Page 47 of Changing Tides

Miles: Oh, so you took her to her bed.

Me: No. I didn’t go to bed with Sophie, Miles, and neither should you.

Miles: And just why the fuck not, Liam? You want her? Just say the word and I’ll back off.

Me: Sophie and I are friends.

Miles: Okay then.

Me: No. Not okay. She’s just been through a nasty divorce. You remember what that’s like. And it’s only been a couple of weeks for her. Be her friend.

It takesMiles a few minutes to answer and no one else says anything either, making me think they know I’m right.

Miles: Fair enough. I’m sorry I called you a cockblock.

Me: All good, buddy. Hey, Melanie’s available now.

Miles: Sloppy seconds ain’t my style.

Danny: Can you assholes continue this love fest in a private text? My phone won’t stop vibrating.

I decide notto answer after that, but I do feel better. I think the Miles issue is over for the foreseeable future.

I text Sophie late in the afternoon and we meet out front to walk to the yoga class. Once again, her radiance leaves me momentarily speechless. She’s wearing hot pink workout leggings and a blue sports bra looking top that shows a peek of her midriff. Her hair is piled up on her head and there’s that lip gloss again, driving me wild. She greets me with a big smile. “Ready?” She asks, falling into step beside me.

“I guess so,” I admit. “I hope flow yoga is easier than hot yoga.” I laugh.

She shakes her head vigorously. “Oh, it is. I promise you’ll be fine. You may even relieve some stress.” She elbows me teasingly.

Being with Sophie is so easy, I want to be with her all the time. I can’t help but notice how close she is walking to me, like she did the other night. Our knuckles brush against each other, and I am remembering what it was like to hold her hand. My stomach flutters at the memory of our almost-kiss and my dick moves. I need to distract myself. I take a small step to my right and if Sophie notices, she doesn’t react. I already miss the closeness, but I need to keep my head in the game.

I force my mind out of the gutter.Think about your grandma. Now is not the time.I stifle a cough and catch Sophie looking at me curiously.

“So…are you happy to be living in Cape May?” I blurt. That came out weird.

She raises her eyebrows, and I am sure she’s thinking that I am a moron. “Under the circumstances, not really,” she admits. “I feel like I’m having to start my whole life over again. But I do love it here. I came here every summer weekend as a kid.” She must feel the spring chill because she wraps her arms around herself.

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. “Oh, really? Did you have a house here?”

“I did. It was my grandparents’ house on Jackson Street. We used to stay there when we visited.” She seems wistful with a faraway look in her eyes. “My parents made friends with some locals and other out-of-towners and we kids would play on the beach until sunset. Then when my mom died, we stopped coming.”

Her revelation throws me off balance. “Oh, Sophie, I’m so sorry.” I want to touch her,godI want to touch her, but I don’t. “I didn’t know your mom died.”

“It’s okay.” She offers me a grim smile. “It was a long time ago.” Her voice drifts off. We stop to wait for a walk signal as we approach the next block.

“What happened to the house?” I ask, genuinely curious whether a developer knocked it down and built two in its place.

“My grandparents sold it. They were getting old and couldn’t manage the upkeep. And it was just too painful for my dad to come visit here anymore. He never saw the house again before it was sold. It’s still there though.” Sophie looks sorrowful, but I am sure that this conversation about her past isn’t easy.

“I know that feeling. My house is the one I grew up in, and my sister Leah’s imprint is on everything. When she died, I started going through her things, but it was so hard for me. My parents went back to Florida, and I got tired of crying every time I looked at her stuff. So now I just ignore it and leave it stacked in my living room taking up space. That may be just as bad.” I smirk.

“Maybe one day I could go through it with you. I think it helps when you have a team. That’s how my brother Simon and I went through the mementos in our house.” She touches my bicep, and I immediately feel heat.

We share a tentative smile as we approach the yoga studio. “I’d really like that,” I tell her, and I mean it.

* * *

This yoga classis much better. The room is dim and cool, but not too cool. The moves are slow and sequential. I feel deeply relaxed when it’s finished, and ready for bed. Being this close to Sophie is a peculiar feeling. I feel bonded to her in a way I cannot explain. I feel as if I have known her my entire life, yet, I don’t even know what hand she writes with. I know the more time I spend with her, the harder it’s going to be to keep my hands to myself.

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