Page 66 of State of Grace

We shall see indeed.

Chapter 23

Ringing the doorbell at the apartment, Blake was surprised at the nearly instantaneous sound of the deadbolt unlocking. Typically, she had to wait for Alexis to unlock the door, which sometimes took a couple of minutes. Not today, however. Blake headed up the stairs but was stopped at the top by Sophia coming out of her apartment.

“Hey, Sophia.” She didn’t like to admit it, but Sophia intimidated her. Sophia was Alexis’s best friend, and Blake knew that there’d be no chance in hell for her and Alexis if Sophia didn't like her. Sure, Sophia had been cordial every time they’d been together, but Sophia always seemed to give her a look that said she wasn’t sure. Her hair was pulled back with a clip, leaving a few strands loose around her face, and she was wearing black slacks and an emerald green, scoop neck top. The dark brown eyes looking back at Blake told her that she meant business.

“Blake.” She nodded toward the flowers in Blake’s hand. “Those for Alexis?”

“Unless you want them.” Blake laughed, but Sophia simply crossed her arms over her chest. Taking another step up, Blake was half expecting Sophia to push her down the stairs to get rid of her. “I thought you had classes today?”

“I canceled them.”

“Of course,” she mumbled under her breath and resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“This is your first time watching Harper. You need someone available who can help you when she has a temper tantrum or when she won’t eat your grilled cheese because you used cheddar cheese because you don’t know that she hates cheddar cheese and prefers you use a blend of shredded cheeses versus slices because it, to quote Harper, it makes it cheesier.”

“That was a long run-on sentence about cheese.”

“Well, Harper loves cheese.”

“And I love Harper.” Walking up to the landing, Blake stood toe-to-toe with Sophia to prove that she could hold her own and wasn’t backing down. She was insanely excited about spending the day with Harper, and she had everything all planned out. The last thing she wanted was for Sophia to hover over them all day and make her nervous.

“I love her, too.”

“I know, and I’m not trying to replace you.”

“Oh, I am not worried about that.” Sophia scoffed as she waved her off and rolled her eyes. “What I am worried about is you getting close to my goddaughter and best friend and then leaving them when your job comes calling. It will be me who will pick up the pieces – again – and honestly, I am getting too old to get down on the floor.”

“I’m not going to hurt them.”

“Mhmm.”

“Look,” Blake put a hand on her hip, “Alexis knows that we don’t have everything figured out, but I am entirely committed to her. Whatever happens, we will figure it out together. I like Alexis a lot, and I am crazy about Harper. Dare I say that I even lo—”

“Don’t.” Sophia held up both hands. “Don’t finish that sentence.”

“Just because I don’t say it doesn’t mean I don’t feel it.”

Behind them, Alexis’s door opened, and she stepped out into the foyer.

“What are you two doing out here?” She crossed her arms over the navy blue Straight to Ale polo she had on, and her dark blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. “Sophia, what are you doing here?”

“She canceled her classes this morning because she doesn’t trust me.”

“Soph!” Alexis flipped Sophia’s arm as Sophia recoiled dramatically.

“Ow.”

“That so did not hurt,” she snarked at Sophia. “And Blake’s going to be perfectly fine with Harper today. Leave them alone and let them hang out and maybe – if Blake is up for it – you can make dinner for the two of them later and let them tell you about their day together. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” Alexis nodded excitedly as Sophia and Blake looked at each other long enough that it felt like a silent truce had been made for Alexis’s sake. “Good.”

“I’ll see you two at seven for dinner.” Sophia nodded once at Blake before turning around and headed back into her apartment. Alone with Alexis, Blake extended the flowers with a slight bow.

“For you, my lady.”

“Aww, babe.” Alexis took the flowers and smelled them. “These are beautiful. You didn’t have to do this but thank you. I love them.”

“You’re welcome.” As Blake moved closer to kiss her, she resisted the urge to tell Alexis that she loved her. She was ready to say those words. They’d been on the tip of her tongue since the morning after Alexis brought her home from the bar. Blake hadn’t said them though, at the risk of scaring Alexis. She knew that Alexis wasn’t one to say those words flippantly, and Blake wanted to make sure Alexis knew how serious she was before she said them to her.

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