Tearing into the sandwich, he about moaned atthe gooey grilled cheese with its perfectly crispy outside and aheap of cheese and chipotle mayo oozing out the side. Studying thesandwich, he attempted to solve the mystery as he swallowed thehuge bite. Was it really that good or was he this hungry? “This isbrilliant. Why have you never made this before?”
Denise smiled proudly. “Sophie’s favorite.She had a rough day, so I called Pippa to find out what I might beable to convince her to eat. I made a spare, realizing you hadn’teaten either.”
He swallowed a mouthful of the cheesygoodness. Chuckling from deep in his belly at his mother as hedowned the rest in a few massive bites, he teased, “Food doesn’tsolve everything.”
Considering what she’d said, he worried afterSophie. She seemed to have everything figured out, so what couldhave spoiled her appetite? “What’s up with Sophie?”
Steam blasting out of his mother’s ears, hecould see her getting fired up on Sophie’s behalf. She’d alreadyburrowed her way into the hearts of his sister and parents, and hesuspected she was heading right for his, too. “Have you heardanything about her upbringing?”
He shook his head. His Sophie knowledge waspretty limited by design.
“Her dad was in the army, killed in actionwhen she was no more than five. I’d love to have met her mother;she sounds like she was an incredible woman. So tragic though. Hermother died when Sophie was twelve.” Denise leaned back against theworkbench, ignoring the grease and oils that were deeply embeddedin the woodwork around here.
Asher gulped down his water. “I had no idea.That’s terrible. What happened to Sophie?”
Denise shrugged as she fought back the ragethat boiled just under the surface. “Her Aunt Yvette, a chronicallystruggling actress in Los Angeles, took her in. Her parents and hergrandparents set her up well. But her mother must have known what agreedy monster her aunt was, and arranged for a pretty stringentallowance from her trust fund. I don’t know the details, but I doknow that Yvette still calls her for money.”
“She calls Sophie for money?” What kind ofaunt asked her niece for money? If his stomach weren’t so happyfrom the delicious lunch, it would be roiling on her behalf.
“Poor Sophie just got off the phone with her,manipulated into sending her more money.” Denise stood tall again,stretching her neck and rolling her shoulders as if preparing for aknockout punch. Instead, she picked up his empty glass and plate.“If I could get my hands on her aunt… I’d show her a thing or twoabout human decency.”
Fuming, Asher wasn’t sure the term humandecency was the wording he would have chosen. “Sophie doingokay?”
Denise nodded. “She’ll be alright. She’s atough one. Anyway, thanks for listening to me vent. I almost hadviolent thoughts.”
He chuckled and rose his hands in the air infeigned surrender, “Heaven forbid. If you’re considering violence,everyone better flee. You’ve got a lot of pent-up aggression inthere.”
His mother rolled her eyes and motioned athim with the empty dishes. “You’d better watch yourself mister. Youdon’t want to be in the way when I get angry.”
A true pacifist, he couldn’t picture hergoing Hulk-crazy. Might be fun, though. She was full of fire. Yet,she managed to be very effective without throwing punches.
7
Sophie needed a break. From everything. Yvette hadruled so much of her life. Faintly, she remembered the few timesher own mother had taken Yvette’s call when Sophie was a kid.Occasionally she’d sent money to keep her sister out ofprostitution and life on the streets. Or that’s what Sophie figuredout much, much later.
Strolling out to the garage, hair on firedespite an hour of useless meditation, followed by therapeuticspreadsheet design, she decided to take a drive into town. Orsomething, anyway, to clear her mind.
She needed to get started with work. Soon.Maybe find a place to live. Keep herself occupied.
A familiar screech of mechanic tools rang outfrom the third garage bay. Asher’s legs stuck out from under thetruck. Silence. Another screech. Silence again.
In a flash, Asher appeared from under thetruck and popped up to stand, distracted by his current automotiverepair mission. From afar, still standing in the huge doorway ofthe open garage bay, Sophie watched. He hadn’t noticed her yet. Hehopped in the driver’s seat and tried the engine.
Started right up with a rumble then a purr. Awhoop of satisfaction echoed out of the truck cab. He revved theengine, noting it responding appropriately. Jumping out as quicklyas he’d hopped in, Asher checked under the hood.
No squeals or rattles. Better than when he’dtried a few days ago when Sophie had left with Pippa and Denise foryet another round of wedding errands, followed by a lady’s lunch.The grinding sound it made that day had been terrible. Sophie movedcloser, not quite sure if she was heading to her car or toAsher.
Something tugged and pulled in her gut themoment he laid eyes on her, creating a gnawing, craving sensationlike she hadn’t eaten in days and his touch was the only food thatcould bring her back from the brink of starvation. His expressionheated, her breath caught in response. He dropped the hood andstalked toward her like a predator moving in for the kill.
Stopping a few feet from her, he was carefulnot to get too close. Not that it cooled anything down. Ifanything, it made her tense in anticipation of the finalstrike.
Seeing she held her car keys and purse, thefading redness of her eyes from her self-pitying crying jag, hisposture opened. “Where’re you headed?”
“Nowhere, actually. I just need some freshair.” She looked back to the mountains, hearing them call hername.
“Want to hop in? I need to take her for atest drive.” He gestured toward the smoothly running truck with ashrug and a smile.
Biting her lip, she nodded. “Sure.” Findingherself suddenly the shy one, she climbed in as he held the dooropen for her with subtle finesse.
