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Chapter Nine
Sophie’s phone rang on her bedside table at nine o’clock, startling her from a dream. The second her eyes flew open her head started a low throb. She whispered a groggy “Hello?”
“Did I wake you?” Maddie’s far-too-cheerful voice rang over the line. The girl never did get hangovers.
“Why are you calling at the crack of dawn? And why are you so happy?” Her temples had miniature jackhammers beating away, and there was a dull ache behind her eyes. It wasn’t just the alcohol; it was the lack of sleep. She’d stayed up far too late thinking about her neighbor, vacillating between mourning a sexual experience she’d never get to have and cheering her smart decision-making skills.
Maddie laughed. “Um, this is the latest I’ve slept in forever. I feel like I caught up on a year’s worth of sleep. I feel like a brand-new woman.”
Oh no. Maddie was perky and optimistic about the world. Sophie could not handle perky. And she absolutely couldn’t deal with optimism. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “Why are you calling me again?”
“Breakfast. Ce-ce and Gracie already headed back to Chicago, so this is the perfect chance for Penelope, you, and me to talk before she hits the road in a few hours. Evan says he’ll pick her up from the restaurant and they’ll leave from there.”
As much as Sophie would love to, there was no way she could say no. While Sophie loved their now-large group, Penelope and Maddie were her oldest and bestest friends. Getting time with just the three of them was at a minimum. She sighed. “How much time until you get me?”
“Can you be ready in thirty?”
Ugh. “I’ll be ready.”
At least she’d get coffee and grease. That would take care of her hangover.
The rest of her life, though, was still up for grabs. God only knew what tomorrow would bring.
Might as well enjoy her last day of being unemployed.
She climbed out of bed, determined to make the best of her situation, and her new life in Revival.
* * *
The three of them tumbled into Earl’s Diner. Sophie’s eyes still hurt, so she kept her oversized Chanel sunglasses in place. The second she walked through the door she spotted Ryder sitting with Charlie Radcliffe, the local sheriff.
She gritted her teeth.
Wasn’t that just great.
Why in the hell would anyone want to live in a small town? This was why she loved Chicago; it was hard to run into people in a city with two and a half million people. Unlike Revival. She’d lived here three days and she couldn’t escape Ryder.
The bell jingled and he looked toward the door.
Their gazes immediately locked.
Shoving her sunglasses to the top of her head, she rolled her eyes at him before smoothing down her coral tank top and white shorts.
He grinned and gave her a wink.
Her heart did a fast little double tap.
He was so obnoxious. And so, so gorgeous.
She stuck her tongue out at him before flouncing into the booth, realizing too late she’d picked the wrong side. Now she could stare at him from across the room. Those broad shoulders, his wide chest. That chiseled jaw. She shuddered. She needed to get her mind out of the gutter. Gutter thoughts would not help her resolve.
Maddie waved at Ryder and Charlie before turning to Penelope and her. “I’ll say hi and be right back.”
The waitress called out, “You girls want coffee?”
Sophie would sell her soul for coffee.
Maddie yelled back, “Yes, please. Thanks, Mabel.”
