Finding Forever with You (The Malone Brothers Book 4) Read online

  Trinity approached our table and was halfway through taking our orders when my phone rang. I glanced down and saw Sophie's number sitting on the screen. "And for you, Chase?" she asked, pulling my attention away.

  "A pound of hot wings please, Trin," I murmured as my attention quickly focused back on Sophie's number.

  "Only a pound?" Carter asked, dumbfounded. "Normally, you're good for at least two."

  "Yeah, watching my waistline." I ran my hand over my eight-pack and glanced once again at my phone that was still ringing. "Excuse me, guys, I have to take this," I said, ignoring the murmurs from my brothers. I got up from my seat and headed out the front door.

  "Hello," I said as I pushed the door to Ducky's open and stepped outside into the parking lot, avoiding the group of people heading inside.

  "Chase. Sorry to bother you. I know you're probably with your brothers, but my day got kind of crazy after I had called you this morning."

  "Hey, yeah it's our usual night out, but it’s no bother, Sophie. Sorry I wasn’t able to talk earlier. I was in court. I'm glad you called me back. You seemed off in your message. What's up? What's going on?"

  Sophie was quiet for a few moments before she cleared her throat. "Do you think you could meet me for dinner tomorrow night? I have something I want to run by you?"

  "Is everything okay? It's nothing serious is it?" I could tell from the slight tremor in her voice that whatever she wanted to speak to me about, it was important.

  "No, it’s nothing bad. I just want to talk to you about something," she assured me.

  "Sure, just name the time and place and I will be there." I opened my calendar on my phone to check and make sure I was free.

  "The Manor House, tomorrow night at, say, seven."

  The Manor House was one of Kings Cove's higher-end steak houses, which made me wonder if everything was indeed okay. "Are you sure everything is okay?" I questioned, wanting to make sure before I got off the phone with her.

  "Yeah, I promise you everything is okay. We will talk tomorrow night. I have to run and finish up a meeting with one of my clients. I'll see you tomorrow at seven."

  I could still hear the shake in her voice, but before I had the chance to ask her in a different way if everything was okay, the phone had gone dead. I looked down at my cell phone, wondering what could possibly be so important that she just couldn't tell me over the phone, but a few seconds later, I had shrugged it off and headed back inside. I was quiet as I walked back to our table. Once there, I slid into the booth, checked my watch again, and pocketed my cell phone.

  "Was that your hot date for tonight?" Hunter questioned, nodding towards my phone.

  "Something like that," I answered, still rather distracted and bothered. "It was Sophie. She wants to meet for dinner tomorrow night. She says she has something she wants to talk to me about. I can't recall a time that she didn't just come out and tell me what was up."

  "Oh, the Sophie?" Bryce asked.

  "Not the unattainable Sophie?" Carter joined in, smirking at Hunter.

  I rolled my eyes and took another pull on my beer, doing my best to ignore his comment, and glanced at Hunter who sat there smirking at me. My brothers had always bugged me about Sophie, especially when we had been younger and she had turned me down. Although, unlike those times, this time I didn't laugh or answer any of their questions. When Hunter noticed, he looked at them both and cleared his throat just like our father used to when he wanted us to stop bugging one another.

  "What time are you supposed to be meeting her?" he questioned.

  "Tomorrow night at seven at The Manor House."

  "The Manor House?"

  "That is what she said."

  "Must be something special. That place isn't cheap." Carter said, "I took Hope there not too long ago. Three hundred and fifty dollars later..."

  "Yeah, Autumn's been bugging me to take her there since Hope told her about it. My wallet isn't looking forward to that bill." Hunter and Carter both laughed.

  "Well, if you care about me, tell Autumn and Hope not to mention it to Mia." All three of my brothers laughed.

  My phone vibrated in my pocket as Carter and Hunter went on discussing dinner prices. I looked down at my phone to see a message from Sophie and glanced at my watch. I feverishly typed out a response to her. I put my phone down and immediately it vibrated, causing me to pick it up again.

  "What is it now?" Bryce questioned, as I continued to type out my third response.

  "Six-thirty. She wants to meet me a half hour earlier. Something has got to be wrong."

  "What the hell is the rush? I mean, she's kept you waiting all these years." Bryce laughed, looking over to Carter and Hunter.

  "Man, she hasn't kept me waiting. We are friends. It is possible for me to be friends with a woman," I bit out.

  "Sure..." Hunter said before all three of my brothers burst into laughter.

  Shortly after I had sent my last text to Sophie, our dinner was dropped onto the table. My mind was so distracted I could barely eat, which was just another thing that my brothers decided to bug me about. I had never been so happy to have my favorite night of the week end.

  I drove home in silence, had a hot shower, and crawled into bed, turning the TV on. I was surprised when my phone vibrated and Sophie's name popped up on my screen. As I read her message asking me to meet her yet another half an hour earlier than previously agreed upon, I knew that whatever it was she wanted to talk to me about was important. However, when I asked her once again, she wouldn't even hint at what the issue was.

  I shut the light off, shut my phone off, and rolled onto my side and fought to fall asleep.

  3

  Sophie

  “I Will Wait” by Mumford and Sons played in my ear as I ran up the last flight of stairs back to my condo. I had completed my nine-mile run in record time today. Out of breath, I leaned against the wall and fumbled with my key, finally inserted it into the lock, and opened the door to my place. I walked in, kicked off my sneakers, removed my headband from my hair, and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. I pulled the earbuds from my ears and dropped my iPod onto the table before I made my way down the hall to the washroom. I turned on the shower, making sure the water was the right temperature before I pealed myself out of my workout gear. I'd spent the morning working, and after dealing with a rather testy client, going over his corporate year end, I had decided that I need to get into the gym and work off my stress. The client wasn't the only reason I needed to work off some steam. Dinner with Chase tonight was the other reason.

  I stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over my body. As the water beat down on my aching muscles, I tried my best to clear my mind and relax. I dropped two drops of lavender essential oil onto the floor of the shower and took in a deep breath. By the time the water had run cold, I hoped out of the shower and stood in front of the mirror wrapped in a towel. All the hard work of trying to quiet my mind and find my calm had been useless; my mind was more active now than it had been before I had gotten into the shower.

  I glanced at my reflection and let out a deep sigh. My mind was busy going over everything that I wanted to talk to Chase about. I had spent the better part of the past week trying to figure out what would be the best way to pitch my idea to him, and after the list of ideas I had made, I still had nothing. I must have gone over fifty or sixty ways today alone on how to even begin the conversation with him tonight before I began to get frustrated.

  "Accountants don't pitch people, Sophie," I said aloud to my reflection. The more I thought about it, the more I was beginning to wonder if I wasn't about to make some colossal mistake.

  Frustrated with myself, I left the bathroom, walked across the plush carpet in my bedroom, and began sifting through my closet. I needed something conservative yet sexy to wear tonight. I laughed to myself as I started going through my dresses. This is not a date, I thought to myself as I continued going through the dresses that hung in the back of my closet. I
was growing frustrated. Accountants did have sexy outfits; mine just seemed to be conservative or boring.

  I let out a sigh, flipping to the next dress. "Whoa, way too sexy, too sexy, way too conservative, funeral, funeral," I mumbled as I flipped through the dresses that hung in my closet. "Finally...this is perfect!"

  I squealed as I pulled out my favorite black cocktail dress and placed it on the bed. I stood back and looked it over. I had only purchased it because it had reminded me of the dress Julia Roberts wore in Pretty Woman. I seriously couldn't even remember if I had worn it, but it was perfect for tonight, and I smiled to myself, wandered over to my dresser, and pulled out my only matching black bra and pantie set.

  "May as well know I am wearing something sexy underneath..." I mumbled as I slipped into them and then went back to the bathroom and pulled out my makeup bag.

  I sat down and brushed my hair, quickly sweeping it up into a clip on my head and looked at my reflection in the mirror.

  "You better be prepared. He is a lawyer, after all," I murmured to myself. "You can't just go in there on a whim. Chase thinks twelve steps ahead of everyone and on everything."

  How true that statement was. He would have every single argument against why this was a bad idea, if I knew him, which I did, and he would have them ready within sixty seconds of me spilling the beans. That reason alone was why I needed to have a solid pitch ready and have every answer to every reason why he was going to come up with as to why this was a bad idea.

  I looked at myself in the mirror, blew out a breath, and smoothed moisturizer into my skin, then I grabbed the bottle of foundation. "Plus, he specializes in contract law. It’s going to be a nightmare, if you aren't prepared," I murmured.

  I pumped out a squirt of foundation into the palm of my shaky hand and quickly smoothed that onto my skin, then I reached for my powder compact. Carefully, I smoothed out my foundation, making sure there were no bare spots, and reached for my eyeshadow. My stomach rolled in anticipation of our date, and my hands shook.

  This whole meeting in public had been my bright idea. I could have just as easily invited him over for coffee and spoken to him in private about all of this, but no, I was the one who wanted to do this over dinner. I was the one who wanted to do it over dinner in a crowded restaurant. I had never even contemplated what would happen if he flat out refused on the spot, got up and walked out of the restaurant leaving me looking foolish sitting there all alone. How humiliating that would be, I thought. Within seconds of that realization, my stomach rolled. I was so nervous, I seriously wondered if I would even be able to eat anything. Another reason why a public meeting was probably not such a bright idea. I quickly lined my eyes with eyeliner and grabbed my mascara.

  "What do I have to offer him?" I wondered out loud. "Nothing about my job is even remotely sexy. I'm a freaking accountant for goodness sakes. I guess I could help him from having to pay too much in tax, and I could definitely keep him out of jail for anything tax related." I looked at my reflection in the mirror, nervously smiled, and then dropped my head in my hands thinking how pathetic I sounded, even to myself.

  Perhaps a drink, I thought. Maybe that would make it easier and take the edge off. I got up from my vanity and wandered into the kitchen. I pulled open my liquor cabinet and pulled out the bottle of gin, dropped two ice cubes into my glass, and poured myself a gin and soda. I took a sip of the cool liquid and went back to my vanity and began drying my hair.

  Where would we meet, I thought to myself as I continued to dry my hair. I guess we could meet here, or perhaps somewhere between our condos would be better. Perhaps I could pay for a hotel. No, there was no way Chase would meet at a hotel. He was too well-known around town. Okay, so here. He'd have to come here. I didn't even know why I was so concerned about where we would meet. It wasn't as if we had to hide from anyone.

  I ran my fingers through my hair, and as soon as it was dry, I shut the switch off on my hairdryer. I ran my brush through it, styling my strands with my fingers, and once I was satisfied, I grabbed the hairspray. As I stood in front of the mirror, looking myself over, I couldn't stop ringing my hands. My stomach still felt uneasy, and the anxiety was building in my chest, making it harder to breathe. I took another sip of gin and soda, praying that the alcohol would kick in and calm some of this anxiety I was feeling. I slipped my dress on and checked the time.

  I still had forty-five minutes. I grabbed my glass and went out to the living room, sitting down on the couch. I grabbed my phone and called the restaurant to confirm the reservation time. I felt like I was going crazy. I had just booked the reservation not even twenty-four hours ago, and here I was, paranoid that perhaps I had made it for the wrong date, or the wrong time, or perhaps they didn't mark it down in their book.

  I hung up the phone and glanced at my watch. I could get going but didn't really want to arrive too early. I didn't want to seem too eager. I'd rather walk into the restaurant late than be there before him.

  I sat back, grabbed my drink and my notepad and pen, took a sip of my drink, and tried my best to come up with some sort of proposal.

  4

  Chase

  The sun was directly in my eyes, making it hard to concentrate on the cars in front of me. Twice I had almost rear-ended the car in front of me. I tapped my thumb on the steering wheel to the beat of the music that was blaring through my speakers. I pulled into the parking lot and found a spot, quickly cutting the engine.

  I pocketed my keys as I walked up the steps to the doors of the The Manor House and entered in behind the couple in front of me. While I stood waiting to speak with the hostess, I still couldn't help but wonder what the hell Sophie needed. I had not been able to figure out what could be so important that she needed to tell me in person. The urgency in her voice had me worried that something was wrong. Was she sick? Was she in legal trouble? It had driven me crazy most of last night and well into this morning, until I had no choice but to head to the gym and blow off some steam.

  "Can I help you?" the young hostess behind the counter asked.

  "Reservations for two. Should be under Sophie Lancaster." I watched as she ran her finger down the list of names in front of her, finally stopping and crossing our name off.

  "Your table isn't quite ready yet, sir. If you would like, you can have a seat in the bar area, and I'll come and get you once it's ready. Should only be about ten to fifteen minutes."

  "Sounds good, thank you." I made my way towards the bar, sitting in the first empty seat I found. I ordered myself a crown and cola and Sophie a gin and soda. The bartender set the drinks down in front of me, and I was passing him a twenty when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Sophie standing behind me.

  I couldn't help but allow my eyes to run over her. I had never seen her in the dress that she wore, but it hugged her curves perfectly. She smiled at me, and I cleared my throat and stood up. "Here, take a seat," I said, offering her my bar chair.

  "Thank you."

  "This is for you. Your favorite: gin and soda," I said, moving the glass in front of her and leaning in to kiss her cheek.

  Sophie looked up at me, quickly kissed my cheek, and smiled. "You remembered!"

  "How could I ever forget? It was the only drink that didn't end up making you hang your head out of my car window every weekend when we were in college," I said, winking at her as we both laughed. Even though we still got out with our college friends once a month, Sophie never drank gin and sodas when we were out anymore and hadn't in years. It had strictly been a college thing.

  "That is sadly very true. Although I don't think it’s a secret that I still can't hold my liquor very well." She smiled and looked up at me. As soon as I met her eyes, we both took a sip of our drinks. I placed my glass back down on the bar and looked back down to see the smile she had worn was now replaced with a look of nervousness. She was fidgeting with the strap of her clutch that sat neatly tucked in her lap.

  "What's up, Soph?" I questioned, downing the re
st of my crown and cola and signaling the bartender for another.

  "Nothing, why?" she let out a nervous laugh.

  "Look at you. You're a nervous mess. You never fidget, and you've just about broken the strap on your clutch."

  "I'll be right back. I need to use the ladies’ room." Before I could say anything, she had jumped up and dashed through the crowd over to the washrooms. Minutes passed, and I was beginning to get worried.

  I glanced down at my watch to try and determine how long she had been gone when the hostess came to tell me that our table was ready. I was about to ask her to hold the table when Sophie finally reappeared. Something was up. She didn't have her usual glow. The look on her face reminded me of the time we had been hanging at her parents’ house and we had accidentally broken her mother's antique lamp. It had been a present from her father. I smiled inwardly to myself as I remembered her standing with her hands behind her back trying to tell her parents what had happened.

  "Our table is ready," I said as she got closer.

  "Awesome. Just awesome," she mumbled. I frowned as I watched as she picked up her glass and waved for me to go first, but I refused and instead waved my hand, signaling for her to go first. Once she was in front of me, I placed my hand on the small of her back and together we walked to the table.

  I was hoping to find out immediately what was going on, but once we were seated and the hostess had left, Sophie had conveniently buried her face in her menu. I frowned, and even though it was killing me, I didn't say anything while we looked over the menu. We had both settled on our choices by the time the waitress had returned to drop a fresh basket of bread onto the center of our table. We ordered quickly, and I reached in and cut a piece of bread for Sophie, passing it to her. She barely made eye contact with me as she reached over and took it from my hand. Her odd behavior was seriously beginning to get to me.

  I sat forward, crossed my arms in front of me, and leaned on the table. "The suspense is killing me here, Soph. What was it you needed to talk to me about?" I asked, taking a sip of my Crown and Coke, while she buttered her bread and took a bite.