Scent, p.10
Scent, page 10
“Do you have a picture of her?” Ethan asked.
“No. She took one of us but didn’t share it with me.”
“Just send her one of us and ask her to return the favor.”
Ethan’s suggestion had merit. I found the pic of just me and Ethan and sent it to her. I set my phone on the table as if her response didn’t matter, but I glanced at my phone more than I should have. Sophia was starting to get under my skin more than I was willing to admit. When I saw bubbles, my stomach dropped, and every second felt like a minute. I stopped breathing when she sent me the photo of us from the Centennial Wheel. It was a great one. She looked perfect, and I looked pretty damn good, too.
“Give it here, cheeseball,” Ethan said.
He motioned for my phone, and I gladly handed it to him.
He let out a low whistle. “She’s into you?”
I threw a grape at him. “Totally. Look at me. I’m the whole package.”
“She looks like she’s the whole package.”
“True. She really is everything I’ve ever wanted.” I took the phone from him, shot off a quick text to her, and put my phone back in my pocket. “We met on the train.” I wanted to talk to somebody about Sophia who didn’t know my predicament and who could just appreciate my fairy-tale beginning with a beautiful woman.
Chapter Twelve
“Come on. Where’s your sense of adventure?” I handed Sophia a helmet, which she immediately waved off. She threw her hands into the air in disbelief.
“First of all, I’m wearing a dress. Secondly, you should’ve asked me. You can’t just show up on a crotch rocket and expect me to jump on the back.”
She looked beautiful. Her pale skin turned pink across her neck and shoulders, and her light-blue eyes flashed with anger. I cringed at my lack of sensitivity. I’d thought it would be cool and impressive to show up on a motorcycle.
“This is hardly a crotch rocket, but you’re absolutely right. I should have checked. I just figured because you had a hard time with Lucy, this might be more exciting.” I patted the seat of the Yamaha FJR1300. It wasn’t a glamorous bike, but it was the most comfortable for two riders. She would have died had I shown up on the Ducati. I pulled out my phone.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m ordering an Uber.”
She covered my phone. “I can drive. You can leave the bike here.”
I held her hand softly. “I’m really sorry. Next time I’ll ask.” I pulled her gently toward me. “Is this strike one?” I tried my best to look chagrined.
“This is strike two,” she said.
I couldn’t tell if she was joking. “Wait a minute. What was strike one?”
“Stalking me.”
I laughed. “I thought we agreed I wasn’t stalking you. I was merely interested.”
“Very.”
I gave her a single nod. “Very interested in finding out who you were, and I believe you said it was somewhat flattering.”
She shrugged and touched the handle on Gerty, my Yamaha. “A tiny bit, yes.”
“Maybe one day you’ll take a ride with me?”
“With like a two-week notice and just around the neighborhood.” She smiled at me for the first time tonight. “And I’m going to need a copy of your driving record. You know, just in case you’re too dangerous.” She quickly added. “On a bike. I’m too pretty to die or mess this up.” She pointed to her face and winked.
A joke. Sophia Sweet had humor. It made me want to be around her even more. “I promise I’m the best driver of all things.” I held up my fingers and counted. “Forklifts, golf carts, old pickup trucks, motorcycles, even cars.” I put both helmets in the saddle bags and pushed my bike to the side of Sophia’s cute small Tudor house. I was dying for a tour, but we would have time for that later. Maybe later tonight.
“Okay. You win. You’re right. You’ve kept me safe, and I’ve seen you do a couple of three-sixties on the forklift.”
I straightened my clothes and tried hard not to run my hand through my hair. “Oh, you saw that, huh?”
“I’m surprised your boss didn’t reprimand you.”
“To be fair, nobody was around, and I was testing the steering.” It was new and I was breaking it in. I wasn’t showboating either. Learning new equipment was an important part of any business, and I took great pride in knowing how to run all the equipment at Tuft & Finley.
“It looked like you were enjoying yourself.” She put her hands on her waist and lifted her eyebrow challengingly.
I winked. “Come on. Let’s go. I don’t want to miss our reservation.”
“Do you want to drive since you know where we’re going?”
“If you trust me, that would be great.”
She handed me the fob. I unlocked the car and held the passenger door open for her. Her thank you was more of a whisper, and my confidence grew. I could tell my nearness was affecting her.
“The restaurant isn’t too far away. Have you been to Moreno’s?” I’d given Sophia several options, and when she picked Mexican, I knew the perfect place.
Sophia shook her head. “But I made dessert for us based on dinner.”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s delicious.” Sophia’s Collection had been such a hit at the party last weekend. All her business cards had disappeared, and several people commented on how tasty and beautiful the chocolates were. “Tell me how a person becomes an official chocolatier?”
“Besides my entire upbringing? I went to culinary school and became a pastry chef. I studied chocolate with some of the best chocolatiers across the country. My grandparents had a system of making chocolate that was more or less candy, but real chocolate takes time and finesse. I had to learn it. That’s why I want to push these artisan chocolates, because they are so different.”
“Does that mean you’ll tell me what’s for dessert?”
She shook her head. “That’s a surprise.”
“Oh, I like surprises.”
By the time we reached Moreno’s, Sophia was leaning back in her seat smiling faintly. She was relaxed. The anger from the misunderstanding earlier had dissipated. That could have gone much worse. I felt like a jerk. “Here we are.”
“I can’t remember the last time I had Mexican food.”
I held the door and followed her into the dimly lit restaurant that smelled like chicken and salsa. “This is my favorite place. Who doesn’t love Mexican?” We were seated immediately. After ordering margaritas on the rocks and guacamole, I leaned forward to get to know the beautiful woman sitting three feet away a lot better. “How do you feel about art?”
“What kind of art?”
“Any kind of art. Painting, sculpting, music. Do you like museums? Theater? Movies? Who’s your favorite band?”
She waved her hands at me. “Hold up. One question at a time. Please.”
She had the greatest smile. I could feel myself melting right there at the table. “Okay. Do you like paintings?”
“Yes.” She nodded firmly.
“Do you like sculptures?”
“Yes.”
“Pottery? Origami?”
“Yes, and yes. I’m sorry I’m not better at dropping names. My world has been candy and chocolate forever. Tell me about you. What’s your favorite kind of art?”
I admired how easily she turned it on me. “I love all of it. Sculpting, welding, pottery, even graphic design.”
“But you have only one painting in your apartment.”
“It’s a work in progress.”
The waiter delivered our drinks, and I paused my explanation of my lack of decor to toast Sophia. “Here’s to the first date of many. Thank you for tonight, even though I know you’re super busy with Sophia’s Collection, which I predict will be a smashing hit.”
With her glass still tilted toward mine, she flashed me a smile that made me weak-kneed. “Here’s to chances. For both of us.”
Her toast didn’t give me the warm fuzzies, but I took it. I clinked my glass to hers and sipped the smooth lime and tequila. I kept eye contact with her until she looked away. “Okay, since you aren’t a sculpture or painting aficionado, tell me about music. What kind of music do you like?”
“Don’t laugh, but I love eighties music. Give me Madonna, Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston, Cher, Salt-N-Pepa, and so many more.”
I laughed. “Seriously? That’s so awful and good at the same time.”
“Oh, and I love Bob Marley.”
“Now that I can get behind.”
It took the waiter only one minute to prepare our guacamole tableside. I waved off the cilantro and served Sophia a scoop after he left. “I love everything about this place, but the guacamole is my weakness.”
“I forget how much I miss restaurants,” Sophia said.
“You don’t eat out a lot?”
“I usually grab takeout or cook. I’m the most boring person on earth.”
“I don’t think so at all. I think you are brave and beautiful, and I’m excited to really get to know you. The side that you haven’t shown anybody in a long time,” I said.
Our dinner seemed lightning fast as we darted in and out of conversations. I hoped once she got comfortable with me again, like she did the night we had drinks, our chemistry would bubble up, and I wasn’t wrong. There was some flirting, albeit reserved, and I respected her boundaries. I knew she was delicate, even though she pretended she wasn’t. I paid for dinner and suggested we free up a table by going back to her place for whatever dessert she had waiting for us.
“Thank you for trusting me with your car.” I pulled into her driveway and handed her back her fob. “And I have to say, I adore your house from the outside. I’m sure the inside is just as wonderful.” I followed her up the path and waited for her to unlock the door.
“I love the neighborhood. I feel like I really belong to something here,” she said.
I wasn’t prepared for the splash of warm colors inside. Sophia struck me as a person who liked different shades of gray with a drop of color. I was greeted with the exact opposite. Reds, oranges, yellows, and taupe made up the sitting room, with a library of books that made my jaw drop.
“I’m not even three feet inside, and I already love it. I thought you didn’t like to read much?”
She turned, and I almost bumped into her. “I don’t read romance, but I read a lot of other things.”
I looked at her full mouth, then back up to her eyes. “Do you care if I take a look?” Her mouth was slightly open and her pupils dilated. She wanted me to kiss her. I was going to, but not until neither of us could stand it anymore. She nodded and I slipped into the room. “This wingback chair is gorgeous. Everything about this room is my favorite.” I ran my fingertips along the shelf of murder and mystery books and shook my head at her. She smiled and leaned against the door frame, waiting for me to finish my own tour of the room. “You have a shelf for geography?” I could probably name twenty countries on a map. Sophia could probably name them all. I looked at her again. “Political autobiographies? Do you like politics?”
She shrugged. “There’s a lot more to the house that I would love to show you when you get a minute,” she said.
For a split second, I forgot she was there. I found an old Mark Twain book that I opened and regretted immediately. “Oh. This is an old book. Why don’t you have a cover on it?” I carefully closed it and turned it over to inspect the spine.
“It’s not in the greatest shape. Plus, what good is having a book if you can’t read it?”
“Good point.” I slipped the historical gem back in line with the rest of her American classics. “Show me the rest of your house.” The tour lasted about fifteen minutes. It would have been only five, but I had several questions about how and why she did certain things. I was curious by nature, and even more intrigued because it was her.
“Are you a coffee-at-night kind of person?”
Sophia pulled a beautiful cake from the refrigerator. I leaned over her shoulder to admire her work.
“That’s gorgeous. How do you even expect us to eat that?” I couldn’t tell if the sweetness I was smelling was her or the cake. For a brief moment, she leaned into me. Her shoulder pressed into mine, and her ear was a few inches from my mouth. If she had turned to face me, our lips would have brushed. I took a step back to give myself a break. The old me would have kissed her, but the new me wanted to take my time. I wasn’t big on first kisses, but I knew to be gentle with her, so our first kiss was going to be memorable.
“It’s Tres Leche Pastel. Since we were going to a Mexican restaurant, I wanted to keep the theme going.”
“It looks delicious, and yes, I would love a cup of coffee.” I liked that she was still wearing heels, even in her own home. The clip-clip of them on the tile floor was sexy. Too bad she was on the other side of the island so I couldn’t admire her legs. She slid sugar and creamer over to me, followed by a dark, rich cup of coffee that smelled heavenly. I took a sip and sighed happily.
“No sugar?”
I shook my head. “I’ll get the sweetness from the cake.” I watched her expertly cut into it. It looked moist. I waited to take a bite until she sat across from me at the island. I couldn’t help but moan at the perfection in my mouth. It was creamy, soft, sweet, and I wanted to shovel the entire piece into it. “Soph, this is fantastic. Maybe you should add cakes to your menu, because this is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you like it.”
“It’s perfect. Really.”
She offered me a second piece, but I declined. I had eaten too much tonight, which was mistake number one on a date. Although I knew nothing was going to happen, I didn’t want to be miserable while we made small talk.
“Let’s relax in the living room. Unless you want to go outside?”
“No. There are too many bugs, and it’s still pretty warm out.” Honestly, I didn’t want to be dripping sweat. I still looked good, but that was only because of the massive amount of hair product and the air-conditioning.
“Agreed. Can I get you anything to drink before we get comfortable?”
At the look she sent me, chills raced down the back of my neck and arms. “Maybe just ice water.” She poured herself a glass of Vengeance Red Zinfandel and followed me into the living room. “The library is probably more comfortable, but I don’t want to lose you to the books.”
I smiled. “I’ll see the library another time. Tonight is about relaxing.”
She sat on the opposite side on the couch and crossed her legs. Of course, I looked. Everything about her screamed “look at me,” from her curled hair, to her peep-toe heels and pedicured toes. I sat on the couch and draped my arm casually on the back cushion. She leaned slightly closer to me, holding her glass of wine with the tips of her fingers. We talked for a solid two hours before I finally stood and announced it was probably a good idea to leave. “Tomorrow is an early day for both of us. Walk me out?”
“Are you too tired to ride?” She had genuine concern on her face.
“Not at all. One day when you trust me, we will go for a ride, and you will see how invigorating it is.”
“I’ll need to change my wardrobe. I can’t imagine wearing a dress on a motorcycle,” she said.
I fingered the fabric of her dress. “It’s not tight on you, and it might ride up a bit, but the person who’s most interested is going to be in front of you.”
“Good point, but will it be a distraction?” Was she flirting?
“It will definitely be a distraction. A nice one.” We were close but not close enough. I pulled my helmet from my saddlebag and straddled my bike. “Thank you, Sophia, for having dinner with me and baking a delicious cake. I hope we can do it again very soon.” She bit her bottom lip as if she had something to say to me but didn’t know how to open up. I let her squirm uncomfortably for about two seconds before I crooked my finger at her. “Come here.” I playfully pulled her closer and slipped my hand behind her neck.
She leaned over, and when our lips finally touched, everything happened in slow motion. I lost track of time. I almost melted at how soft and warm her lips were. Our lips moved perfectly together, as if we’d been kissing forever. I sucked in her bottom lip and ran my tongue along her top one. Her hand pressed on the back of my neck and the other below my collarbone. I could feel her passion under the restraint of our first kiss. Her body shook ever so slightly, and a small sigh escaped when I finally ended it. “A perfect kiss to finish a perfect evening.”
I really wanted to march her back inside, kick the door shut behind us, and make love to her on that couch. I winked at her and slipped on my helmet. I rolled my bike quietly down the driveway, waiting to start it until I hit the asphalt. The kiss shook me. I wasn’t prepared for such passion from her. She was very guarded, so to feel the heat she was capable of gave me chills the rest of the ride home.
Chapter Thirteen
“What a gorgeous day,” I said.
I knocked on Kelsey’s desk to get her attention. She was nose deep in her phone and didn’t hear or see me come through the front door. She looked up guiltily and put her phone in her desk drawer. I lifted my eyebrow at her and nodded. I didn’t mind if employees were on their phones, but I didn’t like them, especially the receptionist, to completely miss somebody walking into the business.
“Good morning, Nico,” Kelsey said.
I waved behind me, refusing to let her bring me down. I practically skipped to my office, dumped my bag, and headed for the kitchen. I needed coffee immediately. Last night was a late night with Sophia, and I’d been so full of positive energy I couldn’t sleep. I worked on my latest sculpture, sketching changes and adding more emotion. Finally, I dropped off around four in the morning. When the alarm shrilled at seven, I popped up like I’d slept a solid eight hours.
Trish bumped her hip against mine while she poured herself a cup of coffee. “I already know you had your date last night with Sophia. Thanks for telling me.”
I grabbed a doughnut and motioned for her to follow me to my office. Too many ears were nearby, and I didn’t want my social life splashed around the office. “So, you talked to Mom, huh? I’m sorry. I should’ve told you. It happened so fast.” I wanted to do something without her helicoptering me and offering suggestions. I loved her, but sometimes she went too far. “I showed up on Gerty, and she flat-out refused.”
