Page 23 of The ABCs of You & Me

“Thankfully no, all friends.”

“Oh.” She yawns again. “Excellent, less drama that way.”

“Do you want to try and get some sleep?”

“I’ll try when you’re done baking, unless you want to be alone.”

“Nope, it’s nice to have some company for pre-dawn baking.” Would it be better if she was here in person? Absolutely, but I’ll take whatever time I can with her when we aren’t squished in her tiny office or surrounded by coworkers.

“Do you ever eat any of the cookies you bake?” Sophie asks, taking a bite of another cookie.

“Probably too many of them,” I admit. “I bike, run, and box to make up for the cookie eating.”

“You box?” She looks surprised.

“Don’t I look like a boxer?”

“Honestly? No.”

“I’m not sure if I should be offended,” I say, holding up my arms and flexing. “These things can throw some punches.”

She giggles, dare I say adorably. “You don’t look like you’ve ever been punched in the face,” she says and then seems to realize what she’s been implying. “I don’t even know what I mean by that. I guess when I think of boxers they have obvious signs of sustaining some kind of trauma.” She waves a hand over her face.

“Maybe I’m just really good at dodging fists?”

Her eyes narrow at me. “Are you?”

“I don’t box seriously, so there are no headshots allowed. Most of my time is spent punching the stuffing out of a bag.”

“Really? You punch the stuffing right out of it?” she teases.

“Well, I am good at shifting it.” I grin and watch as she yawns again. “Hey, when these cookies are done in”—I look over at the timer—“four minutes, I’m going to try to get some sleep, so you should probably do that too.” She opens her mouth to argue with me. “Don’t let him rob you of one more second of sleep, sunshine.”

She watches me for another minute then nods. “You’re right. He’s fucked up enough of my nights.” Sophie’s sad eyes are endless pools of despair, and I have this need to coax the light back into them. Before I can say something to lighten the mood though, I see her eyes widen. She’s looking behind me so I turn just in time to see Gary grab a cookie from the rack. He doesn’t get far with most of it before it breaks apart.

“Chesapeake Bay! Gary!” I scold, chasing after him. I don’t even know if cats can have chocolate, but I don’t feel like paying a vet bill to find out. He doesn’t get far because my apartment isn’t large, but by the time I get him he’s licking his lips.

“You have a cat?” Sophie asks, when I step back in front of the phone.

“Yeah, he was Cass’s idea of a housewarming gift.”

“Did he come from Bennett’s?”

“He wasn’t there for long, but yes.”

“Oh yeah, they don’t like to keep cats for too long. With all the dogs, it can be stressful for them.” “Them” is elongated as she fights another yawn.

“Okay, seriously, go to bed,” I insist as the timer goes.

“Good night, Mr. Walsh.” She smiles and waves before the screen goes dark and I’m left looking at my reflection.

I begin cleaning up while Gary weaves between my feet meowing at me. “I know, man. I’m screwed. I don’t need a lecture.”

I do eventually fall asleep while I create a mental list of how to keep the light shining brightly in Sophie’s eyes.

TWELVE

SOPHIE

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