23. Chapter 23
Chapter 23
S ophie fumbled with her keys, giggling at her own clumsiness as the world swayed just a bit too much. It was well past midnight by the time they had returned to her apartment, fresh from the buzz of the book party and a spontaneous trip to the nearby bar. Though she had indulged a little more than she should have, Stone remained ever professional, clear-eyed, and alert.
“Thanks,” she said as Stone unlocked the door and stepped inside to flick on the light, casting a warm glow into the otherwise dark apartment. She teetered in after him, leaning slightly to one side.
“For what?” Stone turned to face her with a bemused expression.
“For all the thingies you’ve added that make mine and Poppie’s apartments safer. And for being my pretend book boyfriend tonight. And for wearing my T-shirts.” She slurred slightly, her words tumbling out in a rush. “I sold a gazillion at the party.”
He raised his brows, his surprise evident. “You did? When?”
“All those women whispering at me while you were chatting with the guys. They wanted to know about your shirt, and one thing led to another...” Sophie swayed as she spoke, animated despite her tipsiness. “Next thing I knew, I’d given out all my business cards, and my phone blew up with messages saying I’d just made a sale.”
“I’m happy for you,” Stone said, his voice warm and not even a little slurred. He had managed the evening without overindulging, his professionalism unyielding. “Believe it or not, some of the guys even asked me about it. They thought wearing one of your creations to a bar would be a great conversation starter with women. They might be on to something.”
Sophie giggled, a sound that filled the small entryway. “What? Are you going to buy some for when you’re no longer my book boyfriend, in the hopes they’ll help you with your pickup game?”
“Now, you’re just putting words in my mouth.” He chuckled, leading her through the doorway and locking the door behind them. “But, just for kicks, what is your website where you sell them? I should probably check it out…for security reasons.”
She giggled. She seemed to be doing a lot of giggling. “I bet you can’t guess.”
He nodded. “I bet I can’t either.”
“Find Your Book Boyfriend Dot Com.”
“Yep. That wasn’t ever going to be my guess.” Stone said, his lips twitching.
The sound of a knock caused Sophie to jump. She swirled around, opened the app on her phone, and saw Poppie, his usual mischievous grin in place.
Unlocking the door, she greeted him with a warm smile. “Poppie. What are you doing up so late?”
“I was watching Die Hard reruns and heard a bunch of high-pitched giggling. Reminded me of when you were young. I couldn’t resist checking in on my favorite girl,” Poppie said as he stepped inside, his eyes twinkling. He looked over at Stone and nodded in approval. “Seems like you’re good for my girl. I can’t recall the last time I heard her laugh like the days of her youth. Back before she had things to worry about. What all have you young’uns been doing?”
Sophie led Poppie into the living room. “We just came back from a book event that spilled over into a bar event.”
She glanced at Stone, who gave her the most uncomplicated smile she’d ever gotten out of him. It was as if in this very moment, he’d let every last one of his guards down and was allowing her to see him for who he really was.
“You know what, Poppie, you might be right.” She winked at Stone before turning to her grandfather. “I do feel a little less stressed having Stone in my life. It’s like he’s taken on all my demons so I can just enjoy this current journey of being a professional daydreamer.”
“I think you might have found a good one this time, Sophie,” he said, walking in and settling into an armchair.
As if in agreement, Sophie and Stone took a seat on the couch.
Poppie’s gaze flitted between them. “Stone, did Sophie ever tell you about that time her no-good ex-boyfriend reported me as a danger to myself?”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Stone said. “What kind of assholes have you dated?”
“Poppie, maybe tonight isn’t a good time to regale Stone with all of my past mistakes,” Sophie said.
“Nonsense. You two live together and all—it’s time he gets to hear some of the bad with the good.” Poppie tapped his chin. “It happened when my Sophie had gone out of town on a girl’s trip with the other officers in that book club she’s so fond of. What’s it called again?”
“Book Boyfriend Connoisseurs Club,” Sophie replied.
“Right. Right. Anyway, unbeknownst to me, she asked that boyfriend to stay at her place, under the pretext she was expecting a delivery she didn’t want to miss, but it was really so he could keep an eye on me. She thinks just because I’m old, it means I’m feeble.”
“Not feeble, just health impaired,” Sophie said. “It was right after you had that spell, and I was worried. I had no idea that asshole would do what he did.”
Poppie waved a dismissive hand. “Ah, I know your heart was in the right place.” He refocused on Stone. “There I was, taken away for a seventy-two-hour observation because I defended Sophie’s honor with a slingshot.”
“Her honor?” Stone asked. “Did I temporarily fall asleep and miss part of the story?”
Poppie glanced at him blankly. “How the blazes should I know if you snoozed?”
Sophie laid a hand on Stone’s arm. “I think the part you fell asleep on is the part where my ex tried to sneak another woman into my apartment, and Poppie caught him.” Poppie used to be the best storyteller ever, but lately, he skipped parts without realizing what he’d done.
“Now stay awake because the next part is what Sophie likes to call the black moment of this story.”
“I’m listening,” Stone said.
“That damn idiot called the cops. They locked me up in a damn hospital for seventy-two hours because they thought I was a danger to myself and others, and Sophie didn’t have cell service, so they had no one to release me to.”
“You’re kidding,” Stone said.
“The only one I was a danger to was that fool who laughed at me when I aimed my slingshot at him. That rock hit him between the eyes, it did.”
“Good for you,” Stone said. “Sounds like someone needs to have a chat with that young man.”
“Nah. He’s not worth going to jail over,” Poppie said. “Besides, Sophie hasn’t given me specifics, but she assures me she took care of the matter in her own way.” He winked at Sophie.
Sophie smiled, though the memory brought back a rush of protective feelings. “Of course I did. No one messes with my Poppie.”
Poppie’s eyes filled with an unspoken gratitude that warmed Sophie’s heart.
“How about we change the subject to something not such a buzzkill?” Sophie said.
“I’ll do you one better,” Poppie said. “I’ll get out of here and let you young folks get back to your evening. Don’t stay up too late, Sophie.”
After seeing Poppie out, Sophie turned to Stone with a grin. “Sorry about that. He does love to tell a story. He’s just not quite as adept at it as he used to be because his memory comes and goes. When I was little, he would read me bedtime stories. In fact, it was him who bought me my first Junie B. Jones book.” The memory filled her with a warm, nostalgic comfort.
Stone nodded. “Tell me more about how you took care of the idiot you dated.”
“Oh God. He’s in the past, and that’s where he’s going to stay.” She jumped up and walked to the table where she’d dropped the bag containing their new books. “How about we decide which one of these we want to read first?”
Sophie playfully tossed the books onto the couch next to Stone and to their surprise, a loud crack sounded as one of the couch legs buckled under the weight. Sophie burst into laughter, almost doubling over when Stone went sideways with the couch and ended up cattywampus, the books on top of him. The vase full of fresh flowers on the end table tumbled, spilling water onto his bedding, rolled up and tucked next to the couch.
“You think this is funny, do you?” he said, a grin on his face as he struggled to stand.
She giggled one more time. “Ever since you came into my life, weird stuff has been happening non-stop.”
“I have no idea what you mean,” he said, glancing away from her and gathering the books.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed.”
Still not looking at her, he responded, “Noticed what?”
“Glitchy lighting, thunder with no clouds, downpours on sunny days, and now a couch that can’t handle a few books?” Another fit of giggles swept through her.
Stone joined in the laughter, his eyes not quite crinkling at the corners. “Seems I’m a bit of a jinx.”
Sophie, still snickering, nodded toward her bedroom. “Well, looks like we’re going to have to share my bed. Strictly platonic, of course. There’s no way I’m letting you sleep on wet blankets on the floor.”
“They’ll dry. I’ll be fine”
“I won’t sleep a wink wondering if they’ve dried yet. I’ve barely been sleeping a wink knowing you get up off the couch and make your bed on the floor every night after I retire to my bedroom.”
“There’s no need—”
“Stone, you’re not going to win this argument. I promise I’m not after your honor.”
“What makes you so sure I won’t be after yours?” Stone asked.
“I’ll build a wall of pillows between us. They will thwart all your non-cinnamon-roll-boyfriend-like ideas.”
“Is your bed even big enough for the two of us?” he asked, sounding not quite like himself.
“It’s a full. We’ll be fine.”
He swallowed hard enough she saw his Adam’s apple convulse. “Strictly platonic?”
Sophie offered up her pinky. “I pinky promise that I do not have any intentions other than platonic ones toward you.”
Stone’s nostrils flared before he linked pinkies with her. “Tonight only. Tomorrow, I’ll buy you a new couch. One long enough I can sleep on it.”
She had a sudden desire to hug him but resisted. Instead, she settled with words she hoped were the equivalent of a big teddy bear hug. “Thanks for being here, Stone. It means a lot.”
“Anytime, Sophie,” came his soft reply, the night wrapping around them.