6. Sophie #2
“Franchesca does or you do?” Joy cocks an eyebrow.
“Shh, don’t distract me, woman, you’re already pregnant with my twins.”
“Idiot,” Joy mutters but can’t hide the tiny smile grazing her lips. The smile I’ve only noticed to come out whenever her goofball husband is around. I’ve never seen a couple more different yet absolutely perfect for each other.
“Please tell me I can have an idiot of my own someday?” I ask, longingly and in that precise moment, Luke and Callum walk in carrying my new couch into the apartment.
Holy mother of muscles, I swallow my tongue. Sheriff Hot Asshole, shed his jacket somewhere along the way and now all I see is a tight white T-shirt, straining against his arms. That light, warm skin I can still feel on the tips of my fingers, glistening with sweat.
“I’d say you already do.” Hope giggles and my eyes shoot down the line to hers.
“You mean him?” I throw my thumb over at the sex-on-the-stick-with-a-badge. “He’s hot as sin. Sorry, Julie, but I want a Jacob in my life. Not Luke on steroids. Sorry, Gracie.”
But even as I say it, I know the only thing I really want is to be loved.
Like, really loved because I’m not sure I even know how that feels.
I’m not sure I ever experienced it. But for now, I’m going to settle for taking back control of my life, for setting it back on the right track and then we can discuss love.
“Hmm, I don’t know.” Zoe looks Callum up and down. “It feels like there’s more to him, like he’s covered in layers.”
“Like Shrek?” I ask.
“The ogre?”
Julie bursts out laughing. “Oh my goodness, I promise to give you free matcha every day if you call him that from now on.”
I grin, waggling my eyebrows. “Girlfriend, you didn’t even have to bribe me, but I’ll gladly take it. ”
“Remind me again, what was so wrong with the old couch?” Luke grits out as they finally set my brand new, floral boho couch in rich colors, on the floor.
“It was gray,” I tell him, getting up from my spot.
Luke looks at me for a long second, like he has a colorful curse on the tip of his tongue. After all, it was them who had to carry it all the way down from the fourth floor and bring a new one back up, but then his eyes move to his wife, back to me and he settles for, “How dare it lack some color.”
“Right!” I slap his shoulder, grinning at his grumpy tone. “That’s what Gracie and I thought.”
“At least it was comfortable,” Callum decides to add.
“Callum, why don’t you test it out? See if this one’s as comfortable for sleeping as the last one was?” Alec needles him from his spot in the kitchen.
“What are the chances you all will magically forget what you heard here today and keep your mouths shut about it.”
Hope, Grace, Zoe, Julie, Alec, Jacob, and even Joy and Luke all say at the same time, “None.”
“Great,” Callum deadpans, that burly tone of his always making me laugh.
“Do you guys want a beer?” I ask, pulling out a case from the fridge.
“Sure. Thanks, Soph,” Luke says, accepting the bottle I hand him. “You want one?” He then asks his grumpy companion, but I click my tongue and pull the case away.
“Oh no, he has a thing against beer.”
“What? Since when?” Luke frowns, his eyes volleying from his friend to me. The friend who’s shooting daggers my way.
“Give me that damn beer.” He snatches the open bottle from Luke and gulps half of it in one go. “You should know better than listen to criminals.”
“Who’s a criminal? Sophie?” Grace asks in a high-pitched voice.
“You invited a convicted felon into our town. ”
“Nu-uh, we were never convicted. Sophie promised to go out with the arresting officer, and he let us go with a waning. Hey”—she turns my way—“did you ever end up going on that date?”
“Nope. But I did avoid the neighborhood like the plague.”
Callum looks over at Luke. “Did you know about this?”
“No.”
“Why are you so calm about this?”
“Have you met my wife, Callum? Now, imagine a twin but with short hair and brown eyes. I’m surprised they didn’t do actual time for their combined brain power.”
“Aw, Gracie, I think your husband just complimented us.”
“See? They even share the same delusions.” Luke points to Grace and me as he explains this to Callum.
“And which neighborhood was it again?” Callum asks, pretending to be all nonchalant.
Gracie opens her mouth to answer when I scream, “No! Don’t tell him anything.”
“Why?” My best friend draws her brows but does as I asked.
“Because.”
“Because?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Do any of you have popcorn?” We all turn our heads to the wall where Hope, Joy, Zoe, and Julie sit, watching us with rapt attention.
“Julie Bean, don’t you have work to do or maybe check in on your husband?” Callum asks his sister.
The nicest girl on the planet and the biggest grump are related…I still can’t process that fact. Maybe he was switched at birth and his actual sister is my brother’s wife, Kira? Now, that would make a whole lot more sense.
“Nope, I’m good right here.” She smiles, smoothing out her long, eclectic-looking skirt. I want one like that.
Callum sighs. “Are we done here?”
“With the furniture, yea, I think so,” Luke tells him.
“Great, then I’m out. Some of us are actually responsible adults with responsibilities here. ”
“Who?” Jacob pipes out from the kitchen. “Do you know anyone like that?” he asks Alec who pretends to ponder on the matter, making me bite my lips to stop the smile coming out. By the looks of it, these two live to piss Callum and Luke off.
After a long beat, Alec points his index finger up. “Oh, I know one. Griffin.”
“You two are such idiots.” Callum shakes his head, unamused.
“Amen, brother.” Joy lifts her smoothie in salute.
“I’ll be back later on to fix the door and the TV,” he informs me.
“Don’t worry, I’ll pull my hair up into a fountain in the meantime to scare all the burglars away.” I smirk.
Callum barely takes one step before Luke snatches the back of his shirt and pulls him. “Not so fast, buddy,” he tells him. “I’m coming with you because you have some explaining to do.”
The door shuts behind them and all we hear is grumbling and fading curses as those two disappear.
Love Hive:
Therunawaybride: Code red, code red!
Toughtolove: What is it, Tootsie roll?
Therunawaybride: The Seal plan is going rogue!
CookieJ: What? What do you mean?
Ninasunshine: Impossible! We thought of everything!
Therunawaybride: It’s all Fifi’s fault! She called the cops on her new tenant last night.
Toughtolove: WHAT? Since when do you do that? Am I no longer doing my job?
Fforall: Well…maybe next time you all should let little old Fifi in on your plans so she can’t ruin anything.
Ninasunshine: Woman! Did you do that on purpose?
CookieJ: SABOTAGE!!!
Willoflove: Oh, rainbows! What do we do now? Change the plan?
Therunawaybride: No! I’m not subjecting my best friend to this .
Joydon’tpissmeofflevine: Well, would you look at that…and when I asked to stay away from my best friend, did anyone listen?
Willoflove: Shh, don’t jinx it, Joy!
Infullbloom: I’m gonna cry! I’m gonna cry right this second!
Willoflove: Oh no honey, don’t you worry. I’m sure it will all be okay.
Toughtolove: Pull it together Lily! We have no time for tears now.
Jules444: Too late. Mom’s lying on the floor and there’s about two large coffee cups worth of tears around her in a puddle.
CookieJ: Oh, dear God! We’re on our way!
Willoflove: I’ll go brew my special tea!
Jules444: You better hurry because Cal will be here for dinner in three hours.
Ninasunshine: Fanny, activate the first emergency button tonight!
Toughtolove: Way ahead of you, sister.