Page 28 of Saving Sophia

Dark shadows danced across his face as the flames brightened, his profile almost stern while he concentrated on the task. I wondered what I would do if he turned that stern concentration onto me, calling me to him like one of the heroes in my romance novels.

Come here.

His voice would be gruff, commanding. I would step closer.

Take your hair down.

Suddenly it wasn’t Ethan I imagined. Gone was his rugged goatee and the woodsy suggestion of an outdoor romance. Instead, Mr. Roscoe’s Armani suit and ruthless stare condemned me to a terrible fate.

I shivered again, even though the fire’s warmth reached out for me. He couldn’t find me here. Right?

“Better?” Ethan stood up, brushed ash from his hands then leaned on the back edge of the couch.

“It’s nice,” I said, forcing those bad thoughts away. His nearness charged between us like static electricity. Would Amber Jade lean into that spark? Whisper something provocative? She seemed content to watch me struggle, offering no suggestions. I stood awkwardly, my fingers tugging at my elbows. I chewed my lip and scanned the floor for something interesting to say. Nothing there but dust.

The fire released a loud pop that made me flinch. His eyes flicked to the barrier of my arms across my chest, then back to my face. “How are you holding up?” His words sounded gentle, sympathetic. They hit some target spot inside my heart I’d been avoiding.

“Fine.” My voice came out small and breathy. Not sexy breathy. More trying-not-to-cry breathy.

“You’ve been through a lot.” He tilted his head, his gaze soft. “It’s okay not to be fine.”

A surge of emotion suddenly roared over me with that permission. I’d witnessed a murder, been attacked, my belongings broken, and I’d had to leave my best friend behind. My life was small and not exactly what I wanted it to be, but it had still been ripped away in one confusing, horrible moment.

“Sophia?” Ethan’s arms opened as my breath hitched and the first sob rose to the surface. I wasn’t sure if he came to me, or I went to him. I only knew that his shoulder hid my face perfectly, his sweater soaked up my tears, and his clean, woodsy scent made me feel safe. Safe from Mr. Roscoe and safe from the pressures inside my own head.

He murmured soft words into my hair. I couldn’t make them out over my gulping, tearful breaths, but the rumble of his chest against me when he spoke them soothed me just the same. He held me close, hiding me away in the comfort of his embrace until my tears ran dry. When I began to match his calm, measured breaths, I felt empty, but for once, my mind was quiet.

Too soon, his arms loosened, his body shifted, and the doubt creeped back in. I probably ruined his no-doubt-expensive sweater with my tears. I wiped the edge of my T-shirt across my face, trying to remove anything embarrassing from my nose. “I’m … so sorry … I shouldn’t have fallen apart like that.”

He frowned. “I can’t believe you held it together so long.” He laced his fingers into mine and led me to an overstuffed loveseat across from the fireplace. He sank down into its cushioned folds and pulled me down next to him. I curled into the crook of his arm as if I belonged there and rested my ear on his chest.

“If there was more to that attack … something you couldn’t tell Hayden about, you can tell me.” His voice rumbled deeper, and his fingers stroked a strand of hair away from my tear-dampened cheek. “I’d like to help. I’m a good listener.”

I squeezed my hand so tightly that my fingernails dug little crescents into my palm. Why did he have to be so nice? I wanted to tell him everything. But Mr. Roscoe killed a man with apparently no consequences. He tried to kill me too. I couldn’t endanger Ethan, no matter how tempting it was to trust him. “I … can’t.” I pinched my face and squeezed my eyes shut.

“Not today.” He cradled my fist, gently tugging at my fingers to loosen their death grip. “When you’re ready.”

I took a shaky breath, letting my fingers relax. How could his touch fill me with electricity and make me feel protected at the same time?

I was drifting into one of those deep, post-cry sleeps, which would explain why I didn’t register the door creaking open and light footsteps crossing the threshold.

“Ethan? You here?” a feminine voice called. “I brought enough groceries to set you up till I can make a proper list, and I’ve got?—”

A gorgeous woman about my age stood in the doorway, her mouth hanging open mid-sentence. Her long, elegant neck arched back in a clearly shocked posture. A bunch of overflowing grocery bags dangled in each hand. Her light eyes stared at me through sleek, thin-framed glasses. One brow arched so high it threatened to join the glossy burgundy hair piled into a neat twist high on her head.

I jumped away from Ethan as if we were teenagers caught kissing in his parents’ basement, my cheeks hot with guilt and embarrassment.

“Evie. As usual, you think of everything.” Ethan stood, bringing me up with him and putting a gentle arm around my shoulder. “This is Sophia. She’s going to be helping Aunt Carol get the café up and running.” He turned to me. “This is Evie Finch, my personal assistant.”

This was Evie? She wore an elegant pencil skirt, silky button up, and fitted blazer in tasteful shades of gray that made her look both professional and absolutely stunning. Exactly three tendrils of hair curled down from her updo, softening the angles of her heart-shaped face. I fiddled with the edge of the shirt I’d just wiped my nose on and looked down at my blue, half-untied sneakers, childish compared to her sleek, gray pumps.

“Oh.” Evie pulled down her glasses then pushed them back up, composing her face into a mask of professionalism. “Of course, Ethan.” To me she offered a clipped, “Nice to meet you.”

“Hey, Evie, I’ve heard … about you,” I stammered out, hoping my eyes weren’t still red from my recent outburst and my face wasn’t a streaky mess, but who was I kidding? “I’m glad to?—”

My throat chose that moment to involuntarily close and gulp all at once. “Sorry. I’m glad to meet you … too.”

Ugh. I wished I could open a hole in the ground and sink into it.

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