Chapter 18
eighteen
. . .
Grant
I'm completely thrown by seeing Sophia here.
My eyes stay on the producers Lucas and I are dining with, but my focus is shot, hijacked by the scene unfolding just beyond them.
My thoughts spiral. Why is she here with Brandon?
I've seen them together before—maybe at Blair's agency opening?
I think we were introduced. Are they together?
An ex? The thought knots in my stomach, tight and unwelcome.
It shouldn't matter. I don't have any claim over Sophia.
Still, my attention drifts behind the blonde guy talking—James something?
—drawn back to Sophia like a tide I can't fight.
She twirls a strand of hair around her finger, her eyes alight as she listens to whatever Brandon is saying, her laughter slipping out, warm and unguarded.
It's the kind of laugh that gets under your skin, the kind that lingers in your ears long after it's gone.
My jaw tightens when she leans back, completely at ease, like this is exactly where she wants to be.
I swallow down something sharp and unfamiliar.
"I think Grant would agree," Lucas says, pulling me out of my momentary tailspin. His expression is expectant, but beneath it, there's a glint of irritation. Pay the fuck attention.
I straighten. "Wholeheartedly. Sounds great."
The dinner meeting is mostly a courtesy—an assessment of what the duo has in their pipeline and whether we might buy, partner, or pass.
I haven't worked with them before, but their latest self-funded film performed well on the festival circuit.
Maybe they'll be the next Coen brothers.
In this business, it never hurts to have the dinner. You've got to eat.
"Hey, man, appreciate the time tonight. We'll send over the clips we spoke about and the numbers and projections for the next five years. We're psyched to take the next step with you," the blonde one says. Jeff? Or maybe he was James?
"Sounds great. You've done impressive work. Looking forward to learning more." Especially when my mind isn't tangled up in the woman behind you.
"Lucas, you have a minute?" I ask as we wait for the duo to depart.
"I knew I should have switched places with you," he says, his voice dry.
"What are you talking about?"
His gaze flicks toward Sophia before he leans in, blocking my line of sight as he opens his laptop. "Any updates to share? Don't blindside me."
"There's nothing to share. I won't blindside you."
But I'm already distracted again. I catch sight of Sophia standing, her small frame lifting above the sea of people.
Her gaze seems to skim the room in slow motion before landing on mine.
I hold still, waiting for her reaction. Her lips part slightly, and surprise flickers across her face before she schools it into something more neutral.
She lifts a hand in a small wave. I give her a single nod before she turns and disappears toward the back of the restaurant.
"I'll be right back," I tell Lucas.
I follow her down the hall and slip into the restroom behind her, locking the door with a quiet click. The moment she turns, her brow furrows.
"What are you doing?"
With every step forward I take, she takes one back until she's pressed against the sink. I plant a hand on the counter behind her, caging her. My pulse hammers in my ears, and my thoughts are a tangled mess.
"I thought you weren't dating anyone."
Her eyes narrow. "What are you talking about?"
"Brandon. Who is he?"
She exhales sharply, and the breath puffs against my collarbone. She doesn't flinch, doesn't try to escape. If anything, she's sizing me up, searching for something in my expression.
"He's one of my best friends," she finally says, her voice even. "We've never dated. Never kissed. He has a new girlfriend every month, so he wouldn't be interested in me anyway. And he's someone I trust completely."
Her words settle between us, but I don't move.
I don't trust myself to. I'm still unsettled, still trying to figure out why I followed her back here, why the thought of her with someone else has me feeling like my skin doesn't fit right.
I'm so used to uncomplicated indifference to women. But Sophia? She's unraveling me.
Her gaze flicks up at mine, waiting. I can't bring myself to step away, but I also don't know how to close the space between us.
"Oh."
She lets out a quiet laugh and shakes her head. "Goodnight, Grant."
"Enjoy the rest of your evening, Sophia."
I force myself to leave, and the lock clicks open as I step back into the dim hallway. When I return to the table, Lucas is still there, eyeing me with barely concealed amusement.
"You know you are allowed to date. Sometimes, I think you take this whole single-dad thing too far. It's turning into an excuse at this point."
I pull my glasses off and drag a hand over my face. "I know."
"You guys look great together."
He turns his laptop to face me. An email is open featuring images from the Oscars' red carpet, attached to an inquiry from a reporter.
When I saw her in front of me that night, I couldn't stay away. I was drawn to her. She has a way of putting me at ease—such ease that I ended up with my arm around her hips, and our friendly interaction looked more like friends with benefits.
"Will you stop harassing me if I admit she's attractive?"
Lucas leans back with a grunt. "Fine. Some of those journalists, though? They are out for blood. If there is something brewing between you two, I need to know before you take it too far."
"A young Oscar-winning actress producing and starring in her first movie, one written by Edie Lang no less, should be all the coverage anyone cares about."
"You know as well as I do that doesn't sell papers," Lucas says as he closes his laptop.
"I appreciate it. I promise you'll be the first to know—if you haven't already been tipped off by hell freezing over."
Lucas shakes his head and laughs as he stands. I rise to walk out with him, eager to get home to my actual number one girl.