Page 11 of Any Cowboy of Mine
“I’ll take the same,” Sophie added, her foot tapping double-time. She might as well dull her senses the easy way if he was as well. Drew raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything.
“What phone call were you on?”
“With Brannigan. The Miller case.”
“I thought you were going to hand that over to me?” She leaned forward, her arms crossed on the table. They had just talked about this the day before. Because it was such a high-profile case, Miller had personally asked her to take it on since she had the winningest record, including Drew, his father, and Brannigan. In fact, she’d spent most of the past seventy-two hours filing initial briefs for the case, sending requests for discovery, and making sure she got subpoenas in order for her key witnesses. The case was mostly underway thanks to her diligence and sleepless nights.
“Yes, that was the plan, but things have changed. I’ll discuss it more with you Monday at the office.”
“Well, did you at least tell Miller? She deserves to know since she asked for me personally.” Her confidence was back, but it was short-lived and only related to the topic. One way, the only way really, Drew had never managed to get under her skin was when it came to the job. There, she was ruthless, precision-perfect, and nothing could crack her veneer. She only wished she could turn that on outside the office and courtroom.
“I did. She understands. Now leave it alone.”
“That’s it, then?”
“Sophie, can you please just let this be a good night for us?”
Before she could answer, the server arrived with their drinks. Sophie didn’t wait for hers to get to the table, snatching it from the server and taking three gulps of the vodka before setting it down on the table.
“Sure,” she said, breathless. “Let’s have fun. I even got a new dress for tonight. Look.” Sophie stood, and twirled. The tight fabric clung to her, and even in her inebriated state, she knew she looked good. He only scowled.
No amount of showing off would matter to Drew. It never had, now that she looked back.
“Sit down, Sophie.Now.” Drew’s voice was firm, his hands clenched around his menu. She furrowed her brow at him, but obliged.
“Do you at least like the dress?”
Drew didn’t even look up from reading the menu. “It’s fine. Now, can we please think about what we want to eat? I’m starving.”
Sophie bit her lip, pushing back tears. All that work shopping, getting her nails done, and he didn’t even care. She was starting to realize that maybe he never did, at least not the way she needed him to.
“I had twenty minutes alone with the menu, so I’m good,” she said, her voice sharp. She sat back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, determined not to crack. “But go ahead.”
He narrowed his eyes at her over the top of the menu before putting it down gently on the edge of the table signaling to the server he was ready to order. Sophie was so annoyed that even when frustrated, Drew did everything by the book. God forbid he show a little emotion, some small crack in his Ivy-League armor that might make him appear more human.
Drew ordered for both of them despite her protest. What if she had a special request for the cooks or wanted something other than the salmon he thought she’d like? He was in fine form tonight. She just wished he’d ask her so she could say yes, go home, and forget about this entire evening. Not exactly the story she wanted to tell her future children.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, sipping their drinks and looking in opposite directions. She knew he was waiting for her to apologize, but the closest she would get was sitting up straight in her chair, taking her elbows off the table, and putting her phone back in her purse. It’s not like he was rushing to make amends for acting like an overbearing jerk or being horribly late for a date he’d asked her out on. Besides, if he thought she’d forget about the Brannigan comment, he had another thing coming.
Finally, the server returned with their entrees. Sophie dug in, not realizing until the aromatic food was in front of her how hungry she was.
“Slow down, Sophie. This isn’t a cafeteria.”
“Drew,” she said, closing her eyes. The third drink was starting to get to her, and all she wanted was to dive into her fish. “Can you take a break from the criticism, please? Just tonight?”
His face softened, and if Sophie didn’t know better, she’d have sworn she saw the hint of regret in the corners of his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Soph. You know I mean well. I just want to take care of you, make sure you’re doing what’s good for you, for us.”
“I’m fine, Drew. I just thought you wanted me to come out tonight for something special. You told me to dress up, meet you here, and all you’ve done is make me feel like an insubordinate employee.”
“That wasn’t my intention,” Drew said. He reached for her hand. “I did want to take you out tonight, I wanted to spend some time with you, but you’ve got to understand how swamped I am at work. It’s really stressful, hun.”
Sophie snorted.
“Seriously, Drew? You’re going to blame the job? I work there, too. I know what it’s like. Why did you even ask me out if you didn’t have the time? We could have eaten in.”
Sophie bit the inside of her cheek to distract against the tightness she felt building in her chest. The room was starting to feel too small, the other tables too close.
