Wiping away the pesky tears that soaked hercheeks, she hugged her friend. “You get to work your dream job as ateacher and live with the man you love. Maybe make a few adorablebabies soon. Even if he does smell sometimes.” He didn’t, but hewas an easy, affable mark.
After a few sniffles and another round oftears, Pippa pulled away. Lincoln knew his fiancé well and hadalready started carrying boxes out to the moving van. Returningfrom load number one, he was now followed by his very handsomefriend, Grady, who was carrying a stack of pizza boxes.
Lincoln put one arm around Pippa and kissedthe top of her head. “I hope you don’t mind, I dragged Grady upfrom Foothills. I figured we could use a hand.”
Mustering up her appetite, Sophie endured yetanother meal of pizza. She loved pizza, but it might be time for abreak. Grady made eyes at Sophie immediately, as he seemed to bemore and more flirty each time she saw him. Glancing to Sophiesubtly over her folded slice, Pippa raised her eyebrowssuggestively.
Sophie rolled her eyes and shook her headNo. Grady was ridiculously handsome. Ocean blue eyes, surferblond hair, incredible body he’d toned to perfection. An attorneythat had graduated from law school last year, he was a greatconversationalist. And, rumor had it, was good ateverything.
He was an old friend of Lincoln’s fromFoothills and his business partner, so she’d only met him a fewtimes. She’d be seeing a lot more of him in the future. The pairhad just opened their own law firm in Foothills with an office ablock or so down from Foothills Accounting.
Pippa seemed to think he was her soulmate.She liked him. A lot, really. Maybe once she was settled, she’dgive it a chance? She’d already put him off once, claiming shewanted to get to Foothills before she started anything.
Stalling. She knew what it was. Trying tothink of a nice way to refuse him, as she really did like him.Hell, he was perfect. Everything a woman could want.
He just… she didn’t get that heat deep in herbelly when he walked into a room. Her heart didn’t skip a fewbeats, forgetting its rhythm, when he winked at her. She’d neverfelt those things, but knew they were imperative when considering apermanent mate. Maybe she would react differently when the stressof the last few months was gone?
Love at first sight was a stupid notionanyway, one she did not buy into. Not even in response to a fewstupid photographs of a man she couldn’t–and wouldn’t–be with thathad burned into her brain.
2
Four hours on the road and Sophie was sick of whiteand yellow lines on asphalt. It should only have taken an hour, twoat the most, but, thank you Seattle traffic, it had taken four. Shewas sick of living in the city. Case in point. Although she’dalways lived in the city, she was a country girl at heart.
You didn’t have to be raised in the countryto know it was for you. The first time she’d stayed at Pippa’sfolk’s place in Foothills, as usual, she’d been the first one outof bed. Sitting and watching the sunrise, the glow over themountains illuminating the trees lining the high peaks, she’dfallen in love.
Despite the crazy traffic, she hadn’t lostsight of the moving van. Lincoln was easy to follow, ensuring therewas always room for all of them. That included Pippa’s car beingtowed behind the moving truck, and Grady following in Lincoln’s carbehind hers.
In their cozy caravan, they’d made a dustywedding and grad-school graduate parade across Western Washington.Lincoln had been staying with Grady in Foothills for the past twomonths since he’d finished law school, but after the wedding, heand Pippa would move into a rental house, just the two of them foronce. High school sweethearts reunited by no mere coincidence; theywere eager to start their little family.
Pippa was habitually a pragmatic planner and,Sophie suspected, she was born that way. She and Lincoln had brokenup after high school, not wanting to sacrifice their careers foryoung love. Pippa went away to UCLA for her undergrad, where she’dmet Sophie. When Pippa discovered Lincoln was going to Seattle U’slaw school, she’d dragged Sophie with her to get some experienceunder their belts, then attend grad school together at UW,conveniently located fifteen minutes away from Lincoln. Well, ifone avoided I-5.
Ever the good-girl, Pippa had wanted to waituntil they were married to move in together. Which generally meantSophie got to know Lincoln well, as he crashed at their place atleast two nights a week. Sophie wouldn’t miss needing to turn herheadphones up to drown out the sound of the lovebirds.
At last, they pulled into the driveway. She’dbeen here several times over the years. Since leaving LA, shehadn’t been back to that over-populated metropolis.
Refused to go home to LA for the holidays, asher aunt didn’t care to see her any more than she cared to see heraunt. Unless she was flush from a recent deposit from her trustfund when dear Aunt Yvette decided they needed some quality girltime.
Denise and Paul Sutherland had welcomed herinto their home instead. When Pippa had shared Sophie’s sadhistory, they fixed up a special bedroom just for her. They hadplenty of space; had built a massive four-bedroom home expectingtons of kids, but they hadn’t been able to have more after Pippawas born.
They had always tried to make up for Sophie’slack of family. Fresh flowers, cozy sheets, a thoughtful birthdaypresent sent to her every year. The first Christmas she’d joinedthem, they even had a stocking hanging up for her with her nameembroidered on it. To this day, Sophie couldn’t figure out what shehad done to deserve them.
The moving van kicked up quite a bit of dustthat seeped into the air vents of her little SUV, but even herdust-encrusted nostrils couldn’t take away from the beauty of thedrive. Wildflowers were densely scattered along the sides of thedriveway. Grandfatherly maples and cedars made a canopy through thefirst hundred feet of the rural drive, as if welcoming her to themagical homestead hidden within.
As the trees thinned, a clearing sprawled outbefore her, with neatly mowed green lawn to the left, an oversizedshop-garage combo up ahead to the right, and the house beyond.Behind the house, to the right, lay an expansive concrete patio, agreat entertainment setup including a hot tub with a waterfall thatpoured into the heated pool. To the left, east, she supposed, was asizeable wooden deck no more than a few feet off the ground, with apropane outdoor fireplace and expansive seating that overlooked thebulk of the property. Her favorite part was the view off the deck,with a small, heavily vegetated valley leading to the ruggedmountains that dominated the vast landscape.
Pippa hopped out of the moving truck andmotioned Sophie to park her car into the garage. Theatricallywaving her arms for Sophie to the last of the four bays, Pippaguided her in with gusto. Her friend was as giddy as she’d everseen. Quite the pair, they were way too excited to be done with along, long trudge through academia.
Sophie rolled down the window of herwell-loved, high-mile CR-V and hollered at Pippa. “Are you sure? Ican park wherever.”
Skipping like a carefree kindergartener asshe approached the car, Pippa leaned into the open passenger windowand winked. “Not to worry, it’s not prime real estate. Mom and Dadpark in the double-sized first garage bay, I get the second, and Isee Asher has claimed number three. So, you get to stash yourstuff, and your car, in number four. Lincoln is bringing all of mystuff to our house.”
“What? I didn’t know the house was ready.”Holding her foot steady on the break, Sophie leaned across thecenter console to hear better, convinced she must not have heardcorrectly.
“It’s not, but Lincoln is handling thelandlord’s divorce, so he’s letting use move stuff into the garagewhile he finishes up with painting and new floor installation.”Beaming, Pippa was clearly excited to have a spiffy new place. Orbrag about her fiancé doing some real work.
Either way, Sophie was excited with her.“That’s awesome. Okay, I’ll unload my boxes into my very own garagebay.” Before pulling her foot off the brake, she locked eyes withPippa, “Don’t think you get to keep that coffee table. In fact, I’mgoing through all your stuff after you unpack to steal back all ofmystuff that I know you tried to pilfer.”
Pippa tapped the roof of the CR-V, themetallic thud echoing through the car, and backed away to letSophie park. “We’ll see. That coffee table looks great with mycouch.”
