The idea settled over Sophie like a soft shadow, intriguing yet intimidating. “I suppose you have a point. But how do I even begin to explore that? It’s not like I can just start treating him as a potential…anything. He’s here for a job.”
“Well…” Donna grinned before sipping her drink. “Maybe start small. Share that thriller with him. See how he reacts, not just to the genre shift but to the idea of the two of you sharing something he’s interested in.”
Sophie considered this, her mind racing with possibilities. The last time she’d tried to test the waters with him by asking him to meet for dinner, he’d shut her down hard. What if he did that again? The alternative was to continue to endure silent dinners with him. “I’ll think about it. It would be nice to once again discuss something deeper than our next meal.”
As they wrapped up their drinks, Sophie’s phone rang once more. Instead of raising it to her ear, she pushed the button toput the call on speaker. No way would she risk hanging up on whoever it was a third time. “Hello.”
“Is this Sophie?” a female voice asked.
“It is. And you are?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m calling to tell you to stay away from Oliver.”
The line went dead.
“That was rude,” Sophie said, frowning.
Donna nodded. “Really rude. Do you think it’s a jealous girlfriend he failed to mention?”
Sophie peeked at Stone, who happened to be glancing at them, his brow knitted as if he instinctively knew something unsettling had just happened. She gave him a small shake of her head so he wouldn’t come over.
He ignored her body language and approached. “Everything okay?”
“Not really,” Donna answered. “Some weird chick just called Sophie and told her to stay the hell away from Oliver.”
“Give me your phone,” Stone said in a tone just barely above freezing.
“This is not necessary,” Sophie said, as she handed it over.
“I’ll be the judge of that.” He held her phone up to her face to unlock.
“I’m telling you, it’s no big deal. Some girl likes Oliver and doesn’t want him featured.”
“Considering you’ve been threatened, I can’t ignore anything out of the usual.” He pushed a call button on his own phone. “Hey, Montgomery, I need you to trace a number.”
“Listen, hon, I’ve got an early morning tomorrow. I better scoot,” Donna said. “Give me a call tomorrow and let me know what Oliver has to say about this new development.”
“You’ve got it. Thanks for hanging out. I needed the girl time.”
“Remember what we talked about,” Donna said. “I can’t wait to see how that plays out.” She winked at Sophie and then sauntered away.
“Are you sure?” Stone was talking into the phone.
Sophie finished her drink while she waited for Stone to hang up.
When he did, his scowl was in full force. “The phone was a burner. Jealous girlfriends don’t usually go so far as to buy a burner phone to make a threat.”
“Sometimes they do.”
“Most of the time they don’t.” Stone caught the attention of the bartender. “Check, please.”
Chapter 21
Stone waited until Sophie was asleep before pulling out his laptop and digging into Oliver’s background. The dim light from the screen cast shadows in the living room, mirroring the unease in his heart. It didn’t take much effort to discover that Oliver had recently been on a couple of dates with a supermodel during fashion week.
Other than that, his profile was low. He’d lost his wife and unborn child due to pregnancy complications three years ago. Stone’s fingers paused over the keyboard, a pang of unexpected sympathy piercing through his professional detachment. He could only imagine the weight of that kind of loss, the void that would never fully close. Was that why Oliver was open to the adventure Sophie had tossed his way? Had he come out of his tragedy with a lesson learned—one that proved life was fleeting, and a person should embrace the now instead of waiting for the later? The same lesson Sophie had learned from the loss of her parents?
In complete contrast, Stone had taken a stab at love once, had been burned, and shut his heart down forever.
