Sophia

 

 

"Your burger was better than mine." I ball the paper napkin in my hand before I toss it onto my empty plate. "I don't eat beef that often, but that was too good for words."

He nods as he sips from his water glass. "I admit it was good. I typically head uptown when I want a burger. They make the best one at a place called Nova."

"I'll tell Tyler you said that the next time I see him," I say it as nonchalantly as I can manage. I'm not against dropping Cadence's name or that of her very famous fiancé. Tyler Monroe owns one of the most popular restaurants in the city. I eat there at least a couple of times a month and I've never paid a dime for a meal.

"You know Tyler Monroe?" He looks amused. "You mean you met him once when you were eating there, right? I did too."

"No." I sigh. "I actually know Tyler. My best friend is his fiancée."

I see the hesitation written all over his face. "Isn't his fiancée Cadence Sutton? She's on that morning show. I've caught her segment a few times."

"She's on Rise and Shine." I pause wondering if I should share more details or not. "Cadence and I lived together before she got engaged."

He leans back in his chair. "You have connections, Sophia. You should be using those to your advantage."

I know exactly what he means. He thinks I should send Cadence out into the world dressed in my designs. I would if she didn't have that ridiculous stipulation in her contract that requires her to wear Evlin's line. "Cadence can't wear any of my designs. She has to wear the brand that's specified in her contract when she's on air."

"Fair enough." He taps his long fingers against the edge of the table. "There must be another approach to take though. You have to be able to use your friendship with them to your advantage. They must know a hell of a lot of famous people."

"You're famous." I point out as the server clears our plates.

"I think it might damage my career if I parade around Manhattan in that tight yellow dress you call Sunburst."

"You saw that on my website." I feel a rush of color run over my cheeks. "You really did check it out, didn't you?"

"You need a better website." He ignores my question. "I have a guy who does mine. I can hook you up with him."

Every few months I give serious thought to revamping my site. I know exactly how I want it to look. I want it streamlined and simple with clickable links to my designs as well as a payment processor so if someone wants to order a piece, they can. Every quote I've ever gotten to change the site has surpassed my monthly salary at Foster Enterprises. I don't have the money to spare at the moment.

"I'm saving up for a better website."

He reaches to tug his phone from the front pocket of his jeans. The motion pulls the thin fabric of the navy blue sweater he's wearing taut across his chest. I already knew he was ripped based on those shirtless pictures of him online. I have to admit, he looks just as good in a sweater and jeans as he does half-nude.

"My guy has to update my site with a bunch of promo material for my next release." He scrolls through the contact list on his phone. "I pay him enough that he can take thirty minutes to look over your website. I'll get him to tweak it if you want. No charge."

I glance at his phone before I look back at his face. "I don't like being indebted to people. I'd want to pay him for his time."

He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his index finger. "Consider this a consultation. If you want to work with him after that, it's up to you. He'll work out a payment plan if that's better for you."

Wheels spin in my head. This is my chance to talk to an actual professional about my site for free. I may not be able to afford the changes he suggests, but I'll have a list of what I need to go on. I'd be an idiot not to take Nicholas up on his offer. "A consultation sounds great. Can I get his number?"

"I'd prefer to give him yours." He cradles his phone in his hand. "If you give it to me, I'll pass it on to him. It would be pretty hard to ask him for a favor for a friend if I don't even know that friend's number."

"You just want it so you can give it to him, right?" I eye him suspiciously. "You're not going to go all crazy stalker on me and send me messages in the middle of the night, are you?"

"I'm not as pathetic as you make me out to be." He smirks. "I'm passing your number on to Joe, my tech guy. I can't say that he won't send you messages in the middle of the night. He does his best work then."

I slowly call out each digit of my phone number as I watch him key it into his contact list wondering if I just made the best or worst decision of my life.

 

***

 

"Thanks for the burgers." I look past his shoulder and down the busy street where traffic is bumper-to-bumper. "I'm going to head home. I have a lot of work to do tonight."

"I'll grab us an Uber." He opens the app on his phone. "What's your address?"

"I live on the corner of None of Your Business and I'll Never Tell."

His head snaps up as he laughs. "Jesus, Sophia. I think we can both agree that I'm a fairly well-known guy. I'm not going to hang outside your building tossing pebbles up to your window so you can listen to me serenade you."

"You sing?" I ask teasingly. "Don't tell me that you can sing."

"Not a note." His finger hovers over his phone. "Can you?"

"No, but I play the piano," I confess. "I was classically trained."

"Are you any good?"

"I think I would have been accepted to Juilliard if I would have applied."

"And you say I'm the cocky one?" He mutters. "I have a piano at my place that I can't play. You should come over and tickle my ivories."

"You didn't just say that." I scrunch my nose. "That sounded like something…well, it didn't sound like you were talking about a piano."

"I wasn't." He finally closes the Uber app. "Look, if you ever want to come over to my place and play my piano, you're more than welcome. I'll keep my hands to myself. Scouts honor."

I watch as he raises his hand in the air. "You were a boy scout?"

"No." He sighs heavily. "Does that matter?"

I shield my smile with my gloved hand. "It doesn't matter. I can get home on my own. Thanks again for the dinner and the website contact."

"My pleasure." He steps toward me. "I'm going to kiss your cheek, Sophia, so don't knee me in the groin."

"I won't," I whisper as his soft lips brush against my skin.