Chapter 10 Sophie #2
Lucy and Natalie giggle as Elijah purses his lips. “Well, if Sophie and Matt are in, I’m in,” he finally says.
“Come on, Benny,” Sam presses. “It’ll be like the old days when we used to have our pool parties.”
“You didn’t have dolphins at your parties,” Benny snaps.
“No, but he had that dolphin float you could never stay on for your life,” Matthew says and everyone laughs.
Benny flips off Matthew and grumbles a “fine,” and Sam grins.
“It’s settled then. Wedding party dolphin swim this afternoon!”
Matthew smiles as the check is brought and signed by my dad, and before we disperse, Raegan tells us to change into our suits and meet her and my brother out front in an hour so we can catch the transport to the aquarium.
The walk back to the hotel is quiet, full of tension. When we get to the room, Benny swipes his card and opens the door for me. I enter without acknowledgment, feeling like a boiling volcano.
“Hey,” he says as I grab a clean suit from my suitcase.
I turn around, meeting his gaze.
“Sorry for…” He looks uncomfortable. Concerned. Which isn’t like Benny at all. “Just…sorry,” he says, and my heart sinks.
“It’s okay,” I say, even though I know things are not okay.
A part of me wants to go to him. Pull his large frame into my arms and tell him whatever it is, it’s really okay. Because mistakes happen, right? As long as we’re both on the same page, we’ll be fine. Eventually.
“Just…let’s get changed and head out, yeah?”
He nods and then carefully removes his shirt.
He doesn’t wait for me to turn around or leave, and I don’t turn around or leave.
I stand still as a statue and watch him.
I stare at his hard chest full of ink and have to remember to breathe as the memory of exactly what it feels like under my fingertips resurfaces.
He looks me in the eyes for a moment, licking his lips, and then drops his pants. His gaze holds me like a challenge, and maybe it is.
I can do this, I tell myself. I don’t have to look. I already know what he looks like.
Or rather, what his cock looks like.
“Yeah,” I say as I clutch my suit to my chest and head for the bathroom. I pride myself on not looking. On being stronger than my damn urges.
But then I catch sight of his naked body in the mirror and my insides flutter again. I close the bathroom door and let out a heavy breath. I don’t think he saw that, and even if he did…
It was a mistake.
It won’t happen again.
I repeat those words like a mantra as I change into my bikini and pack my beach bag, and when I emerge, he’s in his trunks and flip-flops, looking like sin on two legs.
A knock on the door alerts us both, shattering the charged moment. When Benny opens the door, I’m surprised to see Matthew and Elijah, also in their trunks with beach bags.
“You guys ready?” Matthew asks. Elijah looks from me to Benny and then smiles at me.
“Yeah,” I say, brushing past Benny, nearly knocking him over on the way. Elijah gives me a warm grin as I leave Benny in my dust, heading toward the next destination with my friends.
I meander through the aquariums as I wait for Sam and Raegan to complete their dolphin swim, since for security and safety reasons, they only allow one couple to swim at a time. So the rest of us have been milling about in the aquarium while we wait.
Honestly, the time to just…chill out…has been nice. Gives me a chance to breathe. I check my phone—still no texts or calls from Keaton.
Honestly, at this point, I wish I could say I was shocked, but the truth is, I’m not.
However, I do note a text message from Stella & Sons, which is a newer company that just moved into the Seattle area. They’re technically a competitor, but they’re still in the start-up phase. I’d applied to the place awhile back when I heard about it getting off the ground.
I love my job, and I love where I’m at, but call me crazy, I wanted a job where I didn’t have to work with my partner.
I wanted something that was my own, and I knew with an impending wedding, eventually there would be a lot of eyes on me—and Keaton.
I didn’t want to be undermined or scrutinized because of my attachment to the son of the owner.
Keaton thought it was a great idea at the time.
“Establish your own identity, I get it. It’s smart.”
But now I wonder if his acceptance was really genuine at all.
That’s the problem with perfect men. You never question their imperfections when you’re with them, but the minute they show you how imperfect they actually are, you start to see everything from another vantage point and it really makes you question things.
How can I trust that the man I loved—who cheated and lied to me—was truthful about anything else in our relationship?
I can’t say he was, even based on feelings, because now I don’t know.
I open the text and my eyes widen when I read that they would like to speak with me and to please give them a call back.
So, of course, that’s exactly what I do. I call without a second thought and punch in the extension for Amber Allen, the head of HR who left a message.
“Hi, this is Sophie Martin, returning your call.”
“Ms. Martin, so good to hear from you so soon!” Amber says. “I suppose I’ll cut to the chase. We’d like to officially offer you the job as our entrepreneur writer, for our Dela website, if you’re still interested.”
I’d applied to several positions at their firm, the typical sales and office jobs, but on a whim, I also applied to an entrepreneur staff writer position solely based on the fact that it was a traveling position, and it sounded fun.
I didn’t think I really qualified for it, but traveling and writing has always been something I’ve dreamed of doing.
I’d given up on those sorts of dreams when I graduated and got my job at H&H, and then while I was there…I guess I forgot about my hobbies because I was so busy trying to find the perfect man, the perfect apartment…
I close my eyes, knowing this is the gig I’ve always wanted. I’d be able to travel all across the country and meet with independent shop owners and restaurants and experience so many new things.
And it also means I don’t have to stay in one place. I don’t need a private residence to travel, and if I’m living out of hotels and establishments on the company dime, I can save up some money for a place I really want.
But I also know it’s a huge opportunity and it’s better to think about all the things going into this rather than deciding to go in all at once. I need to be smart. I need…
I need to talk to my brother. He’s always been the best sounding board and often can see the situation for the trees when all I can see is what’s in front of me.
“Can I…get back you?” I ask carefully. “I’m in the Virgin Islands right now for my brother’s wedding in a couple days, and I won’t be home until Monday.”
“Oh! Of course!” she says with excitement. “I’ll let Arnold know to expect your call Monday.”
“Thank you,” I say. “I truly appreciate your understanding and this opportunity.”
“Absolutely. Tell your brother congratulations for us. We’ll be in touch soon.”
When the phone goes dead, I let out a heavy sigh.
Holy shit.
“Hey.” The familiar voice pulls me from my momentary stupor. I turn to see my brother, his hands in his short pockets. His hair is messy and wet and he’s practically beaming.
“You look like a drowned rat,” I tease him, messing with his wet hair. He chuckles, the light from the jellyfish tube lighting him up and illuminating his soft smile.
“Yeah, well, I did get dragged around by a dolphin,” he says.
“Was it worth it?” I ask.
“One hundred percent. You’re going to love it.”
“Thanks,” I say, twisting the silicone bracelet they gave us to identify our ticket.
“Hey…can I uh….can I run something by you?”
“Sure,” he says as he walks over to another tank with a different type of jellyfish.
I follow him easily.
“So…I applied to this gig awhile ago, right after Keaton and I—”
He looks at me with sorrow and I don’t finish that sentence. “Anyway…I applied with this start-up. They’re kind of like a lifestyle magazine meets travel company.”
He waits for me to continue.
“And I applied for all the normal stuff, you know. Sales, customer service, marketing…but I also applied for entrepreneurial staff writer.”
“Writing, huh? That’s cool. I didn’t know you still did that.”
I shrug. “I haven’t in years, but…I just thought it sounded cool. Traveling and stuff, writing about businesses and restaurants and things…”
“So you got the job, right?” he asks, coming to stand beside me. “I mean, you wouldn’t be mentioning it if—”
“I told them I’d think about it,” I say quietly. We stand there in the light of the jellyfish, side by side. His comfort is welcome, needed. I look up at him with scared eyes.
“What’s there to think about?” He raises an eyebrow at me.
“It’s just…a big change. I’d be traveling a lot. Probably wouldn’t need an apartment or anything, but I’d still need somewhere to list as a residence or emergency contact.”
He smirks. “So list me.”
“You make it sound so easy.”
“It is. You want the job, they want you, it’s an amazing opportunity. You should take it.”
I frown. “It’s been so hard these last few years, being away from you. Raegan. And even Mom and Dad, but don’t tell them I said that.” I twist my lips. “And I guess I’ve missed the guys too.”
“Hmmm. Yeah, I can see that. So you weighing the options of flying off on your dream job or coming home to watch the rest of us like some small-town soap opera?”
I push his arm playfully. “No.”
“Think about it all you want, but I know if I got an offer like that, I’d take it. At the very least, try it out and if it wasn’t what I wanted, I’d quit.”
“Hey.” Matthew’s voice breaks the silence and I turn to see him standing there in his damn Speedo. Seriously, doesn’t he own a pair of trunks?
Though if I’m honest, I kind of think the Speedo suits him and his personality, but I won’t tell him that. I fight to keep my gaze trained on his face and not his tight swimsuit that hugs him in all the right places.
“We should probably head for the tank, I think Benny and Lucy are just about done.”
A ring of jealousy slices through me at the thought of Benny with one of the other bridesmaids.
Not that I think he’d do anything in the presence of sea animals, but knowing what I do know—the rumors I’ve heard—and given his insistence to Matthew about hooking up with women on this trip, I feel strangely on the spot and pissed, even though I know I have no reason to be.
Clearly what happened between us was a mistake. A moment of weakness.
It’s not like it’s going to happen again…
“Yeah, good idea. Have fun!” Sam says, giving me a smile as he heads off for the opposite side of the jellies, leaving me to question more than just my sudden job offer.