Page 35 of Reckless Flames

The truth of her words stung, a bitter reminder of the price of safety. “I know it’s hard, but it’s only until we catch this guy. I promise, Soph, we’ll get our lives back.”

I made more of an effort after that to pull Sophia further into my life, especially the routine things, figuring they would do the most to take her away from the stress of the ongoing situation.

One of the first things I needed to do was a final inspection of the renovation project next door to her parents’ house. I asked for her help with that and with making a decision about what to do with the house. She agreed, seeming appreciative of something new to occupy her thoughts, so we drove over there and went inside.

Joe and his crew had done a great job with the renovation, as usual. The biggest change since I had last been there was the extensive landscaping that gave it a lot more curb appeal in front and a much nicer outdoor space in back. Now there was a large, covered patio in the rear, and a small but park-like lawn surrounded by shrubs and flowers.

Sophie was impressed with the work that had been done and raised the issue of what to do with the place.

“I could go either way with it—flip or rent,” I said. “What do you think? Do you know anyone who might want to buy it?”

“I just might,” she told me and smiled. “It’s been way out of my radar, but now that I’m here, I can’t help wondering what Madi and Theo would think of it. I’m pretty sure they’d love the house, but would they want to live next door to my parents?”

“Well, I guess you had better ask them.”

“Maybe I can do better than that. Let’s see if she’s home.”

Sophie tracked Madi down at Theo’s apartment and asked them if they had any interest in looking at the house as either a possible purchase or a rental. The next thing I knew, she ended the call and said that they were coming over to see the house, so we sat on the front porch until they arrived.

Madi introduced me to Theo when they arrived, and I let them into the house to view it on their own. I figured that being hovered over by the owner while they walked around might constitute a form of pressure. I wanted to avoid that at all costs, so Sophie and I stayed on the front porch and chatted until they returned.

They were enthusiastic about the place but worried about the cost, regardless of whether it was for sale or for rent. Theo explained, “Our plan has been for Madi to move into my apartment while we save money for a house, so we’re trying to put ourselves in the position of being able to save as much as possible. We don’t want to pay much more for rent than my apartment costs, and we don’t really have enough of a down payment for a house just yet.”

“So you wouldn’t mind living right next door to Madi’s mom and dad?” I asked him.

“No!” the couple chorused, and they stopped and smiled at each other. Then Theo looked at Madi as if to tell her to go ahead and explain, so she did.

“My parents would be very respectful of our privacy. They would call before coming over. I mean, we would chat over the fence if we happened to see each other out in the yard or something, but they wouldn’t just come over uninvited. Anyway, I don’t worry about that at all, and neither does Theo.” Madi told us. Sophie nodded in agreement.

“Madi’s right. That’s the kind of people they are.”

“Well then, if you have any interest in buying this house,” I said to Madi and Theo, “I’m sure we can work out a payment plan that fits your budget. I would be willing to sell it for what I’ve put into it, and I don’t need any down payment. You wouldn’t have to go through a bank or pay for a realtor; I would carry the mortgage myself.”

The three of them looked at me and then at each other astonishment that quickly turned to joy on Madi and Theo’s faces.

“Ben, that’s above and beyond generous,” Theo said. “Can Madi and I go work out a budget and bring it to you tomorrow to see if it works for you?”

“Absolutely! Just let me know when to expect you, and we can certainly do that.”

They tried to thank me, but I told them they could do that when the house was theirs if they had to thank me at all.

We had all been standing on the front porch, talking, and the girls’ mother came out of her house just then and invited all of us over for dinner. Madi and Theo declined—they were eager to get back to Theo’s and work up their budget, but Sophie and I accepted the invitation. I just made a quick call to Anna to let her know that we wouldn’t be eating dinner at home and then Sophie and I went next door to her parents’ house.

I chatted with her dad while Sophie helped her mom in the kitchen, and we were soon seated around the dining table, eating a delicious meal of roast chicken and vegetables. I let Sophie and her parents do most of the talking as she explained about my offer of the house to Madi and Theo, but I glanced at her often, enjoying the sight of a relaxed and happy Sophie.

I happened to look over at her parents at one point when her mother was asking a question about the house, and I caught her dad looking at me intently with a little smile on his face. I didn’t have to be told that he had caught me looking at his daughter, and I felt sure that enough of what I felt for her had been seen in my face. The jig was up; there was no use pretending that I was just protecting Sophie as a friend of the family.

He didn’t say anything to me, but as we were leaving their house, he gave me a pat on the back and a broad smile that conveyed to me his approval of our developing relationship. I could only grin back at him, grateful for his support.

Once back home, we had time to play another game with Caleb before it was time to tuck him into bed, and I dragged out thebedtime routine a little to make up for having dinner with the Wright’s. Sophie and I lingered over a glass of wine afterwards and then went to bed—together. There was no further pretense at separate bedrooms—we had just grown too close for that. We did what we could to be private and not thrust the change in Caleb’s face, but we weren’t secretive about it either.

As we retired to bed that night, the comfort of being in each other’s arms just felt blessedly normal for a change rather than feeling like an escape. I didn’t know how long we would be able to maintain that feeling, but I was determined to do whatever I could to keep it going as long as possible.

Chapter twenty-one

Sophie

The sound of the doorbell echoed through the house, pulling me away from the cozy nook I’d found in the living room. I padded over to the door, wondering who it could be, only to find Madi on the other side, her arms laden with boxes that seemed to teeter precariously.

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