Page 121 of The King Contract
She straightens up. “Of course.”
“I take it Dan told you about the contract?” Sofia moves her hand across her mouth, as if she’s zipping her lips closed. “Right, well . . . the kiss isn’t the reason I called it off.” I exhale loudly. “Not the only reason, anyway. If it wasn’t that, I would’ve run scared from something else. Him missing my art show, the photos blowing up . . . it all seemed too hard. It felt like the universe was trying to tell me something. What my life might be like dating a sports star who’sverypopular outside of the sporting world.”
She nods. “Life in the spotlight can certainly be chaotic. It’s normal to be cautious or scared. I don’t blame you for that.”
“I could’ve handled it better.” I glance at my hands, now wringing together. “I hate how we left things.”
A waft of delicious perfume reaches my nostrils as Sofia leaves the armchair and joins me on the couch. “Don’t beat yourself up. It sounds like you’ve had a lot going on the past year or so. Self-preservation is sometimes a good reason to end something.” She tentatively reaches for my hand, and I let her hold it. “If I can speak bluntly though, I think you might’ve ended things with Noah prematurely.”
“I thought you were trying to stick to the girl code?” I grumble.
She perks an eyebrow, pursing her lips to stifle her grin. “You were protecting yourself. There’s nothing wrong with that. But seeing you here now with your . . . amazing hairdo and high-quality diet . . .” She waves to the dishes, and I bark out a laugh. “I think you miss him because you love him, and maybe you’re afraid of getting hurt again.”
My stupid heart starts to pound. My knotted stomach tightens as I clear my throat to find the words to say. To admit out loud what I’ve squashed down to the far recesses of my mind all week.
I love Noah. I tried my best to ignore the feelings, to slow down, to avoid the potential heartbreak. But it was pointless, and instead of trying to work it out with him, I pushed him away the minute things got tough.
“Shit.” I bite my bottom lip to help stem the tears pooling in my eyes. “I messed up.”
“I don’t think so.” Sofia gives me a smug smile. “There might be something we can do here.”
“We?”
There’s a sharp rap at the front door and we turn to see Dan re-enter with Winston trotting past him. Dan cautiously approaches us, his eyes crinkled, gaze darting between us with suspicion. “Checking no one’s getting murdered in here.”
Sofia and I both chuckle, and she stands, pulling me with her. “I was about to tell Millie about the plan.”
Dan nods, like this is old news.
“The plan?” I ask. “What plan?”
Sofia smiles. “Dan and I are flying to Hawaii this evening, along with Noah’s parents and sister. There’s an extra seat if you want to join us.”
My mouth makes a strangled sound. “What do you mean?”
“I chartered a private jet for this trip,” Sofia explains, like it’s the most normal thing in the world. “We’re going to watch the last round of the Pipe Pro. If we leave in time.”
Dan tilts his head. “Noah made the finals, Mill.”
“I know.” I’ve tracked every moment despite my best efforts to ignore he exists. When he got through the last round by the tiniest of margins, I gasped with relief before bursting into tears. The finals were delayed due to inclement weather, meaningthere’s time for his family to get there for the last round. The thought of being able to see him in person, doing what he loves, makes my heart squeeze.
“I can’t leave,” I tell them, my hope dissipating. Sofia and Dan both frown. “What about Ellis? And Winston? I’ve got a business to run. Ellis has been working her ass off?—”
As if she can hear me talking about her, Ellis’ name flashes up on my phone. I lift it off the table.
“I might’ve given Ellis a call,” Dan explains, rubbing the back of his thick neck. “She’s probably ringing for an update on whether we could convince you to come.”
I swipe right and lift it to my ear. “Hi, traitor.”
“Please tell me you’re going!” she shrieks.
I wince at the shrill sound of her plea. “Indoor voice, Ellis.”
“Don’t make me come down there and slap sense into you.”
“You really think I should go?”
“Millie.” Ellis sighs. “I saw Noah when he realised how badly he messed up. His devastated, puppy dog face will be forever burned in my brain.”
