said. “But only because of my dad. When I was a kid, Mom insisted I have a life outside of Hopper Antiquities. She sent me on trips. She made sure I was involved in activities. No matter how much Dad pushed me toward the business, Mom pulled me away from it just as hard.”
“She didn’t want you to work for him?” I asked.
“It’s not that,” Andrew said. He sighed and closed his eyes as if he were remembering something both painful and beautiful. “Mom was thrilled when I went to work for Hopper. Once I became an adult, she lightened up and let Dad take the lead.”
“I don’t understand,” I said.
“Neither did I at the time,” Andrew said. “I was confused as hell when she threw me a party the day I started at Hopper. But now. Now, I think I get it.”
“You do?”
“She wanted me to see that life doesn’t revolve around work,” Andrew said wistfully. “As much as she loved my dad, she didn’t want me to become him. She wanted me to know that I could do more than just work. That I could travel for pleasure. Have adventures. Fall in love.”
My heart skipped a beat. Andrew was just talking about his mother, and yet, I couldn’t help but feel like he was somehow talking about me, too.
“I wish I could have met her,” I said.
Andrew smiled and let the conversation slowly change course. It was hard for him to talk about his mom. He missed her so much, and the more he revealed about her, the more I began to understand about him.
Later that evening, Andrew and I arrived back at the hotel just in time for my cellphone to ring. I glanced down at the screen. Kaddy’s name was flashing.
“Excuse me for a second?” I asked. Andrew nodded. I slipped inside my room and pressed my phone to my ear. “Hey you.”
“Soph!” Kaddy said loudly. “How’s Africa?”
I laughed. “Amazing. Seriously, this place is wild.”
“Rustic?” Kaddy asked.
“To say the least.” I sighed. “You would hate it.”
“Most definitely,” Kaddy said with confidence. “Do they even have running water?”
“Some places do,” I said. “The hotel does, at least.”
“Tell me about the dig,” Kaddy said. “But tell me quickly because this call is costing us both a fortune.”
“In that case, forget about the dig,” I said. “Let’s talk about the sex I had last night.”
“What?!”
I laughed and quickly regaled Kaddy with the details of the night before. She gasped and giggled, loving every second of it.
“I can’t believe you finally had sex,” Kaddy said. “This is incredible. Honestly, I never thought it would happen.”
“Thanks,” I said sarcastically.
“You know what I mean!” Kaddy said. “But seriously, are you okay? I mean, do you feel good about it? You’re not upset or freaking out or anything?”
“I feel amazing,” I said. “It was different than I imagined, but somehow, that made it better. I don’t know, Kaddy. It was great, and then today, with Andrew, was…”
I trailed off, not sure how to describe my complicated emotions. As quickly as I fell for Andrew, part of me was still afraid to move too fast. Kaddy picked up on my conflict without needing an explanation.
“Be careful,” she said. Her tone was caring and serious, which was rare for Kaddy. “Don’t fall for him just because he took your virginity. From everything you told me, Andrew isn’t exactly the best guy in the world.”
“He’s different than I first thought,” I said. “He’s definitely damaged. He has some serious issues, but he has a really amazing heart.”
“Oh god,” Kaddy said. She exhaled loudly. “You’re already in trouble.”
“What?”
“You like him too much,” Kaddy said.
“I do not,” I snapped. “I’m just getting to know him.”
“Like I said, be careful.”
Kaddy’s warning was heartfelt. I knew she meant well, but I brushed it away without much thought. I told her all about my day with Andrew, and then we said goodbye. When we hung up, I heard her voice echo in my head.
“Be careful.”
Shaking myself, I hurried into the bathroom to change out of my dress. Andrew wasn’t the guy Kaddy thought. He was different. Guarded and defensive, yes, but kind and genuine beneath the surface. Kaddy may have been worried, but I wasn’t.
Chapter 19
Andrew
I took off my suit and hung it carefully in the closet. Sophie was in her room. When her phone rang, she practically ran inside. I didn’t know who called, but whoever it was, they were obviously important.
I tried not to let my jealousy get the better of me. Sam was nowhere around today, which helped, but I knew we would see him again soon. The closer Sophie and I became, the more I wanted her all to myself.
Today had been all about proving to Sophie that I cared about her. We got off on the wrong foot back in the states. When she moved into my place to work, I hated her simply for being related to Rick. I took all my anger and resentment out on her. I assumed she was just like him, a thief and a liar. But I was wrong.
Sophie was anything but those things. She was kind and genuine. Her heart was huge and her compassion even larger. She wanted to know me, to really know me, and in turn, I wanted to know everything about her. I couldn’t stand that Sam, or any other man might know things about her that I didn’t. In so many ways, she already felt like mine. My Sophie. I just hoped she felt the same way.
Once I was dressed in more comfortable clothes, I grabbed a bottle of wine from my suitcase and waiting by the door connecting our rooms. Sophie wouldn’t be on the phone for much longer. When she was done, I would be waiting to take her up to the roof.
It was the best place in the hotel. I’d scoped it out earlier, and while the surrounding area wasn’t exactly beautiful or elegant, being on the roof made it feel that way. Sophie deserved to see everything this world had to offer. I knew I couldn’t show her every inch of every continent, but I was determined to start somewhere.
I glanced at the closed door. Her voice was faint on the other side. All I could hear were soft mumbles, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to listen in. I just wanted to see her again. Spending all day with her wasn’t enough.
Finally, the door creaked open, and she stepped into my room. The smile on her face was radiant and almost brought me to my knees. God, how could I have missed just how sexy she was? How did it take me so long to realize her beauty was everything?
I grinned back at her as she walked toward me. Her green eyes shimmered, and my stomach flipped nervously. No woman had ever affected me so deeply.
“Waiting for me?” Sophie asked.
“Of course.” I grinned and held up the bottle of wine. “What do you think?”
“Where did you get that?” Sophie asked. “I doubt there’s a liquor store around here.”
“I packed it.” I shrugged.
“Of course, you did.” Sophie smiled and shook her head.
“There’s a rooftop balcony,” I said, pointing up. “Care to join me?”
Sophie nodded and followed me toward the stairs in the hallway. We walked in silence until we reached the roof. I pushed open the door and let Sophie step out in front of me. Her eyes scanned the roof, a faint smile spreading across her face.
“It’s beautiful up here,” Sophie said. “The view is amazing.”
; I nodded. “It really is. It’s so different from where we grew up.”
She smiled sadly. “I can’t believe my father got to see all of this, and I missed out.”
“Speaking of which, was that him on the phone?” I asked, keeping my tone nonchalant.
“My best friend,” Sophie said simply. “Kaddy.”
“Oh.” Relief flooded my body.
“She was just checking up on me,” Sophie said with a shrug. “Being in Africa can be a little dangerous, I guess.”
“Just a little.”
We both laughed and moved toward the railing. I leaned against the metal and peered down at the armored vehicles below us. Parker and one other SEAL were stationed with us. They wouldn’t leave until the morning shift arrived. I’d been a recipient of protection detail enough times to know how these things worked.
“I wonder where Sam is tonight,” Sophie said. She was speaking more to herself than to me. Still, my jealousy reared its ugly head. I felt my stomach clench and my throat tighten.
“He’ll probably be on our detail tomorrow,” I said. My voice was tense, despite my best efforts.
“I’d like to see him again before we leave,” Sophie said.
“I’m sure you will.”
Sophie glanced at my face and then sighed deeply. She took a step toward me and rested her head on my shoulder. All the tension drained from my body. Her touch was all the reassurance I needed.
“He’s just an old friend,” she said softly.
“I know,” I groaned and pulled away slightly. “I’m being ridiculous.”
“It’s cute,” Sophie said. She grinned wickedly and pulled me back to her.
“Jealousy is never cute,” I argued.
“Normally, I would agree with you,” Sophie said playfully. “But it works for you.”
“Does it?” I raised my eyebrows. Sophie laughed and kissed me.
My body reacted instantly. Sam was driven from my mind, and quite obviously from Sophie’s, as well. The kiss was short and gentle, but my skin felt like fire as Sophie pulled away with another grin.
“Wine?” I asked, holding up the bottle that was still clutched in my hand.
Debt Collector Page 12
