30. Chapter 30
Chapter 30
T hree months had passed since Sophie had told Stone she wanted more out of their relationship—a connection beyond their fake-couple adventures. During that time, she had tried to find the joy in living the life of a professional daydreamer, but the magic had started to wane.
Book boyfriends no longer sparked her the way they had. While they were great as a fantasy, they were unobtainable outside of the page. Sure, she’d scouted real-life versions of men who fit the mold of playboys to grumpy billionaires, from heartthrob celebs to those fixer-upper types you just can’t help but root for, but none fit the bill of a man with dark secrets nor a man with a murky past willing to bare his soul to a lucky auction winner. And Frankie was breathing down her neck to finish the lineup.
Just as Sophie was cataloging another dud, Ms. Birdie fluttered into the doorway of Sophie’s cluttered office, a smirk playing on her lips.
“Do you have a minute to chat?” Ms. Birdie asked.
Sophie beamed up at her, pushing aside a stack of romance novels. “For you, always.” In the past three months, they’d formed a bond. One that started the day Ms. Birdie walked in on Sophie crying and Sophie had spilled her heartache to the woman.
Mischief twinkled in Ms. Birdie’s blue eyes. “Still hunting for a bachelor with a secret?”
“I am,” Sophie admitted, her interest piqued. “Desperately.”
“Darling, I’ve got just the man. He’s ready to drop a bombshell on whoever takes him home from the auction.”
“Really? Who?” Sophie asked, her heart skipping beats.
Ms. Birdie’s smile widened. “I’m afraid I’m not allowed to say. At the auction, he’ll be introduced as Mr. X, cloaked in mystery—and quite literally wearing a disguise.”
Sophie felt like she’d just stepped into the pages of a best-selling romance. “Do you know his secret?”
Ms. Birdie nodded, her eyes gleaming. “And before you ask, no, I can’t tell you that, either. But trust me when I say he is book boyfriend perfect.”
A niggle of suspicion weaseled its way into Sophie’s brain. “And he’s willing to reveal his bombshell secret to some random stranger who happens to have deep pockets at the ball?”
It went against all common sense for a man to do that. Even a cinnamon roll book boyfriend willing to sacrifice a secret for a good cause would have to have reservations.
“It won’t be a free-for-all—there are a few loopholes to jump through,” Ms. Birdie assured her. “First, they’ll need a clean slate on a background check and agree to seal their lips with a nondisclosure.”
Sophie’s suspicions eased. “Makes me wish I was sitting on a pile of cash to throw in the ring for him.”
Ms. Birdie’s laughter filled the room. “Keep dreaming big, Sophie. One day, you’ll have that and much, much more.”
A wave of optimism washed over Sophie at Ms. Birdie’s words. “Guess I’ll need his measurements. Need to know what size of superhero cape—er, I mean T-shirt—to tailor for our mysterious Mr. X.”
“An extra-large should do quite nicely for him,” Ms. Birdie said. “He’s quite the specimen—broad shoulders, muscle to spare.”
“Yummy. He sounds like a perfect book boyfriend.”
“Speaking of which,” Ms. Birdie said, her tone now serious. “Have you and Stone had a chance to catch up recently?”
Sophie’s mood shifted as she turned to shuffle through the cardboard cutouts of literary heroes. “There’s nothing left for us to say.”
“Darling, I’m not one to interfere in another’s love life,” Ms. Birdie said, walking up behind Sophie and placing a hand on her shoulder. “But take it from a woman who’s seen her fair share of romances bloom into a garden of happiness, you and Stone were well matched.”
“I don’t know how you can say that.” Sophie turned. “There’s nothing sweet about him.”
“And you think that’s a problem because you’re sweet and romantic and very much a pink girl?”
A pink girl . Sophie pondered the descriptor. It implied girly-girl, which some would take offense at…but Sophie kind of liked it. She’d never pretended to be anything other than pink. She loved being someone who embraced the romantic side of life. And pink was her favorite color. And…oh yeah, Ms. Birdie was waiting for a response. “Yes, I’m a pink girl, and he’s a thundercloud.”
Ms. Birdie smiled like she had a secret, but instead of revealing it, she said, “And what of all those novels you’ve read? Are there none of them where the hero and heroine are night and day but still complete each other?”
Sophie nodded. “I love good opposites-attract romances.”
“See there. Maybe Stone needs a little pink added to his life and, no offense, but maybe a thundercloud every now and then would help keep you from floating away on a dream cloud and missing all the messy wonderfulness of living.”
Sophie gave a strained smile. “Your points are great. But honestly, I’ve experimented twice with dating guys outside of my comfort zone—and both times, it backfired.”
“Once was a disaster, true,” Ms. Birdie conceded with a nod. “But the second time wasn’t about incompatibility—it was just… complicated”
Ugh. Complicated. It was Sophie’s newest disliked word. “An insurmountable complication, more like.”
“Funny things about complications,” Ms. Birdie said in a conspiratorial tone. “They have a funny way of resolving themselves over time.”
Nope. Nope, nope, nope. “Not all of them.”
“Suppose this one did—where do you stand with Stone?” Ms. Birdie asked. “What are your feelings toward him?”
Sophie sighed. Dwelling on her feelings was a waste of time. Theirs was not a complication that would untangle itself. Then again, perhaps if she talked about her feelings, it would help her to untie the knot in her heart. “Just between us? I’m head over heels for him…and so is Poppie. And Stone is the first man Poppie’s ever taken a liking to.”
“Excellent.” Ms. Birdie beamed. “Now, are there any other glitches in your delightful book boyfriend tropes that I may assist you in smoothing out?”
Sophie hesitated. “Well, there’s Frankie. She’s threatened to sue me for breach of contract if I don’t deliver on a man with a sketchy past.”
“I’ll handle Frankie,” Ms. Birdie declared. “As it happens, I believe I may have just the solution for that too.”
“Has anyone ever told you you’re better than a fairy godmother?” Sophie said.
“Not better than, but I have been called one on occasion,” Ms. Birdie said. As she reached the doorway, she paused, her gaze returning to Sophie. “Before I go, could you clarify the design on these shirts?” She waved at the T-shirts draped over each cardboard cutout. On the front were the words: And then he said… “What’s the story there?”
Sophie grinned. “That’s part of the fun for the auction. Each bachelor will read a line of dialogue—those breath-stealing, swoon-worthy lines from the romance novels they represent.”
Ms. Birdie’s expression brightened with understanding. “They’ll read the line in the book where they declare their undying love for the heroine?”
Sophie shook her head. “Umm. They’ll read a line from a moment of passion in the book. I got the idea from a TikTok trend. Where readers show their lovers a sentence and ask them to read it out loud. The kind of lines that tend to make women go weak in the knees.”
“Oh my. That sounds rather exciting,” Ms. Birdie admitted with a thoughtful nod. “It will certainly make for a memorable auction.”
Sophie laughed. “I predict it will drive up the bids beyond your wildest hopes.”
“I do believe you may be right,” Ms. Birdie said, approval in her voice. “We’ve had quite the influx of twenty-somethings not only buying tickets but using their parents’ unlimited platinum cards to open a line of credit for bidding. In fact, we sold out in just under one hour.”
Sophie grinned. “An unlimited credit card. I can’t even imagine owning one of those.”
“I most certainly did not have access to one at that age,” Ms. Birdie said. “I predict it’s going to be quite the night. Oh, and Sophie, I’d like to have a table at the silent auction featuring your T-shirts. Are you interested?”
Sophie’s stomach fluttered with excitement, and forgetting herself, she threw her arms around Ms. Birdie in a hug. “Yes. Absolutely, yes.”
“Excellent,” Ms. Birdie said, once she managed to disentangle herself from Sophie.
After Ms. Birdie left, Sophie turned and spoke to her cardboard cutouts. Up until today, they had been her sounding board for all her emotional upheavals over Stone. “You heard the woman. No time to worry about my heart. We have a table to plan for the silent auction.”