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Sussex shook his head. “I’m not the only one who caused her pain. But don’t worry. I fully intend to help Sophie recover, once I get the opportunity.”
Was the man delusional? Did he still truly believe he had a shot with Sophie?
Noah scoffed. “You asked her to marry you for one reason only—the Java Giant empire. Sophie knows it. I know it. And it appears that your boss, Roger Mattson, now realizes it. I’d look for a new job if I were you.”
John’s face blanched. Noah could see reality crashing over him. With a withering look, he stomped off. Noah could only pray he never saw Sussex again.
Jasper came forward and shook his fist at Noah. “I had a gut feeling you were a snake in the grass. How could you treat Sophie like that?”
“I know you don’t like me, Jasper. You’ve made it abundantly clear. I’m sure you think I’m a low-down dirty dog—” Noah began.
Jasper cut him off, “That pretty much sums it up.”
Noah sliced his hand through the air. “I’m not going to argue with you. Trust me, I have more important things to deal with right now. For starters, I have to find the woman I love and make things right. Nothing else matters.”
Hazel, with her hands firmly planted on her hips, marched up to him. He braced himself to feel the full impact of her wrath. It gutted him to lose the woman’s friendship and respect.
“Is that true? Do you really love Sophie?” she asked in a gruff tone.
“More than my own life.” Noah knew he’d never said anything with more conviction. What he felt for Sophie was epic. His throat tightened at the prospect of losing the love of his life.
Cameron walked up and met Noah’s gaze head-on. “I consider myself a good judge of character. I don’t like the fact that you’ve been spying on Sophie for her slimy ex, but from what I’ve seen, you really love that girl. That’s got to count for something in this world.”
Relief flooded through Noah. At least he still had a few people in Love who believed in him, even though he wasn’t certain he deserved the benefit of the doubt.
“So, are you just going to stand here and watch that helicopter fly farther and farther away? Or are you going to fight for Sophie?” Hazel said in a thunderous voice.
Jasper sputtered. “I can’t believe you’re encouraging this scallywag to try to win Sophie back.”
Hazel cut her eyes at him. “Let me tell you something, Jasper. I’m a true romantic at heart. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have waited around for you all this time. How many years did I love you, when you barely knew I was alive? Humph! Way too many to count. People stumble. We all fall at one point or another. We fail to do what’s right and we hurt the very people we love the most. I’ve done it. And so have you. Some of the best couples in this town have had their trials. If I remember correctly, we’ve encouraged many a couple to fight the good fight. How can we do any less for Noah and Sophie?”
Jasper sighed, then reached out and drew her close to his side. “That right there is the reason I love you to pieces, Hazel Tookes.” He pressed a kiss on her cheek. “You’re right. If Sophie loves Nickolai here, I’ll support it.”
“It’s Noah!” Hazel, Cameron and Noah all hollered at once. Jasper smirked and ducked his head. Noah knew full well he’d been messing with him all this time. The mayor was as sharp as a tack. He’d known his name from the get-go.
Noah shrugged. “Hazel, I appreciate the support, but I don’t even know where to start in order to fix this.”
“What we need to do is put our collective thinking caps on. If I know Sophie like I think I do, she wouldn’t miss our wedding for anything in this world. She’ll be back.” Hazel thumped him on the shoulder. “And you need to be ready to lay it all on the line. Do you think you can do that?”
Noah swallowed past the huge lump in his throat. “I don’t have a choice,” he replied, grateful when Cameron sent him an encouraging nod. “God planted me here in Love for a reason. And it has everything to do with meeting Sophie and falling in love with her. I’m prepared to do anything I need to in order to win her back. Or fall on my face trying.”
Chapter Twelve
Sophie gazed out of the window, silently admiring the view of Central Park from her penthouse apartment. It had been four days since she had left Alaska. Four days during which she had barely eaten or laughed or smiled. Having a broken heart always sounded like such a cliché, but for the first time in her life, Sophie knew how it felt. It made the events of last year seem like child’s play. And even
though Noah had been the instrument of her pain, she couldn’t simply snap her fingers and fall out of love with him.
The distance between New York City and Alaska did nothing to soothe her pain. Being back home didn’t mend her heartache. It gave her a buffer against Noah and his lies, but it didn’t stop her from loving him. She wasn’t sure anything could.
Her father padded down the hall in his robe and slippers. He was carrying a tray of scones and an assortment of coffee drinks. He had a newspaper under his arm. Much to Sophie’s surprise, he had taken off a week from Java Giant in order to be with her and help her heal. He poured coffee into two mugs and handed Sophie one. She blew on it, then took a sip, savoring the rich chicory flavor. If nothing else, lying about in her pj’s drinking coffee was comforting.
Roger raised his eyebrows at her. “Sophie. You’ve been moping around for days. There’s nothing I want more than to have you here in the city with me, but something tells me your heart and mind are back in Alaska.”
Sophie bowed her head. She had cried more tears in the last few days than in her entire life combined. She’d prayed and cried. Then prayed some more. She lifted her head and met her father’s steely gaze. “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I found a home in Love.”
“You didn’t hurt my feelings. Parents raise children up to spread their wings and fly. How can I be upset that you found a place to soar?” He narrowed his gaze. “And that young man Noah? What you found with him? It looked pretty serious from where I was standing.”
Sophie took a long sip of her coffee. Her father’s eyes were probing. “Come on, Sophie. You can tell me.”
