Page 24 of Plot Twist
“We were friends,” she said.
“It didn’t really feel that way when you just kept ignoring me.” And there it was: Sophie had absolutely hurt Ned’s feelings. Their breakup had been so long ago, the thought he might still hold a grudge hadn’t even occurred to her.
“Do you want to talk about it?” she offered. Out of all the things Sophie had expected coming into this meeting with Ned, her being the villain wasn’t one of them.
“You don’t have to therapize me, or whatever they do out in Los Angeles,” he joked.
“I don’t therapize, I only accessorize.” Sophie held up her red laptop bag, whichdidmatch her red dress.
This made Ned laugh, which she was grateful to see. She’d forgotten what an incredibly wide and mischievous smile he had.
“I need to ask you a question.” Sophie leaned across the table. She wanted to steer them back to the experiment.
But then Ned’s phone began to loudly ring. “One sec.” He took the phone out from his pocket. “It’s my wife. She’s picking me up after this.”
Ned pushed himself up from the table and walked away as he answered. Sophie exhaled, a bit relieved that he was gone, even if only for a minute. She knew these meetings with her exes would be emotionally draining, but she hadn’t realized just how much unfinished business she might have to wade through. And she and Ned definitely had some.
Sophie grabbed her phone to distract her, and when she glanced at the screen, there was a text from Dash.
Dash:Car won’t start...
Well, that was a plot twist she hadn’t seen coming.
10
DASH
Dash stood under the awning of an olive-oil store called You’re Oil I Need, where he’d bought a lemon-infused blend that was supposed to do wonders for the skin.
He had not anticipated that his happy place would be downtown Ojai, but he’d also nearly bought one of every candle at the Candle with Care store next door. Retail therapy was working wonders for his mood and making the tiny trunk of his sports car rather crowded.
Which was why he’d decided it was time to collect Sophie before he ran out of room for her, too. The day was turning out to be...fun. A word he hadn’t really used or thought of in some time, but he was enjoying himself.
Only, when he went to start the car...the engine did not turn over. No matter how many attempts he made.
After texting Sophie the bad news, he’d googled auto-body shops that worked on classic cars, but there didn’t seem to be any nearby. He stared at his phone, unsure of the next best move. A TikTok notification popped up, and he clicked into the new message.
@craftycindybad news: it’s so hot here that I have to do my next video in a bikini
Dash couldn’t help but lick his lips. Cindy was cute, no doubt about it, and she was definitely flirting with him. Since he couldn’t keep flirting with Sophie, he might as well funnel his feelings into someone else.
@tokcrafty2meif you’re trying to make knitting go viral, you might have found the answer
@craftycindy??
@craftycindywhat are you doing at this very moment? Should we FaceTime? I’ll give you a bikini preview...
A loud horn beeped as a pickup truck pulled up next to his car. Then Sophie opened the passenger door and hopped out, which was made stranger when a random guy and a very pregnant woman got out of the driver’s side.
Dash raised an eyebrow at them. Without having to ask the obvious, Sophie went ahead and made the introduction. “Dash, this is Ned, and this is Brittany, Ned’s wife.”
Ned tugged the brim of his baseball cap as a greeting.
“Sophie said you’re having car trouble?” Brittany wore a fitted violet maternity dress and her straight, fiery red hair fluttered behind her in the wind. She was impossible to miss. “My dad is a mechanic, and I know just about everything when it comes to an engine. Could you pop the hood?”
Dash would happily oblige because, truly, he had no idea what to do in a situation like this beyond calling a tow company. He may have taken great care of his car and massaged oil across her paint to maintain the shine, but a mechanic he was not. He popped the hood, and Brittany got to work inspecting the engine while Ned dutifully stood next to her.
Dash stepped back and onto the sidewalk to give them space, but also to stand next to Sophie. The easy smile she gave was almost as warm as being next to a kiln.
