Darren glanced up and frowned. “So, does Lily really think it might be her dad trying to find Amy?”
“Maybe.” Sophia peeled off her sweater and hung it up behind the front door. “He’s not exactly thrilled that Amy left him, and according to Lily, he’s not the forgiving type.”
Darren’s frown deepened. “She should look into getting a restraining order.”
“So should Olive,” Sophia said, covering the distance between them and leaning against the kitchen counter. “Her ex is a real piece of work, too.”
Darren grunted and returned his attention to the food.
After a dinner of pasta with red sauce, chicken drizzled with spices, and a green salad, Darren pulled her in for a hug. He ran his fingers down the length of her back, sending shivers racing up and down her spine.
As soon as he pulled away, he left Sophia standing in the hallway outside her old room with a heavy feeling in the center of her stomach. Teddy hurried after her and into her apartment.
Once she crawled into bed, Teddy curled up on his bed and fell asleep.
She brought her hands up over her head and kept thinking about how lucky she was to have found a man like Darren. From their very first meeting, when he’d held her back from racing into the bakery to save the cake she’d spent days working on, she’d known he was special.
Sophia had just forgotten how great he really was. She’d let her own fear and insecurity get in the way of things, and now she wondered if it was too late.
Were the two of them even meant to find their way back to each other?
Chapter Twenty
“Shouldn’t you be trying to prove yourself to the rest of the staff? I’m sure Valerie is in there, buttering them up.”
Sophia tilted her head back and enjoyed the sun’s warmth on her face. “You know that’s not how I do things, honey. Valerie likes to schmooze. I let my hard work speak for itself.”
“How are you ever going to become manager with her around?”
“I don’t even know that I want to,” Sophia pointed out with a quick look over her shoulders through the glass windows of Nora’s Delights. “And stop trying to change the subject. When’s your plane supposed to be coming in?”
Zac paused, and she heard something muffled in the background. When his voice came back on, he was winded and hoarse. “It’s been delayed again. I’m sorry, Mom.”
“Don’t be sorry. I’m just glad you were finally able to take the time off and visit. It feels like it’s been forever.”
Zac exhaled. “Way to lay the guilt on, Mom.”
“If it gets you to come and visit more often, I’m not above doing it,” Sophia teased. “My baby boy is finally coming home.”
“I’m too old for that, Mom,” Zac pointed out. “Anyway, I should let you get back to enjoying your break.”
“I like talking to you,” Sophia protested. “I’ve still got thirty minutes left in my break.”
“I’d love to stay and chat, but I just saw someone I know, so I should go and say hi.”
Disappointment settled in the pit of Sophia’s stomach. “Oh, okay.”
“She looks happy, which is good,” Zac continued in a strange voice. “Maybe this’ll go well.”
“Is she someone you like?”
“I’ve always loved her.”
“You should definitely—” Sophia trailed off when the crowd across the street parted, and she saw Zac standing there in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, dragging a suitcase behind him. He grinned when he saw her and hung up. Then he shoved his phone into his pocket, glanced down both sides of the street, and hurried over.
Sophia still had her phone pressed to her ear when he hoisted her up and swept her off her feet.
She was breathless and grinning from ear to ear as she clung to him. “What are you doing here?”
