But I'm already distracted again. I catch sight of Sophia standing, her small frame lifting above the sea of people. Her gaze seems to skim the room in slow motion before landing on mine. I hold still, waiting for her reaction. Her lips partslightly, and surprise flickers across her face before she schools it into something more neutral. She lifts a hand in a small wave. I give her a single nod before she turns and disappears toward the back of the restaurant.
"I'll be right back," I tell Lucas.
I follow her down the hall and slip into the restroom behind her, locking the door with a quiet click. The moment she turns, her brow furrows.
"What are you doing?"
With every step forward I take, she takes one back until she's pressed against the sink. I plant a hand on the counter behind her, caging her. My pulse hammers in my ears, and my thoughts are a tangled mess.
"I thought you weren't dating anyone."
Her eyes narrow. "What are you talking about?"
"Brandon. Who is he?"
She exhales sharply, and the breath puffs against my collarbone. She doesn't flinch, doesn't try to escape. If anything, she's sizing me up, searching for something in my expression.
"He's one of my best friends," she finally says, her voice even. "We've never dated. Never kissed. He has a new girlfriend every month, so he wouldn't be interested in me anyway. And he's someone I trust completely."
Her words settle between us, but I don't move. I don't trust myself to. I'm still unsettled, still trying to figure out why I followed her back here, why the thought of her with someone else has me feeling like my skin doesn't fit right. I'm so used to uncomplicated indifference to women. But Sophia? She's unravelingme.
Her gaze flicks up at mine, waiting. I can't bring myself to step away, but I also don't know how to close the space between us.
"Oh."
She lets out a quiet laugh and shakes her head. "Goodnight, Grant."
"Enjoy the rest of your evening, Sophia."
I force myself to leave, and the lock clicks open as I step back into the dim hallway. When I return to the table, Lucas is still there, eyeing me with barely concealed amusement.
"You know you are allowed to date. Sometimes, I think you take this whole single-dad thing too far. It's turning into an excuse at this point."
I pull my glasses off and drag a hand over my face. "I know."
"You guys look great together."
He turns his laptop to face me. An email is open featuring images from the Oscars' red carpet, attached to an inquiry from a reporter.
When I saw her in front of me that night, I couldn't stay away. I was drawn to her. She has a way of putting me at ease—such ease that I ended up with my arm around her hips, and our friendly interaction looked more like friends with benefits.
"Will you stop harassing me if I admit she's attractive?"
Lucas leans back with a grunt. "Fine. Some of those journalists, though? They are out for blood. If there is something brewing between you two, I need to know before you take it too far."
"A young Oscar-winning actress producing and starringin her first movie, one written by Edie Lang no less, should be all the coverage anyone cares about."
"You know as well as I do that doesn't sell papers," Lucas says as he closes his laptop.
"I appreciate it. I promise you'll be the first to know—if you haven't already been tipped off by hell freezing over."
Lucas shakes his head and laughs as he stands. I rise to walk out with him, eager to get home to my actual number one girl.
nineteen
. . .
Sophia
