Discovering Sophie (33 page)

“You speak English?” The relief in Peter’s face, and his wide grin, made Yolanda’s face light up even more. “Thank you, I know my Spanish is horrible.”

A giggle of delight bubbled out of Yolanda’s mouth. “
Sí
, it was very bad.”

Peter had just effectively taken one of Jack’s allies away in a matter of seconds. What if he was successful in winning over Sophie just as quickly?

Yolanda spotted Jack and motioned for him to come over. “
Señor
Jack, this man is Sophie’s family.” She beamed. “Isn’t it wonderful?”

Yeah, fantastic
.

Peter’s eyes narrowed as Jack approached. “You must be Mr. Mathison.”

“It’s Jack.”

“Peter Elliot.” He stuck out his hand.

Jack held his gaze as he grasped the man’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “Right.” He dropped his hand and crossed his arms over his chest. “It wasn’t necessary for you to come.”

“Since I’m marrying Sophie, I think it’s entirely necessary.”

The smile on Yolanda’s face was replaced with a shocked look. “But I thought
Señor
Jack was marrying her?”

“I am—”

“No he’s not—”

The men spoke at the exact same time, their voices clearly reflecting their stance.

Yolanda stepped forward, her don’t-you-dare-mess-with-my-patient look back on her face. “I’m warning both of you right now that there will be no fighting.” She put her hands on her ample hips and gave each of them an evil eye. “Do I make myself clear?”

Peter turned on the charm and scored a point in his favor. “Of course, ma’am. The most important thing here is Sophie’s wellbeing.” He shifted his eyes to Jack. “Isn’t that right?”

“
Sí
.” Jack gave him a hard look. “Sophie’s welfare has always been the most important thing.”

Yolanda eyed both of them like she was trying to see if they were telling the truth—which they were. Sophie’s happiness
was
most important. The hard decisions could come later when she felt better.

“Good.” The stern nurse looked like she wanted to say more but had to answer the telephone.

“I’d like to see Sophie,” Peter said once he and Jack were alone.

A churning of unease made Jack want to find a way to prevent Peter from visiting Sophie. Ever. Too bad that wasn’t a realistic goal.

“First, we need to talk.”

“Not until I see Sophie.”

Jack ground his teeth and stepped closer. “Look, Sophie is sleeping right now. We need to get a few things straight, like the fact that you and Sophie are not engaged.”

The muscle in Peter’s jaw jumped. “Not officially.”

“I believe you asked, and Sophie turned you down.”

The tips of Peter’s ears went red. “And how do you know that, Mr. Mathison?” His tone had risen in both volume and irritation.

Yolanda cleared her throat. When he and Peter turned to look at her, she held up one finger. “This is your only warning. The next time I will call security.”

“Elliot, you and I need to take this outside before we both get thrown out of here.”

Peter’s eyebrows rose. “Outside? Are you planning on a fist fight?”

Not a bad idea, but probably not the wisest thing to do. “No. I told you we need to talk.”

Peter stared at Jack for a few seconds. Finally, he nodded and turned toward the nurses’ station. “Ma’am,” he said holding up the poster board. “Could you please hold on to this for me? Mr. Mathison and I are going to go outside for a moment.”

“
Si
.” Yolanda took the oversized get-well card and narrowed her eyes. “I hope you both can come to a reasonable understanding.”

“Thank you, I do too.” Peter flashed his perfect white teeth, and Jack noticed a dimple crease the man’s cheek.

Yolanda must have noticed it too. A blush colored her plump cheeks, and the smile she gave the man as she waved them both away indicated she liked Peter—probably more than Jack.

Neither man spoke as Peter followed Jack outside to a small courtyard. The cloudless sky glowed a deep purple as dawn approached, promising a beautiful day.

“Now,” Peter said evenly. “Since you seem to know so much about my relationship with Sophie, I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

The guy was all lawyer now. Cocky and so sure of himself. Jack didn’t like it. “Go ahead.”

“Am I to believe that
you’ve
fallen in love with Sophie?”

“Yes.”

“And how does Sophie feel about you?”

“She loves me,” Jack answered confidently. “I plan on asking her to marry me.”

One of Peter’s eyebrows rose up. “If she says yes, how do you plan to support her? Sophie doesn’t want to work full time once she starts a family.”

Jack hated the arrogant tone reflected in Peter’s words. “I know. We’ve discussed that already.”

A flash of uncertainty darkened Peter’s eyes. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“I don’t know why I would have to answer to you.”

“Because,” Peter said, his voice low and steady. “I do care about Sophie, and I’m her friend.”

Lousy lawyer had a point. “Sophie and I don’t know how everything will work out, but I assure you I can support a wife.” Jack ignored the knot in his stomach. He could provide for a wife, couldn’t he?

“Assuming that’s true,” Peter said with a hint of sarcasm, “I did a little digging and discovered you’re estranged from your family. Is Sophie aware of this?”

The guy had done some kind of background check on him? “Yes.” Jack inched forward. “She and I talked about it extensively.”

“The private investigator I hired was able to track down several of your previous clients. With a few pointed questions, it was fairly simple to conclude you aren’t exactly on good terms with God. If you truly know Sophie like you claim to, you’ll know how important her faith is.”

Jack clenched his hands into fists and kept them firmly at his side. “My stance with God is none of your business.”

Peter lifted his brow again. “Mr. Mathison, I’m in love with Sophie. I’ve been in love with her for nearly a year. I’ve wanted to marry for just as long. Believe it or not, I do want her to be happy. If that means marrying you, then so be it.” He took a step toward Jack. “But I won’t go without first seeing Sophie, and I won’t step away from her unless
she
tells me to go.”

They stared at each other for a few intense seconds. Peter stuck his hands in his pockets and lifted one shoulder. “Besides, if you’re so confident in her feelings for you, then it shouldn’t make a difference if I stay.”

How could Jack argue with that? “Sophie’s been through a lot the past two weeks. I don’t want her hurt or upset.”

“I would never do anything to hurt Sophie.”

“Neither would I,” Jack said. But what if he wasn’t what Sophie needed? Despite how much he detested Peter Elliot, he also respected him. And it was obvious the guy was completely in love with her.

Peter nodded his head, and, without saying a word to each other, they made their way back inside the hospital. They stopped at the desk where Peter retrieved the poster board. “Would you please show me to Sophie’s room?” he asked Jack.

Jack couldn’t say no. “Sure.” He acknowledged Yolanda with a smile. “We worked out a deal, so you don’t have to worry.”

“I am very happy to hear that.”

Jack glanced at Peter. “Let’s go. I don’t want Sophie to wake up and be all alone.”

* * *

Sophie heard the murmured voices in the room, and she struggled to open her heavy eyelids. She’d been dreaming about Jack and Peter. Together. She didn’t remember what they were saying, but they’d both seemed so real.

“Sophie, how are you feeling?” The male voice was unfamiliar.

“Okay,” she croaked. “I think.” Her mouth felt dry, and she longed for a cool drink of water. Fighting the intense grogginess, she forced her eyelids open. The bright light blinded her, and she squinted, unable to move her arms to block out the light.

A woman laughed softly. “That’s better than what you said yesterday.”

Sophie tried to focus on the person hovering above her. The woman had long silvery hair and a pretty face. “I talked to you yesterday?”

“Yes, and you said you felt like the one and only time you’ve ever had a hangover.”

Another face came into focus. The man was balding, his skin tanned with deep laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. “And to answer the same question you asked yesterday, no, you haven’t been drinking.”

“Then what happened to me? Am I in a hospital?”

“Yes. I’m Dr. Mark Webster.” The man winked at her and pointed at the woman. “This is my beautiful wife Jane.”

“Hello.” She licked her dry lips. “So what’s wrong with me?”

“You’ve had a pretty bad case of dengue hemorrhagic fever.” He offered her a smile. “But you’re out of the woods now and should start to feel a lot better.”

Her mind was suddenly flooded with memories of getting sick the last leg of their trip. An image of Jack flashed in her mind. “Where’s Jack?”

“I’m right here, baby.” The sound of his voice made her feel warm inside. She searched the room until her gaze centered on his handsome face.

“I hope this means we made it out of the jungle.”

“Yes,” he said with a laugh. “A few days ago.”

“Really? I don’t remember anything.”

“Not even the helicopter ride?” Jack took her hand, and an electrifying pulse skidded up her arm.

“A helicopter? Just how sick have I been?”

He brought her hand to his mouth, his warm lips caressing her skin. “Sweetheart, you had me very worried.”

The tenderness in Jack’s words, and the look of love in his light blue eyes, stole her breath. She wished they were alone.

“You had us all worried.” Dr. Webster patted her on the shoulder. “More of your memory will come back, so don’t be too concerned.” He smiled and winked at her again. “Jane and I will be by later on tonight.”

“You boys behave, all right?” Jane said before walking out the door with her husband.

Boys?
Before she could ask, another person stepped forward. “Hello, darling.”

The male face before her made her gasp. “Peter?”

A frown wrinkled his forehead. “You don’t remember talking to me yesterday?”

“No.” She continued to stare at her former boyfriend. He looked like he’d just gotten off work, wearing a blue dress shirt and tie. Was she still in Costa Rica? “What are you doing here?”

“Jack called me.”

Now that didn’t make any sense at all. She turned questioning eyes to Jack. “You called Peter?”

The muscle in his jaw tightened. “Not on purpose.”

“Sophie,” Peter said, making her shift her eyes back to him. “It was by divine intervention that I received the phone call about your illness.”

“No,” Jack snorted. “It was a mistake.” He looked into Sophie’s eyes. “My phone was dead, so I used yours. I accidentally selected Peter's number instead of Camille’s.”

Sophie blinked, wishing the cobwebs would clear from her mind. “So I’m still in Costa Rica, right?”

Jack brushed back a wisp of hair away from her face. “Yes.”

“And Peter’s really here?” Her voice broke again, and she coughed a little, trying to clear her throat.

“Yes, sweetheart, I’m really here.”

“Where is—” She couldn’t finish her question due to her dry throat.

Peter stepped closer. “Would you like something to drink?”

She settled her gaze on Peter, noting his grim smile and that his dimple was absent. Sophie’s head swam, her brain still a little slow. Maybe this was all a dream.

“I don’t know what I want.”

This comment made Peter smile widely, and just like that his dimple appeared.

Jack tightened his grip on her hand. “Sophie, you don’t have to choose now.”

Huh?
What did these two guys think she was talking about? She tried to moisten her lips. “Well, it’s between water or apple juice. Either one would be nice.”

Jack started to laugh and leaned over, kissing her right on the mouth. It was only a peck, and she felt strangely cheated.

Peter frowned. “Certainly, honey. Just say the word, and I’ll be happy to get you a drink.”

“Thanks, Peter. Apple juice really does sound delicious.”

Peter leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

“Hey, Pete? Can you make that two? I’m a little thirsty,” Jack said with a grin.

Peter’s scowl deepened before he swiftly left the room.

“I get the feeling the two of you don’t like each other that much,” Sophie said understatedly.

“Pete’s an alright guy. He just isn’t that happy about you falling in love with me.”

“Pete?” She shook her head. “Jack, I know he hates being called Pete. Are you playing nice?”

The impish grin on Jack’s face said it all. Without answering, he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I’m dying to kiss you.”

Inhaling the familiar scent of his tangy aftershave, Sophie’s lips tilted up into a smile. She couldn’t help it. “Me too. But until I use a toothbrush, you’ll have to wait.”

“Or,” Jack said, pulling out a stick of gum, “I have gum.” He raised both of his eyebrows triumphantly.

“I’ll take the gum.”

Jack removed the wrapper, placing the gum between Sophie’s parted lips. She slowly chewed, never taking her eyes from Jack’s face.

“Better?” he asked in a low voice.

“Yes.”

He leaned over and kissed her softly, caressing her lips with skilled deliberation. She wanted to put her arms around him to pull him closer, but her muscles were too weak and refused to cooperate. The kiss was achingly sweet, and she never wanted it to end.

“I have your juice,” a voice interrupted angrily.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Sophie’s
brain registered Peter’s voice at the same time Jack released her mouth. Red in the face, Peter brought the juice can close to her bedside.

“Where’s mine?” Jack asked with amusement.

He didn’t need to be so mean. “Jack,” Sophie reprimanded. “You can get your own juice.”

He didn’t look at all bothered by her reproof. “I’m not that thirsty anyway.”