Fall for You (15 page)

“
Because all evidence points
to you being the one who did it. Seems suspicious that you had absolutely no sympathy for Sophie's situation. You were downright cold about it and that's not like you. You're not still holding a grudge because you thought she called you a name, are you?”

Dot looked aghast. “Me? I have nothing against her. I don't even know the girl. I was only being practical about her options.”

Jack took that
moment to walk into the kitchen. He sat at the table and reached for a cookie before remembering himself. It was too late to put it back on the plate, so he held it in his hand like a stage prop. That was as far as his dad's politeness reached. Reed knew he wouldn't take a bite of the cookie no matter how long Dot stared at him.

Jack glanced back and forth between them. “What girl? What options?”

Reed started to explain. “Sophie…” but Dot cut him off with, “is Reed's new girlfriend. I was telling him that if he was serious about her, we should meet her.”

Reed looked at his mother incredulously.
Where the hell had that come from?

Seeing his expression, she said, “Reed, everyone knows you're an item. Why keep it a secret? Don't you want us to meet her?” She raised her eyebrows, taking
a stab in the dark and waiting to see if she nailed it.

Jack seemed surprised but agreeable with the prospect. “I must be the last one to know about it. Sophie? Sophie Brandon from The Cookie Jar? Nice girl. Why don't you bring her over for dinner on Sunday?”

He eyed her carefully blank expression. “Is that okay with you, Mom?”

Flashing a forced smile, Dot said, “Of course. The more the merrier.”

Reed didn't understand what was going on with his mom, but it wasn't right. He didn't like this awkward tension. Maybe if she got to know Sophie and saw how great she was, everything could go back to normal. If not, he refused to allow it to affect Sophie or drive a wedge in his relationship with her.

Rising from his chair, Reed took a generous sip of coffee to swish the awful cookie taste away.
He patted his dad on the shoulder and kissed his mom on the cheek. “Sounds good, then. Don't worry about dessert. I'm sure Sophie will want to bring cookies.”
He hoped.

Reed left his parents' house, thinking it would be a good idea to start talking Sophie into coming to dinner as soon as possible. With what happened, it was going to take some serious persuasion to convince her.

* * * *

Sophie
looked radiant. Underneath that pink “The Cookie Jar” apron lay some sexy “Friday” panties and Reed wanted to see them. He walked up to the counter and rested his elbows on top. As soon as Sophie saw him, her smile grew wider. She stood on the other side and leaned close to him. “Welcome to The Cookie Jar. May I help you?”

Reed grinned. “As a matter of fact, you can. I'm in the mood for something
banana flavored. Have anything like that?”

Her eyes grew wide and her cheeks turned pink.

Tracy must have heard him because she walked over with a banana pudding cupcake. “I do!”

Not exactly what I had in mind.

He accepted the cupcake with a smile at Tracy and a wink to Sophie.

Tracy explained the homemade pudding filling and whipped cream frosting. He heard “frosting” and could only think
of licking some off Sophie. Soon. He took a bite of the cupcake. It was light, delicious, and definitely banana flavored.

“
These are really good. Has Ben tried them?”

Tracy casually shrugged. “No, not yet. He hasn't been in today.”

Reed smirked. “He will be. It's just a matter of time.”

She nonchalantly walked back over to her counter. “He probably has better things to do than try new cupcakes.”

When Tracy finished that sentence, the bell over the door jingled and Ben came into the shop. Reed and Sophie smiled at each other when they saw Tracy glance over at the door then turn quickly the other way.

Ben caught sight of Reed and stopped in his tracks. “Hey.”

Reed was pretty sure that “Hey” was supposed to encompass the entire room.

“
Hey,” Reed and Sophie said in unison.

Ben walked
up to Tracy's counter and asked, “What's new today?”

Tracy began her cupcake description and Reed watched Ben hang on her every word.

Figuring those two were occupied, he asked Sophie, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

* * * *

Sophie tried to get her friend's attention. “Hey Trace, I have to go to the back for a second. Let me know if I get a customer.”

Tracy nodded dismissively and turned
her attention back to Ben.

Reed followed Sophie to the back. As soon as they crossed the threshold to the kitchen, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her like they'd been separated for months instead of a few hours.

He finished with a second, sweeter kiss. “Hi.”

Sophie caught her breath. “Hello.”

Taking a step back, Reed kept hold of one of her hands. “I really did want to talk to you
but I had to taste those luscious lips first.”

She looked up at him in expectation.

“
I had a question for you.”

Sophie nodded encouragingly. “Yes?”

Reed kissed the palm of her hand before asking, “How would you feel about going to dinner at my parents' house on Sunday?”

“
You want me to have dinner at your parents' house?” Sophie looked at him like he had a screw loose. “What about your mom?”

Reed went with the technical truth. “She said that if I'm serious about you, I should bring you over to meet them.”
He just didn't think she meant it when she said it.

“You do remember what happened with the cookies, right? Don't you think it's going to be a
tad awkward trying to keep me from strangling your mother?”

“
Mom says it was a misunderstanding. I'm not saying I believe her because I don't. She just won't admit to anything.” He frowned. “Granted, she is acting really weird so if you're not ready to go over there, I'll understand.”

* * * *

Sophie gazed up at the resolute look in his eyes. “So, the reason you're inviting me is because you're
serious about me?”

Reed was quick to respond. “Without a doubt. I'm not exactly sure what her problem is but I do know that if she only got to know you, she would see what I do.”

“
Which is what?”

Kissing her tenderly, he said, “You.”

“
Me?”

Smiling, he stroked a finger down the side of her cheek. “You, Sophie Brandon. All that sweetness. All that spice. I see
you.
”

Well. No denying that was
well played.
Sophie fell a little bit harder anyway.

“
You
, Reed Sutton, are a charmer. How can I say no to that?”

“
So, it's a date?” He looked so hopeful.

“
It's a definite date.”
She hoped she wouldn't regret it.

Reed took both of her hands and pulled her closer to him again.

“
Sophie?”

“
Hmmm?” She was expecting a bone-melting kiss. What she got was, “Would you bring cookies?”

* * * *

Reed knew he could only stretch this construction job out another week, at the most. Any other project like this and they would have been done by now. After they hung the drywall, there wouldn't be much more to do beyond taping, mudding, and sanding. If Ben noticed their snail-like pace, he wasn't complaining. Even so, they had to get the work done and get back to their day jobs soon.

Keith had
excelled at his trial run at management, in Reed's opinion, but his brother was frustrated and unhappy with the work. He wanted to get back on the condo crew, not run it. Reed didn't want to be selfish and Keith was reaching his limit.

Since Reed had taken the night off, he'd told Ben not to come in either. He thought it was only fair. But they really had to get moving on the wall tonight to
make up for yesterday.

“
So, Ben, what did you do last night?”

Shrugging, Ben said, “Not much.” He gave Reed a forbidding look. “But if you're asking me because you want to tell me what
you
did, forget it.”

“
What…”

Ben cut him off. “I already know. You've been grinning like an idiot all day.”

Reed realized that he
was
presently grinning like…an idiot. Probably. “Maybe I'm just a happy guy.”

Shaking his head, Ben continued working. “Not that damn happy. It's annoying.”

He
was
happy, and not because he'd gotten laid. What happened last night was completely beyond his experience. Everything was different because it was with Sophie. He had an undeniable need to be with her. Reed wanted to touch her, taste her, and make her scream out his name over and over again.

He also wanted to
see Sophie light up in delight over something as simple as pizza and ice cream. From the moment he saw her at the Madison Falls Market, crouched down behind that table, Reed had known she was the one for him. He still had no idea what Sophie was doing down there, but the instant she looked up at him with those big green eyes and smiled, he was hooked. It was that simple. He was in love with Sophie
Brandon.

* * * *

Once again, Sophie had been swamped at work. Even though it was a short business day, she'd spent it filling orders and training Meg Malone. She had to remember to thank Reed for sending the girl her way.

Meg was a quick learner and a hard worker. It wouldn't be long before she'd have the routine down and free up some of Sophie's schedule.

After a long, hot shower and some
playtime with Max, Sophie got ready for the Sutton family dinner. She wore the emerald green sundress that she'd had on during the sugar mishap, this time without the sugar. Sophie opted for sandals in an effort not to trip and fall on her face in front of Reed's family.

She was nervous enough. Sophie was already imagining fiasco scenarios. She was bracing herself for anything from Dot giving
her the cold shoulder to the woman flinging hot food at her.
Unlikely, but it could happen.

Sophie felt like she was stepping into the lion's den.

Why had she agreed to this again?

She had a soft spot for Reed Sutton, that was why. A few kisses and a charming grin and she was willing to eat dinner with one of the most unpleasant women she'd ever met. It was important to him so she would do
her best
not
to leap over the table and strangle his mother. Sophie wouldn't give a one hundred percent guarantee on that one, but she would
try. For him.

As promised, Sophie made a few dozen chocolate chip cookies. She added another dozen peanut butter cookies because Jack seemed partial to them. He always ate one as soon as he picked up his weekly order. Reed said Keith would eat anything and
when asked, Dot said she wasn't that big a fan of cookies.
Of course she wasn't.

Being introduced as Reed's girlfriend was exciting yet nerve-wracking. After all of these years, she'd never thought this would happen. When he was a boy, she liked him with a teenage girl's infatuation. Now that she knew Reed Sutton, the man, she loved him with a grown woman's heart. Sophie was glad that she'd gotten
a second chance at seeing what could have been. This time, she knew that what could have been was something undeniably wonderful.

Reed was at her door exactly on time. When she let him in, he looked at her dress with open admiration. “I remember this dress fondly. You look beautiful even without the powdered sugar.” He drew her into his arms and kissed her with an enticing brush of his lips.
“You taste just as sweet though. Maybe we could ditch my parents and see how you look covered in sugar without the dress?”

Tempting.

She shook her head in regret. “I wish we could, but they're expecting us.” Sophie held up a bakery box. “I made cookies.”

Reed looked as though he didn't get the connection. He took the box from her and petted Max while Sophie got her phone and purse. She said
goodbye to her dog and pulled Reed out the door, quickly locking it behind her.

Sophie wanted to get this over with as soon as possible so her stomach would stop clenching with nerves.

Reed was handsome in a short-sleeved V-neck maroon shirt and black jeans. She gave him a good once over. “On second thought, maybe we should stay here. You are looking mighty tasty, yourself.”

“
Come on, Sophie.”
He gave a sexy little half smile and took her hand, leading her down the walkway to his truck. When Reed opened the door and boosted her up, she felt his hand push firmly against her butt. Sophie gave him a look, but he feigned innocence. It didn't work. The sparkle in his eyes gave him away.

* * * *

Sophie looked amazing in her little green sundress. The heart shaped top fit perfectly against
her delicate curves. The skirt flared out from the waist and stopped right above her knees. He peeked down at her smooth legs and smiled. “No heels tonight?”

She gave him a sideways glance and frowned at the prospect. “I lined up all of my high heels and ran them over with my car.”

Reed couldn't tell if she was serious. “Really?”

“
No, not really. I wanted to, but it would probably be bad for
the tires. I would if I could though.”

Reed laughed. “If you want, on our next date, we'll gather all of your most hated shoes and have a bonfire with them at my house. We can even roast marshmallows over their demise.”

He couldn't understand why women wanted to wear shoes like that in the first place. They looked pretty, but they had to be uncomfortable. Reed thought the strappy little leather
sandals Sophie had on suited her better. They also showed off the sexy red polish on her toes.

His top priority right now was getting Sophie to relax. She was a little bundle of nerves and was practically vibrating in the passenger seat. Her fingers beat out an anxious rhythm on the bakery box. If she kept it up, the cookies would be nothing but crumbs by the time they got there.