Chapter One #2
Brown hair, worn a little longer on top and lightened by the sun, emphasized those mesmerizing, sky blue eyes she swore could see straight into her soul.
He must’ve left the Guard, because his hair was a bit too long to be military.
Without the haircut restrictions, he had a little sideburn thing going on that accentuated his perfect features and strong jaw.
The man was sexy before…now he was freaking sexy-as-hell. She knew he had a supermodel sister, but wow, he could easily grace the cover of men’s magazines.
“Hello, Ryder,” she finally said, realizing he was waiting for her to reply.
His head jerked back and he narrowed his gaze. “Do I know you?”
Ouch.
Disappointment rocked her heart.
“Only in the biblical sense.” Shoot. When was she going to learn not to speak before running it through her brain first?
But since it slipped out, she might as well own it, and squash down the disillusionment and pain ripping through her chest at the knowledge their incredible time together had only been memorable on her end.
She tipped her head and held his gaze. “I’m Sophia. Brandi’s friend.”
Dawning straightened his brow and cleared the confusion from his eyes. “New Year’s Eve.” He smiled, and dammit, the transformation to friendly stole her breath. “Sorry I didn’t recognize you, Sophia. You look a lot different than I remember.”
True. Since their long ago…tryst, she’d gone up a cup size, pants size, and her hair was no longer short and choppy with blue streaks. Her rebellious period had long passed. Now, her hair was her natural mocha brown, one length, and fell well past her shoulders.
“Are you wearing contacts?” he asked, stepping closer.
That was her biggest difference. “Yeah.” She nodded.
“Why? Your eyes were amazing.”
A wave of warmth rushed through her at the compliment. “Thanks, but not so much for a freakishly tall Italian.”
As if her height wasn’t a tough enough cross to bear, she’d been born with heterochromia—a difference in the color of the iris. She had one brown and one blue, but with the wonderful invention of colored contacts, she now preferred to go all brown. Just like her family.
Although, surprisingly, they were always trying to get her to stop wearing them.
“Well, I thought your eyes were perfect the way they were.” A smile tugged his mouth, and as his gaze dropped to her feet and slowly rose back up, she remembered the only thing covering her freshly showered body was a towel.
A too-small towel.
Heat rushed into her face, and she barely refrained from crossing her arms over her chest. Why bother? He’d seen her naked—and then some—once upon a time.
His gaze returned to hers a second before the phone in his pocket started to ring. The appreciation in his eyes disappeared as he straightened his shoulders. “Sorry for the intrusion, Sophia. I’ll give you your privacy now and come back later,” he said, fishing the cell from his pocket.
Nodding, she stood there, watching him leave, noting the width of his shoulders and how his torso tapered into a vee above his exceptional butt. Heat skittered through her belly. It was official. His back view was nearly as gorgeous as his front.
“Seriously? They out-bid us again?” He closed the door behind him, and it muffled the rest of his conversation.
But she understood the aggravation in his tone. It sucked when you spent hours working on an estimate, trying to figure out how much you could afford to trim costs in order to secure a bid…only to have someone swoop in and steal it from you.
It had forced her father to expand their working territory in hopes of lining up more jobs.
She was lucky enough to still be able to work close to home, so she could also do the occasional set design on the side, but her brothers were working the new territories, somewhere in the western part of New York.
Her gaze remained on the closed door. Ryder was a smart guy. He’d figure something out. Right now, she needed to get dressed, then find out how to get to Phoebe’s.
Last night, she’d arrived too late to see her friend, so she grabbed the key Phoebe had left at the front desk, and used the outside entrance to the condo.
But apparently, her brilliant designer friend Brandi also built in another entrance through a hallway that connected all the family condos to the main residence where Phoebe lived.
Must be how Ryder had gained access.
Awareness tumbled down to her toes. Stupid body. The guy wasn’t even in the condo anymore and yet he still had a lingering effect on her.
But it didn’t matter. She wasn’t in Pennsylvania to reconnect with the guy. No, she was there to work. So, despite the fact he hadn’t sported a wedding ring—which she…uh…unintentionally noticed—Sophia pushed him to the back of her mind.
Her focus belonged on designing and building sets for Phoebe’s summer productions.
They would be a welcome addition to her resume and portfolio, before her big meeting with two Broadway producers in the fall.
Her preliminary designs for a major spring musical had garnered her a callback.
She had a few changes to make per their request, but she was determined to bring her A-game to that meeting.
Getting distracted by a sexy fling from her past was not smart.
With a shake of her head, she pushed Ryder to the back of her mind, and quickly opened the closet. Since today was a discussion day, she slipped into a comfortable sundress and sandals, before calling Phoebe to confirm their morning meeting.
“Hi, Sophia,” her friend said, a smile evident in her tone. “The front desk told me you were here.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I got in late and didn’t want to wake you. So, I’m checking to see if we’re still on for this morning.”
“Absolutely. If you’re ready, why don’t you come to my place now?
We can look at your designs over coffee.
I’m so excited,” Phoebe said, all in one breath.
“The main residence is through the door at the end of the hall. It’s unlocked, so just come in and head down the stairs to the kitchen. You can’t miss it.”
Never one to pass up coffee, she agreed, before hanging up, then grabbed her laptop and purse on her way out of the condo.
In the hall, she passed three other doors like hers. What a great way for the Wyne family to enjoy the resort, while retaining their privacy from guests. Her friend Brandi was a genius.
Entering the main house, Sophia’s admiration for her old college buddy increased as she walked down a gorgeous wooden staircase, into an open floor plan of a family room-kitchen combo.
The décor was rustic and warm, with wooden floors and walls, and a huge stone fireplace, but the floor to ceiling windows were the highlight of the room.
They let in a view of the lake sparking through the trees.
“Wow, this place is amazing,” she said, stepping off the last step, where Phoebe greeted her with a hug.
Her friend chuckled. “I know. I’m the luckiest woman ever. I’m married to an incredible man who has an adorable son, I live in this amazing home his sister designed, and now, I get to work out of a top-notch theatre that I get to design.”
A grin tugged her lips as she drew back. “You’re right. You are lucky. And, oh my God, that coffee smells divine.”
“Have a seat.” Smiling, Phoebe motioned toward the kitchen table. The epitome of cool and relaxed, she had her hair pulled back in a ponytail and wore a similar sundress. “I’ll get us some coffee.”
“Thanks.” She set her purse and laptop bag on one of the chairs and couldn’t help but note how content and happy the award-winning Broadway star was, playing domestic hostess.
Warmth spread through Sophia’s body. It was nice to see her friend so happy.
“Where are Ethan and Tyler?” she asked, taking a seat.
Phoebe’s husband was a guide at the resort he owned with his brothers, and Tyler was Ethan’s eight-year-old son from a previous marriage.
“Ethan’s working,” She replied. “A couple of guests signed up for a three-hour hike. And Tyler’s in Texas for the summer.” Sadness crept into her friend’s eyes. “He’s only been gone two days, but it’s weird. It feels more like two hundred.”
Sophia knew the woman loved the young boy as if he were her own flesh and blood. “That’s right.” She nodded. “Brandi mentioned her nephew was coming to visit when we Skype’d last month. I also got to see her sweet little baby boy.”
“Oh my God, I know. Isn’t Kyle just the cutest?” Phoebe gushed.
“He sure is.” Envy tightened her chest. Someday. She truly believed she’d find the right man—on her own—and have a family and a career she loved, too. But not right now. She had to work on the career part first.
“Before I forget, Ethan told me Ryder is supposed to stop by your condo to fix a few things.” Phoebe set a delicious smelling mug of coffee in front of her, before sitting down with her own. “I heard the two of you had a little bit of history, so I thought I should warn you.”
Reaching for her mug, she snorted. “Too late.”
Her friend sat up straight. “He stopped by already?”
“Yep.” Sophia sipped her coffee and wondered just exactly what she’d heard about her history with Ryder.
“So?” Phoebe leaned closer. “How’d it go?”
Another snort rippled up her throat. “Awkward.” She set her coffee down and sat back in her seat. “I’m just glad I decided to wrap a towel around me when I got out of the shower.”
“Oh my God...he walked in on you as you got out of the shower?”
She shook her head. “Not exactly. I entered the bedroom from the bathroom a few seconds before he entered from the living room.” An image of his startled expression floated through Sophia’s mind, followed by the memory of how that expression had turned appreciative a few seconds later.
“I’m so sorry,” Phoebe said. “Ethan spoke to Ryder about the condo yesterday morning. We didn’t know you’d arrive last night.”
“It’s okay.” She waved a hand and shrugged.
“No harm done. It’s not like the guy hadn’t seen me wearing less, all those years ago.
” As briefly as possible, she filled her friend in on her time with Ryder.
“So, this morning was only mildly awkward. Besides, he didn’t’ stick around long.
After apologizing, he said he’d come back later, then left. ”
“Still, I feel awful. I’m sure that was not how you’d pictured running into him again.”
“I hadn’t pictured it at all,” she fibbed…a little. “Kind of figured he was married with children by now.”
Phoebe shook her head. “Nope. Single and unattached.” Her friend grinned over her coffee. “In case you were wondering.”
“No. I wasn’t.” Another fib.
The fact she had wondered didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Digging out her laptop, she held onto that thought. “I can’t wait to show you what I’ve come up with.”
A subject change, but the Broadway star turned owner/producer didn’t seem to mind.
“And I can’t wait to see your designs.” Phoebe rose to plop in a chair next to her, and rubbed her hands together. “I’m so excited.”
So was Sophia.
Helping to create memorable shows were just as important to her. It was her passion, too.
Work. Career. Leaving the family business. Those were the things she needed to concentrate on.
Not Ryder and his insanely good looks.
Or his wickedly talented mouth and hands.
Given that her attraction to the guy was still strong, she was definitely better off avoiding the sexy, single and unattached guy.