twenty-three
THE SPRAY FROM the showerhead in King’s bathroom pounded the tension from Sophie.
His house had wonderful conveniences she’d grown to like over the past few days. An extralarge bed with a supercomfy mattress. A Keurig coffeemaker and flavors of coffee she’d yet to discover. A picture window she’d sat in front of with her sketch pad. The master bath was best of all, with its large beige marble corner shower and the sunken Jacuzzi tub, where she’d lingered with King last night. Heaven. She could have stayed in the water with him forever.
No. Not forever. Temporarily. She’d already caved in the midst of King giving her an orgasm and agreed to adding on the coming weekend as part of their arrangement. After that, she really was leaving. No regrets or looking back. Only forward to the introduction of her jewelry line.
The other day, Meagan had informed her that she’d added a private showing for stylists the day before the show. Last night, she’d had a nightmare of models wearing clothes from Meagan’s new line along with her jewelry. Every time a model came onstage, a bracelet or necklace would break. She’d run after the pieces, trying to catch the falling charms and bouncing beads while everyone in the audience stared at her in disapproval. She’d awakened from the nightmare and snuggled closer to King. His solid warmth had calmed her.
Temporary. He wouldn’t be around to reassure her for long. The success of the jewelry line was her responsibility, and her responsibility alone. Sophie washed and rinsed her hair. She’d go over the list again before leaving for dinner with Robin. It was past closing time for her suppliers, but she could leave a message and alert them to an addition or a change.
She turned off the shower and slid back the glass. Squinting against the water dripping into her eyes, she reached for the towel hanging on the wall. Her hand smacked into soft cloth and hard muscle.
A shriek tore out of Sophie, and her heart sped up. King. “You scared the crap out of me. I thought you were still at the office.”
“I called out when I came in, but I guess you didn’t hear me.” He slid a light green towel off the rack and handed it to her. Dressed in a deep brown suit and black button-down shirt, he could have easily graced the pages of a magazine advert for all things gorgeous, expensive, and tempting. “I’m done for the day. What about you?”
She dried off. “Kind of. I want to check on my supply order before I meet Robin.”
“That’s right, it’s her birthday. Didn’t you complete your orders already?”
“Yes, but I want to check them again and make sure I didn’t miss anything. The show’s in a few weeks. I can’t afford to make a mistake. Everything has to be perfect.” She tucked the towel around herself sarong-style and went to move past him.
He grasped her waist. “Hold on. Where’s this coming from?”
“What?”
“Worry. You went over the order twice, and you had me review it again before you sent it off. If you missed anything, it can’t be fixed tonight. Stop driving yourself crazy. Spend time with your friend.”
“She may not want to call me that anymore. With everything going on, I almost forgot it was her birthday.” Guilt forced Sophie’s gaze down to her toes.
“But you didn’t.” King tugged her forward.
She resisted. “I’m wet. I’ll ruin your jacket.”
“I don’t care.” He embraced her. “You look really tired.”
“I know. It’ll take a ton of makeup to cover the bags under my eyes.”
“It wasn’t a criticism of how you look. You’re beautiful no matter what. I’m just concerned about you. My schedule was packed when Aiden and I started up Kingman Partners. We shared the load. You’re on your own.”
Sophie swallowed a witty answer. Sincerity deserved an honest response. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Promise me you’ll forget about work for a few hours and enjoy life.”
“I’ll try, but there’s so much to do. I still haven’t finished my notes for your new assistant. I wish you would have consented to hiring someone now. I could train them before I leave.”
“Stop. Let me worry about a new assistant. As far as the rest, it’ll get done.” He caressed her back and kissed the top of her head.
With each of his steady, even breaths, she relaxed. It felt so good to be with him like this. It made it easy to forget he wasn’t her forever guy. But she knew that his scent, his touch, and the stillness inside of her right then were all memories she could treasure. They’d comfort her when he was no longer around. Resting her cheek against his chest, she closed her eyes and let him hold her a few minutes more.
The maître d’ escorted Sophie through the polished, light brown wood tables in the dimly lit space.
The downtown Richmond restaurant, known for its seafood and fresh, seasonal vegetable pairings, was packed.
Robin, wearing a bright orange dress, was easy to spot sitting at a center table. Her face brightened with a smile as soon as she spotted Sophie.
“Happy birthday!” Sophie swooped in to kiss Robin’s cheek. She laid a flat, medium-size box wrapped in balloon-printed paper on the table.
“I thought you’d stood me up.”
“Never.” As Sophie sat down, the maître d’ pushed in her chair. “I had to make a stop for your gift.”
“Can I open it now?” Robin tore the wrapping from the box and opened it, not waiting for an answer. As she held up the turquoise lace peasant blouse, she grinned. “A Meagan Langston original. It’s gorgeous.”
“Keep digging. There’s a gift card in there too so you can buy something to go with it.”
When Robin found the card, she danced in her seat. “Thank you. I love you.” She blew kisses to Sophie. “You’re the best.” She carefully placed her gifts back into the box. “That wrap dress looks great on you, by the way. Purple is your color. Is it one of Meagan’s?”
“Yes.”
Robin sighed happily. “My friend, the jewelry designer who works with Meagan Langston.” She adjusted the white cloth napkin over the skirt of her dress. “I just love saying that.”
“Part-time designer.” Sophie unsnapped her folded napkin and laid it over her lap.
“You’re not honestly still thinking about getting another office gig after Kingman Partners?”
“A lot of people keep their day jobs while pursuing other things.” But lately, she had started to contemplate the possibility of just making jewelry. “A real job is a good insurance policy.”
“News flash. What you’re doing with Meagan is a real job. You’re not making pretend jewelry.” Robin held up a hand, stalling Sophie’s explanation. “Whatever I say goes. It’s my birthday.”
A server took their drink orders.
Robin tucked her blond hair behind her ears and gave Sophie a conspiratorial smile. “A doctor at the hospital tried to make reservations here for his wedding anniversary. He said the place is booked solid for months. How did you do it? Was it Meagan?”
“No. It was King. He knows the head chef.”
“Oh, he knows her? That’s interesting.” Robin sat back. “I heard she’s pretty. Is she one of his exes?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care.” Sophie released an easy-breezy sigh as she studied the menu.
“My, aren’t we accommodating.”
“So are you implying that I should have let his past stand in the way of my treating you to excellent food?”
“Are you crazy? Of course not.”
Robin’s incredulous look pushed a laugh out of Sophie. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.”
When the server returned, Robin ordered the grilled seafood platter and Sophie chose the Chilean sea bass.
Robin caught her up on hospital gossip over dinner. As they moved on to a whipped-cream-and-berry-covered chocolate torte, they talked about all the series slated on their binge-watch list.
Robin sucked the rich dessert from her fork. “I’m catching up on episodes of that new police drama on my next day off. Hot guys in uniform always do it for me. Will you be coming home for a visit?”
“A visit?” Sophie laughed. “You make it sound like I’ve left.”
“You were with King almost every night for the past four days. Stop with the look.” Robin laid down her fork. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you were acting weird and figure it out? Why didn’t you just tell me you were sleeping with him again instead of sneaking around?”
“I knew you wouldn’t approve.”
“It’s not about my approval.” Robin leaned in and lowered her voice. “A few weeks ago, you were downing margaritas instead of champagne. You looked like your heart was ripped out, and it was because of him. Good things are happening for you. I don’t want him to spoil it for you or hurt you again.”
“He won’t.” Sophie hunted for words—some sort of a plausible explanation that would allow Robin to understand. “I’m in this with my eyes open, and I’m still keeping my promise. After this weekend, it’s over.”
Robin studied her. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
The rich chocolate dessert overwhelmed her taste buds. She wanted another bite, but having more would ruin its appeal. The same principle applied to her and King. They would end it before something ruined the goodness of what they now shared.
Sophie laid down her fork. “Yes. I do.”