Discovering Sophie (17 page)

“
Mi amigo
,” Manuel shouted over the noisy gathering and raised his glass up in acknowledgement of Jack.

Jack smiled and sat down next to Elaina and tried his best to ignore how close she was to him. He scanned the crowded courtyard and found where Sophie was sitting. He wasn’t surprised she already held a small child on her lap. She was beautiful, laughing and playing with the little girl. Jack longed to be the one sitting next to her instead of Hector.

Elaina pressed her body close, placing her hand on Jack’s thigh. The exotic scent of her perfume made his eyes water. Had she used the entire bottle? Schooling his emotions, he removed her hand. “Please pass the rice,” he asked, trying to distract her.

“
Sí, mi amor
.” She reached for the steaming bowl, her arm brushing against his. Jack wished Manuel would do something about his daughter, but he was too enamored by the woman he was with to pay any attention to Elaina’s antics.

Once again, Jack looked across the expanse to watch Sophie. More children had surrounded her and clamored for her attention. He loved the smile on her face as she interacted with the kids.

As if she sensed him watching, her eyes lifted and their gazes connected. Even from this distance, she made his pulse leap, and he couldn’t look away. Her mouth curved up into an alluring smile, the angry look no longer marring her features. Hector must have done a very good job of explaining things.

“Jack,” Elaina said, taking his face with her hand and turning him toward her. She held a piece of fresh pineapple, dripping with sweet juice. Without giving him a chance to say no, she thrust the fruit between his lips. Elaina used her thumb to wipe away the excess juice around his mouth, then placed her thumb between her own lips, eyeing him seductively.

Jack nearly choked on the piece of fruit and knew he needed to call it a night. They were leaving tomorrow, and he was tired of playing this game. Elaina picked up another piece of pineapple, ready to repeat the intimate gesture. Jack held up his hands to ward her off and reached for his Coke to chase down the fruit.

His eyes automatically sought out Sophie again. The smile had completely vanished, her lips now tightly pressed together. Dropping her gaze, she turned away and touched Hector on the arm. Jack watched helplessly as Sophie handed the baby to the mother and walked away with Hector.

Frustrated with the whole situation, Jack tried to come up with something that would allow him to leave while Elaina stayed at the party. When he was eleven he had faked a stomach ache so he could stay home from church to watch the World Cup final match. He had gone as far as making himself throw up so his parents would believe him. If it would get rid of Elaina, he wasn’t afraid to go there.

Everyone at the table was saved from his plan when a group of girls came to get Elaina for a dance they would be performing as part of the program. Jack couldn’t believe it had been that easy. He stayed in his seat for at least two minutes, just to make sure Elaina really wasn’t coming back right away.

In order to not offend Manuel, Jack stood up and held a hand to his gut. He apologized for having to leave such a wonderful party early, but something at dinner hadn’t agreed with his stomach. It was all true, just not the whole truth. Given the situation, Jack could now sympathize with Sophie and the reason she hadn’t corrected his assumption that she was a man in the first place. He would have to tell her, that is if she would even talk to him.

Jack made his way toward Guadalupe’s hut. He knew he’d find Sophie there and hoped she wasn’t too mad at him.

The Latin music faded with each step he took. As he approached the humble dwelling, he could hear Sophie humming. He peeked inside, finding her hunched over, changing Mario’s dressing.

The boy’s grandmother smiled widely and waved him inside. “
Entras, Señor
Jack.”

Sophie’s hands froze and she stopped humming. Her gaze flitted over to him, and he saw his coming here had surprised her. Jack started to smile but stopped when a flash of anger darkened her eyes.

Shoot
. He had a lot of groveling to do.

Chapter Thirteen

Sophie
wanted to ask why Jack was here and not back at the party with Elaina, but she was not in the mood to talk to him. Plus, she didn’t want to hear him try to justify his actions by saying he was protecting her. She knew flirting when she saw it.

Turning back around, she tried her best to ignore him as she finished with Mario’s dressing. Jack crouched down next to her to talk to Mario. His voice was soft and Mario listened to each word with wide, alert eyes. With Jack so close, she caught the scent of his spicy deodorant. Despite being so mad at him, her body betrayed her and reacted to his nearness. She took a slow and steady breath, trying to decrease her racing pulse rate.

“
Sí
,” Mario said to Jack as a grin spread across the little boy’s face.

Jack patted the child on his head before rising up. The distance allowed Sophie to concentrate on her task. She was pleased with how well the wound and infection had responded to the medication. The child’s appetite had returned, and he was taking in adequate fluids for the IV to be removed after the next dose of antibiotics. Her supply of ampicillin was running low anyway, so it would be good for him to switch over to oral antibiotics. She had a limited supply of those as well, and she hoped she wouldn’t encounter anyone else who needed them as much as Mario had.

Sophie stood up and cut a sideway glance at Jack. “Can you tell Mario I’ll remove his IV in the morning?”

Jack relayed the message, and Mario grinned at the news. Guadalupe nodded her head, a pleased smile on her wrinkled face. She spoke, looking directly at Sophie. Jack translated for her, and the words of gratitude from the older woman warmed Sophie’s heart.

With nothing more to do for Mario, Sophie wanted to check on Elaina’s boyfriend. Since she needed Jack to go along with her, she reluctantly met his blue eyes. “I’d like to check on Andre. If you’re not busy, would you mind coming with me?”

He studied her for a few seconds before his mouth lifted up into a crooked grin. “I don’t mind, but we’ll have to be on the lookout for Elaina.”

Sophie’s stomach curdled. “Sure.” She averted her gaze and hurried outside. Jack followed close behind her, and she whirled around, deciding she didn’t want his help after all. “I can find Hector to help me. That way you can go find Elaina and enjoy the rest of your evening.”

Jack’s eyes sparked with amusement. “I told you we need to be on the lookout for Elaina so I can avoid her.” He grinned. “Right now Manuel thinks I had to leave early for…digestive problems. My symptoms came on suddenly when Elaina left the table to go perform a dance as part of the evening’s entertainment.”

Comprehension of his words slowly disrupted the jealous thoughts she was fighting. “Oh.” She fumbled in her pocket for her lip gloss, trying to reconcile what he was saying with what she had witnessed—Elaina feeding him intimately. “That’s too bad you’re sick,” she said sarcastically. “From what I could see, it looked as if you were enjoying the food.”

One of Jack’s brows lifted. “What you saw was Elaina attempting to woo me.”

“Did it work?”

“No, having someone shove food in my mouth just doesn’t do it for me.”

She was so tempted to ask him what did work, but kept her mouth shut as she applied her daiquiri flavored gloss to her lips.

A slow smile spread across his handsome face. “Aren’t you going to ask me what does work?”

“Why would I?”

He shrugged. “I just figured if you’re ever interested, you might want to know what I like.”

“Thanks.” She rolled her eyes. “
If
I’m ever interested, I’ll be sure to ask you.”

“Ouch.”

Sophie laughed and realized Jack had managed to use his sense of humor to dispel her anger. She liked that about him.

“I’m sorry about tonight,” he said softly. The sincerity in his voice drew her gaze to his eyes. “I didn’t want to be with Elaina.”

Sophie wanted to believe him. Hector had given her the history of Elaina’s fatal-like attraction for Jack and told her that he’d only been trying to protect Sophie by escorting Elaina to the party. But a tiny part of her knew there were times when Jack had purposely flirted with the girl.

She stared into his incredibly blue eyes, and the honesty she saw reflected in them made her give him the benefit of the doubt. “That’s what Hector told me.”

“Hector’s a great guy,” Jack said with a smile. “With him as your date, I hope you at least had some fun tonight.”

She thought about the pretty dress she still had on and how she had hoped the evening would go. “It was nice.” She sighed. “I really do wish I would’ve learned Spanish, though.”

“Yeah,” he said dryly. “Our teenage rebellious moments do have a way of coming back and biting us in the butt, don’t they?”

“I knew I should’ve never told you that story.”

“I swear never to tell anybody else,” Jack said, holding up his fingers in the Boy Scout promise.

She gave a light laugh. “Somehow I don’t believe you.”

Jack feigned a wounded look as he flattened his palm against his chest. “That hurt.”

“You are so annoying.”

“So I’ve been told.”

They both were smiling now, the feelings between them much more amicable. Jack nodded his head to his left. “We better go check on Andre before the party ends.”

“Oh, that’s right,” she said as they started walking in the right direction. “You’re trying to avoid your date.”

“Very funny,” he muttered. “Since Mario is doing so much better, please tell me we can leave tomorrow.”

“Yes. I believe we can.”

The path narrowed, and their arms touched as they continued side by side. “Good. We have another three days to travel before we reach the village your father was last living in.”

Her stomach clenched, and she felt guilty for not focusing on the reason she was here in the first place. Flirting with Jack wasn’t supposed to be a part of the plan.

“I didn’t realize we were so close. I hope the information the university gave me was accurate. Peter seemed to think it wasn’t a good sign when the private investigator I hired couldn’t come up with anything else.”

She felt Jack’s gaze on her, and she briefly glanced up at him. His eyes were filled with an emotion she couldn’t quite define.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something about Peter.”

“Yes.” She halted when Jack stopped walking.

“Are you planning on marrying him?”

The tone of his voice was so intense, and it occurred to her that he might be…jealous? Warmth slipped over her, making her feel as if she had just immersed herself in a hot bubble bath. Still, she wasn’t sure how to answer him. “It’s complicated.”

He looked away and then started to walk again. She took a few quick steps to catch up with him. “Peter asked me to marry him. I just haven’t been able to give him an answer.”

“Can I ask why?” he said, glancing over at her again.

Because I’ve never felt anything for him like I do when I’m around you
. She let out a big breath. “Like I said, it’s complicated.”

Jack was quiet, and Sophie wasn’t inclined to say anymore at the moment. Andre’s house was only a few feet ahead of them. The sounds of the fiesta were loud here, and the music playing had changed, sounding more like a Calypso band.

Jack knocked on the door and announced their arrival. Andre’s mother swung open the door and motioned them inside. There was a young teenage girl sitting by the unconscious man, but Elaina was conspicuously absent.

Andre’s mother spoke to Jack, gesticulating with her hands. Jack turned and translated her words. “He opened his eyes a little while ago but wouldn’t talk. When Mom here tried to make him wake up again, he groaned and swatted at her hand.”

“That’s good,” Sophie said. “He’ll probably come around soon, and when he does, I suspect he’ll have a headache that will be more than just a hangover.” She placed her fingers on the inside of Andre’s wrist, feeling a steady and strong pulse. His skin was warm and dry, and he didn’t appear to be in any kind of distress. “Tell Mom to make sure he drinks plenty of water when he awakens, and I’ll be by in the morning before we leave to see how he’s doing.”

After Jack relayed the information, they headed over to their bungalow where Sophie wanted to change out of her dress. She had no idea if she would ever have a place to wear the clothing again, but she wanted to take them home with her.

“So,” Jack said. “Until Mario’s IV comes out, I guess you’ll be sleeping in the hut again?”

“Yes.” She glanced at her watch. “The last dose of antibiotics is due in a few hours. After I give it, the fluids should be about up, and I can DC the IV then.”

“Do you want me to set up your tent so you can get a few hours of sleep?”

“No thank you. I’d feel more comfortable sleeping inside in case Mario needs me.” She fingered the red sash around her waist. “I just need to change my clothes.” She glanced at him. “Thank you again for the dress. I hope I can find room to pack it so I can take it home.”

“We’ll find room for it.” It was his turn to look at her. “I already said it, but you look beautiful.”

“Well,” she said, feeling her cheeks heat up. “In a few minutes it will be back to T-shirts and khaki’s.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t change anything.”

She paused and looked up at him. “Are you being charming again?”

His lips twitched, then he smiled. “Yes, ma’am. I believe I am.”

A delicious feeling of satisfaction unfurled inside her, leaving her to hope that she was actually starting to see the real Jack Mathison for the first time.

* * *

Although he tried, Jack couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t stop thinking about Sophie. After more than an hour had passed, he decided to see if she was still awake. Peeking inside the hut, he found her writing in her journal by a small LED lantern.

He watched her for a minute before her gaze lifted, making a connection with his eyes. The little boy and his grandmother were fast asleep. Sophie put her fingers to her lips, signaling him to be quiet, even though the grandmother was snoring so loudly he doubted any sound he or Sophie made would awaken her. Then she motioned for him to join her.