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“Hey Sophie, what’s up?”
She struggled to keep her words even, normal. “Hi, I’m sorry to bug you, but I’m trying to track down Nick. He’s not at home or at the office, and I need to talk to him.”
“Really? That’s odd. Did you check with Heather to see if he’s off at a site?”
She cleared her throat. “Umm, long story, but she said he was out of town for a few days. I really need to talk to him––it can’t wait.”
Alyssa remained silent, and Sophie gazed down to see if she’d dropped the call.
“Alyssa?”
“What happened?” Alyssa finally responded. “He was in a great mood last time I saw him. But when he’s upset, he usually takes off by himself. What’s strange is that he didn’t let me know.” Concern colored Alyssa’s voice.
Sophie’s breath hitched––Nick hadn’t told his sister he was leaving?
She gripped her thighs because they’d started shaking again. “Well, we had a misunderstanding and I need to clear it up sooner than later. He isn’t responding to my texts and my calls are going straight to voicemail.”
“Well, the only other person he may have told would be Brandt. He usually watches Bailey for him when he’s traveling.”
“Can you call him and ask if he knows? Please?”
Alyssa sighed. “Sure. Give me a few minutes and I’ll call you back. Do you want to tell me what happened? I might be able to help.”
“I’d rather talk to him first. Just know that it was a mix-up, and I can clear it all up if I could just talk to him.” Was she trying to convince Alyssa or herself?
They hung up, and Sophie nibbled on her pinky fingernail.
A few minutes later, Alyssa called back. “Well, I had to talk to Brandt, which is always annoying, but sure enough, Nick left Bailey with him. Brandt refused to tell me anything other than Nick asked him to watch his dog for a few days. I’m sorry.”
“Well, could I call Brandt? Maybe he’d tell me?” No matter that she hadn’t met the man.
“Trust me on this one, he’d never betray Nick’s trust. Look, I don’t know what went down, but I know he’s crazy about you. He’ll be back. You’ll work it out.” Alyssa’s tone shifted from annoyed to comforting.
Sophie flinched at the phrase “betray Nick’s trust” because that’s what he believed she’d done. And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do now but wait.
“Okay, thanks anyway.” She stared out the windshield, but her vision blurred. The world appeared a dull grey.
Her stomach churned, and the pounding at her temples restarted with a staccato rhythm. The never-ending nightmare continued. That same sensation of paralysis—like when the monster was pulling you under the bed and you couldn’t do a thing to prevent any of it. Helpless. Alone.
She’d promised herself she would never feel this way over a man again. But she loved Nick. Yes, she loved him and in her gut was positive he was the man for her. A man worth fighting for. And she would fight.
When she could figure out what to do next.
The beach, her usual haven, failed to comfort her because now the waves reminded her of Nick and his passion for surfing. Time to head back to the cottage and regroup. She’d figure out a way to remedy this situation. Because she hadn’t written a word in the past twenty-four hours and needed to get herself together.
When she arrived back at the cottage, it, too, reminded her of him.Damn. Come to think of it, everything about Laguna reminded her of him. He’d shared his quaint little town with her and in her heart, he remained intertwined with it.
Zack meowed and looked pointedly at his food bowls. Grateful for the distraction, she cracked open his favorite chicken and herring pâté and stroked his fur while he gobbled it down. Then, she curled up on the couch with him, comforted by his purring and pure, unconditional love.
She must have dozed off because the phone woke her up. She jumped up and ran to answer it. Zack squawked at being dumped unceremoniously from her lap.
Without glancing at the screen, she answered, “Nick.”
“I’m looking for Sophie?” a woman’s voice inquired.
Sophie coughed. “Oh, sorry about that. Yes, this is Sophie. May I help you?”
“It’s Melissa calling from New York. I’ve got some good news for you.”
