Sophie's Playboy (36 page)
Authors: Natalie J. Damschroder
- They gave their food to the cook, got their number, and retu
- "She has a heart condition," he said, keeping his own voice
- "Oh, no," Sophie said, hating to think that tiny little girl
- Parker lifted a shoulder. "They've tried medication, and a h
- Sophie's eyelids tingled and she blinked, not wanting to cry
- "Uncle Parker, I gotta go." Josh stood next to Parker, holdi
- "I'll take him." Timmy slid out of his seat and ushered his
- Sophie watched them until they went into the men's room, the
- "I know this is none of my business," she murmured fiercely.
- Parker took a swig of his O'Doul's to hide the flash of ange
- "What makes you think I'm not?"
- She pulled back a little. "Well, you said how she's struggli
- "Where are you, socially, Sophie? Middle class? Never had to
- She frowned at him. "When I was growing up, yes, that was th
- "Did you know many poor people?"
- "A few."
- "People who work hard but earn enough money to barely surviv
- Sophie looked properly chagrined, but didn't give up. "Why c
- Parker's anger drifted away. Sophie was thinking like a moth
- Parker spotted the boys making their way back across the res
- The waiter deposited bowls of rice and a tortilla warmer on
- "You guys wash your hands?"
- "Yep." Josh reached for the tortillas. Timmy only rolled his
- They kept to kid topics after that, as both boys had a tende
- "Okay, boys," Parker said when they'd finished and gotten ba
- "No!"
- "Pleeeeaaasse, Sophie, come home and tuck us in!"
- Sophie looked at Parker. He shrugged. "Mare is likely to be
- "I'm sorry, guys, I have a puppy at home who is probably dyi
- "Awwww!" Josh slumped back into his booster seat, but Timmy
- "We can bring you home to feed the puppy and let him out, ca
- "Yeah, and stay up later. I'm wise to you, smart guy."
- Timmy snickered but turned begging eyes on Sophie. "We'd lov
- Sophie snorted her laughter. "You're teaching him kind of ea
- Parker just flipped his turn signal and pulled into traffic.
- "Okay, if you guys don't mind taking me home to feed Hippo,
- "Gosh, your dog is named Hippo? He must be huge!"
- "You'll see." Sophie chuckled and realized how long it had b
- Parker drove without direction to her condo. Sophie wondered
- Beeeep. "Soph, it's Brie. The seminar actually ran over, and
- Sophie felt her face flame and erased the message. She didn'
- "Aren't you going to honor your sister's wishes?" he asked f
- "Do you have a Charlie bar for this?" He examined the track
- "I know how to live securely, Parker." She handed Timmy an o
- "I thought they have one of these?" She pointed at the dog a
- "They have one, and love everyone else's more. I always doub
- Sophie tried to work some saliva into her mouth. She didn't
- He moved closer. "Do you do what your heart tells you to do?
- "Of course. Or I wouldn't be on the radio." She darted a loo
- "What's your heart telling you now?" He was so close. Sophie
- She eased back and opened her eyes. He looked at her with de
- She was in serious trouble.
- * * * *
- Getting the boys bathed and into bed was no mean feat. Sophi
- "Thanks, Sophie. You were great about this."
- "Mare does this every night? The woman must be a saint." Sop
- "They behave a lot better for her. For me, too, usually. The
- "Parker, this isn't the time."
- He picked up her hand. "No, but it will be. Won't it?"
- Uncertainty finally found its way into his voice and Sophie
- She slipped her hand away and twisted to face him. Leaning a
- "Tell me how you know so much about poor people," she said.
- Parker smiled his acknowledgement of her message and sat bac
- "So, do you want to be a real father someday?"
- Just like that, Parker's face closed up. He turned cold, col
- "I don't expect to be a father. Ever. Or a husband."
- It was a clear warning, one Sophie would have expected, thou
- She stood. "I need to get going." Then she remembered her ca
- "Mare's home." Parker briefly touched her elbow as he moved
- "To my car."
- "Home. It's late." He frowned at her when she would have pro
- The door opened before Sophie could argue. The woman who ent
- "Hello!" She leaned her attaché against the wall and set her
- "I am." Sophie shook her hand and cast an amused glance at P
- "Great, Mare, get me in trouble."
- She unbuttoned her jacket and sank onto the recliner that wa
- Parker gave her a rundown of the evening while she shook off
- Mare suddenly looked up at Sophie. "I'm sorry. I'm practical
- "Don't be ridiculous!" Sophie stepped forward with her hands
- "I need to take you home," he corrected. He grabbed his keys
- "Really?" Her face lit up and Sophie saw true beauty behind
- "Really," he answered his sister. "Sophie's rescuing me."
- "What?" was out of Sophie's mouth before she could stop it.
- "You did say you'd come with me," he reminded her.
- Sophie tried to think of a way to back out. After his pronou
- "Thank you, thank you, thank you! This damned 'picnic' would
- "I'd have remembered," Parker complained. "We'll see you in
- "It was a pleasure meeting you," she assured Mare, then hurr
- They drove in silence halfway to Sophie's condo. "How did yo
- "You're listed, Sophie."
- "Not in the new book, I'm not." His lack of response told he
- "Looks like your sister's back," he said, looking ahead.
- Lights were on in the condo and Brianna's Cabriolet was park
- "Thanks for the ride. I'll see you Monday."
- "Wait!"
- Sophie paused. At least he hadn't gotten out to "walk her to
- "What about your car?"
- "Brie can drive me over tomorrow. She wants to see the stati
- He studied her face a minute, as if he had something else he
- She didn't know if she was glad or disappointed when he didn
- * * * *
- Parker rubbed at the tension in the back of his neck as he c
- He'd gotten a frantic call from Josh this morning. His nephe
- Hence, an early Saturday morning trip to work. That used to
- He entered the mostly silent building and made sure the door
- "So this is where you brainstorm." The unfamiliar voice was
- "You missed your chance." Sophie's voice, as familiar to him
- "Well, Juanita met this guy who wanted to go dancing, and I
- "I know. It doesn't really matter."
- "Sure it does." Parker stepped into the doorway and startled
- The woman with Sophie was about three inches shorter, her ha
- "Parker, this is my sister, Brianna. Brie, Parker. There, yo
- Maybe Brianna could help him.
- "Can I take you beautiful ladies to lunch?"
- Sophie rolled her eyes and let her arms drop. "Can the charm
- Oh, no? Parker offered Brie his arm and they followed Sophie
- "The one about looping in public schools. I actually used so
- "Really." How amusing. Parker had taken a stance simply to r
- He really wanted to watch Sophie burn. And not just verbally
- "Are you on the school board, then?" he asked Brianna.
- "Oh, no, I'm on the faculty. I'm a first grade teacher."
- He studied her as they paused on the outer steps to wait for
- Sophie stomped past them. "I said can it, Parker. Brie's not
- "What is my type, then?"
- She whirled. "Rich widows with too much time on their hands
- Parker took the hit, allowing the pain only because he saw t
- "I'll see you Monday, Parker," Sophie finally said, pulling
- "Nice to meet you!" Brianna called over her shoulder, stumbl
- Parker watched them go, bracing his hands on his hips. A sha
- Still, he thought, all was not lost. He had the power to hur
- Hope for what, he still had to determine.
- CHAPTER 8
- Monday came, as it always did. Instead of getting up early a
- "Thanks, Betty. You're a doll." He reached for the coffee an
- "You're a nutcase, if you ask me." She bustled about, organi
- Pretending he didn't feel guilty, Parker picked up the messa
- Her back went rigid. "I'm not concerned about my job, Biff.
- "It's not work that has me looking like this." He pulled the
- "What?"
- "It's a woman. A woman has you haggard and worried. Fabulous
- "Ridiculous," he scoffed, keeping his head down as if he was
- He pushed that thought away and wished he could push Betty a
- "Just what you need. A woman who means more to you than a li
- Parker sat back in his chair, stunned. "What are you talking
- Betty shook her finger at him and picked up his empty coffee
- "I—"
- "Don't interrupt." She strode to the coffee pot next to the
- He couldn't help but smile. "Not all the women I date are fl
- "But not a one seems to realize what you're doing." She set
- He winced. "My cousin Chip. They have a big real estate deal
- "Mm-hm." She gave him a case-resting look and swept toward t
- She shut the door on that compliment. Parker shook his head
- He was getting more than his share of that lately.
- * * * *
- Sophie fussed with the full skirt of her halter-style sundre
- Her sandals had slight heels and she hoped they wouldn't mak
- She studied her makeup. Light, in a concession to the heat.
- "Sophie, darling!"
- She blew out a breath. "Happy Fourth, Mom."
- "I just couldn't let the day go by without talking to you. W
- Her mother rambled on. Sophie tried to decide if the call wa
- "Anyway, enough about all that. I wish you were coming home,
- "And now I'm the only bird away from the nest and you worry
- "Okay, well, have a great time, enjoy the Cape—I wish we wer
- "Thanks, Mom, I will. Bye!"
- Sophie eased the phone down and let it drop into the cradle.
- The next five minutes seemed interminable. She gave up on th
- No, she didn't. She stalked to the bedroom to grab the fooli
- She was old enough to stop looking for an interesting time w
- She stopped pacing and paused in the middle of her living ro
- The doorbell rang and she was relieved to find that her puls
- "Parker." She swallowed hard against the dryness in her thro
- Maybe she should just sleep with him and be done with it.
- "Sophie." His once-over took her in from the top of her loos
- She shook her head as she stepped out and locked the door be
- "You're forgiven." His eyes blazed briefly, then they were w
- "No giant ego-mobile today?"
- Parker grinned at her as he opened her door. "No, just the l
- Once Parker was settled in the driver's seat, Sophie asked,
- "Sure. But it's just as stereotypical that women dig 'em."
- She tossed her hands. "I give up."
- "We should do a show on the topic," he said.
- Sophie itched for a pad. "You're right!"
- "Under the seat."
- She looked at him. "What?"
- "There's paper under the seat."
- Sophie reached down and immediately found a leather folio wi
- "Theme. Stereotypes or men's egos?"
- "Ha. Stereotypes."
- She wrote it at the top of the page and underlined it. She l
- "We've got men and cars as one."
- "Women and men and cars."
- "Women can't drive," Sophie offered, writing as fast as they
- "Men are too aggressive on the road."
- "Truck drivers and all the things they supposedly do wrong."
- "Road crews," Parker offered, pointing to a quiet work area
- "State workers in general."
- They brainstormed for another ten miles before they ran out
- "Tell me about your family," she said, after tucking the pad
- Parker's hands flexed on the wheel. "Well, you're meeting mo
- "Trophy wife?"
- "Undoubtedly. She's younger than I am and doesn't like to be
- "How come?"
- He lifted a shoulder. "More stereotypes, I guess? Biff is a
- "Are you talking about the name or the Senior?"
- He glanced at her. "Perceptive. My father epitomizes 'Biff.'
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