She gave him her back and rummaged through the kitchen. Her fingers closed around the dish towel, and she threw it over her shoulders. When she turned back around, Darren was holding the towel over himself with one hand and using the other to hide his behind.
Sophia’s heart was pounding against her ears.
“We’re going to pretend this never happened,” Darren told her as he walked sideways and in the direction of her old room. “Just don’t antagonize Teddy further, or he might take away the dish towel, too.”
Sophia cleared her throat. “I have no idea what you’ve done to him, but it’s definitely your fault. He’s a sweet and obedient dog.”
Darren gave her a dirty look. “Don’t you have a job to get back to?”
As soon as he stepped into her room, he slammed the door shut behind him. Sophia doubled over with laughter and patted Teddy when he came over and handed her the towel. She draped it over the back of the kitchen chair and called out to Darren, who didn’t respond.
On the drive back to work, she couldn’t stop replaying what had happened between them, everything from the rush she felt at seeing her ex practically naked on the front lawn to realizing that whatever these feelings were that still lingered weren’t going away anytime soon.
Or ever.
With a sigh, she pulled into her usual parking spot and got out. For the rest of the day, she kept her head down and tried not to push away all thoughts of Darren and a reconciliation to the back of her mind until Nora came out of her office and beckoned her forward.
Earning a few looks from the rest of the staff, Sophia reluctantly set down the hand blender and stepped forward.
Inside Nora’s cream-colored office, Sophia had no idea what to do with her hands. “Thank you again for letting me duck out earlier.”
Nora sat down behind her desk and pushed her glasses up her nose. “I’m glad you were able to sort it out. I hate when I get locked out.”
“Me, too.”
Nora sat up straighter and pushed her chair forward. “I called you in here because I wasn’t sure if you heard what’sbeen happening. There’s this tall, dark-haired man who’s been wandering around town, asking about you.”
Sophia’s brows furrowed together. “Aboutme?”
“About the Wilson Clan,” Nora clarified with a frown. “I thought you should hear it from me. No one wants to tell him any kind of information, but maybe you’d better inform the police. I’ve heard he’s a mean-looking guy.”
Sophia’s mouth went dry, and something low and unpleasant unfurled in the center of her stomach. “I’ll call my brother.”
As soon as she stepped out of her boss’s office, she sprinted to the locker at the end of the hallway. There, she took her phone out of her pocket, leaned against the door, and called Ian first. Then she added their father and Lily to the call, her heart pounding uneasily the entire time.
“It sounds like Dad might be looking for Amy,” Lily replied after a lengthy silence. “Did anyone happen to get a picture or something?”
Sophia pushed herself off of the wall and ignored the ice seeping through her veins. “I don’t think so, but I can ask.”
Ian exhaled. “I’ll let my boss know. In the meantime, you and Dad need to be careful.”
Sophia blew out a deep, shaky breath. “Darren is staying with us, and we’ve got Teddy and the security system. We should be fine. Dad, maybe you should come and stay with me…at least until this is sorted out.”
Stu grunted. “I’m not leaving this man run me out of my own house. If he comes after me, he’ll have to do it like a man.”
Sophia’s stomach clenched. “But Dad—”
“No, I’ll be fine. You worry about yourself.”
A short while later, during the drive back home, Sophia was still thinking about the man who was asking about them. She wondered if it was the same man who was following her the other day and brushed the thought away.
When she pulled up outside her father’s house and saw the lights switched on and soft music spilling out into the night, she smiled.
Inside, Darren was in the kitchen with an apron wrapped around his waist and a beaming Teddy at his feet. “Hey, what’s all this?”
“I was trying to make lasagna,” Darren replied without looking at her. “Your dad called to tell me about what’s happening. He’s at dinner with some friends, so it’s just us tonight.”
Sophia kicked off her shoes and left them by the door. “He needs the distraction. It’s been a crazy few weeks.”
