His Forbidden Princess(26)
blonde, blue-eyed, and beautiful. Sweet as sugar. I gave up my rowdy teenage ways for her.”
“I doubt you were that rowdy.”
“I got in my share of trouble. Nothing serious, but Hannah had two older brothers who didn’t like that their little sister was getting mixed up with a local. So, when the end of the summer came and her family had a big party to send off the season, I wasn’t invited. I thought it was a mistake, so I showed up. Her brothers and their friends kicked the crap out of me.”
“Oh, that’s mean. That’s awful. It’s not like you were robbing banks.” Sofie was so angry for him, it made him smile. “Snobs. I have no use for snobs. I hope she married badly.”
“Things have a funny way of working out, you know? I straightened up, obviously. But a couple of years ago I was in on a joint operation with the SEC, and one of the guys arrested was one of Hannah’s brothers. Apparently, he’d been laundering money for some very shady characters. He’s in prison now.”
Sofie clapped her hands together in celebration. “Oh, that’s brilliant. I love it. Did he recognize you?”
“Not at first. I reminded him when I cuffed him and marched him out in front of his entire staff. I’m not normally into payback, but the bastard broke my nose. I think I was entitled to that one.”
Clinking her beer bottle to his she smiled. “Here’s to justice being served.”
Justice. He doubted Sofie felt justice was at work where her family was concerned. He sensed she felt life was treating them pretty unfairly.
They went quiet. It wasn’t a difficult silence, but an easy one. The kind of silence you could have with an old friend or lover. Comforting. And unnerving. They had slipped into old habits so easily—walking closely, light touches, inside jokes, offering a napkin or a smile without any prompting. Their brains might have been begging them to keep the relationship friendly, but there were other things at work. Like their hearts.
“I like your uncle. Very much,” she offered quietly. “The influence he’s had over you is quite obvious.”
“He’s a good man. I was lucky to have all my uncles when my father died, but I’ve
always had an extra bond with Uncle John.”
“Your father had four brothers?”
“Yep. My grandparents raised five boys. I can only imagine the insanity.” He laughed to himself. Knowing the kind of trouble he got into, he thought about multiplying that by five and was convinced there should have been an award for surviving that kind of stress.
“But what fun. All those sons. I’m sure it was never boring.”
The way she smiled at him right then brought back all the memories of the first time they met. He was a first semester graduate fellow in International Studies when she came into the department office to meet with a professor she was working with on some special research project. It was unusual for an undergrad, but the fire in her eyes, the intelligence, told Ian this girl was anything but usual. He liked her immediately.
Their second meeting they exchanged names. The third time they ran into each other in the library. The same with the fourth, but that was when Ian asked her out for coffee, and she said yes. Their friendship grew and two months after their first meeting, Ian asked Sofie out on an official date.
It was the first time he kissed her.
His heart hadn’t been the same since.
He was brought back to reality by Patty who placed two lobster roll specials on the table.
“I dare you to find better than that.”
Patty smacked him on the shoulder before walking away. Sofie was staring at her
sandwich.
“I will say this looks quite edible, but I’d like to know exactly what I’m eating.
Obviously we have pommes frites,” she pointed at the French fries. “And this looks like lobster?”
“Very good. This is a lobster roll, a traditional coastal dish in the northeast. It’s fresh lobster meat with mayonnaise and seasonings on a buttered, toasted roll”
“Oh. So nothing I have to be wary of?”
“No. There’s no octopus ink in this.”
She giggled as she dipped her first French fry in the catsup, then took a bite. “It was squid ink and you have to admit, that was a fun night.”
“For you. It was fun for you.”
Picking up her sandwich, Sofie took a bite and the only way Ian could have described her face was pure joy as she started to enjoy her lunch. It was almost as good as watching her eat the Twinkie.
“Good?” he asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.
“Divine.” Reaching out for his hand, breaking the rules they’d agreed upon, Sofie laced her fingers with his. “Thank you for bringing me here and for introducing me to Patty. I see that she’s special to you.”