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“Don’t be stubborn about this,” she told him, her voice calm and controlled. “I know Chelsea wanted this house, and I know Braxton has issues with the mayor. The past can’t be changed, and Chelsea would understand that you guys have no use for the property.”
Zach said nothing as he turned and walked out of her office. He’d barely cleared the door before he heard Braxton say, “That went well.”
Exiting the building, Zach actually agreed. He and Liam hadn’t thrown punches, as they’d been known to do on the rare occasions they’d been together. And Zach had managed to avoid the giant elephant in the room.
Sliding behind the wheel of his work truck, Zach brought the engine to life. Gripping the steering wheel, he looked down at his hands. The scars crisscrossing his knuckles always reminded him how he’d fought to save those he loved and how he’d severed any bond they’d once shared.
Yeah, that went well in there, considering they were all broken people with very different views of absolutely everything.
Zach was not looking forward to more chitchats with his brothers over this, and he sure as hell wasn’t wanting another encounter with Sophie. He couldn’t handle being that close, not when he still wanted her despite their past.
* * *
Sophie let herself into her cottage, all while juggling four grocery bags full of total crap food that had an insane amount of calories. This day called for ice cream of epic proportions as well as salty chips to follow, for the perfect balanced diet.
Kicking her front door shut, she headed toward the back of the house and into her kitchen, where she dumped her purse and the bags on the center island. Digging through her purchases, she was torn between the chunky chocolate chip and the strawberry with the cheesecake bites.
“Decisions, decisions,” she muttered as her cat, Flynn, slithered against the back of her legs.
Choosing the chocolate for now—because chocolate was a staple for emergencies—Sophie put the other ice cream away for later. She didn’t have to settle for just one pint tonight, right?
Toeing off her ballet flats, she padded to the living room, where she sank onto her bright red sofa. Having all three Monroe brothers in her office had been quite an experience. They were all so different, but the stubborn trait was one common thread. She’d known calling them all in at the same time would be risky, given the ever-present tension between Zach and Liam, not to mention her own issues with Zach. She’d also known she was taking a big chance with upsetting Braxton, but she knew that of all the brothers, he was the most levelheaded and wouldn’t blame her for being the messenger. She really was trying to help, not stir the proverbial pot.
Selling the estate on Sunset Lake was a perfect opportunity for them to get out from under the burden of Chelsea’s property.
Sophie and Chelsea had been best friends since grade school when the Monroes adopted Chelsea. When Zach was twelve, the Monroes had taken him in as well, rounding the number of kids to four.
Mr. and Mrs. Monroe were saints. They’d adopted three boys and a girl, none of them biologically related, and had raised them as a united family.
From the beginning Zach had sparked her attention with his quiet, mysterious mannerisms. Since she’d known him he’d been a man of few words. Like today in her office, when he’d propped himself up on one shoulder against the wall and simply stared at her beneath heavy lids. Zach was the type who observed, and it was anyone’s guess what went on in that head of his.
Sophie had grown up perfectly proper, with church on Sundays, her parents belonging to the right social groups, and straight A’s through school. Yet everything about her life felt boring and stuffy. The moment she’d met Zach, she couldn’t help but be drawn to him.
Sophie and Chelsea had instantly clicked when they’d met on the playground. They’d bonded over their schoolgirl crush on Beau Skeens. He’d had a Mohawk. A kid with a Mohawk was beyond cool, and Sophie and Chelsea had both giggled behind the swing set while they watched Beau play basketball. From then on the girls were inseparable.
And when she’d gone home with Chelsea after school one day a couple years later and saw Zach, that infatuation with the bad boy continued. He sat, scowling, at the Monroes’ kitchen table until Chelsea punched him in the arm and told him to smile because this house would be the best place he’d ever want to live. Then she’d invited him to walk to the Dairy Dream for a milk shake.
Yeah. Sophie had fallen for the boy who seemed to have a chip on his shoulder, but could be talked into a double chocolate shake by his new perky sister.
While Sophie had been raised to worry what others thought, Zach didn’t give a damn. As a teen, she’d wondered how well that would go over with her proper parents, if she just threw caution to the wind and worried about what made her happy and not the rest of the world. Chelsea had hinted more than once that Zach would be good for Sophie, and vice versa.
Nearly a decade had passed since she and Zach had finally stopped dancing around each other. They were heading toward something that could’ve been remarkable, when all of their lives changed in an instant. Since then, Zach Monroe treated her as if she had the plague, as if he couldn’t stand to be in the same room with her. He’d pushed most people away and nearly worked himself to death . . . and all of that was after he’d gotten out of jail.
Swearing off bad boys, silent seducers, and that pull toward the mysterious, no matter how heavy the temptation, Sophie had opted to move on. For a while she’d been afraid to date, afraid for a man to see the scars she had hidden beneath her clothes. Eventually she realized the scars weren’t going away and she needed a social life. She’d been dating Martin for six months, and they were quite compatible when they could squeeze in dates between their busy schedules. Well, they weren’t so much compatible as they shared similar backgrounds and Sophie’s parents loved him.
But lately she’d been wondering if there should be more to a relationship. Shouldn’t there be sparks or . . . something?
Flynn jumped onto the sofa and curled up next to Sophie.
“Great, I’m the cat lady,” she mut
tered against the next bite of ice cream. “I’ll die old and alone. You’ll probably outlive me.”
She sighed as she dug in for another spoonful. She needed to call Martin and let him know the guys were going to think about the offer. With the way Zach had left abruptly, and Liam still dead set on selling, she truly had no idea which way this decision would go.
Sophie’s cell chimed from her purse she’d left in the kitchen. Normally she’d ignore it, but she had several new listings and she was known for being prompt and professional.
Eyeing the carton of ice cream, she silently promised to return soon. Running as quick as she could allow herself, she pulled the phone from her purse and smiled at the name lighting up her screen.
