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“No. I didn’t know you were engaged,” Sofi said, wondering why she needed to explain herself.
“But now you do.”
“I still don’t want to pay for your meal,” Sofi reiterated as the waitress came back with her check. She added a big tip and then gathered her card and the box of food the waiter handed her.
“And to think I was going to ask you to come to the wedding,” Rob said, annoyance filling his every word.
Sofi had no words.
She waved a small goodbye and practically sprinted for the door. She felt a surge of gratefulness that while her date had been a complete loser, at least he wasn’t from Blue Falls. Hopefully she’d never lay eyes on him again.
Laughter followed her as she walked out into the beautiful June evening.
“Shut up, Austin,” Sofi said before he could say anything.
“Engaged?” Austin choked out through his guffaws.
Sofi just shook her head as she headed straight for her car, locking the doors before Austin could join her again.
She placed her dinner on the seat beside her and pulled out of the parking lot, Austin’s laughter ringing in her ears long after she got on the highway.
As she began to recall the evening, Sofi’s shoulders began to shake, her own laughter bubbling out of her.
She’d been on so many first dates, and some of them had been less than stellar, but this one had to take the cake. Yes, living it hadn’t been fun but it would be a story she’d tell forever.
And to think I was going to ask you to come to the wedding. Sofi laughed hardest at Rob’s parting shot.
That was one wedding she was more than happy to miss.
Three
Sofi’snext date was as unexpected as it was welcome. It would have been even more welcome if the date in question didn’t look on her as just a best friend and if she hadn’t been a solution to a problem. But when Austin had called her two nights before in a panic because Lake wanted all of the brothers to bring a date to her wedding and he’d been planning on going stag, Sofi had to say yes. She practically never said no when it came to Austin.
“You are going to knock that boy’s boots off,” Leia said as she came into Sofi’s bedroom.
Sofi shifted from foot to foot, teetering on her four-inch white sandals as she stood in front of her full-length mirror and tried to see what Leia saw. Her dress was pretty, Sofi would allow that. The collar on her mint green dress was a band around her neck before giving way to her bare shoulders. The soft material draped loosely over her top half but with a matching tie around her waist it cinched in, defining one of Sofi’s favorite parts of her body. The skirt then fell in an A-line to right above her ankles, showing off the killer heels and French tip pedicure Sofi had gotten earlier that day. All of the colors she wore contrasted perfectly with her rich golden skin tone. Her dark hair was pulled up in a high bun with a few curls framing her face and she’d put in some extra effort on her makeup, opting for a gold smokey eye and a soft pink lip. And while objectively Sofi could see how all of those elements would, say, knock a boy’s boots off, Sofi was second guessing everything. Was her dress trying too hard? Should she wear less conspicuous shoes? Was her makeup too much? She was just a best friend, a sub-in date, after all.
“Stop it,” Leia commanded even though Sofi hadn’t said a thing. “You look beautiful. Don’t downplay yourself because he’s too stupid to see you for what you are.”
“What am I?” Sofi asked softly, knowing she was basically asking Leia to keep complimenting her, but Sofi’s ego had taken a hit a few days before with Rob. And now as she prepared to be on the arm of the man she loved most but who saw her only as a friend, Sofi was feeling a little sorry for herself.
“A knockout, Sof. As well as the sweetest and kindest woman I know. You’re funny, gorgeous, happy-go-lucky, friendly to a fault, and the best cook in all of Blue Falls.”
A smile grew where Sofi’s frown had once been. “Just Blue Falls?” she joked.
“Can’t let your head grow too big. We wouldn’t want it to outshine that dress,” Leia teased right back.
“Speaking of knockouts.” Sofi whistled as she turned to look at her roommate.
Leia wore a light pink chiffon dress with three quarter length sleeves and a slit so high up the side that Sofi wanted to cheer. Self-conscious of her body, Leia often hid in baggy t-shirts, but the plunging V on Leia’s dress tastefully showed off what her mama gave her and Sofi couldn’t have been happier for her friend.
“You look hot!” Sofi exclaimed.
“Stop it,” Leia said even as her eyes begged Sofi to continue. It looked like Sofi wasn’t the only one who needed a confidence boost that evening.
“Seriously, I am going to have to keep an eye on you,” Sofi continued as she looped an arm through Leia’s and brought the two of them into the living room. “Though I’m going to guess Trent will be doing that plenty as well,” Sofi said.
Leia’s sister had died two years before, leaving behind a husband and two adorable little boys. Her husband Trent had been a mess, understandably, and Leia had stepped in as caretaker for not only her nephews but for her bereft brother-in-law. As a result, the man was extremely protective of his wife’s sister. Sometimes Sofi wondered if there was more to what Trent felt for Leia than met the eye, but she’d never brought it up to her friend. Leia hadn’t seemed ready to hear it. Maybe one day.
