Playing For Keeps (Emerald Lake Billionaires 2) (9 page)

“It’s not okay. Apart from being unsafe, your car wasn’t designed to sleep in.”

Ryan didn’t have to tell her that. Even with the back seats folded flat, it was still hard getting in and out of her vehicle. “Thank you for your concern, but I’ll be fine. When I’ve saved some more money I’ll rent one of the cabins.”

“I’m not asking you to stay here. I’m telling you. You can call it a new condition of employment if you want to, but you’re not going back there.”

Sophie forgot about her website; forgot about the people who were looking for her. All she focused on was the man scowling at her from the opposite side of the desk. “There’s nothing wrong with the campground.”

“If you want to keep working for me, you’ll stay here.” Ryan stood up and started to leave the room. “I’ve got work to do. When you’ve finished sorting through the bills and messages, Jamie said to find him. Some of the rooms need sweeping before the flooring contractor arrives.”

“You can’t make me stay here,” Sophie growled. “I’m a grown woman. You wouldn’t make Danny stay here if someone was looking for him.”

“Danny knows how to look after himself. While you’re working for me, I want to know you’re safe. I can’t do that when you’re living at the campground. If you need a hand to move your things out here, let me know.”

Sophie wouldn’t be letting Ryan know anything because she wasn’t going to stay with him. She might be slightly homeless, have next to no money, and worry about every noise she heard during the night, but it was better than staying here.

An out-of-work genetic microbiologist would cramp Ryan’s style and make him wish that she wasn’t working for him. Especially when he found out what she did in her spare time.

***

Sophie glared at the men sitting at the kitchen table. “Who took my car keys?”

All four men looked at her innocently. Tanner, the security specialist who’d seen her at the campground, had joined Ryan, Jamie, and Danny in the kitchen. They were busy munching chocolate chip cookies and drinking big mugs of coffee.

“I know someone has my keys. I left them beside the telephone.”

Danny filled his mouth with half a cookie. Sophie narrowed her eyes. She didn’t know Tanner very well, but of everyone sitting at the table, Danny was the most likely to tell her where her keys were. “I need to go into town to collect an order I placed last week.”

Danny glanced at Ryan and kept eating.

Sophie moved closer to Danny’s chair. “I know you’ve got something to do with it, Danny O’Brien. Where are they?”

“I don’t know,” he muttered. “Ask Ryan.”

Ryan stopped chewing.

Sophie turned her attention to her boss. “You can’t make me stay here.”

Tanner reached for another cookie. Sophie picked up the plate and held it away from him. “No one gets another cookie until I know where my keys are.”

Tanner sighed. “You’re a cruel woman. Would it make any difference if I told you Rachel baked those cookies before she went to work this morning?”

She glared at Tanner. “I don’t know who Rachel is, so it doesn’t make one bit of difference.”

Ryan coughed.

“Be careful not to choke,” Sophie said sweetly. “You won’t be able to tell me where my keys are if you’re gasping for breath.”

The smile she got in return made her knees weak. She straightened her spine and pretended she hadn’t seen the gleam in Ryan’s eyes. He had an annoying habit of being incredibly charming when he wanted things to go his way. But no amount of charm would make her forget that she was looking for her car keys.

Ryan walked across to their makeshift counter and poured himself another mug of coffee. “Rachel is John Fletcher’s fiancée. He also has a daughter called Bella. I’ll take you across to their home and introduce you to them.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Sophie said. “I won’t be here long enough to meet your neighbors.”

“You will if you can’t find your keys.” Ryan aimed another lethal smile at her heart.

Sophie ignored him and turned her attention back to Danny. He squirmed under her gaze. Tanner’s laugh turned into a cough when he saw the terror on Danny’s face.

“Danny, why don’t you go outside and see if the timber from Jake’s Hardware has arrived?” Ryan said quickly. “Make sure you leave the delivery slip in my office.”

Danny moved faster than a streak of lightning. Before Sophie took another breath, he was gone.

Jamie shook his head. “He can’t stretch the truth to save himself.”

“He’s the most honest male in the room,” Sophie said. “And before you tell me that none of you know where my car keys are, I’ll let you in on a little secret. I know where
your
car keys are.” Three pairs of eyes swiveled toward the kitchen counter. Sophie smiled and dangled Tanner’s keys in the air. “Look at this. One set has mysteriously reappeared.”

Jamie looked between Tanner’s car keys and the plate of cookies in her other hand. “I don’t know where your keys are, but I wouldn’t mind another cookie.”

Sophie held the plate toward him. “You’d better take an extra one for Danny.”

Jamie took a handful of cookies and left the table. “I know it’s none of my business, but Ryan’s got a point. If someone’s trying to find you, this is the best place to hide.”

Sophie looked at Ryan. “You told them?”

Jamie shook his head. “He didn’t need to. You’re as jumpy as a Jack-in-the-Box when someone comes here. I thought you had ex-husband or ex-boyfriend trouble.”

Sophie didn’t have time for friends, let alone ex-husbands. It would have made her life easier if she’d known who was trying to find her. Unfortunately, the conversation she’d overheard hadn’t given her enough information to know who wanted her formula.

“Why don’t you stay here tonight?” Jamie asked. “You could put your sleeping bag on the folding bed that Tanner brought with him. If you sleep in the downstairs office, you won’t have to put up with Ryan’s snoring.” He looked at Ryan and smiled. “No offense, boss. You can’t help it if you sound like a train.” Jamie didn’t pay any attention to the scowl on Ryan’s face, but he did walk quickly outside.

Sophie looked closely at Tanner. “I suppose you were simply driving past and decided to drop by. What a coincidence that you had a folding bed in the back of your truck.”

Tanner didn’t look intimidated by the grouchy female in front of him. “If you want my professional opinion, you should stay here. The campground isn’t the best place to sleep if someone is looking for you. I don’t know what’s happened, but I can guarantee you’ll have even more issues if you keep living out of your car. But, at the end of the day, it’s your life.”

Tanner was wrong. It wasn’t just her life that she had to consider. Her mom and sister were relying on her in more ways than anyone knew. She had to be there for them and stay alive.

Sophie watched Ryan out of the corner of her eye. He was leaning against the kitchen cabinets, slowly sipping his coffee.

Sophie left the cookies in the middle of the table. “Okay. I’ll stay here for a week and see how it goes. But no one can find out that I’m living here.”

Ryan glanced at Tanner. “Your secret’s safe with us. I’ll let Jamie and Danny know so they don’t say anything.” He put his hand inside one of the open boxes sitting on a shelf. “I guess you’ll need these now. Travel safely.” Ryan threw the keys toward her and she caught them in mid-air.

Sophie wrapped her fingers around the pendant on the end of the chain. “I’ll be back in about two hours. If you need me, call me on my cell phone.”

“You forgot
something.”

She frowned at Ryan’s outstretched hand.

“Keys?”

She patted her pocket and pulled out two sets of keys. She handed them to Ryan and went outside. She had an order to collect and more than one reason to stay by the lake.

She just hoped Ryan didn’t mind his kitchen being used as a chemistry lab.

***

Sophie walked into Angel Wings Café. The bell above the door jingled and three heads swiveled toward her. Two elderly women sitting beside the front window smiled, and Tess looked up from a table at the back of the room.

“Hi Sophie. How are you?”

“I’m great. I thought I’d come and say hello.” Sophie looked at the waitress who came across to her table. “Could I have a cappuccino, please?”

“Would you like something to eat, as well?”

Sophie shook her head. “No, thanks.”

The waitress smiled. “I’ll be back soon. Help yourself to a seat.”

“Come and sit with me,” Tess said. She closed the lid of her laptop and moved some folders off the table. “Did you find the campground?”

“I did. It’s a nice place to stay.”

“And what about a job?”

Sophie put her bag beside her. She didn’t like talking about what she was doing, even with Tess. Ever since she’d left Chicago, she’d been terrified that someone would overhear a conversation and work out that she was as fake as the knockoff
Gucci handbag she was carrying.

She glanced around the room. No one was paying them any attention. “I’m working for Ryan Evans. I help in his office and do some work around the house.”

Tess tilted her head to the side, studying Sophie like a bug under a microscope. “How did you meet Ryan?”

“My car ran out of gas as I was driving into Bozeman. The day I met you was when Ryan stopped to help. I think he took pity on me and decided to give me a chance.”

Tess smiled. “That sounds like Ryan. Are you enjoying working for him?”

“It’s hard work, but fun. I’m learning more about remodeling than I ever thought I would.”
The waitress left Sophie’s coffee on the table. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” The waitress looked at Tess. “Would you like another soda?”

Tess shook her head. “I’m okay at the moment. Can you make sure we’ve got enough meals for The Lighthouse tonight?”

The dark-haired waitress nodded. “We’ve got more than enough. Sally’s giving Pastor Steven a hand tonight. She said she’d meet us there.”

Sophie looked between the two women.

Tess waved toward the waitress. “Sophie, this is Kate Carter. We make meals for The Lighthouse most nights. Pastor Steven provides free meals for anyone who’d like some company.”

“How many people come for dinner each night?”

“It depends,” Tess said. “We’ve got about six regulars, but most nights we have anywhere from ten to fifteen people at his home. Most of the people who have dinner volunteer for other jobs in the community. It’s their way of giving something back.”

“It sounds like you’ve got a busy night ahead of you.”

“No busier than usual,” Tess said with a grin. “Between The Lighthouse and The Bridesmaids Club, I don’t have a lot of free time.”

“Which is why she’s doing her invoicing from a table in the café,” Kate said with a frown.

Tess shrugged. “To tell you the truth, I don’t like accounting very much. At least here I can get easily distracted and find someone interesting to talk to.”

Sophie was about to tell Tess that there wasn’t anything remotely interesting about her, when the doorbell jingled.

The smile on Tess’ face grew wider. “Rachel? I thought you were on school camp with your class?”

“I was. We got back this afternoon and I’m desperate for a decent coffee.” She looked at Sophie and smiled. “Hi. I’m
Rachel.”

Sophie held out her hand. “I’m Sophie Elliott. It’s nice to meet you.”

Rachel frowned. “You’re not the same Sophie that’s helping Ryan build his home, are you?”

Sophie slowly nodded. “I am. How did you know who I was?”

“My fiancé owns the house beside Ryan’s.”

“Your fiancé is John Fletcher?”

Rachel nodded. “Before you ask any more questions, I need coffee. I’ll be back in a minute.”

While Rachel was ordering her coffee at the counter, Sophie picked up the catalog that Tess had left on the table. She turned to the first page and flicked through the first section. “These dresses are beautiful.”

Each page featured a different bridesmaid’s dress. Under each entry someone had recorded the size of the gown, its length, waist measurement, and whether
it was part of a set. “It must have taken a lot of time to put this together?”

Tess watched Sophie turn to the next page. “It did, but Molly enjoys taking the photographs and Rachel, Sally, and Annie helped measure each dress.”

“What does The Bridesmaids Club do?”

“We find new owners for pre-loved bridesmaids’ dresses. When we started, we had twenty-two dresses. Now we’ve got about ninety gowns, a dozen tiaras, more than ten pairs of shoes, and the offer of a free limousine ride for any of our brides who live in Bozeman. Some days our heads spin when we think about all of the work ahead of us.”

“You must enjoy it. Otherwise, you wouldn’t keep doing it.”

Rachel sat beside Sophie. “Are you talking about The Bridesmaids Club?”

Tess nodded. “I was just telling Sophie how much time it takes to match our bridesmaids with a dress.”