Mixed Match Page 12

  "I was hoping you might want to dance with me." He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Or you could stay here with my sister and talk about her latest recipes. Did she have a chance to tell you about all the ingredients in my grandmother's gumbo yet?"

  Everett raised a brow at her.

  Sophia's attention flickered from him to Zora and her friends. She seemed to consider her options. After a short pause, she stretched her hand toward him and let him lead her to a small space in the corner. Over the chatter and clanking of dishes, he could barely hear the music, but he didn’t care. This was his chance to hold Sophia again. Hidden in plain sight among the crowd, he rested his hands on the small of her back with enough pressure to keep her steady against him. For a moment, the music rocked them, and as they swayed to the melody, Sophia allowed her head to rest on his shoulder.

  "You are going to look at me, aren't you?" he asked.

  She didn't respond immediately, but after a few beats, she raised her gaze to meet his and twisted her face into a smirk. "There. Are you happy now?"

  "Is it too much to ask for a real smile?"

  She stared at him, blank. He wasn't sure whether it was uncertainty or her guard was back at full attention, but the indecision was plain. Then Sophia unraveled her expression, and for a second she was herself.

  "Just tell me one thing. Are you really so afraid of a woman's tears?"

  The tracks of his mother’s tears when Joseph left were scarred in his mind.

  Everett didn't have time to conjure up a good lie, so he told the truth. "Yes. What man wouldn't be?" He raised his hands in defense before replacing them on the small of her back. "Really, I don't know what I was expecting when you took me upstairs. I mean, I was hopeful—"

  Sophia elbowed him in the ribs and he caved inward in mock agony.

  "I know. I know," Everett laughed at his misjudgment of the situation. "I'll tell you one thing, I wasn't expecting something so meaningful to you, so raw."

  "All I could think about at the time was, 'man, I don't even know this woman.' It took me a couple of days to realize what exactly the problem was. I don't know you. I don't know anything about you, but the first time you let me in and show me who you are, what made you who you are, I run." Everett shook his head, wishing he could lose the memory altogether. She was listening intently, allowing him to say his piece, but he was running in circles trying to get to the point, trying to figure how to say it. He moved his hands to her arms and fixed her in place, steeling himself. "I want to know you, Sophia," he admitted on a low whisper.

  Everything in him urged him to tell Sophia the truth so they could work together to find out what Austin was up to, because he wasn't lying about wanting to get to know her.

  "Say something," he said.

  "The thing is—" She swallowed hard. "I've been through so much, and I'm still trying to find my way back to me. I feel like I don't even know who I am. I thought coming here, doing this on my own—for me and for Ainsley—it would help me see clearer, be stronger. Everything in me told me not to let you see the nursery, but another part of me needed to just rip off the Band-Aid, you know?"

  He nodded. "Yeah. Mike is always telling me not to get caught up in my head. Just let the past lie."

  At the mention of Mike's name, Sophia winced.

  "Don't worry about Mike. He's still paying for what he did to you."

  "What's his deal? I know he's your friend and all, but tell me about him, because I wouldn't let my friends treat my guests the way he treated me. And I wouldn't let my guests mistreat you the way you allowed him to do."

  "I know and I'm sorry. I can't tell you how sorry I am. It's just he's been a friend for a long time, and he's an asshole. He's protective and looks out for Zo and me. I look out for him, too. What do you want to know?"

  Everett caressed Sophia's back, feeling the tension subside.

  "I don't know..." she hesitated. "It's just. Something didn't feel genuine about him. Like me being around, somehow infringed on his friendship with you." She shook her head, as if she still didn't quite get to the crux of the matter. "It was like I was his enemy. I know it sounds crazy, but the way he treated me was the way you'd treat someone who'd personally wronged you."

  Everett gave a noncommittal nod. Was this it? Was Mike using Sophia to get back at Harman, or was there more to it?

  "I'm sorry he made you feel unwelcome. He's probably just trying to have my back."

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  Everett cocked his head back to look her in the eyes. "Do you want to get out of here? I was hoping you'd let me take you somewhere. There's a place I want to show you."

  He liked the idea of him and Sophia finally talking, but he didn't drudge through days of blue balls to get this close to her and talk about Mike.

  Chapter Twelve

  "Does it glow in the dark? Is it a star?" Sophia guessed. "You have a telescope and you want to show me the constellations?"

  Everett shook his head, appearing to stifle a laugh as he turned into a parking lot a couple of blocks from the river. "I hope you haven’t had a chance to see it yet. It really is amazing at night."

  Sophia sighed. "Why can't you just tell me?"

  She watched as he peered out the window at the car on their left. "Why can't you just relax?" He held up his palm toward her with splayed fingers. "It'll be worth it, I promise."

  Sophia leaned back against the passenger seat door and studied him for clues as he backed his truck out of the space...only to pull back in again. "Fine. Since you won't tell me where we're going, and I still have no guarantee you're not an axe murderer, if you are planning to kill me, can you at least let my mom know I love her?"

  She flashed him a smile before turning to the window as a mist sprayed the glass, the mirrored glare magnifying her full lips.

  Lord, the man could not park to save his own life. Everett backed out of the space again and corrected his alignment before inching back in straight. She bit back a giggle. “I think you’re pretty straight now.”

  She watched as a smirk twisted his mouth, leaving behind a lopsided grin. He shook his head, rolled his eyes, and turned off the ignition. "Let's go."

  As soon as she was out of the car, Everett lifted the lever on the side of the driver's seat, sliding the backrest forward, and fished out what looked like a black blanket.

  "What is it?" she asked, stepping back.

  "Calm down. I keep a few spare jackets with me at all times. The weather here is unpredictable, as I'm sure you've noticed. Plus, we're going to be on the water." Everett leaned over the front seat and held out one of the jackets for Sophia. "Unless you want to freeze."

  Reluctantly, Sophia took it. "Thank you."

  Everett shut his door and pushed his arms through the sleeves of his jacket, stifling a bout of laughter. "I didn't think you'd refuse, given the dress you're wearing." It was quick, but she heard the slight emphasis he placed on the word “dress.”

  "Why'd you say it like my dress is a disgusting eyesore?"

  "It's a nice dress, but—"

  "But what?" Sophia cut him off, walking around the bed of the truck.

  "It's a bit formal for a night out for beers? Oh, excuse me. A night out for amaretto sours," he corrected himself. He was teasing her.

  "Whatever, funny guy. I wanted to look nice. I wanted to make a good impression on your sister and her friends."

  "Ah, so this was all for them. It makes sense now."

  "Can you just say what you're trying to say instead of being all cryptic?" Sophia folded her arms.

  "I'm not trying to say anything." Everett shrugged. "I just...I think you're beautiful without all the fancy hair, the makeup, the dress. You don't have to change for anyone."

  Sophia stared down at her hands to avoid meeting his eyes. Suddenly she felt shy, and she couldn't ignore the flip her stomach did at the compliment.

  "Thanks."

  A kind of awkward silence fell between them. She wasn't expectin
g flattery. After a few beats, Sophia slid her arms into the gigantic fleece jacket. Drowning in warmth as she pushed up the sleeves over her hands to her wrists, she settled herself beside Everett and looked up at him. Without saying a word, she linked her arm in his.

  "So, you say we're going to be on the water? Does this mean you have a boat or yacht?"

  The minute they rounded the corner toward the waterfront, Sophia's mouth dropped open. "Oh, my goodness. Is this where we're going?"

  "Uh-huh."

  "It's...spectacular," she gushed. "I mean, I saw it in the daylight, but how is it this amazing at night?”

  Everett looked straight ahead. "I know. I felt the same way when I first saw it after they built it a few years ago. Now it's one of my favorite places. The lights. The music. It's just whimsical and beautiful."

  "What's it called again? I know it's the something crossing bridge."

  "The Tilikum Crossing. 'The bridge of the people.'" He held his hands out in front of him in captions at the larger than life structure before them. "It's what Tilikum means. It's the Chinookan word for family or tribe. People."

  "I read about it on a trip planner site last year, but none of the pictures showed it at night." She blinked in awe. "Nothing like this."

  "I know. It's kind of like a hometown secret. There's so much to this city, but this is my favorite place to be when I've got a lot on my mind, or if I just need to sort through some things."

  "I can imagine. It's amazing." A gust of wind whipped over them and Sophia held on tighter to Everett's arm, tucking her face into the soft, damp fleece.

  "And you know what's the best thing about it? No cars. No traffic. They built it for the MAX orange line light rail, but it's more like a good hiking trail. I love the fact it's for people to be together," he continued, undeterred by the rain picking up. "Look around. People come out here all hours of the day and night. If you want to take in the sights or get in a good bike ride, the TC is like...a twenty-four hour open-air oasis. My grandmother never got to see it up close. Man, she would have danced and twirled to the music."

  "I'm sorry. She passed away?"

  "Yeah. But even before then she was suffering from dementia. She was in hospice because she would just go walking and get lost. Or hop in the car and drive somewhere she'd been at one time in her life. Once Zora and I spent a whole day searching for her, and you know where she was? Mount Hood.”

  Sophia laughed. “I really want to go there one day.”

  “I’ll have to take you, then. I’ll bring Blue.”

  It wasn’t necessarily what he said. It was a mountain open to the public. But there was promise behind his words. Tonight wasn’t the last time she was going to see Everett.

  Her heart drummed in her ears, and she could feel the tremor of her pulse speeding up.

  “Anyway. She remembered a time we'd all gone hiking when Zora and I were younger, and we couldn't find my sister. She went back there to look for her." Everett lowered his chin. "Anyway, I don't want to dampen the mood, but I could see her doing her dance on this bridge."

  “I love that. I can tell she meant a lot to you.”

  He nodded and a comfortable silence fell over them.

  They'd been walking in comfortable silence for a few minutes, but then he stopped just after they reached the water. Sophia could feel the weight of Everett's eyes fall on her. She didn't turn to him, but every cell in her body responded to the almost physical touch of his attention. Butterflies fluttered in the pit of her stomach. Her fingers and toes tingled. Her heart? It was a bass drum, pounding in her ears.

  "I’m hoping maybe it’s a good place if you've been an asshole and you want to get back in the good graces of a beautiful woman," he trailed off, grazing the pad of his thumb over her cheek.

  Sophia leaned into his touch.

  "Maybe," he continued. "Just maybe, she'd agree to take a midnight stroll with you across a bridge coming alive with lights and music."

  When Sophia looked up at him, heat ran down her spine and lingered. She didn't say a word, but the expression on her face must have conveyed the yearnings of her mind and body. Everett closed the narrow distance until there was only a whisper between them. If magnetic fields were possible to see with the naked eye, it would be thick in clouds all around them. Sophia's mind raced, but her hands and her lips were uncontrollably, involuntarily attracted to him.

  She couldn't exactly explain what happened in that moment, but once their lips touched, all else—time, thought, and distance—ceased to be. Heat and light and music danced around the sweet, minty taste of his hungry mouth over hers. Her hands roamed untamed over the muscular cords of his chest and arms. He smelled of fresh lemons and ocean-drenched cotton.

  It seemed far away, but the faint slap of rain over the surface of the water roused Sophia from her trance. The light drizzle morphed into heavy drops splashing on her forehead.

  "It's raining," Everett said without loosening his hold on her, his gaze unwavering.

  "But I don't want to go home yet." Sophia lifted herself on tiptoe to brush her lips against his once more. Looking up to the breathtaking bridge glittering in the night sky, then back to Everett, she nodded toward it. "You want to get caught in the rain with me?"

  The question itself was innocent, but deep down Sophia knew she was asking him for more. She was asking him not to run away.

  The following morning Sophia stared out of the passenger seat window of Everett's truck, biting back a grin. There wasn’t much to see outside. It was gloomy as always, raining and overcast. But the second he'd driven away from her house, he flashed his devastating smile and a fresh wave of desire slammed into her. Immediately, her mind flooded with images of the night before on the bridge.

  They kissed.

  And not just any kind of kiss, it was the panty-dropping, tonsil-hockey kind of kiss. It left her overheated and hormonal.

  "So how many places are we going to see?" she asked. As previously promised, Everett was taking her to see a few retail pads for her restaurant, followed by lunch at some place he swore would take Sophia's love of food to a level of obsession.

  Here she was, trying to make idle conversation, but her mind was still reeling with all her fantasies about last night. And Everett? She watched his reflection in the window glare. They’d been in his truck for about fifteen minutes and he’d barely looked at her. He was calm as ever, as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile she was on the verge of spontaneous combustion just sitting next to him.

  They weren't even touching, but heat built between them like a stoked fire. She squeezed her thighs tight and bobbed her feet, which were crossed at the ankles.

  "Three today," he said as he hooked a left turn. "Maybe two more. I'm having my guy run the numbers now. They've all been on the market for a few months with no bites, which might work in your favor."

  To avoid being rude and avoid eye contact while he was talking to her, Sophia stupidly veered in his direction. Of course, for the first thing she saw was his full lips. She could still feel how they blazed over her skin under the cold of the waterfront. The light stubble of his beard rubbed rough against her cheeks and her neck, driving her hormones wild.

  "Uh...okay. Are they all downtown?" Her attention still glued to his lips, she bit down hard on her bottom lip.

  God, there must be somewhere else to look.

  To avoid his disarming smile and those luscious lips, she looked down...and unfortunately found something else to hold her attention—something thick and hard. Her breathing shallowed and her heartbeat stuttered to a frenzied rhythm, sounding in her ears like the ebb and flow of the ocean. Quickly, she jerked her eyes away from his lap and stared straight ahead for fear of what other trouble she could get into just looking at him.

  As the green light turned yellow, Everett slowed beside a street trolley to allow a group of pedestrians to cross.

  "Yeah. Two of them are just off Tenth and Eleventh, although they're kind of pricey because of the prim
e locations. The other one is not too far. It's on the southwest end of Broadway. But it's pretty reasonable and close enough to grab some foot traffic."

  He was still staring ahead as his thumbs tapped the steering wheel to the beat of some classic eighties song on the radio. The bass echoed in the truck cab, and for a second she thought he might break into song.

  "Is this your jam?" she asked, a smile quirking up the corner of her mouth. "I used to love this song. My mom loved blasting dusties on the highest volume. Or, do you guys call them oldies but goodies?"

  "I hope you're not making fun of me. The best music came out in the eighties. Michael, Prince, Madonna, Whitney, Bon Jovi, Wham," he began ticking artists off on his fingers. "Don't even get me started. Def Leppard, Journey, Queen, Duran Duran, Hall & Oates, Guns N’ Roses. Stop me any time, because I can keep going forever."

  Now Sophia burst out laughing. "Wham?" she asked, her eyes widening.

  As the light turned green, finally Everett did look at her. Study her was more like it. And something about his smile was genuine and boyishly innocent.

  "Don't even try it. What kind of music do we have now? A bunch of emo kids singing about death and gold chains."

  Sophia was doubled over now, gasping for breath.

  "It's all right. Make jokes, but there are only a handful of people who actually make good, important music anymore, and you know it. People these days are unoriginal. They remake and remix everything, music and movies. I don't really have a choice but to play the old stuff."

  "No," she said, dragging the word out for emphasis. "There's plenty of good music out there, but it's not on the radio. You have to keep your ears open and get out of your ancient box. Maybe download an app instead of having people choose your playlist for you."

  Sophia rolled her eyes wistfully. He sounded like Mom and Aunt Marian. "How old are you anyway, oh, ye judger of good music?"

  "I'm thirty-four. Born in the eighties, and proud of it."

  They were nearing Fourth Avenue, but by the flow of traffic, it would be at least five more minutes before they reached the first location.