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He scoffed. “I don’t need your help getting a woman, bro.”
Xander was good looking enough, Sophie, Eva and Olive always agreed that the Sheriff would be great marketing eye candy for their business, but he hadn’t dated at all lately. “I’m not so sure about that man, you haven’t been with a woman in a long time. A long, long time.”
He flipped me off as we headed to the locker room. “How in the hell would you know? You’re so busy mooning over Sophie I’m surprised you noticed anything or anyone else.”
“I don’t moon. Not ever. I observe. I watch.” I searched for any sign that Sophie had changed her mind, for any spark of romantic or sexual interest. So far, there had been none.
“You moon with big ol’ cow eyes, just like this.” Even though Xander was mocking me, it was worth it to see his ridiculous impression of cow eyes. “It’d be sad if you two weren’t so damn perfect for each other.”
So the whole town of Pilgrim said. Constantly. But their certainty didn’t change the fact that Sophie saw me as nothing more than a friend, and she always would it seemed.
“When you get the girl, maybe I’ll listen.”
A look crossed his blue eyes that I couldn’t quite decipher, and Xander turned towards the showers before I could ask him about it. We both showered and dressed quickly before leaving the gym, parting ways at the door. “Let me guess, movie night with Sophie?” The spark of amusement in Xander’s eyes was only offset by the hint of sympathy I saw.
“Always. You?”
He shrugged. “Finding something to eat and then Mayflower. Call if you want to hang out. Good luck, man.”
I grunted my thanks and threw a wave over my shoulder as I headed to my Jeep, shoulders slumped and my legs heavy. Xander didn’t say it, but I knew he was thinking that I was a pathetic fool when it came to Sophie. He wasn’t wrong. But she wasn’t just the woman of my dreams, she was also my best friend. My closest confidante. I couldn’t just cut her out of my life, that would hurt more than her rejection. But being around her only made me love her more.
After a quick stop at the liquor store, I made my way to Sophie’s little blue two-story home with an off-white picket fence. The house was perfect for a family, even though Sophie rarely talked about the future in terms of a husband or kids. Odd given that she runs a matchmaking agency. Not that I blamed her with the Worthington family as her clan. They were old money rich and toxic as hell, and she’d turned away from them the moment she was old enough.
Music blared from the other side of her door and I knocked, as I always did, before going inside. “Soph?”
How she heard me over the blasting hip hop music, I didn’t know, but when she answered, I smiled. “In the kitchen!”
To some people, Sophie Worthington was a plain beauty with her blond hair and big brown eyes, but they weren’t really looking at her. She was tall at five-ten, with curves that turned her sweet yellow and white striped sundress into a sexy pinup look that showed off her big breasts and slender waist. Her arms were strong as she stirred something that smelled amazing. The kitchen was dated and small, and the brand new yellow and purple appliances seemed out of place. Her showpiece was a large table with eight chairs that took up most of the kitchen. It was an odd mix, but Sophie loved it.
“Anchovies?”
She looked up from her old school linoleum countertop with a beaming wide smile that was just for me. “Good nose. I found a new tomato sauce recipe for tonight. Thought it would be perfect for Goodfellas.” She gave a dramatic pause, her smile growing just a little wider because she’d refused—for years—to watch that particular movie with me.
“Finally,” I told her with a dramatic sigh. “If you’d given me a heads up, I would’ve gotten Chianti instead of bourbon.”
Big brown eyes went wide with surprise. “Did you get bitters too? I’m out.”
“Did I get bitters,” I teased and pulled the second bottle from the bag. “It’s almost like I know you or something.” Sophie’s favorite cocktail was an Old Fashioned, and I had become an expert at making them over the years.
Her laugh was musical and feminine, so fitting with her bombshell figure. “You’re much better at making them than you were in high school.”
“So, why are we watching Goodfellas tonight, Soph?” Despite being a Worthington and a capable businesswoman, she was a horrible liar and couldn’t keep a secret to save her life.
Her cheeks pinkened and she turned back to the bubbling pot on the stove. “Because you’ve been badgering me about it for years.” Her tone was put-upon annoyance, and I grinned while I hunted down the tumblers she never put in the same spot twice. “And I thought it was the perfect movie for this sauce.”
