Fall for You (3 page)

* * * *

Sophie had never looked worse.

How could Reed Sutton be here now? She lifted her hand to her hair and grimaced when she realized her hairdo was sinking faster than the Titanic.

Reed’s deep voice greeted her. “Hey there, Sophie.”

Her brain was multitasking with a plausible lie of why she really wasn’t here right now and trying to figure out the odds of something like
this happening to her twice in one day. Before she could get her mouth moving, Tracy came up behind her and pulled her back a few steps. Her best friend greeted Reed.

“
Reed Sutton! What a surprise. What brings you here?”

Sophie nodded dumbly and looked back at Tracy, who was casually trying to dust her off.

Snapping out of her daze, Sophie found her voice. “Hi, Reed. What brings you here?”
Wait, didn’t Tracy already ask that? Damn. Okay, take two.

She shook her head and tried again. “Come to get your cookie?”

Reed held up what looked like a bag of food. “As much as I would dearly love a cookie, especially from you, I thought you might be hungry. I remember your saying that you've been swamped with work. Have you eaten?” He looked over at Tracy and respectfully added, “I have plenty.”

Tracy, traitor that she was, declined. “Thanks, but there's some leftover ribs in my fridge with my name written all over them.” Looking at her wrist where there wasn’t a watch, she exclaimed, “I didn’t know it was getting so late. Gotta go, kids!”

With that, she was out the door before Sophie could say goodbye.

Reed’s grin grew wider as he stepped inside and closed the door.

“
Hi,” Sophie murmured.

“
Hi. So, I come bearing burgers. Are you hungry?”

Sophie’s stomach took that moment to growl in an embarrassingly long gurgle. Reed laughed. She knew he was laughing with her and not at her but that didn’t stop the hot blush creeping up her face.

“
Um, that would be a yes.”

She moved some cookie boxes out of the way so Reed could set down the food. “I have some soft drinks in the fridge if that’s
okay with you? Or would you prefer bottled water? I'm sorry; I don't keep any beer here.”

Reed glanced up as he was taking out containers of leftover picnic food. She knew Dot would probably have a cow if she knew he was feeding it to Sophie.

“
Whatever you're drinking is fine.”

* * * *

When Sophie turned away to get their drinks, Reed admired the view. He was trying to be a gentleman, but
he was a healthy guy and honestly couldn’t help himself. Some guys were boob men and some were into long legs. Reed had always had a thing for a cute, round butt. Right now, it was an extreme fondness for Sophie's cute, round butt.

From the front, her T-shirt and shorts were covered by her pink apron. With her facing the fridge, he had an unimpeded view of the back. She inadvertently bumped into
the refrigerator door, then used her hip to close it. Reed quickly glanced up before Sophie caught him staring at her ass.
Damn. Those cutoff shorts are a thing of beauty.

Reed had always had a thing for Sophie. From the day he saw her accidentally walk into her locker door, senior year, he was a goner. She was still a bit clumsy, but he found that endearing.

Back then, he wanted to ask her
on a date until Brent Francis told him that he was taking her out. Reed was sort of friends with him since they were neighbors, so he backed off. It was difficult, considering Brent had the IQ of a rock and the personality to match it.

He really didn’t know what Sophie saw in him. When they went out in a group to get pizza, Brent didn’t even talk to her. As a matter of fact, he didn't even sit
with her. He spent the evening trying to flirt with her friend, Tracy.

Reed thought it was a prick maneuver on Brent's part but oddly, Sophie didn't seem to mind.

Considering all the booths were taken, he and Sophie ended up sitting together at a table by the window. To keep her from feeling left out, Reed did his best to entertain her. His jokes were lame, he knew, but she laughed anyway.

As they ate, they talked about everything from their favorite movies and music to their plans for the future. Sophie was an honor student so he wasn't surprised to hear that she was going to college in the fall. She wanted to major in business.

Sophie had listened intently to him as he told her about wanting to enlist in the Navy so he could join the CBs. She smiled when she heard the name so
he explained how the initials meant “construction battalion.”

After everyone was done eating, Sophie said goodbye to him and left with Tracy. She hadn't said a word to Brent, who obviously wasn't taking her home. Reed saw that development and renewed his plans to ask her out.

The following Monday, however, something had changed. Sophie wouldn't look at him and dodged him when he tried to talk
to her. It frustrated him, but after a week of being treated like the plague, he gave up. A guy had his pride after all.

They graduated a few months later. By the end of summer, Reed was off to boot camp and on with his life. Eight years in the Navy had kept him away from home more often than not. Sometimes he wondered what became of Sophie, but after her rejection, he was too proud to ask anyone.

Seeing Sophie today was a complete surprise. At least, after all this time, she was talking to him again. That was a step in the right direction. He glanced at her hand and noticed that she wasn't wearing a wedding ring. Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't dating anyone.

Reed guessed now was a good time to test the waters.

When Sophie set down the drinks, he asked, “I didn’t interrupt any
plans for the evening, did I?”

Sophie tried her best not to look incredulous. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility that she could have plans. It was just that she didn't have the time or inclination lately. She shook her head. “No, I’m free tonight.”

Reed was glad to hear it. “No one's waiting at home?”

She shrugged, “Just Max.”

He tried not to look disappointed. “Max?”
Who the hell was
Max?

Sophie explained. “Max is the love of my life…and my dog.”

“
Your dog is the love of your life?”
Lucky dog.

With a smile, Sophie nodded. “Absolutely. He's the perfect guy for me.”

Reed leaned toward her. “I have to hear this. How is Max the perfect guy for you?”

“
Well for starters, he's a beautiful bronze color so he has a tan year round. He doesn't hog the bed and he's incredibly affectionate.”

She paused, waiting to see if he wanted to hear more

“
Go on. How else is he perfect?”

“
Max listens attentively when I talk and does so with adoring puppy dog eyes. But most importantly, he's housebroken and doesn't cheat on me.”

Reed held up a hand to interrupt her. “I was going to ask who you dated that wasn't housebroken but I think I'll skip it and ask something else. Who the hell would
cheat on you?”

She made a cute scrunched up face. “He sort of tried to use me to cheat on his girlfriend. Bryce failed to mention that he was already seeing someone. I had no idea that he wasn't exactly single until she confronted him while we were on our first date.”

Reed winced. “Ouch! What happened?”

“
We were having dinner at a nice restaurant. I even thought things were going pretty well
until said girlfriend showed up. She walked up to Bryce, my date, and threw his drink in his face. To be honest, I thought they only did that in bad movies!” He chuckled at that. “Anyway, she called him a two-timing asshole, gave me a scathing look, then left in a fit of anger. Bryce, completely soaked in Merlot, got up and chased after her.”

“
What did you do?”

Sophie sighed. “The much wished
for hole in the ground didn't swallow me up, so I got stuck with the check. I had to pay for everything, including the Merlot he was wearing.”

Reed was offended on her behalf. “That guy really was an asshole.”

“
You're telling me! He'd ordered the most expensive steak on the menu too!” She shrugged. “At any rate, that was the last of Bryce. Now you see why I like Max better.”

Sophie took a seat
and opened her pop can. “So, Reed, how about you?”

Reed joked, “I don't have a dog.” When she rolled her eyes, he amended that with, “or a girlfriend.”

He dipped his head to get eye contact and gauge her reaction, but she changed the subject.

* * * *

“
Thank you for bringing over dinner. You didn't have to do that.”

He smiled warmly. “I wanted to. Besides, as you can see, I have more than
enough.”

Reed continued to put food in front of Sophie until she couldn't eat another bite. She sat back and looked at all the empty containers.

“
I can't believe we finished it all! I must have been hungrier than I thought. Plus, the food was delicious. Did you grill the hamburgers?”

“
No, my dad did the grilling. I watched and learned as he taught me the finer points of burger flipping.” He
smirked. “Someday though, I hope to wield a spatula of my very own.”

Sophie was curious. “Do you live with your parents now that you're home?”

He looked stricken. “Absolutely not! My mom would try to feed me to death within a month. She has a hard time taking no for an answer.” Reed shook his head. “Besides, after moving around so much in the Navy, I wanted to put down roots. I have a house
that I've been slowly renovating since I moved back.” He angled closer to her. “How about you?”

“
I sort of inherited my grandma's house.”

“
Sort of?”

She unconsciously leaned toward him too. “To be more precise, I inherited a mortgage. Tracy and I used to be housemates until she moved upstairs.” She glanced up at the ceiling as she said it. “Now it's just me.”

Reed added, “And Max.”

Sophie
gave a nod. “Yes, and Max.”

* * * *

They were both inclined toward each other with their arms braced on the table. Something made him close the distance and take hold of Sophie's hand. Her eyes widened, but she allowed the contact.

From her expression, Reed wasn't sure if he'd overstepped himself, but when he felt the soft warmth of her palm fit perfectly against his, he was glad that he did.

“
Listen, Sophie, I was wondering if…” Reed was about to ask her something, he wasn't quite sure what, when Sophie's cell phone rang. Irish punk music blared from her phone and threw him off. On the bright side, it sounded as though they still had some musical tastes in common.

Reed liked that.

* * * *

Sophie couldn't believe they had gotten interrupted right then!

He was “wondering if” WHAT?

Seeing that it was her mom, Sophie reluctantly pulled her hand back and took the call. With a sigh, she answered, “Hi, Mom.”

Lucy Brandon had a throaty, rough voice thanks to years of chain smoking. “Sophie? I tried calling you at home, but you're not there.”

“
I know Mom. I'm finishing up at work. Are you okay? Do you need something?”

After a brief pause, her mom responded. “Well, since you
asked, honey, I was hoping you could pick up some of those green bananas next time you're at the store. They last longer and are so good with my cereal.”

Lucy Brandon had been widowed two years ago when Sophie's dad died from a massive heart attack. She didn't drive, so “next time you're at the store” really meant, “buy them and drop them off tonight.”

Her sister Sarah moved in to take care
of their mom not long after the funeral. They'd been driving each other crazy ever since.

“
Mom, I know Sarah just bought groceries, including bananas.”

Lucy coughed then complained, “Sure, but not the good kind. She never buys the good kind. How am I supposed to eat my cereal?”

Not wanting to get into a debate over what constituted a good banana, Sophie agreed to take care of it on her way
home. The conversation ended with a raspy “Thank you, Sophie. What would I do without you?”

Mom guilt. Enough of it could win world wars.

Reed took his cue and stood to clear away their impromptu picnic.

Sophie began to apologize, but he rested his hand on her shoulder and hushed her. He gave a gentle squeeze before letting go.

“
I understand completely. I have a mom too.”

At that reminder
of his mom, she tensed a little but tried not to show it. He placed everything back in the bag and headed for the door. Sophie remembered her manners just in time to offer him dessert.

“
Wait! Do you want some cookies to take home?”

Reed opened the door and looked over his shoulder. “Next time. Definitely next time. See you, Sophie.”

There was going to be a next time?

Sophie was left bewildered
and bemused. Reed Sutton had held her hand tonight. Who knew something so simple could leave such an impact?

The Cookie Jar and King's Cake in a Cup shared the ground floor in one of the oldest buildings in Madison Falls. The Donaldson Building had housed businesses including the town's first post office, a general store, a pharmacy/soda fountain, and lastly, a doughnut shop.

Initially, Sophie and Tracy began their businesses by working out of Sophie's house. Through word of mouth and the
wonders of the Internet, orders came in faster than Sophie's little kitchen could manage. They had desperately needed to expand. Finding this space for rent in the prime location on Market Street seemed like a godsend.

While touring the building, the landlord, Darlene Donaldson, had eagerly gossiped about her niece, Debbie. Apparently, she had been the owner and operator of Debbie Do Donuts for
the last decade and a half. She'd also been a six-foot tall, broad featured woman with red hair the unfortunate shade of carrots. Debbie was shy, though sweet and friendly enough to the customers. She was what Darlene had called “a bit of a Plain Jane, bless her heart.”