“No, I don’t.” That damn brow lifted again. “Enlighten me.”
Hell, no. No way was he about to discuss their crazy-ass kisses, and the fact his whole world tilted.
“You’re a smart girl. You’ll figure it out,” he said, then twisted around and strode out the door.
***
Sophia screwed the last screw in place, then set the drill down before stepping back to view the corkboard she’d just added to the wall. Perfect. She ordered a whiteboard as well, but it hadn’t arrived yet. For now, though, she was at least able to hang the corkboard so she had a place to pin a copy of her final sketches.
She’d spent the last two days immersed in work, determined to finish all her sketches to scale, as well as the directions to build each set. After pinning a copy of each set design to the corkboard, she put away her drill. Tomorrow morning, she was heading to the college with Ryder. If the professors needed to see the designs to determine if the project was worthwhile, she’d have another copy of them in hand to help ensure the students would get credits for their course.
Working on them the past two days had also served another purpose. It kept her mind off Ryder and his crazy, hot kisses. The ones that knocked her socks off—or would have if she hadn’t been wearing sandals—before he flicked the indifference switch and walked away. Again.
He really needed to stop doing that.
“Hey, Sophia, are you ready for some wine and chocolate?” Phoebe waltzed into the set room, with a big grin on her face. “It’s Thursday night?time for the weekly chocolate fest.”
Oh, hell yeah. She pushed the chair under the table she’d used earlier, and nodded. “Am I ever.”
Phoebe’s chuckle echoed around the room. “I can see I don’t have to ask you twice.”
“Not at all.” She grabbed her purse and was at her friend’s side in a heartbeat. “I need chocolate. Bad. In all forms. Now.”
“Then allow me to take you to paradise.” Phoebe wiggled her keys, and together they locked up the building, before getting in her friend’s car and heading to town. “Lea has the key and is meeting us there. She’s excited to see you again. And to meet Elle.”
Lea was fun and smart, and Brandi’s best friend. The three of them had hung out several times over the years. “I can’t wait to see her again, too. She texted me a few hours ago, during her train ride back from the city.”
“Yeah,” Phoebe said, driving down the country road that led to Main Street. “I think she’s technically still on maternity leave, but had to go in a few days because of a new exhibit.”
Sophie laughed, recalling the conversation. “She said something about sleeping with her baby girl this afternoon, then possibly her husband, before meeting us to refuel on chocolate.”
“Sounds like Lea.” Snickering, Phoebe parked in front of a quaint little shop that had a brown awning, with light blue stripes. “Looks like she’s already inside with Elle.”
Getting out of the car, Sophia stepped onto the sidewalk and was too busy admiring the architecture of the building to notice the man exiting the shop. She walked right into a brick wall of warmth that smelled of soap and cedar and some kind of spice.
Ryder.
“Sorry.” He gripped her arms and used his body to steady her. “Are you okay?”
Heat flooded her belly and funneled south.
Define okay.
“Yeah,” she managed. But, she would’ve been even better if he laid one of his mind-blowing kisses on her.
Shoot. Thoughts like that were going to get her in trouble.
He stiffened—no doubt because he recognized her—and as usual, his indifference did little to lessen her attraction to the man. It was maddening.
Doing her best to ignore the urge to rub against him like a cat, she squashed down the hysterical laughter bubbling up her throat, and pushed free of his hold. Phoebe and the two women inside the shop were way too interested in their collision.
“Sorry. It was my fault,” she said, meeting his gaze. “I was admiring the building and failed to watch where I was going.”
Something unreadable flickered through his eyes.
Then it dawned on her. “You built this, too, didn’t you?”
He shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable. “A few years ago.”
