Fall for You (2 page)

The spotlight was on him so he couldn't see her in the crowd. It was a free opportunity to gaze at him and she took it. The man was delectable. To her surprise, he was also an amazingly good singer.

Interrupting her musings, Tracy came in through the back door. Their shops shared the ovens in the kitchen and were only separated by different color schemes up front.

Tracy
King was considerably taller than Sophie by a good six inches. Her shoulder length, chocolate brown hair, which was normally beautifully wavy, was frizzed up in a cloud surrounding her face.

“I’m telling you, Sophie, if I have to hear one more time that it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity, I’m going to go medieval on someone’s ass!”

Tracy had a way with words.

She blew some fluffy strands
off of her forehead and took a seat next to Sophie.

Sophie began boxing up cookies and glanced over at her friend.

“Hey Trace, I have a question…”

“Yes, they're real.” Her friend was wearing a purple T-shirt that said, “Wanna Touch My Cupcakes?” She hadn't planned on leaving the bakery today either.

“Not about those…” Sophie finished by waving toward her friend’s voluptuous figure. Next to
Tracy's curves, her meager A cups had her looking like a twelve-year-old boy.

“Anyway,” she continued, “what’s the difference between white cake and yellow cake?”

“You mean besides the color?” Tracy offered.

“Yes, besides that.”

“Well, there isn't that much of a difference. Yellow cake uses whole eggs and is normally vanilla while white cake uses egg whites and can be vanilla or almond flavored.
Sometimes the color has nothing to do with the flavor. Why?”

“I ran into Reed Sutton at the grocery store and he wanted to know.” Sophie tried to sound blasé but wasn’t sure if she pulled it off.

“Reed?” She raised her eyebrows at Sophie. “Your Reed? Did you two catch up on old times and such?”

Sophie gave a little groan. “Sort of, but I looked awful so I tried to hide from him.”

Tracy frowned.
“Why?”

“Did you miss the part where I looked awful? I imagined that when we finally ran into each other again, I would at least look human.”

“Sophie, you always look good.” Tracy eyed her and noted the chocolate stains. “Is that cookie dough in your hair?”

Sophie's hand flew up to her ponytail to check. “Are you serious?”

Tracy shrugged a shoulder. “Okay, so you're not at your best now, but
you're still cute. No more hiding!”

“It doesn't matter since he found me anyway.”

Nudging her, Tracy asked, “Did he have Ben with him?”

“Ben?”

Tracy took her own stab at nonchalance. “I haven't mentioned Ben? Oh, well, he moved here not long after Reed. They work together. He comes in once a week to try my new cupcakes. He doesn't say much, but I'm working on him.” She laughed. “I might get
an actual conversation out of him before Christmas.”

That explained why the dark haired guy at Reed's table looked so familiar. Tracy tapped the table to cut off that line of conversation.

“Enough about that. Let's hear it. Reed found you and…?”

“And…he told me he runs Sutton Construction now. He might stop by sometime soon to get the cake answer.” She grinned. “And I might have offered him
a free cookie.”

Tracy rolled her eyes. “I'm sure he's hoping for more than a free cookie.”

“You think so?”

Tracy gave her shoulders a gentle shake. “Sophie, think about it. Why the hell would Reed Sutton care about cake?”

Sophie wondered the same thing. “I don’t know. Maybe for future reference? Did I mention he was getting a cake for his mom?”

Tracy made a sound. “Pffft. Butter wouldn’t
melt in that woman’s mouth.”

Admittedly, Dot Sutton had a reputation for being somewhat of a dragon lady. At least that's what the nice people called her. She led the Madison Falls Ladies Improvement Committee with an iron fist. Sophie was surprised she hadn't taken over the mayor's office yet.

She had no idea how the woman birthed such easygoing and down to earth sons.

Reed and Keith, his
younger brother, looked a lot alike except for their coloring. Reed took after his dad, while in contrast, Keith was blond and blue-eyed like his mother.

Not that it mattered. Those handsome Sutton brothers could make more than one woman in town swoon with only a smile or a wink.

Sophie thought they got their personalities from their father.

Since he retired, Jack Sutton spent all of his time
fishing. More than likely, he kept his good mood by staying out on the lake. Of course, stopping by once a week for a few dozen cookies and cupcakes might sweeten his disposition too. She liked Jack. He was friendly and quick with a smile.
Just like Reed.

Tracy groused, “I'm sure you've noticed that the woman never orders anything from us. Granted, we're doing okay, but business would be through
the roof if she brought in orders for all of those town functions and committee meetings she’s in charge of.”

Sophie wouldn't mind the steady boost in business but wouldn't hold her breath either. Dot Sutton refused to go to either one of their shops, ordering from the Madison Falls Market instead.

Righteously, Tracy continued, “You call a woman a bitch one time and she holds a grudge forever!
I could have called her worse for what she said about you.”

Sophie cringed at the memory.

It was during their senior year of high school. Tracy and Sophie had stopped for gas after going out to the Pizza Palace with a group of friends. Admittedly, the main reason she went was because Reed was supposed to be there.

Sophie was practically giddy on the way home because Reed had spent most of the
evening talking with her. All of the booths were full so they ended up sitting together at a table. Her little teenage self was on cloud nine.

After paying for gas and peanut butter cups, the girls came out of the Gas N Go and heard the tail end of Dot’s conversation with her friend, Elaine Newman. Word traveled at the speed of light in Madison Falls because Elaine was already gossiping about
her.

“Sophie who?” Dot had stridently questioned her friend.

In one long spiel, Elaine stage whispered, “Sophie Brandon. You know, Lucy's daughter. She goes to school with Reed. She's a pretty little thing but no bigger than a minute. Short like her mama. Anyhow, I saw them eating together at the Pizza Palace. Just the two of them right there in the front window! It looked like they were getting
all cozy too. You ask me, I think that girl has her eye on your son.”

Reed’s mother scoffed and practically screeched her denial. “Her? That Brandon girl? I don’t think so! Definitely not for my son. Reed has much better taste than that. I bet he only felt sorry for her.”

Dot must have known Sophie was standing there because she looked straight at her and finished loudly with, “Some might find
her pretty, but trust me, she’s not so great.”

Sophie stood speechless and mortified, her adolescent ego crushed. Considering she really didn't know the lady, Sophie couldn't believe what she'd heard!

While she was frozen with humiliation, her best friend had no problem moving. Tracy marched right up to Dot and said, “For your information, Mrs. Sutton, Sophie isn't just great, she's the greatest!”

Dot stood ramrod straight and faced Tracy. Sophie knew she was about to give the girl one hell of a set-down, but Tracy didn't give her a chance. She raked Dot with a disgusted look and gave a parting shot. “Oh, and FYI, your roots are showing.”

Tracy dragged Sophie to the car in a grand exit. When she started the ignition, they both did what all teenagers did when they thought adults couldn't
hear them. They muttered, “Bitch!”

Who knew Dot Sutton could read lips? She could also hold a grudge for a very long time. So, go figure on not getting any orders from the Madison Falls Ladies Improvement Committee.

Standing under the shade of an old sycamore tree, Reed was ensconced in his parents’ backyard learning the finer arts of grilling a hamburger from his dad. Since coming home from being overseas, his parents made a routine of having a family get together at least once a week.

Jack, an older, heavier version of Reed, puffed out his barrel chest and imparted his words of wisdom in a loud,
booming voice. “You see, son, most people try squeezing the juices out of the meat by pressing down with the spatula. Don’t do that. All the flavor is in the juices.”

Reed tried to look duly interested, but his thoughts were elsewhere. Since seeing Sophie Brandon today, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He wondered what she was doing now.
Did she get her chocolate chips? Was she still at the
shop? Had she eaten yet?
With her owning a cookie bakery, you'd think she'd be bigger.

Thankfully, the physical demands of his job kept him in shape. His mom’s goal in life was to not only feed him but overfeed him, when he came for a visit.

Keith, who was taller and bigger framed, traits apparently passed on from some twice-removed uncle, ate everything she put in front of him. Reed, on the
other hand, had to put his foot down before the third or fourth serving. If you didn’t come back for seconds, Mom thought you were sick or on a strange diet.

The picnic went off without much fuss. Reed and his brother listened and laughed while their dad told his latest fishing tale. Jack had a gift for exaggeration, like any true fisherman. Keith housed any food in sight, which had his mom beaming
with pride.

Reed was taking another bite of cake when Dot interrupted him.

“
Reed, I told you to get the white cake, not the yellow cake.”

Reed was nonplussed. “No, Mom, you said to get the cake they advertised with the strawberry filling. What’s the difference between white cake and yellow cake anyway?”

“
Besides the color?” Keith added.

Dot gave a much put-upon sigh. “I wanted the white cake,
but this will do, I suppose. You want another slice?” She eyed Reed’s half-eaten piece, looking for room to add more food.

Reed rose and gathered his paper plate and plastic fork before he felt obligated to have more dessert. His mom had a way of, well, getting her way.

“
Actually, I need to get going. If I don’t get those invoices done tonight, I’ll have to get up extra early in the morning.”

Dot pouted, but Jack gave him a manly slap on the shoulder.

“
I remember those days. Better you than me, sport.”

In an attempt to appease his mom, he asked for some leftovers to bring home with him. That instantly cheered her up. In no time, she began putting potato salad and what turned out to be pretty tasty hamburgers into plastic containers for him.

Struck by inspiration, Reed offered, “You
know, Mom, next week I could bring over some cookies.”

His mom looked surprised. “Since when do you bake?”

He shook his head. “I don't. I was going to stop by the Cookie Jar and pick up a dozen or so. Sophie Brandon makes some killer chocolate chip cookies.”

Dot sniffed, “Don't be ridiculous. Save your money. If you want cookies, then I'll make them.”

“
It wouldn't be a problem. I could swing
by and…”

"No. Let me make them. I haven't baked for you since you lived at home. It will be my treat for you.”

His mom looked like she wasn't going to budge on this so he gave in. He looked at his dad, but Jack turned away quickly and started picking up napkins and clearing away extra plates. Reed had a feeling Mom didn't know about Dad's side trips to the bakery.

“
Sure, okay, that sounds good.
Thanks.”

He didn't have the heart to tell his mom that her baking was awful. She could cook like a dream but her cookies always came out like hockey pucks. Come to think of it, hockey pucks probably tasted better.

With hugs and a promise to call later in the week, Reed left. While his truck idled at a stop sign, he made a choice. Instead of turning left and going home, he turned right and headed
for town. He was hoping Sophie was still at her shop and that she didn't mind seeing him again so soon.

Reed took a chance and decided to see if Sophie would be willing to trade some cookies for a hamburger.

* * * *

The shops in Madison Falls closed up early on Sundays. His father always joked that after six, they rolled up the sidewalks. It was inconvenient, but Reed wouldn't change his small
town.

He'd moved around a lot during his enlistment in the Navy. His involvement with the Construction Battalion, or CBs, took him around the country. His last assignment deployed him overseas. He saw a lot of the world, but no matter where he lived, or how long he was gone, Madison Falls was still home.

Reed had driven the company pickup truck with the Sutton Construction logo on the side.
The black T’s in Sutton angled together to look like the gable of a roof. It was a carryover from when his Dad ran things, but it worked for him for now.

He parked in the shade on the tree-lined street in front of the bakery. It looked closed, but he could see a faint light or two streaming in from the back. Reed left the blessedly cool air conditioning of his pickup truck and got hit with air
so humid, it felt like a warm, wet washcloth smacked him in the face. It was early in the evening, but the temperature was still in the mid-eighties and not going down anytime soon.

With this heat, Reed prayed he wouldn't start sweating on the short walk around the building. At the back of the shop, he saw a purple VW Bug parked next to a deep red PT Cruiser. To him, they were both girl cars
so either one could belong to Sophie.

Reed knocked on the back door and waited. He smiled when Sophie opened the door and the rich scent of chocolate and vanilla greeted him.

Heaven.

She looked tired but adorable with her flour-streaked apron and wilted ponytail. When her apple green eyes met his, they widened in surprise. Her plush, Cupid’s bow lips formed a silent O.

In his eyes, she'd never
looked better.