20. Sophie
Chapter 20
Sophie
" O kay, this is getting ridiculous," Brad announces, rolling his chair into my cubicle for the third time today. "You've been staring at the same sentence for an hour."
"I'm editing."
"You're moping."
"I do not mope."
"Really?" He picks up my coffee cup. "Because this is definitely not your usual vanilla latte. This is black coffee. Like someone else's coffee."
I snatch the cup back. "Maybe I wanted to try something different."
"Uh-huh. And maybe you're drinking it black because it reminds you of a certain grumpy goalie?"
"Don't you have work to do?"
"This is my work. Watching you pine and overthink and…" He stops, frowning at my screen. "Wait, are you rewriting the whole feature?"
"I'm making it more professional."
"By taking out all the good parts?"
"By making it objective." I minimize the document before he can read more. "The way it should have been from the start."
"Sophie…"
"Don't." I stand up, needing to move. "Just...don't."
"Fine. But at least tell me you're not really considering meeting with Clark Ellis."
I busy myself organizing papers that don't need organizing.
"Sophie Bennett!"
"He has insights about the team!" I protest weakly. "About the development camp structure, about Ryland's chances..."
"About Evan?"
I flinch. "This isn't about Evan."
"Isn't it?" Brad wheels closer. "Because from where I'm sitting, you're doing that thing you do when you're hurt—trying to fix it with work."
"I'm not…"
"Remember when that guy from accounting ghosted you? You wrote sixteen articles in three days."
"That was different."
"Yeah." His voice softens. "Because this time, you actually care."
My phone buzzes—again—and I don't need to look to know it's another Daniels family member.
"That's the fourth time in an hour," Brad observes. "Want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
"Too bad." He grabs my phone before I can stop him. "Let's see... three texts from Julia. 'Please call me, we can fix this’. Two from Natalia. 'I got an A on my math test! When are you coming over to celebrate?' And...oh, interesting. One from Ryland. 'There's more to the Clark story than you know’."
I snatch my phone back. "That's private."
"Is it? Because it seems like a family trying really hard not to lose you."
"They're not my family!"
The words echo through the quiet office, making several heads pop up over cubicle walls.
"Sorry," I mutter, sinking back into my chair. "I just...I need to focus on work."
"Which is why you're meeting Clark for dinner?"
"It's a business meeting."
"At Giovanni's? At eight p.m.?" He raises an eyebrow. "That's not a business meeting spot. That's a 'let me tell you all the dirt' spot."
Before I can respond, my phone rings. The caller ID shows “Lexi Brookes”.
"Saved by the boss," Brad says, but his eyes are worried. "Just...be careful, okay?"
I wave him off as I answer. "Sophie Bennett."
"I’d like to see you in the office." Lexi's voice is clipped. "Bring the latest draft."
Great. Perfect. Just what I need today.
I gather my papers with shaking hands, trying to remember how to be strong. How to not let personal feelings affect my work.
How to pretend my heart isn't breaking.
"Sophie!" Lexi looks up as I enter her office. "Please tell me I'm reading this wrong."
"I—what?"
She holds up my latest draft. "This. This...sanitized version of what was becoming our best feature in years."
"I'm making it more objective."
"You're making it boring." She tosses the pages aside. "Where's the heart? The insight? The little details that made me feel like I knew these people?"
"That was too personal."
"That was perfect! It was exactly what we needed—a real look at hockey's most private family." She studies me carefully. "Did something happen?"
"No! I just...I realized I needed more professional distance."
"Because of Evan?"
My heart stops. "What?"
"Oh, please." She leans back in her chair. "I'm not blind. I see how he looks at you. How you look at him."
"That's not—we're not…"
"Sophie." Her voice softens slightly. "I don't care who you're dating. I care about the story. And this?" She taps my new draft. "This isn't the story. It's sterile. Safe." She slides the pages back to me. "And you're better than safe."
I leave Lexi's office feeling worse than when I went in. In the break room, I run into Helen from copy editing, who takes one look at my face and pulls out the emergency chocolate stash hidden in the upper cabinet.
"Boy trouble or work trouble?" she asks, sliding me a candy bar.
"Is both an option?"
"Ah. The dreaded combo." She sits across from me. "Want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
"Want to hear about my disaster date with that guy from IT instead?"
I manage a small smile. "The one with the Star Wars collection?"
"Three hours." She holds up three fingers. "Three hours about the proper way to display lightsabers. Did you know they have to be arranged by canonical chronology?"
"That's...intense."
"Speaking of intense," she leans forward, "what's this I hear about you meeting Clark Ellis?"
I groan. "Does everyone know about that?"
"Only because he was very loud about it in the lobby earlier. Something about 'exclusive insights into the Daniels dynasty'?"
My stomach turns. "It's just a work meeting."
"Uh-huh." She unwraps her own chocolate. "Like those 'business meetings' you've been having with Evan Daniels?"
"Those weren't…" I stop at her knowing look. "Is it that obvious?"
"Honey, you light up like a Christmas tree whenever he brings you coffee. Which, by the way, is adorably domestic for the Ice Man."
My phone buzzes again. This time it's Cynthia.
Just ran into Julia at the store. What happened??? Call me!!!
We’ve been on opposite work schedules, and I haven’t seen her in days. So she’s not up on the latest.
"Speaking of lighting up," Helen nods at my phone, "your screen's been glowing more than usual today."
"Everyone's very...concerned."
"Can you blame them? From what I hear, you've become quite the fixture in the Daniels world."
"That was a mistake."
"Was it?" She studies me. "Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like you found something real. Something worth writing about."
"That's the problem!" I slump in my chair. "I'm supposed to be writing about them, not...not..."
"Falling in love with them?"
"I'm not…" But the words stick in my throat.
Because maybe I am.
Not just with Evan, though God knows that's complicated enough.
But with all of them. With the way they made me feel like I belonged.
My phone rings, Clark Ellis's number lighting up the screen.
"I should take this," I say, standing.
"Sophie." Helen's voice stops me. "Whatever you're looking for? I don't think you'll find it with Clark Ellis."
"I'm not looking for anything. It's just work."
But even I don't believe that anymore.
I answer the phone in the hallway, trying to sound professional. "Sophie Bennett."
"Sophie! Glad I caught you." Clark's voice is smooth as ever. "About dinner tonight..."
"Actually, I was thinking maybe we should…"
"Giovanni's at eight? I've got a private table reserved. Perfect for discussing...delicate matters."
I think about Evan's face when he saw Clark talking to me. About the pain in his eyes that he tried to hide.
About all the questions I still have.
"Eight works," I hear myself say.
"Excellent! And Sophie?" His tone shifts slightly. "Wear something nice. Never know who might be there."
The call ends, leaving me with a sick feeling in my stomach. Why should he care about what I’m wearing?
Back at my desk, I find Brad waiting.
"Don't," he says before I can speak.
"Don't what?"
"Don't go to dinner with him. Whatever you're hoping to find out, it's not worth it."
"I'm just doing my job."
"No, you're trying to hurt Evan the way he hurt you." He holds up his hands at my protest. "I get it. He pushed you away, made you feel like you weren't trustworthy. But meeting with Clark? That's not going to fix anything."
"Maybe I don't want to fix it." I start gathering my things. "Maybe I just want to do my job and forget any of this happened."
"Sophie. Come on…"
"I have to go." I shoulder my bag. "I need to change before dinner."
"At least tell me you'll think about what you're really doing here."
"I know exactly what I'm doing."
But as I head for the elevator, my phone lights up yet again.
Natalia: Dad's really sad. He keeps staring at that pen you left. The one for important stories. Please come back. You're part of our team now.
The tears I've been fighting all day finally spill over.
Because that's the thing about finding a family—losing them hurts more than never having them at all.
My phone buzzes again.
Clark: Looking forward to sharing some interesting stories about the Daniels family. Especially about what really happened with Chelsea...
I should delete it.
Should cancel dinner.
Should remember that some stories aren't mine to tell.
Instead, I type: See you at 8.
Because maybe, if I understand what happened before, I can understand why Evan pushed me away.
Even if it means becoming exactly what he feared I was all along…
Just another reporter looking for a story.
Even if it breaks my heart to do it.