Fall for You (7 page)

Lucy patted him on the head. “Are you
my good boy?”

He maniacally swished his tail back and forth as if to say that he was indeed her good boy and let's have another cookie down here.

Smiling at his antics, Lucy turned to Sophie. “As much as I love Max, when am I going to get a grandchild?” Sophie almost choked on a bite of cookie. She coughed, swallowed, then coughed again.

“
Grandchild? Mom, where did that come from? You've never
said anything about grandchildren before.”

Lucy gave an expression so pitiful Max could take lessons from it. “Well, honey, I'm getting up in years you know.”

Sophie was baffled. “Mom, you're not that old.”

Her mom's bobbed hair was still suspiciously nutmeg brown without a hint of gray. There were laugh lines around her green eyes and a few around her mouth due to her years of smoking. Despite
that, her face was soft, round and quite attractive. She wore a pink floral peasant blouse with long denim shorts. If anything, the bright colors and flattering style made her look younger than a woman wanting to be a grandma.

“
Your grandmother wasn't much older than me when she passed. Bless her soul!”

This was getting ridiculous. “Grandma was eighty-two!”

Lucy sighed. “I'm just saying. I
had you girls while I was still young.”

Sophie felt a little blindsided. “Mom, I'm only twenty-seven. Women have babies later in life these days. Besides, I don't even have a boyfriend, much less a husband.”

Lucy grinned slyly. “That's not what I heard.”

“
Seriously? You heard I was married? Mom, what are you smoking in that vaporizer?”

Her mom glanced down at her vapor pen in confusion then
back up at Sophie. “What do you mean?”

“
It's a reference to…oh…forget it. Bad joke.”

Getting back to the gossip, Lucy relayed the latest rumor.

“
Sweetheart, it's all over town that Reed Sutton's truck was parked in front of your bakeshop after hours.”

Fighting the urge not to look guilty and ask, “Who told?” Sophie scoffed instead. "Mom, Ben Carrington was at the shop too.”

Lucy's penciled
in eyebrows almost reached her hairline. “Him too? Sophie Marie Brandon!”

“
Yes. No! I mean they were
both
there to get an estimate for a half wall we're having built in the bakery. Sutton Construction, remember?”

Lucy looked skeptical. “So there's nothing going on between you two?”

Before Sophie could confirm or deny that volley, she was saved by the ringing of her cell phone. Peeking at the
screen, she revised her idea on the save.

She turned away and answered in a near whisper, “Hi, Reed.”

Sophie could feel the weight of her mother's laser beam stare practically boring holes in her back.

Reed's deep voice could be heard loud and clear.
Damn the good connection!

“
Hello, Soph.” He paused. “Sophie, why are you whispering?”

She coughed, pretending to clear her throat. “Was I whispering?
Um, I wasn't trying to.”

Turning back around, she found her mom smiling triumphantly. Max was wearing a little doggie grin because he knew the jig was up too.

Sophie walked a few steps away in a futile attempt at privacy. “So, what can I do for you, Reed?”

There was nothing but silence.

“
Reed?”

“
Oh, sorry, Sophie. I was imagining the possibilities there." His voice turned into more of a caress.
"Where should I start?”

Heaven help her if Lucy overheard that!

As much as she seriously wanted to hear his suggestions, Sophie would walk on hot coals, in high heels, before letting her mom hear them too.

“
Did you come up with an estimate?”

Going from flirty to serious without missing a beat, he answered. “I have the estimated costs ready for your review. Should I bring them over to your
house or wait until I can speak with you and Tracy together?”

Reed Sutton, at her house. Now she was imagining the possibilities.

“
Actually, now isn't good. My mom's here for a visit.”

She did her best to ignore her mom, who was mouthing the words, “Tell him to come over!”

“
I could run them by this evening, if that's okay?”

Lucy was adding arm motions. “Tell him yes!”

At Sophie's failure
to answer, Reed took it as a brush off. “Or, I can schedule a meeting with you and Tracy?”

“
No!” She shook her head. “I mean, tonight will be fine but I have to run my mom home first.” She looked pointedly at Lucy.

Reed sounded agreeable. “Great. See you around seven or so?”

“
Seven is good.”
There. Stuck the landing!

Lucy gave a thumbs-up and mouthed, “Seven is great!”

“
Okay then, tell your
mom I said hello.”

“
Sure thing.” Her mom smiled approvingly, having already heard him.

“
See ya.”

“
Bye.”

She thumbed the End button and sat across from her mom. Max put his furry head in her lap, nudging her hand for a good petting. “So, Reed says hello.”

“
I knew it!” Lucy practically beamed from her chair.

“
That he said hello?”

“
That something is going on between you two. Trust me, Sophie,
a mother always knows!"”

At least someone knew what was going on because Sophie sure didn't. “He's coming over for business, Mom.”

Lucy bit into another cookie. “Uh-huh. I know what kind of business too!”

“
Mom!”

That lady was getting sassy in her “advanced” years.

* * * *

After Reed ended the call with Sophie, he dialed Ben.

“
Carrington.”

“
Have you ever tried, 'hello?'”

“
Yes.”

When Ben
didn't elaborate more, Reed gave up and got to the point. “I ran the figures for the Donaldson Building project. I thought I would drop the paperwork off with Sophie tonight.”

“
Okay.”

“
Just, 'okay?' No 'Reed, buddy, you should probably wait until we can set up a meeting?'”

“
I've never, in my life, called you 'buddy.'”

“
Don't you want to be the voice of reason?”

“
Why?”

“
I may be flying off
the handle, jumping the gun…”

“
If you say 'going off half-cocked' I'm hanging up.”

Reed gave a startled laugh. “Did you actually make a joke?”

No response from Ben.

“
So, you're saying I should go over there?”

Ben wasn't saying anything.

“
Okay, you talked me into it. I'll go.”

Reed thought Ben would remain quiet, but he finally responded. “I trust you. Trust yourself.” With that advice,
Ben hung up.

If Reed had to trust himself, he was in some serious trouble here. He paced his living room, trying not to think about sugar coated Sophie. Naked, sugar coated Sophie. Naked, crying out his name, sugar coated Sophie.

That woman could tempt a saint without even trying. Just remembering the feel of her soft skin undid him. The vanilla and chocolate scent that seemed to be signature
Sophie enticed him more than any perfume. Hell, he couldn't even look at a cookie without getting a damn hard-on.

Considering the amount of cookies he was about to be around, he was heading for disaster. If this kept up, there wouldn't be any blood left in his brain. He needed a distraction or he'd have a permanent zipper imprint embedded in his skin.

The sound of staccato tapping on his front
door, followed by his mom calling, “Yoo hoo! Reed? Are you home, dear?” did the trick. Nothing killed sexy thoughts quicker than the sound of your mother's voice. He didn't know whether to be relieved or irritated by the surprise house call. He opted for relief when he smelled the rich, garlicky aroma of lasagna, his favorite.

Reed found Dot placing a foil-covered casserole dish on the butcher-block
counter in his kitchen. She was wearing dark blue cotton capris with a matching blue and white striped top. Her platinum blonde hair was swept back from her forehead by tortoise shell sunglasses. The style was meant to look carefree, but he knew if he removed the sunglasses, her hair wouldn't move. The helmet like hairstyle that seemed to be popular with women over fifty was sprayed to within
an inch of its life. A cyclone wouldn't budge one strand of her hair.

He leaned down and gave Dot's proffered cheek a peck. “Hey, Mom. What brings you here? Where's Dad?”

She busied herself around his kitchen, searching for and retrieving a clean plate and some silverware. Her high voice strained with her efforts to sound casual. “He's at the lake. Again. The basement freezer is already full
of fish. I don't know what we'll do if he brings home more. Want some?”

He wasn't sure if she was talking about extra fish or the lasagna. Reed gave a universal answer of “sure,” figuring either option worked for him.

“
So, Mom, why do I get blessed with lasagna?”

She started wiping down his already mostly clean counter top.

“
Mom? Stop cleaning my house and sit down with me. What's going on?”

Dot sat gracefully and folded her hands primly in her lap. “Can't a mom visit her son? I had an MFLIC meeting this morning so I thought I would stop by for a chat.”

Reed and his mother never spent much time chatting, but he'd wait to hear what she had on her mind. He dug into his food and between bites, asked her, “So, what are you and the ladies improving now?”

She tried placing more lasagna
on his plate, but he blocked her with his fork. “I'm still working on this piece.” He smiled to soften the temporary rejection. “This is really good, by the way.”

Dot beamed with pride. “I know it's your favorite. Besides, I never know what you eat besides take out.” After a brief pause, she continued, “Anyway, we decided to put it to a vote on whether to use wood or rubber mulch around the swings
in the park. You know how kids tend to fall, trip, or push each other. This way, they'll have a softer landing. I suggested rubber mulch so the little ones don't get splinters. I'm fairly confident my idea will win. I spoke to most of the ladies and they're already seeing things my way.”

He nodded and chewed while his mom described the goings on of her meeting.

She nervously began fidgeting
with the salt and pepper shakers on his table. Reed had a feeling he wasn't going to like what was coming next.

Dot gave a nervous laugh. “I heard the most absurd rumor from Elaine Newman after the meeting. She said that you've been spending time with that Sophie Brandon at the Cookie Jar. She told me that you've been seen carrying on in there.”

She looked at him expectantly.

He didn't know
which part to address first, the fact that his mom called her 'that Sophie' or that some old biddy was cataloging his comings and goings.

Reed raised his hand to halt any more gossip. “First of all, 'that Sophie' is a nice woman.”

Dot gasped. “Reed, I don't know if you've heard, but Sophie Brandon isn't as nice as you think. She and that friend of hers called me a…” She stopped as if she couldn't
even say the word out loud. Instead, she spelled it. “B-I-T-C-H!”

Reed had a hard time believing Sophie would do that. “Mom, when was this?”

Dot looked away, effectively showing that she didn't want to elaborate. “It doesn't matter when! They insulted me!”

“
Why would they do something like that?”

She glanced up at him seeming embarrassed and insulted all over again.

“
All right, I'll tell
you what happened. Elaine and I ran into each other at the gas station and started chatting. We were next to the door when Sophie and that friend of hers barged out of the Gas N Go. I guess we must have been in their way because that Tracy King gave me the most scathing look I ever saw. I didn't know what to say! They got in their car and that's when I saw them say B-I-T-C-H!”

Reed was trying
to process this. “Wait. They spelled it or said it?”

Dot was indignant. “They said it!”

“
Okay. Now, what do you mean you
saw
them say it? You mean that you heard them.”

“
I read their lips! They were angry and talking about me!”

“
How do you know they were talking about you?”

“
They were looking right at me! I saw it plain as day.”

Reed sat back in his chair, knowing there had to be more to
the story. “Why would Sophie and Tracy do that?”

She looked indignant. “I don't have the faintest idea! They simply have no respect for their elders. Do you really want to spend time with someone who would treat your own mother so poorly?”

“
I'll have to ask Sophie about this.”

Dot stood up swiftly. “You can't do that!”

Reed was surprised by her reaction. “Why not, Mom?”

She sat back down
and started to fidget with the salt shaker again. “It's so embarrassing. I'd rather you didn't say anything to anyone.”

Thinking she looked more nervous than embarrassed, he thought his mom might have misread things. “Are you sure? Don't you want to hear Sophie and Tracy's side of this?”

“
I don't want to talk about it anymore. Tell me; is it true that you're carrying on with Sophie Brandon?”

Reed set his fork on his plate and wondered why it was anyone's business. “Like I said, Sophie's a nice woman.” Speaking over Dot's squeak of disbelief, he continued. “As for carrying on, Ben and I were there to get an estimate for a construction job.”

She didn't need to know about his impromptu picnic or the sugar mishap. Reed didn't kiss and tell, especially to his mom, no matter how spectacular
it was.