6
Sophia
“Stop looking around like some love-sick teenager,” Grace chastised, smacking her hand on the table to get Sophia’s attention.
Sophia jumped, shooting a glare at her friend. “I can’t help it. I don’t think he’s going to show.”
“He’ll show,” Hannah assured.
Nevertheless, Sophia played with the straw of her vodka cran idly between sips.
The Husky Owl was one of her favourite places in the world. She couldn’t decide whether it was the old school jukebox or the ever-familiar faces behind the bar that she liked most. Maybe it was the nightly band, who never failed to cheer her up after a long week of hard work. Whatever the sacred ingredient to this place was, she prayed to it now. She wanted to calm down, but the Owl wasn’t doing its usual work. It seemed the only thing that would make her feel better was Nate’s arrival. So where the hell was he?
“What if we freaked him out?” Sophia posed.
“He didn’t seem very freaked out.” Grace tilted a dark, elegant brow. “In fact, he seemed pretty into you. I don’t know why he wouldn’t come.”
“He what?” Warmth flooded Sophia’s cheeks. “You think so?”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “He snuck into your room as a way to surprise you, dummy. Who does that to a girl they feel just sorta neutral towards?”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Sophia exhaled a long sigh. She still couldn’t settle the anxiety bubbling inside of her, and if he didn’t show up soon she was going to burst.
“Whatever will be, will be.” Grace rested a hand on Sophia’s forearm and they exchanged a weighted look.
She shouldn’t have been worrying about this so much. If he showed up, he showed up. If he didn’t, she was still going to have a great night with her best friends and it would still be a great cap to the week. But would her nerves listen to her thoughts? Of course not.
Luckily, at that moment Nate Redman walked through the front door.
Sophia’s breath caught in her throat.
His chin was covered in a thin layer of dark stubble, giving him a much more rugged appearance than he normally had. In the summer, Nate could be so blonde and tanned it could hurt to look at him. It looked like he’d had a long winter though, as his sandy hair was dark near the roots and his skin seemed paler than usual in the artificial lights. He was still gorgeous of course. And he was coming right for her, those steely eyes trained on her like she was a target.
“You made it,” Hannah chirped when it was clear that Sophia wasn’t going to be the first to speak.
“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” He winked and took the fourth seat at the table, looking over at Sophia expectantly.
Unable to think of anything cooler to say, she asked, “Uh, how’s your head?”
“The doctors say I’ll make a full recovery,” he replied. “Only I’m left handed now.”
Sophia snorted. “You’ve always been left handed.”
“I’m surprised you know that.” Nathan’s lips quirked into the barest of smiles. His eyes were warm and gentle.
Sophia shrugged and went to take a flirty sip of her drink, only for the straw to stab her in the gum. She swore. The others laughed.
“Sophia’s never talked about you,” Grace piped up. “Normally I’d expect there to be some preamble before a dude randomly shows up in my apartment.”
Nate laughed effortlessly. “Soph and I haven’t seen each other for a while now. And truth be told, we didn’t spend much time together back in Pine Bay. I’m not surprised I didn’t make it as a topic of conversation.”
“You didn’t spend much time together, huh?” Hannah mused. “So what made you want to come out to see her now?”
Sophia could have died of embarrassment. “Guys, don’t you think that’s enough?”
“It’s fine.” Nate smiled and his cheek dimpled. “I was in town for work. Just because Sophia and I didn’t spend much time together at home, doesn’t mean I didn’t want to.” Nate looked over at the blushing brunette, now hovering over her drink like it was the last thing she’d ever consume. He spoke only to her. “Sometimes, if you want something, you just have to go out and take it.”
Sophia officially turned to mush inside. There was nothing left but rainbows and goo.
Sophia was saved from having to form a response by the waitress zipping over to take Nate’s order. When she left, Hannah took up the reins of the conversation.
“Tell us about yourself, Nate. Do you always make such a stunning first impression?”
He laughed. “Only on special occasions.”
“What do you do?” asked Grace.
Sophia suppressed a grimace, but Nate didn’t so much as skip a beat. “I work for my family’s private security firm up in Seattle.”
“Private security?” Hannah’s eyes brightened. “So you like, protect celebrities and stuff?”
Nate exchanged the briefest of amused glances with Sophia before answering. “Sometimes. Though before you get any ideas, I’m bound by contract not to disclose anything about my clients.”
The lies fell easily off his tongue, which was no surprise to the girl who’d grown up hearing them. For the first time, Sophia considered how little she really knew about Nate. The life he’d created in Pine Bay was a false one, designed so he could fly under the radar while completing his actual missions on the side.
“That’s so exciting!” Hannah beamed. “Makes sense why you’re so buff.”
Sophia cringed with embarrassment. Though she’d never had to subject any boyfriends to scrutiny at the hands of her parents, this was probably what it would be like. Darcy would be tough to impress, sure, but it was Grace and Hannah’s opinions that really mattered to her. Likewise, they were the ones with the real power to embarrass her.
Nate gave a light-hearted laugh, clearly at ease with the questions. “What about you ladies? What do you do? Besides excellently defending your home against invaders, of course.”
“We’re all in economics at Berkeley,” Hannah said with a bright smile. A second later, she corrected herself. “I guess not you anymore, Soph.”
Nathan turned his gaze to Sophia and she felt her stomach flip. He’d always had such an intense stare, his dark gray eyes just as deadly as they were captivating. Darcy had complained once that his gaze was unsettling. Sophia found it quite the opposite.
“I switched to environmental sciences this semester,” she answered his unspoken question. “I guess maybe we could add that to the list of things not to tell Darcy.”
His eyes twinkled with amusement. “Can do.”
The band started up at the back of the room, and the group collectively leaned in closer to be heard over the music. Nate’s elbow brushed against Sophia’s arm, and she caught a whiff of his fresh, salty scent, like a blast of ocean air to the face. God he smelled delicious, like sandalwood and the beach.
He was charming, too. The whole time they talked, everything he said only endeared her more to him. Her friends were clearly over the moon with him as well. At this point, Sophia doubted it would make a difference if they knew that his private security work was really a code for something else. It certainly didn’t matter to her anymore. Gabriel was a great guy, and from what Sophia had heard, he had gone through way worse things with the clan than Nathan had. It’s all about the man, not the shark.
Maybe it was the drinks, or maybe it was just the scent of Nate in her nose, but by the time the group ordered their next round of drinks, Sophia had decided she was going to do whatever it took to win Nate. She wanted him, in the same way she had when she was a girl, but now her simple crush had deep, lustful undertones.
It had to mean something that he was here. He wouldn’t just show up to say hi if he just wanted to be friends, right? What would be the point in that? The only other option was that he was here because he was feeling the same things she was. At least curiosity, if not desire.
The band started the next song, and before the singer even opened his mouth, Sophia was on her feet. She could recognize that bass anywhere. Her chair skidded back a couple paces and Nate shot her a curious look.
“Will you dance with me?” She extended a hand to Nate, and watched the deliberation in his eyes.
“You have to,” piped in Hannah, momentarily drawing Nate’s gaze. “It’s her favorite Phil Collins song. Sophia is incapable of not dancing to it.”
Nate turned back to Sophia with a wry smile. “You have a favourite Phil Collins song?”
“Yes, and it’s going to be over soon if you don’t get up.”
You Can’t Hurry Love seemed to start in the middle, diving into the chorus before it had even really begun. It was one of the things Sophia loved about it.
Nate took her hand with a bemused smile and rose to his feet, gesturing for her to lead the way. “You know this was originally by The Supremes, right?”
There was an extra bounce in her step as Sophia guided Nate out onto the dance floor.
“I know,” she said. “And I like that version too, but this one’s just so fun!”
It wasn’t especially crowded, but it wasn’t bare either. They were forced close together, and Nate’s hands found Sophia’s hips before she even had time to wonder what she was supposed to do next.
Nate leaned in close, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. “I’m not much of a dancer.”
Her spine tingled, and she sagged into him almost instinctively.
“That’s fine,” she said. “I’m just glad you didn’t turn me down.”
He chuckled, moving his hands up her back until one rested on her waist and the other found her left hand. “As if I could ever turn you down, Sophia Davies.”
With her heart beating just a little bit too fast, Sophia began to move. The song was fairly fast, and they managed to find the perfect rhythm that allowed for a mixture of swaying, twirling, and boogying. Before long, they were both laughing, caught up in the silliness of the moment.
The rest of the bar melted away, until Sophia was only conscious of Nate’s strong hand on her waist, his breath on her cheek, and the crooning melody of what was now, undoubtedly, her favourite song period.
When had life ever been so perfect? She was in her favourite bar, with her favourite people, listening to her favourite song, dancing with the guy she’d always crushed on but never thought she’d be able to call her own. Now, with the dim lighting casting shadows over Nate’s features, and his hair just a little bit more messed up than normal, Sophia finally felt like she had a shot.
He stared into her eyes deeply. Intently. She knew he was feeling it too, that inexplicable magnetic pull between them. And if she leaned up a little, maybe their lips would touch. If their lips touched, maybe all of Sophia’s dreams would come true. They were so close.
So. Close.
Briiing.
The world crashed down over her shoulders. Suddenly she was back in the bar, on the dance floor, surrounded by other gyrating bodies. It smelled like booze and sweat. Nate’s phone was ringing.
He dropped his hands and fished the phone out of his pocket, shooting her an apologetic glance. “I have to take this. I’m sorry.”
“No, that’s fine. I’ll just head back to the table.”
Nate gave her one last, lingering look before he turned and started threading his way across the dance floor, heading for the bar’s exit. Sophia watched him go, not caring how weird she looked standing like a scarecrow amidst the revelry.
They’d been having a perfect moment and had possibly even been about to kiss. Now that perfect moment was waltzing out the door.
She sighed and headed back over to her friends, unsure what to say to satisfy their questioning stares.