Page 27 of Plot Twist
“What if I let you chill in the room alone for a while?” Sophie was an introvert with extroverted tendencies. She needed to recharge her batteries after spending too much time with other people, too. She understood where Dash was coming from. He could take the room, and she could go for a walk.
“I’m not overwhelmed by you,” he clarified. And something about the way his gaze lingered on her, as if to reassure her, made her breath catch.
I’m not overwhelmed by you, the words repeated in her head. His tone had been firm, like he needed her to understand his intentions. But what were those, exactly?
“Okay.” She licked her lips and tried to shake the confusion from her thoughts. “Want to catch the Pink Moment?”
His gaze searched the space, as if looking for her reference. “The Pink Moment?”
Sophie and Dash made their way across the yard and toward the edge of the property line, where a field of gnarled grapevines sat in the shadow of the looming mountains. The sun was just beginning to set, casting the rocky mountainsides in a shade of dusty pink. The light warmed every inch around them, and Sophie’s mouth opened as she took the view in. She hadn’t seen an Ojai sunset—the Pink Moment—in years, and she turned to tell Dash as much, but he was already looking at her. He quickly blinked and turned back before she could say anything. She lingered on him for a few moments—at the dimple in his chin and the small, perfectly round mole centered on his cheekbone. She studied the semivisible tattoo on his left bicep—a longhorn skull with the horns pointed forward—but forced herself to look away and back to the setting sun.
Even though she was focused on the mountains, she was close enough to smell the overwhelming wet-earth scent of Dash. And as he took a deep breath in, then out, she noticed the rhythm of his breaths. What would it be like to be wrapped up in his arms, pressed against that chest and feel the rise and fall of him as they breathed together?
“There it goes,” Dash said.
Sophie followed his gaze to the mountains where the sun had finally dipped behind the rocky crest and the sky was being swallowed by charcoal light.
“Hey.” Ned’s voice cut through the air. Sophie turned as he approached with a bottle of wine and two glasses. “Sorry I came in hot at the bookstore.”
Brittany emerged from their house with another wineglass and called out to them, “I told Ned that bringing your old Valentine was weird. Who does that? Petty people, that’s who.”
“She did tell me that.” Ned rolled his eyes, then handed Sophie a glass and extended one to Dash.
“I’m good.” Dash shook his head no.
“You sure?” Ned tilted the bottle. “I’m a sommelier, and this is a special bottle. It’s twenty years old and aged beautifully.”
“Even I’m going to have a little sip.” Brittany’s head tilted slightly.
“I’m good, thanks,” Dash said coolly. Sophie couldn’t help but notice how his entire body had gone rigid, so different from when they watched the sunset.
Ned poured wine into Sophie’s glass, then his own. They sipped and looked out toward the mountains. Eventually, Ned said, “So you’re a writer, too?”
“No, I wouldn’t say that.” Dash’s hands went into his pockets. He rocked back on his heels. “I used to be an actor, but now... I don’t have a steady job yet. I do a lot of gardening and some crafting.”
Sophie almost choked on her wine. He was a crafter? News to her. He hadn’t so much as mentioned that he... What did crafters do? Macramé?
“What do you make?” Ned asked.
“Mostly ceramics, but sometimes I work with candles, soaps, and body wash.”
“You do?” Sophie’s voice sounded way too surprised but, well, she was surprised. The guy lived next door to her, and they’d spent more than an hour alone in the car together, but he’d never brought up anything about ceramics. “You never told me that.”
Dash looked at her, amused. “That’s because I can’t get a word in, most of the time.”
Ned snickered loudly.
“Sophie, I think I know why you and Ned didn’t work out—you both talk too damn much.” Brittany looked directly at Dash. “I can’t get him to shut up half the time,andhe talks in his sleep. I never have peace.”
“Wait until the baby arrives,” Ned said. “You’ll think of this time as peaceful then.”
“We did four rounds of IVF to get this girl.” Brittany rubbed her bump. “When she’s here, she can scream as loud as she likes.”
“Congrats.” Sophie waved a hand at Brittany’s belly and then gave her a warm smile. “My sister, Nina, froze her eggs this year. She said the whole process was hard, but obviously worth it in the end.”
“Definitely.” Brittany nodded.
Ned and Brittany shared a look, and Dash leaned over to Sophie.
