Last First Kiss (25 page)

“Yeah, that hurts
,
too
,
but now he’s gone stooping around in
Denver
. He’s smart
,
and he’ll put two and two together and come up with…”

“Nothing.”

She shook her head. “He’s going to see the connection. The fact that we were married while we worked with Ambrose and know we killed him…or should I say you killed him.”

He sat down beside her and took hold of her hand. He really was stupid to let her go because they were good together both in business and in bed.

“Then we’ll have to convince him to leave things alone and let the old lady take the heat.”

“And how do you think you’ll do that?”

“His dream girl Sophie.”

“You can’t hurt her. I mean I hate the bitch
,
but just leave her out of this.”

“I’m not going to hurt her but convince him I will if he doesn’t get his nose out of my business.
”

She
flipped
onto her back and looked up at the ceiling.

“There’s something else I should tell you. So
mething I found out this morning”
.

He was listening
.

****

Sophie estimated she had just over an hour for her grandmother to drive int
o town
and
get her hair set before she
return
ed
to Mountainview.
She’d been into town on a quick errand to buy new drapes
,
and she’d hidden them in the car and quickly brought them inside and stowed them in her room until her grandmother left. While she’d been in town she’d had the eerie feeling she was being watched, followed even, but had put it down to her being stupid.
Unless of course the person framing Grans…

Sophie shook her head. If you weren’t safe in
Greenville
there was no place left on earth to be secure.

She walked out to the garage, found a step ladder and carried it into the reception area.

“So do you
think you and Wade will
run this place
one day
?” asked Julie.

“I don’t
know. I suppose we will because it’s a family tradition. However, I’m sure Grans has many years left.”

Sophie reached up and unhooked the old drapes and threw them on the ground sending a puff of dust
billowing into the air around her
. She coughed.
When was the last time Grans had cleaned those things
,
and she was so fussy about everything. Sophie knew the answer. They were old because they’d been hanging at the windows since her grandpa was alive, and she knew Grans was probably scared if she washed or dry cleaned them, they’d fall apart or worse yet crumble. She knew she was sentimental
,
but for her own good, they had to go. She looked behind her and saw Julie still standing there.

“You’ve always got a job here if you’re w
orried about that,” Sophie told her.

“No,
I’m not worried. Well,
yes,
I guess I am because
I’ve been here since I left school
,
and Emily’s like family to me.”

“I know
,
and you’ll always have your job as long as I have my say. Now could you hand me those new drapes over on the couch there?”

J
ulie walked over to her
, lifted them up
,
and passed
them up to Sophie.

“Are
n’t
you worried
that
Emily’s going to be madder than hell when she knows you’ve taken down those drapes?”

“Sure, I’ll be in hot water
,
but she’ll see it gives the place a different perspective.”

“I think she likes the one we already have.”

Sophie grinned.

“Sophie Richardson
,
what are you doing?”

Sophie almost fell off the step ladder when she heard her grandmother’s voice
ringing out
from behind her.

“G
iving
you a gentle makeover,” said Sophie. “And I like your hair.”

“Don’t
sweet-
talk me.”

“I wasn’t. You really do look pretty.”

“And those
old
drapes looked pretty
nice
,
too.”

“These are much better.”

“Sophie.”

“Don’t worry
.
I’m making over Wade’s place next.”

“Which reminds me I think I need to talk to you about something.”

Sophie got down the steps and looked at Grans. She suddenly looked serious.

“What is it? Something about Wade?”

Her grandmother was suddenly silent.

“On second thought as
he’s
your now
husband-to-
be maybe he
should be the one to tell you what
's
going on between him and Cathy Moran. It’s all over the beauty salon.”

****

Wade looked at his watch. He was running late because the flight back from
Denver
had been delayed due to bad weather in
Las Vegas
. It was close to eight
,
and he wanted to drive to Mountainview to tell Emily
what
he’d discovered but knew he had to get the business with Cathy out of the way first
.

He pulled
up her
driveway, got out of the SU
V. He
decided to pick up
Max’s blue toy truck that was
sitting
in the middle of the lawn. He placed it on the door step and tapped the glass paneling. Through it he c
ould see Cathy heading toward him
. When she opened
it
she no longer had a smile on her face. Not that he could blame her.

“You’d better come in.”

Wade followed her through to the living room where Max was on his belly
on the floor
scribbling
in
a book in
front of the TV.

“Hi
,
Max,” said Wade.

“Hi,
Oncle
Vade.”

Wade smiled.

“Max would you take that into your bedroom because Wade and I ha
ve to talk grown up stuff okay?”

“I’m watching TV.”

“Now, Max, now.”
She stamped her foot at him and pointed to his room.

He reluctantl
y got up off the floor. “Oncle Vade
,
are you sleeping over?
”

Wade shook his head. “Sorry
,
Max
,
I can’t do that
anymore
.”

“Then maybe a story, Vade.”

“That I might be able to do.”

He’d be late
,
but
he really liked the little guy
;
and it wouldn’t hurt spending ten or fifteen minutes with him.

“You want to sit down,” said Cathy.

“I can’t stay long,” said Wade. “So wha
t’s
this about
?”

Cathy walked over to the bookcase an
d took something down and strolled
back to him. She held it out to him. At first he thought it was a thermometer
,
but then he saw it was a pregnancy test stick. He swallowed when he saw the word positive in its window.

“Is this yours?” he asked.

“Well it’s not Max’s.”

Wade did need
to sit down because he had a feeling what was coming next.

“It’s mine?” he asked.

Cathy nodded. The room sp
u
n, bile rose in his throat
,
and he just wanted to run far away.
He hoped Cathy didn’t expect him to marry her. And how
the hell had this happened? He’d
worn a condom every single time he’d had sex with
her
.

“I’m confused. I mean we used protection,” said Wade, the words barely coming out.

“Nothing’s 100 percent safe.”

Wade ran his h
ands through his hair. “I’m sure you already know I won’t
marry you
,
but I will do the right thing and financially support the baby.”

Cathy nodded. “I’d also like you to be there at the birth because I had a tough time with delivering Max
.”

The room was turning around and around. He could hardly breath
e
. How was Soph going to react to th
is?
Now of all times for this
had to happen.

“Sure
,
you just tell me when and if you ne
ed any money for medical b
ills.
You feeling okay?”

“Lots of morning sickness
,
but besides that I’m fine.”

Wade stood. “I need to get ho
me
,
but I’ll see you tomorrow. C
all me anytime you need anything.”

Wade put his hat back on
a
nd left Cathy’s house. He hung his head low as he made his way
back to the SUV. He got in and pounded the steering wheel with his fis
ts
, sensing if he didn’t stop he’d break every bone in his hands.

Fuck, if he’d known Sophie was coming back into his life he would
never
have slept with Cathy. Now he’d gotten her pregnant.  He took a deep breath. He was going to be a father. Something he’d always wanted to be bu
t not like this
. Sophie was the only mother for his offspring.

Soph, poor Soph, how was he going to tell her about this latest turn of events?

****

After hearing
her grandmother’s comment after
she’d returned from the beauty salon,
Sophie guessed something was wrong with Wade the moment he’d stepped through the door at Mountainview. Despite the great news that he’d found that Ambrose was blackmailing a couple of people
,
and therefore a target for a murderer,
he’d
seemed miles away.

Sophie
even
had to twist Wade’s
arm to get him to take her to his place.

She tugged his shirt out of his jeans.

“Soph, not tonight, okay. I’m
really tired after
traveling to
Denver
and back
in one day
.”

“You want me to go home?”

“No, of course not.”

“Something’s wrong isn’t it?”

“Oh Soph, is it ever going to work out for you and me?”

“What are you talking about? Of course it is.”

“I’ve got something to tell
you
,
and I’m really sorry
.”

“It’s what Grans was talking about
,
isn’t it?”

“Emily knows?”

Wade blushed. She’d only seen him do that a couple of times in his life.

He sat Sophie on the bed
, kne
lt
down,
and got hold of both
her hands.

“I went to see Cathy before I drove to Mountainview.”

He wa
s hesitating
.
She
could see that by his head turning to look at everything but her. He finally turned back and looked her straight in the eye.

“She’s….
“She’s what?”

“She’s pregnant.”

Sophie sat frozen, stunned,
and scared
.
Maybe it wasn’t Wade’s bab
y
,
but she had to know
.

“You’re the father?
”
She asked hoping she’d hear
no
,
silly
,
of course not.

“Yes. Honestly
,
Soph, I used condoms every single time I slept with her.”

Soph didn’t know what to sa
y, what to d
o. If she should flee and hide,
throw up
,
or
what.