Chapter 18
Sophie
I wake up on Monday morning feeling ready for my new start. Today, I go back to work and get my shit together. I will no longer be the moping, grieving, housewife. I’m a strong, independent woman and while my heart still aches for my son. I need to keep moving forward.
I go about my shower and pull on my blouse and skirt, the one I know my husband can’t resist but it’s not like it matters right now, he was up and gone for hockey training hours ago.
I head into the kitchen and make myself a piece of toast and a coffee. I’m walking back down the hallway with my coffee in hand when I pass that one closed door that has remained closed for the past few months.
I find my feet stuck to the ground, refusing to move forward. I turn and face the door and gently place my hand on the handle. I must be crazy for what I’m about to do or maybe I just enjoy a bit of torcher but either way, something deep inside is screaming at me that the time has come.
I turn the handle and find myself stepping through the threshold into the nursery. First thing to happen is the heavy feeling that settles within my heart but it’s soon replaced with a strange fondness as I take in the now empty room.
I realise that Tank must have come in here and cleared everything out for this exact reason. He would know I would come in here seeking some kind of comfort but he would also know it would remind me of everything I’ve lost.
I step further into the room and sit down in the centre of the carpet to finish my coffee. I can’t explain it but being here in this room makes me feel just that much closer to my son, which is ridiculous, right? It’s just an empty room, one he didn’t even get to use.
I place my mug down beside me and lean back onto my hands as I begin picturing where all the furniture was and how I would have decorated it when I notice the wardrobe door is slightly open.
I get up and make my way towards the wardrobe. I open it up to find a basket filled with all the important things like the ultrasound sound picture and the pregnancy tests I did. I smile to myself as I take them in and make a mental note to thank Tank for not getting rid of these.
I search through the basket and also pull out the very first outfit I bought for my little boy. It was right after the doctor appointment where we had found out we were having a little boy. I had immediately dragged Tank into the first baby store we came by. He went on and on about how he didn’t want to be out baby shopping but the second I pulled the tiny little outfit from the rack and held it up to him, a massive smile had taken over his handsome face. That moment will forever be ingrained in my mind and I’m thankful for it as it was another precious moment that I was given by my son.
An idea strikes and I rush around the house to find a bag. I put the ultrasound, the piss stick and the outfit into the bag and place it in the hallway next to my handbag which is when I realise the time.
I’m going to be late.
Shit.
Feeling great about my idea, I rush down to my bathroom and get started on drying my hair and putting on a little makeup. A few minutes later, I decide this will have to do and slide my heels on.
I grab my handbag and the bag of baby things when I remember the photo Dani had taken of Tank and I when I was about four months pregnant. He had his arms wrapped around me and those big hands resting on my stomach while I was looking up at him. I dump my bags and run around the house like an idiot searching out the photo.
Finally, I head into the garage, checking and double checking the house is properly locked up, after all, I just had my house scrubbed clean, I wouldn’t want any crazy stalkers coming in and rubbing their junk all over my furniture.
I push my way through my office door for the first time in three months and I have to say, it kind of feels weird to be back here again. I dump my bag on the floor and take a look around. It’s instantly clear that my office is certainly not the way I had left it. While everything is neat and tidy, it’s also a big mess.
First thing I noticed was the new door and computer, my cork board has a big crack through it and my lounge is in the wrong spot. Then on closer inspection, the papers on my desk have all been tossed together into a neat pile, my desk drawers look as though they’ve been emptied and someone has just thrown the stuff back in and the picture frames of my most daring articles have all been reframed and are back up on the wall in the wrong order.
I consider leaving it all the way it is and getting started on a new investigation but I know better than that. There is no way in hell I’ll be able to concentrate until this shit is sorted.
With a sigh, I get started on fixing up my office.
An hour later, I have finally finished perfecting my office and boot up my new computer. I’m pleased to find the IT guy must have been in here and worked his magic as everything is exactly how I had it on my last computer.
I click on my emails and wait as it attempts to load everything from the past three months. While the emails slowly trickle in, I head out to the kitchen and put the kettle on while I catch up with the other girls in the office. We all get carried away with our mindless chatter and I soon have to excuse myself to get back to work.
Pleased to find all my emails downloaded, I take a seat and start sorting through them.
One by one, I go through and unsubscribe from all the mailing lists about healthy babies and foetal development then delete them. I then go through and delete all the emails from my sources about tips on new cases, well, I only delete the ridiculous ones and the ones that could potentially get me into a lot of trouble again. While the ones that Tank has deemed too dangerous but I feel really need to be investigated are forwarded to the next best in the business, leaving me with the shitty but super easy ones.
Though I have to say, it won’t be that easy now that Tank has demanded I do it all with Harry Potter’s invisible cloak. I have no idea how I’m going to make this work but I guess I’ll have to be creative.
I print off the few tips and start doing a little research on all my new scumbags.
By lunch, I’ve pretty much got one solved and the rest are well and truly underway.
Feeling a bit claustrophobic in my office, I decide to head out for lunch. I find a nice café and eat while sitting out in the warm L.A sun before heading down towards the mall. I push my way into Frisky Framing, making the little bell above the door dingle before making my way towards the counter.
I notice the second the guy behind the counter sees me as an interested grin takes over his face and his eyes look me up and down.
I can’t help but look him over as he brings his hands down on the counter and leans forward. I start at the top and make my way down. I inwardly groan as I take in his unwashed, un-brushed man bun, his tanned skin that is also peeling from what must have been a very nasty sunburn, down past the long scrawny body that I’m pretty sure I’d be able to see his rib-cage through and finishing off on the toneless, chicken arms which support his weight on the counter.
I can’t help but groan knowing he is going to try and crack onto me but seriously, does he even think he has a chance? I’m married to a man who is at least four times his size and has the whole dark, smouldering thing going for him.
This guy though, he looks as though he owns one of those hippy vans that breaks down on the highway with a surfboard on top. In other words, he has no chance in hell.
I finish making my way towards the counter and begin rifling through my bag for my other bag filled with my baby things while his grin becomes wider and his eyes become hooded.
Ugh. My eyes quickly scan the shop to check if there are any other employees but just my luck, I’m stuck with Mr. Man Bun.
“Hey,” he says as he gives me a slight nod. “What brings such a beautiful woman like you into my store?”
I ignore his flirty comments as I dump my little bag on the counter before pouring the contents out and getting on with it. “I need this stuff arranged into a frame.”
“Uhh..,” he starts as he rips his eyes away from mine and down to the counter. “Sure… wait. Is that a…”
“A piss stick? Yes,” I confirm.
His face scrunches up in disgust. “You can’t put that there,” he informs me.
“Seriously?” I groan. “It’s clean. Can you do it or not?”
“Yeah,” he sighs. “What were you looking for?”
I rattle off the few ideas I have floating around in my head and leave him with it while also giving him specific instructions on being careful with my things.
I give him a friendly smile before turning away and making my way to the door when he calls out.
“Ahh, Sophie? Is it?”
I turn back around and look at him, unsure of what he could want. I mean, I’ve already given him all my ideas and have even already paid. “Um, yeah?”
“You, ah… Wouldn’t fancy going on a date? Maybe dinner tonight?”
Are you serious? After I just showed him the picture of my husband cradling my baby bump, my piss stick and an ultrasound and he still wants to ask me out. At least the guy has balls.
“I would… with my husband,” I tell him.
He gives me a tight smile and a nod. “Fair enough,” he says before looking away.
I take that as my cue to leave and dash back out of the store, a little too excited about the final product, hopefully, it doesn’t take too long to put together. Though, one thing’s for sure. I can’t wait to surprise Tank with it.
I make my way back to the office and give Dani a quick call, letting her know all about my little project before I find myself back behind my desk, searching for new and improved spyware and bugs that I could use in my new investigative techniques.
By the afternoon, I stumble on in through my front door and dump my bag right next to Tanks. I make my way down into the lounge room and instantly collapse into his lap. “Holy shit, I’m exhausted,” I say as he wraps his arms around me and pulls me into his body so I can lay back.
“Big first day back?” he asks.
“You can say that,” I grunt. “I’ve already got three ongoing investigations.”
“Three?” he questions. “You never work on more than one at a time.”
“I know,” I sigh. “But I’m playing by your rules now and only taking the easy ones. The first one is already done, I just have to put the article together and the other two will be finished by the end of the week. Besides, after taking so much time off, my inbox is crawling with new leads.”
His dark eyes narrow curiously on me for a moment before he finally speaks up. “So, how are you solving the cases so quickly?” he questions in a strange, knowing tone.
A grin cuts across my face. “That’s for me to know and for you not to.”
“Really now?”
“Mmhmm,” I murmur as I adjust myself on his lap so I can face him properly.
He grins back at me with a sparkle in those sexy eyes. “Interesting.”
Now it’s my turn to narrow my eyes on him. “What’s interesting?” I question as his fingers come up and push a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
“Well, I got a call from the bank today thinking someone was fraudulently using our account trying to buy a shitload of spyware.”
“Really? That is interesting,” I smile.
He rolls his eyes as he pulls me in close to his chest. “Just be careful with that shit,” he tells me.
“I will,” I say, leaning in and pressing a comforting kiss to his lips before resting my head on his shoulder. His hand starts rubbing up and down the length of my back as he turns the tv on to ESPN and finds a game. He puts the volume right down and I soon find myself falling into a deep, well-needed sleep.