Chapter 13

Andrew

That night, I slept better than I had in weeks. After spending the whole day with Sophie, I was relaxed. My entire body was less tense. My mind was clear. When I laid down, I fell asleep almost instantly. It wasn’t until the following morning that regret began to creep in. I could still see Sophie’s face from the night before as she stood at the bottom of the staircase. Her emerald green eyes were locked on my face, and a thousand silent thoughts flew between us.

More than anything, I wanted to follow her upstairs. I longed to slip inside her bedroom and act on the desires that overwhelmed me. Instead, I forced myself to walk away. My feet felt like lead, but I kept moving until I reached my own room. I disappeared behind the door, pulling it softly closed behind me. My head was spinning with the possibility of what could have been, but I went to sleep without dwelling on it. As the sun rose the next morning, so did my confusion.

Did Sophie want me to follow her? Was that look in her eyes the same desire I felt? Was she, like me, suddenly hoping to spend more time together? These questions and more flooded my brain as I got dressed for the day. Thankfully, it was the weekend and I could afford to be distracted. I let myself think about Sophie on and off all morning, her face sliding in and out of my mind with ease.

“Can I get you anything, Mr. Andrew?” Liam asked when I stepped into the kitchen.

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m just going to grab some coffee.”

“Will you be working today?” Liam asked.

“Always,” I mumbled and filled my usual mug.

Without another word to Liam, I hurried down the hall to my office. With the door firmly closed behind me, I could allow my thoughts to return to Sophie. I closed my eyes and saw her face, her hair, her body. She was more enticing than anyone I’d ever met.

When I first laid eyes on her, I knew she was attractive. It was impossible to miss. But after spending an entire day with her, my attraction was stronger than ever. I could no longer ignore the pull I felt for her. That tug in my stomach telling me to go for it was so powerful that it almost forced me to my feet.

I fought it. Hard. With a shake of my head, my eyes flew open. I rolled my chair closer to my desk and got to work. No matter how much I wanted to give in to my feelings, I knew I couldn’t. Sophie Newman came from a family that could not be trusted. I wanted to believe she was nothing like her father. Everything about her proved she wasn’t, but I couldn’t let myself trust her. Not completely.

There was still a part of me that believed Sophie was sent to my house on a mission from Rick. I couldn’t help but wonder if this entire situation was orchestrated by Rick as a way to rob me. It sounded insane, even to me, but the thought still spun its way through my mind every time I thought about being with Sophie.

How could I let myself kiss her? How could I possibly allow myself the chance to be with her when I still didn’t know her true motivations? What if I was wrong about her? What if I fell for her, hard and fast, only to find that she was using me?

My fears were greater than anything else. When I heard a soft knock on my office door, I knew it was her. Before I even made my way across the office, I could feel her presence. She was right there, on the other side of the door.

I put my hand on the doorknob and then froze. We hadn’t seen each other since the night before. Then, the tension between us was so strong, I felt it in every inch of my body. I didn’t know if I could handle being near her again this soon.

With a deep breath, I pulled open the door and fixed my eyes on Sophie’s face.

“Hey there,” she said, grinning. “Working during the weekend?”

“I always do,” I said shortly.

Her smile faltered slightly, but she immediately put it back in place. I was unable to return it. As happy as I was to see her, the conflict I felt was too great.

“Come take a walk with me,” Sophie said. “It’ll be good to get out of the house for a while.”

“I don’t have time today,” I said. “I neglected a lot of work yesterday. I need to catch up.”

“You don’t have a couple hours to spare?” Sophie asked. Her green eyes widened, and I felt my resolve begin to shake.

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “If you want company, ask Liam.”

“I’d rather spend time with you.”

My stomach flipped. Sophie’s words were enough to make my entire body ignite. I wanted her so badly. Being feet away from her felt like torture. How could I let myself feel this way about the daughter of a thief?

“Come on,” she said. She took a step toward me and grinned again. “Just for a little bit.”

“Okay.” I heard myself say the word before I knew what was happening. “A couple hours.”

“Great!” Sophie bounced up and down on her heels. I laughed and shook my head. I didn’t know which surprised me more: her persistence or the fact that I agreed to go with her.

“Where should we go?” I asked when we stepped outside.

“You tell me.” Sophie shrugged. “It’s your property.”

“Have you seen the lake yet?” I asked.

“No.”

I pointed us in the right direction, and we slowly began our walk. Sophie didn’t talk much at first. She asked how the rest of my night was, and I asked the same, but we both fell silent after only a few short minutes. I felt as if there were a million things to say. I wanted to ask her what her look had meant the night before. When she hesitated on the staircase and gazed at me from a few steps up, what was she thinking?

I didn’t ask. I couldn’t. No matter how badly I wanted the answer.

“Are you comfortable here?” I asked as we crossed a small bridge. “I know it’s only been a few days, but do you have everything you need?”

“Yeah.” Sophie shrugged. “Although if I’m being honest, I’m still not sure why I need to live here.”

“It’s the deal I made with your father,” I said evasively.

“But why?” Sophie asked with a frown. “Why not just have me show up every day for work?”

I didn’t know how to answer. If Rick didn’t tell Sophie what he’d done, then why should I? He obviously didn’t want his daughter to know the truth, and while I didn’t care about Rick’s wishes, my concern for Sophie was strong. The last thing I wanted was to ruin her image of her dad.

“It doesn’t really matter,” I said. “You’re here now, right?”

“For how long?” she asked softly.

“Sophie, you aren’t a prisoner.” I laughed. “If you want to leave, you can.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Sophie said quickly. “I just wondered how much work you’ll have for me, that’s all.”

“Honestly, I don’t know.” I sighed. “My accounting department is a horrendous mess, which I’m sure you’ve realized.”

“Your books are all over the place,” Sophie said with a nod. “But I’ve seen worse.”

I snorted. “That’s comforting.”

“We’ll get it sorted out.” Sophie shrugged. “But enough about work.”

We reached the lake soon after. Sophie’s eyes lit up when she saw it, but she didn’t say anything. We settled onto a soft patch of grass a few feet from the water’s edge.

“This is my favorite spot,” I said. “The property is huge. There’s so much I still haven’t discovered, but this lake. I’ve always loved this lake.”

“Why?” Sophie asked curiously.

I shrugged. “My dad used to bring me fishing out here, and then, when I was older, I would bring dates back here for some privacy.”

“Ah,” Sophie said, giggling. “I see.”

“It wasn’t like that,” I said quickly.

Sophie laughed louder. “Yeah, sure.”

“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes. “Teenagers are teenagers. You know how it is.”

“I guess.” Sophie shrugged. “I didn’t date much.”

“No?” I asked, surprised.

“Why does that surprise you?” Sophie asked.

“You’re beautiful,” I said simply.

Sophie’s cheeks turned pink. She looked away quickly, and I wondered if I’d crossed some invisible line.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I assumed it was obvious.”

“I had a couple boyfriends,” Sophie said. “Just nothing serious.”

I nodded. I wanted to ask more questions, but Sophie’s discomfort was obvious. She was such a strong person that I was shocked to see how easy it was to bring a blush to her cheeks.

“Are you seeing anyone?” Sophie asked.

“God no.” I laughed and leaned back on my hands. “I don’t have time for a relationship. Running the company is worse than a fulltime job.”

“Are you happy though?” Sophie asked. “I mean, is this something you’ve always wanted to do?”

I frowned and looked out over the lake. Sophie’s question was direct and personal. No one, not even my own family, had ever asked me anything like it. I didn’t know how to answer, or if I even knew the answer myself.

“It was always the plan,” I said. “My father opened Hopper Antiquities years ago. My job was to take over when he retired or died. I never knew anything else.”

“That’s not what I asked,” Sophie said with a sad smile. “I asked if it makes you happy.”

I sighed and shook my head. The truth was, I didn’t know what it meant to be happy. Not really. My entire life was spent in my father’s shadow. He groomed me to take over the company. No other plan was an option. No other career was a possibility.

“I’m happy enough,” I finally said.

“That sounds convincing,” Sophie said sarcastically.

“It’s all I’ve ever known,” I said. “I don’t think I’ve ever even considered doing anything else.”

“What if you did?” Sophie asked. “If you had to sell Hopper Antiquities or if it caved or something, what would you do then? If you had no other choice?”

Sophie could make me think more than anyone I’d ever met. In my thirty-two years of life, I’d never met anyone who could both intrigue and confuse me so completely. My head spun as I tried to find an answer to her question.

A million things popped into my mind, but nothing felt true. What would I do if I couldn’t do this anymore? How would I spend my life?

“You don’t have to answer,” Sophie said with understanding in her voice. “It’s just something to think about.”

I nodded and looked out over the lake again. The sunlight glistened on the water. Sophie and I spent the rest of the day sitting out there, talking about everything and nothing. When we went inside, I still didn’t have an answer to her question, but I knew one thing for sure. Spending time with Sophie proved there was more to life than work.