Page 33 of Second Chance in Laguna

Alyssa shook her head. “No, more like disappointed––out of character for him. He wouldn’t tell me what was bugging him.”

“Well, I have no idea because I called him to thank him, and he never called me back.” Her fingers gripped the stem of her wineglass. “It made me wonder if they were blow-off flowers or something.”

A line formed between Alyssa’s brows. “No way. I can tell he’s really interested in you. Did you leave him a message?”

“Well, his office manager answered his phone and said he was in a meeting. I left a message with her.”

“Heather? I can’t stand her. Why didn’t you call his cell?”

“I did call his cell, and she answered. Which seemed strange to me.” Way too reminiscent of her ex’s shady double life.

Alyssa frowned. “Oh, Nick will be pissed she answered his cell and didn’t pass along your message. What is that woman playing at? I’ve told him to fire her so many times.”

“I hate to ask, but did they ever date? She watches him like a hawk watches a rabbit.” Not to mention Mallory at the grocery store mentioning she was after him.

“No, never. She’s connected in the architecture industry, family ties or something. He just says she’s great at her job and essential somehow to his obsession with winning the Pritzker.” Alyssa paused to sip her wine.

“I have no doubt she’s always perfectly charming to his face, you know, like the evil girls onThe Bachelorwho are sweet to the guy and horrible to the other girls.” Alyssa sucked in her cheekbones and puffed out her lips in a fake kissy face.

Sophie laughed. “Perfect imitation. You’re exactly right.”

“Okay, this is ridiculous. She’s obviously after my brother. He’s not into her and would never cross the work line anyway. Send him a text. He’s disappointed he didn’t hear from you. But he’d be mortified if he knew I told you.”

“Are you sure?”

Alyssa winked. “Absolutely. And one more secret: I’ve never known my brother to send flowers before.”

Hope sparked inside her. “Okay, I’ll do it. I hope you’re right.”

With Alyssa cheering her on, she texted Nick. He responded instantly. A few flirtatious messages later and they had dinner plans. Anticipation sparked up her spine.

“See? My work here is done.” Alyssa hugged her and rose from the bench. “I’ve got to run.”

“Thanks for coming by. Now I’ll be able to focus on writing this afternoon. And who knows, maybe it was simply an oversight on Heather’s part.” Although her gut told her the woman knew exactly what she was doing.

“Yeah, right. Don’t worry about her and have fun tonight.” Alyssa snorted and sauntered back to her car.

Sophie hugged her arms around her waist and practically skipped back to the house. Time to shower, write, and be ready when Nick picked her up.

* * *

Dinner includeda few of her favorite things: wood-fired margherita pizza, Chianti, and Nick. Pushing any concerns to the back of her mind, she chose to take the evening hour by hour and savor not just the delicious food but also his charming company.

Being with Nick was easy. In the past, friends had advised her relationships should be easy, especially in the beginning, but she’d never experienced it for herself. Never truly understood until Nick. Finally, their words clicked.

Learning more about how much he loved architecture and how he’d left a big firm in Irvine to follow his heart by opening his own firm, a few years ago intrigued her. Kind of like her leaving the magazine job to follow her own dreams. He shared how he was immersed in creating a new wing for Memorial Hospital and focused on a pet project redesigning a local museum.

“The museum sounds exciting. What made you so passionate about helping them? Are you a big art lover?” She leaned closer.

He gazed down at his plate. “My mother loved art and spent hours volunteering at the museum. I want to honor her memory. And this project could turn the tides for my contention for the Pritzker Prize.”

Sophie’s heart stuttered and she covered his hand with hers. “I’m so sorry. How long has she been gone? And how does your father handle it?”

“They were killed in a car accident while on holiday in Ireland. Fifteen years ago.” He intertwined his fingers with hers.

Her throat tightened. “That’s terrible. You and Alyssa were so young. Who took care of you?”

“Me. I was in my second year at Cornell. Alyssa had just started high school, so it was especially hard on her. It all worked out.” He blew out a breath.

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