Madison tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulders and picked up the menu. “Hurry up. I’ve already wasted a lot of time dragging myself down here.”
As opposed to what? Doing a live stream about makeup again?
Sophia ran back into the kitchen, and after a quick phone call to Nora, she came back out with the tray of cupcakes she’d been slaving over. Madison picked at her food and complained the whole time. She didn’t stop until Darren stepped into the shop, the bell over the door making a low ringing sound.
He looked incredibly handsome in his dark button-down shirt tucked into a pair of pants, steel-toed boots, and the red hat on top of his head. When he earned a few curious looks, he tucked the hat underneath his arm, showing off his shaggy dark hair.
Darren made a beeline for her and reached into his pocket. “Hey, Soph. I got that check you wanted.”
Madison set down her phone and rose to her feet. “Well, hello there, handsome. I’m Madison Blake, but I’m sure you’ve already heard of me.”
Darren gave her a blank look. “No, I haven’t. Are you a friend of Sophia’s?”
Madison made a low noise in the back of her throat. “No, why would I be? You and I could be friends, though.”
She batted her lashes at him, but he completely ignored her. Eventually, when she placed a hand on his chest, and he moved it away, she pouted. Then her phone blared, slicing through the air and drawing her attention away. Madison straightened her back and blew Darren a kiss on her way out.
The entire thing made Sophia sick to her stomach.
Madison was meant to be here to sample pasties for her wedding. Instead, she’d been throwing herself all over Darren, and the bile in the back of Sophia’s throat had nothing to do with the fact that she still carried a torch for her ex. Or the fact that she was still hit with pangs of regret anytime she came near him. It did, however, have everything to do with the fact that Madison was proving to be more trouble than she was worth, at least in Sophia’s opinion.
“New client?”
“She’s the influencer bride everyone is talking about,” Sophia replied, pausing to run a hand over her face. “Anyway, you’re probably going to be featured in her stories or something.”
Darren raised an eyebrow. “Her what?”
“You know those videos Zoe likes to make with the challenges?”
Darren gave her another blank look. “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about. Anyway, I stopped by to give you that check for Zoe’s tuition.”
“Thanks.” Sophia took the check from his outstretched hand and tried not to dwell on how it felt when her skin brushed against his. “Everything good?”
“Cat stuck in a tree,” Darren replied before putting his hat back on. “It’s a quiet day, thankfully. Has Zoe talked to you yet? She’s been telling me about how she wants to fill out the application for the habitat program.”
“Please tell me you were able to get through to her.”
Darren’s brows furrowed together. “It’s a good experience.”
“In another continent,” Sophia pointed out with a frown. “And it’s not even related to her degree. She’s getting a degree in business administration, remember? That’s meant to be a useful degree.”
“You keep mentioning that, but not everything she has to do has to be related to her career. Zoe’s been in Provincetown her whole life. It’ll be good for her to get out and see the world, see what it has to offer.”
“Like Zac did? He hasn’t even been home in two years, Darren.”
Silence stretched between them.
Sophia blew out a breath. “Okay, look: Let’s just agree to disagree on this. It’s not like Zoe has decided yet, and I know we’re both trying to be supportive and look out for her.”
Darren tilted his head to the side and nodded. “Exactly. By the way, my parents wanted me to tell you that they missed you.”
Sophia smiled. “I miss them, too. Are they coming to visit soon?”
“Tomorrow, actually, and they wanted me to see if you were free for dinner. What do you think? I can make an excuse if you don’t want to come.”
Sophia paused and searched his face.
A part of her wanted to say yes, if only to give herself the chance to pretend like nothing had changed between them. Sheadored Darren’s parents and got along with both of them so well that they often felt like extended members of her own family. However, another part of her knew that continuing to find excuses to spend time with Darren wasn’t going to end well. Not when she still hadn’t found a way to get over him.
