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“Shut up, Sussex. That’s a lie.” Noah looked at Sophie, begging her with his eyes to believe him. “He asked me to romance you, but I would never have done that as part of the assignment.”
“Isn’t that exactly what you did, though? You courted me, flirted with me, told me you had feelings for me. You made me dream of a future with you. The white picket fence covered with icicles and a houseful of kids with runny noses and big blue eyes.” She pounded his chest with her fists. “You made me fall in love with you.”
“You’re in love with me?” Noah asked. Joy flooded through him. For a single moment he reveled in this feeling of pure satisfaction. Sophie loved him back!
“You fell in love with him?” Sussex said in a sneering tone.
“Be quiet, Sussex. I’m warning you,” Noah growled. If Sophie loved him, then surely she would hear him out and give him the opportunity to make amends.
Noah swung his gaze toward Sophie. He felt like an absolute idiot. He should have told her the truth a long time ago. Sussex had come to Love not only to win her back, but to expose Noah, who had inadvertently tipped him off by asking pointed questions about the assignment.
Sussex took a step toward Sophie. “My feelings for you haven’t changed one iota, Sophie. You’re the love of my life. I still wish to become your husband. I’ve been waiting patiently for you to realize we were meant to be together,” he said.
Noah rolled his eyes. He prayed Sophie wasn’t falling for this ridiculous act. The man loved no one but himself. Of that Noah felt certain.
Sophie scoffed. “You don’t love me, John. You used me for my father’s connections and his vast fortune. You weaseled your way to the top of his corporation. But that wasn’t enough, was it? You wanted the heiress, too. Because that way you’d have your entire future wrapped up with a nice little bow. The world would be your oyster.”
Heiress? Fortune? Noah’s head was spinning. Sophie was wealthy?
“That’s not true,” Sussex declared.
Sophie let out a harsh laugh. “And something tells me that’s why you’re here right now. According to my father’s grand plan, I inherited half of the corporation on my birthday. You just can’t bear the thought of letting everything slip through your fingers, can you?”
“You can’t honestly believe that! I’m devoted to you,” John cried, appearing wounded. Noah wanted to give him an Oscar for best actor. There were even tears in his eyes.
“I do believe it, John. There’s no question about it! So you see, the joke is on you. You hired Noah to spy on me, but it was really a waste of time. I don’t want you in my life. I will never marry you! You will never get your hands on my shares of the company.”
John’s expression hardened. The wheels seemed to be turning in his head. Noah sensed he knew things weren’t going his way.
A loud noise rumbled from outside. It was getting louder and louder by the second. People began to spill from the reception room into the foyer. The sound was emanating from the sky.
Aidan came running toward them. “Come outside. It’s a helicopter. And it’s getting lower and lower to the ground.”
Liam peeked out the window. “You’re right, son. Pretty cool, huh?”
“Let’s go get a closer look,” Aidan pleaded, tugging his father by the hand.
At the news of a helicopter landing at Love’s town hall, all the guests made their way outside, with the exception of a few stragglers.
Noah didn’t take his eyes off Sophie as they joined the crowd. He still needed to clear the air with her. This helicopter was serving as a distraction. Judging by the beleaguered expression on Sophie’s face, she had already heard an earful.
“What in the world is going on? Helicopters need clearance before they set down.” Jasper angrily shook his fist in the air. “What kind of stunt is this?”
“Maybe it’s a special guest for our rehearsal dinner,” Hazel suggested. She made a squealing sound. “Perhaps it’s one of those Hollywood action stars!”
“I don’t care who it is,” Jasper grumbled. “I’m the mayor of this town and I didn’t receive a single call, email or tweet about this.”
The thought of Jasper tweeting provided a slight dose of levity to an otherwise anxious situation. Noah felt an impulse to grab Sophie by the hand and take her away from all this madness. If he could only sit down with her in a quiet space and talk to her. He desperately needed to tell her he loved her.
“Oh, no,” Sophie said with a groan. “This cannot be happening.” Her eyes were glued to the descending helicopter.
Noah took his eyes off her and lifted his gaze toward the sky. He studied the helicopter as it lowered for a landing. There was a huge emblem on the side of it. Java Giant.
Java Giant? It was a huge coffee chain. Java Giant was in all fifty states. It was a household name. His employees drank it on a regular basis. He would know that red logo anywhere.
One look at Sophie’s face spoke volumes. There was an expression of such dread and angst etched on it. Noah knew that it had something to do with the Java Giant helicopter.
Suddenly it dawned on him. He hadn’t been the only one keeping secrets. Perhaps the person or persons inside the helicopter held the key to Sophie Miller’s past.
