Sophie woke up with a start, reaching out for Daniel instinctively.
Instead, her hand met bare mattress and an empty pillow.
Sitting up slowly and rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she gazed around the room but all evidence of Daniel was gone – his clothes, his watch from the nightstand, everything. Only her pink robe remained, folded neatly over a nearby chair.
She saw a small piece of paper on the pillow beside her, along with a banana.
Well, at least he'd made her breakfast before he left, she thought with a wry smile. Picking up the note, she read its scant words quickly:
S—
I'm so sorry, I had to go.
--D
Well, that was the love letter of the century, she thought sarcastically with a mental shrug of the shoulders.
So much for basking in the afterglow, she thought, flinging back the duvet and getting out of bed – and back to the real world.
**
"Did you have a nice day off?" Matt asked as Sophie marched through the front door of Belletristic. "Did you go sightseeing?"
Sophie mentally reviewed her day, deciding not to tell Matt that her favorite sight had been Daniel's naked body above hers.
"I did. I went to Hereford Cathedral, saw the chained library and the Mappa Mundi…" Sophie said, setting down her bag and immediately heading for the warm coffeepot.
"Isn't that incredible?" Matt asked, nodding eagerly. "I just love going there, soaking in all those words that have survived the test of time."
Sophie nodded, taking a sip of coffee. "That’s exactly how I felt standing there." She looked around, noting the few customers milling about, her mind already switching into 'work mode'. "We had a really great day."
"We?" Matt ventured, raising an eyebrow slightly, looking up from his perch behind the counter.
"Yes, we," Sophie said, her cheeks going a bit hot.
"You and the man you most recently referred to as 'a ruffian with a black heart and atrocious manners?" Matt asked innocently.
"Hey!"
"What?" Matt defended, giving her a wide smile. "I'm just saying…"
"You like Daniel!"
"And apparently so do you," Matt said, grinning at her. "Already going on trips together. Next it'll be dirty weekends..."
Sophie nearly choked at that, her cheeks flushing an even deep red.
"…and then you'll be deciding whether or not to have a June or a November wedding."
"Easy, there, Martha Stewart. We aren't ready for you to start knitting any little booties yet or anything. We're just… casually dating."
"Mm. Whatever you say, boss."
Sophie threw him a mock stare, then quickly changed the subject before Matt delved into further into her plans from yesterday. "So how were things here? Any problems? Anything come up?"
"Not in the least," Matt said proudly. "I even sold a couple of first editions yesterday – nice bit of change, that."
Sophie grinned. "In that case, I'm going to run to Hay Coffee and get some breakfast for us – my treat. What do you want?"
**
"Colonist!" Kat said happily, looking up as Sophie walked through the door. "I didn't see you at work when I went by yesterday. Playing hooky?"
Sophie laughed. "Hi Slave. Actually, exactly that," she said, her cheeks flushing at the memory of her day. She really had to stop blushing every time the subject of Daniel came up.
"Oh. OH," Kat said knowingly. "Did you and Mr. Davies, um, explore new boundaries of your friendship?"
"Meaning…?"
"You guys totally slept together, didn't you? You have that smug, well-sexed expression on your face," Kat said triumphantly.
Sophie's mouth formed a shocked O. "I do NOT have that look!" She paused, and then looked at Kat, her voice meek. "Do I?"
"No, but you guys did finally do it, didn't you? The sexual tension became too much and you just…" Kat clasped her hands to her chest with a passionate expression on her face.
Sophie nodded, her smile betraying the truth.
"I knew it! I could practically FEEL the sparks flying off you guys the other night at dinner. Sophie, I'm so pleased for you!" Kat said, automatically retrieving two muffins for both Sophie and Matt without Sophie having to ask.
"It was… it was a good day," Sophie agreed, pulling out her wallet. "He was gone when I woke up this morning, though."
"Did he leave a note?"
Sophie nodded. "And a banana."
"Breakfast in bed," Kat agreed. "Nice."
"Listen, I was going to see if you wanted to meet Matt and I for lunch today," Sophie said after she had paid for her muffins and accepted the bag from Kat. "I have some new ideas for the shop, and I'd like your opinions."
"Sure, sounds good," Kat agreed easily.
"Noon at the Granary?" Sophie asked, and when Kat agreed, gave her a wave and a cheery goodbye, walking back up the road, surreptitiously scanning to see if Daniel's car was in town.
No such luck, not that Sophie was really surprised.
He may not be around for the next round of 'Operation Hookup', but Sophie was making sure things remained on track with Matt and Kat. Swinging back into the shop, she gave Matt a winsome smile as she handed him his breakfast and began unwrapping her own muffin.
"Hey, I was going to ask you… are you free for lunch today?"
Matt nodded after a moment, his mouth full of muffin. "I think so… why?"
"I was going to see if you wanted to head to the Granary with me to grab something to eat. I asked Kat to join us, so we can discuss new ideas for the shop. I'd really value your opinion along with hers," Sophie said, biting back a smile.
Matt's eyes lit up at the mention of Kat's name. "Yeah, sure, I'd be happy to. When?"
Sophie hid a wide smile behind a bit of muffin. "Noon okay with you?"
Matt nodded eagerly, his own cheeks turning a brilliant red.
"Happy to discuss changes to the shop, huh?" Sophie couldn't help needling him slightly after his comments about Daniel. "That's unusual."
"Oh yeah, absolutely. I'm always eager to discuss new marketing ideas," Matt said, sounding almost convincing and Sophie laughed.
"Okay, Romeo. I'm glad to hear it…"
Oh yeah. The operation was in full effect now, Sophie thought, turning towards the bookshelves in the back of the room with a private smile.
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