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  Sam knew exactly where she was talking about. “Sure. See you in a few.”

  Twenty minutes later, they were enjoying bacon cheeseburgers, fries, and chocolate milkshakes.

  “Oh,” Sophie moaned around a bite of her burger. “This is good.”

  Sam adjusted his position in his seat at the sound of her moan. He took a bite of his own burger and realized what the throaty sound was all about as he involuntarily let out one of his own.

  “Oh, yeah.” He licked a bit of ketchup off his lip. “I haven’t had anything, but coffee since this afternoon. This is perfect.”

  They ate in silence for a bit until Sam spoke up. “Have you talked to Drew or Caroline lately?”

  He knew she hadn’t talked to his sister or her cousin, but he wasn’t sure why.

  “No, um, I haven’t talked to them since I got back.”

  “Back.” Sam nodded. “Yeah, Kate told me you went to work in Africa for a while.”

  “Yes. I guess I kind of ran away. I know Drew is still pissed that I missed their Christmas wedding, but he only gave me two weeks’ notice. I just couldn’t get everything together in time. We got in a terrible fight about it and a few other things. I got back in January, but I haven’t called yet. He hasn’t called me either, though.” It was now April, so she thought it hadn’t been that long.

  Sam wiped his mouth with a napkin as he finished chewing a bite. “Leave it to my sister to do everything at the last minute. I still can’t believe she planned their wedding in two weeks.”

  “I’m sorry I missed it. If they could have waited another month, I would have been home. Drew just said he couldn’t crush her dream of a Christmas wedding.”

  “When or where wouldn’t matter to her.” Sam laughed. “I know she’s been in love with him for a long time. She was so painfully shy in high school, but college helped her out. Did he tell you she actually asked him out?”

  “No. Really?” Sophie appeared shocked that Drew had never told her.

  “Yeah. One week she had seen him every day around noon sitting alone in the same spot on campus. By Friday, and about ten phone calls to me, she got the courage to go talk to him. He recognized her right away and asked her to join him. After that, Caroline said she’d never felt so comfortable with anyone outside her family. Before they finished lunch, she asked if he wanted to go out to dinner that night. I found out when she called me the following Monday that they’d spent the entire weekend together.” Sam shuddered at the thought of his sister having sex.

  “Yes, I do remember hearing that part.” Sophie laughed at his obvious discomfort.

  They finished their burgers while they continued to talk. She told Sam about life as Lexi’s roommate, which was always a wild ride. He shared with her about his move back closer to home and how happy his parents were to have him there.

  When his phone beeped with a text message, he took it out to read. It was Lola letting him know she was going to bed after her study session and to say goodnight. He slipped it back into his pocket and realized before anything else happened, he needed to fess up.

  “Um, Sophie?”

  “Yes, Sam.” She sipped on her milkshake.

  “Do you remember Lola Dennison?”

  Sophie knew exactly whom he was talking about and her distaste showed on her face. “Yes, she was a class below me and Caroline. Why?”

  “She’s getting her Master’s in Child Psych, and we bumped into each other while she was doing her clinical rotation. We’ve been dating for a couple months.” Sam watched as Sophie’s eyes turned the shade of ice blue, and she scrunched up her face.

  “Does Caroline know?” Sophie tried to rein in her anger, but was having a difficult time.

  “No, I haven’t told anybody yet. I guess her mom and my mom had a big falling out years ago, and it’s still pretty rocky between them. We kind of want to see where it goes before we bring the families into it.”

  Sophie’s gut twisted in unimaginable ways. The younger and more popular Lola bullied Sophie and Caroline for three years during high school. Caroline never stood up for herself, but Sophie, on the other hand, gave as good as she got. That caused more than a few tussles in the Halston High hallways.

  She calmed herself down and took a deep breath. “I see.”

  “You don’t approve?”

  “Um …” Sophie looked up at him as his question hung in the air. “It’s really none of my business. But when you do tell Caroline, make sure you’re alone. The two of them didn’t get along well.”

  “Lola’s never said anything.” Sam wondered what could have happened between the two.

  “She probably doesn’t want to think about it.” Sophie dropped her chin to her chest and mumbled, “I know don’t want to.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Look, thanks for dinner. I really needed something greasy like this after tonight.”

  Sam could tell she was ready to leave so he reached for the bill folder. “No problem. I wouldn’t mind hanging out again. That offer for drinks is still on the table.”

  He stuffed some cash in the bill folder and placed it back on the table.

  “Yeah, we’ll talk later.” Sophie smiled while trying to stop her heart from hurting.

  “I’d like that.” He meant it, too.

  Sam knew that dating Lola was a risk, but knew he couldn’t pass up the chance to have Sophie in his life.

  Chapter Three

  The months went by and Sophie did indeed take Sam up on that drink, more than a few times. They went out in groups with Lexi and a few other co-workers several times and then the two of them would go back to the diner to curb their cheeseburger cravings. Sometimes they’d met up on their days off, and go to the movies or even a concert.

  The one time Sam brought Lola to a group outing, Sophie and Lola got into it while in the ladies’ room. Lexi had to take Sophie home, but neither she, Sophie, nor Lola would explain what had happened to Sam. After seeing the disdain Lola had for one of his closest friends, Sam began to wonder why he was with her at all. That wonder led him to thoughts of life without Lola, a life where Sophie was his. He had invested so much time into his relationship with Lola, but the pull he felt toward Sophie became harder to resist. He found himself making excuses to Lola in order to spend time with Sophie. A small amount of guilt had settled in his gut, but it wasn’t enough to make him stop seeing Sophie.

  June came and Lola had accepted a position at Lakeland. She wouldn’t start until the middle of July so she appeared to be concentrating on Sam. He wondered whether he should introduce Lola to his family or break up with her. Though he knew he couldn’t use Sophie as an excuse, nothing else had presented itself. Whether Sam was with Lola or Sophie, he knew his mother would be disappointed, again.

  Sophie hadn’t seen Sam in almost a week by then. Just a few text messages here and there, so she was more than happy that she bumped into him in the cafeteria while getting coffee one afternoon.

  “Where you been keeping yourself, Crawford?” she asked, sneaking up on him.

  “Hey.” Sam leaned in and gave her a friendly hug without a second thought. He pulled back from her. “Lola got a new place out of the blue, and so I’ve been helping her get settled.”

  “Ah.” Sophie took a drink of her coffee.

  “I know the two of you don’t get along, but I do appreciate you not holding it against me.”

  Sophie looked up and saw Sam’s smile. She could never stay mad at him when he smiled at her like that.

  “Sammie!” Sam heard Lola squeal from somewhere behind him. He hated when she called him that.

  “I’ll catch you later.” Sam hightailed it over to Lola before she disrupted the entire cafeteria.

  Sophie just shook her head at the sight and took a seat to finish her coffee before going back to work.

  “Lola.” Sam took her by the elbow and led her over to a table. “Calm down. What’s with all the excitement?”

  “Remember I told you
that my friend, Leslie, was a finalist in that radio contest?”

  He attempted to think back. Usually when she mentioned her friend, he zoned out much like Leslie did ninety-percent of the time.

  “Um … maybe.”

  “Well, she won! A Fourth of July vacation in Hawaii, with all expenses paid.”

  “Great. I hope she has a wonderful time.” Sam furrowed his brow and wondered why this news was of such importance.

  “It’s a trip for two, silly. I’m going with her, so it looks like we will have to put off the ‘meet the parents’ thing for a few more weeks. I’ll look so much better with a natural tan.”

  The knot in his stomach tightened. “Are you serious?”

  “Oh, Sammie. Don’t be like that. We’ve waited months. A few more weeks won’t hurt.”

  “Won’t hurt who, Lola? Not that meeting the parents isn’t a big deal, but this is supposed to be our first big holiday together. I even took off a couple extra days so we could go to the lake like you wanted.”

  Lola looked at him like he was nuts. “We can do it all next year. This is a once in a lifetime vacation.”

  “If there is a next year,” he mumbled.

  That caught her attention. “What?”

  Sam concentrated on his breathing while he thought of what he wanted to say next. The reason he’d needed had presented itself. He repeated in his new mantra over and over in his mind. This has nothing to do with Sophie. This has nothing to do with Sophie.

  “Maybe we should take a break. If you don’t think meeting the family of your boyfriend and ditching our first holiday together is important, maybe we should reevaluate things.”

  “But, Sam,” she scoffed

  Sam looked up to see her lip trembling.

  “I love you,” she whimpered.

  Sam knew that the words coming out of his mouth next would make him a bastard for begrudging her a tropical vacation, but he knew it was his way out. “Obviously not enough.”

  The change in Lola’s demeanor went from wounded woman to scorned bitch in two seconds flat. “Fine!” Lola stomped her foot like a spoiled child. “You have fun in fucking Halston while I go and have marathon sex with gorgeous surfers for two weeks. Hell, maybe Leslie and I won’t come back. Have fun trying to find someone who will put up with your fucked up schedule, stupid hair, and let’s not forget your mommy issues. Have a nice life, Sammie.”

  Lola stormed out, and for about ten long seconds the entire cafeteria was silent. Sam looked up to see a shocked Sophie sitting in a nearby booth.

  Slowly, Sophie stood and walked over to him. “Let’s get you back to your office.”

  The two walked in silence back to Sam’s office.

  “What just happened?” Sophie asked when he’d sat down in his desk chair.

  “She just broke up with me.” Sam couldn’t believe the vile creature he’d just broken up with was the girl he’d been dating for months.

  “Yes. I caught something about sex with surfers, and you don’t surf. So?”

  Sam motioned for Sophie to sit in the chair in front of his desk. “Her friend won a trip to Hawaii for over The Fourth, and she’s going with her. Problem is we were supposed to break it to our parents we were dating this week. We’ve been planning it for a month. I guess it wasn’t as important as I thought. Or I wasn’t as important as I thought.”

  “Sam, Lola’s an idiot. Always has been, always will be. Forget about her.”

  “What am I going to do?” Sam rubbed his palms across his face vigorously. “My mom is expecting us.”

  “I’m sure Virginia will get over it. She’s in charge of the parade this year so that will distract her.”

  “Maybe.” Sam looked up and saw Sophie smiling sweetly at him. The thought popped into his mind so quick, he gasped for air. His smile matched hers as he looked into her sparkling blue eyes. Blue eyes, brown hair, from Halston — all the attributes his mother knew about his mystery girlfriend. Sam wondered if enough time had passed for his mother to forget her threat.

  “What are you doing for The Fourth?”

  “Well, if we had talked in the last week, you would know I’m going to stay with my dad for the week. He says he has some important news.”

  “News?”

  “I think he’s going to ask his girlfriend to marry him. Maybe he wants my blessing or something.” Sophie shrugged her shoulders.

  “When are you going back?”

  “Tomorrow. Why? I can see those wheels turning, Crawford. What’s going on up there?”

  “Meet me at the diner after work and I’ll tell you.”

  Sophie eyed him with a sideways glance. “All right, but only if you’re buying.”

  “Deal.”

  Sophie was trying every breathing exercise she could think of to calm down as she drove to the diner. She couldn’t help but feel that something monumental was about to happen in her friendship with Sam. Spending the last three months really getting to know him had cemented the feelings she had the first time she met him: love.

  When Sophie was sixteen, and now at age twenty-six, her feelings were the same. She was hopelessly in love with Sam Crawford. Under normal circumstances, she would be thrilled, but Sophie was utterly terrified. In her mind she knew a relationship with Sam could be just what she needed. In her heart — still badly broken and torn to shreds from her last relationship — she didn’t know if she could take the chance.

  A few more deep breaths and a mental pep talk later, Sophie walked into the diner and slid into a booth across from Sam.

  “I hope it’s okay that I already ordered,” Sam said with a smile.

  “It’s fine. You know my favorites.” Sophie took off her light jacket and returned his smile.

  “Bacon cheeseburger, but if we’re talking Mexican food, then it would be enchiladas with spicy red sauce. Your favorite pizza is peperoni, Italian sausage, and Canadian bacon with mushrooms. You make that penne with sausage and tomato basil sauce because it was the favorite thing your mom made you when you were little. Shrimp is the only seafood you’ll eat, and you will eat it almost any way once it’s cooked.”

  “Whoa,” Sophie interrupted. “Is this the ‘name Sophie’s favorite food’ game?”

  “No, I just know what you like. Your coffee, food, favorite movies, favorite songs.”

  “Okay? You’re kind of freaking me out here. What is going on?”

  Sam took a deep breath before getting into the conversation he had been rehearsing for hours. “You know my favorites, too, right?”

  “Um, yeah.”

  Their waitress placed their meals in front of them, and Sophie sighed when she saw the mouth-watering burger and fries.

  “Well?” Sam asked.

  “You want me to tell you your favorite things?”

  “Yes.” He smiled wide, showing his beautiful white teeth. “Please.”

  “Well, okay. You like bacon cheeseburgers, too. When it comes to Mexican food, your favorite is that steak burrito from that place on the plaza. Favorite pizza is supreme with extra black olives. You’ve told me you love your mother’s cinnamon raisin bread. You would eat lobster everyday if you could. Favorite color is blue. You live on café mochas. Your favorite T-shirt is the black one Caroline gave you for your twenty-fifth birthday.”

  “See you do know me.” Sam was positive that his plan would work.

  “Yes. I do.” Sophie became more confused by their conversation the further they got into it, but it helped calm her nerves. “So?”

  “I have a favor to ask. You can say no, but I hope you will think about it first.”

  She smiled, her bottom lip sticking out a little further than her top one. “Go ahead.”

  “We’ve established how well we know each other, and we get along so well. You know how my relationship with Lola has just gone up in flames, so we won’t be doing the meet the parents this week. You’re a former Halston resident with beautiful brown hair and amazing blue eyes.”

  So
phie’s heartbeat sped up as she began to see the picture he had created. Her lips quivered a bit before she spoke up. “Is there a question coming next?”

  He nodded. Moment of truth, he thought. “Will you pretend to be my girlfriend this week?”

  “Pretend?” was the first thing that came out of her mouth, and she immediately regretted it when his eyes went wide. “I mean …”

  “Oh, God. I, um …” Sam closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before admitting what he hoped to avoid in their conversation. “Things between Lola and I hadn’t been going well for a while. Today was a relief to me, but my mother is going to kill me if I go home without a girlfriend.”

  “So, you want me to be your girlfriend because you are scared of your mommy?” Sophie tried to contain her giggles while waiting for his answer.

  “No. Yes. Sort of.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head of the thought of Virginia Crawford’s disappointment. “The reason things with Lola had been going downhill was because I’ve started having feelings for someone else.”

  Someone else? Someone else! Sophie was calm on the outside, but having a complete breakdown on the inside. Lola was bad enough; she didn’t think she could handle seeing him with another mystery girl.

  “Someone I know?” Sophie heart pounded in her chest as she focused on the table, unwilling to look Sam in the eye.

  “Yes.”

  Sophie could feel the bile rising in her throat.

  “It’s you, Sophie.”

  Her head shot up, and her eyes went wide as she looked directly into his. “Me?” she squeaked.

  “Yes, you. To tell you the truth, I kind of had a thing for you back when we met. You were so beautiful — are so beautiful,” he corrected. “I know we flirted, but my mother had to remind me every time I saw you how much younger you were. But now …”

  “The difference doesn’t seem so big,” she said in a soft, breathy voice.

  “Right,” he agreed. “It might not be the most conventional way to start a relationship, but if you’re willing to try, I promise you won’t be sorry.”

  “Let me get this straight. You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend, but you really want me to be your girlfriend?”