Page 20 of Keeping Mr. Right Now
“Like what?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Honor teased. “Like kiss you?”
The glorious sun beat down on them, but that wasn’t why Sophie’s face heated. “Of course not. Like I said, he was just trying to make up for our surf lesson.”
“So he just said good-bye at the end of the night and that was it?”
“I didn’t see him after the screening. I got caught up with work, and by the time I was through, everyone had pretty much left.” She wasn’t surprised he hadn’t waited, since she was sure he had an after-party to attend. But she hadn’t counted on being so disappointed.
Which meant her help with making Zane look good would cost her. She didn’t do things lightly. Never had. How on earth could she hang out with Zane and then leave White Strand with her heart untouched?
It’s the first time your heart’s even been truly engaged. Let it live a little.
She scanned their surroundings in hopes of avoiding Zane if he were around somewhere. The fewer times they bumped into each other, the better.
“Huh,” Honor said.
“Huh, what?”
“It’s just that no one saw Zane last night. There were a couple of parties, but he wasn’t at any of them. I think he just went back to his rental house.”
That made sense if he was really serious about working on his image.
She wondered if he slept in the nude.
Holy moly. She did not just think that. She fanned her Surf Fanatic Film Festival T-shirt away from her stomach. The balmy seventy-five-degree temperature must’ve just jumped into the eighties with the sun reaching the middle of the blue sky.
“That’s unusual for him?” Sophie asked.
“Totally. He’s usually the life of the party with women hanging all over him like he’s a ladder. And boy do they want to climb him.”
“Who wouldn’t? Zane is…” Oops, she hadn’t meant to go down that road. Why couldn’t she keep her thoughts to herself?
“Hot. Gorgeous. Sexy. To die for. Take your pick.” Honor elbowed her. “Good to see you’re not immune to him, either.”
Sophie squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. She so wasn’t. She’d never felt soresponsivebefore. So curious. “I can’t.” She peeked at Honor out of the corner of her eye. “Pick just one.” The two of them giggled.
“Oh, hey. There’s Elena. Come on, I want you to meet her.” Honor led her to a booth where a really pretty, thirtyish-looking woman stood behind a table decorated with a blue tablecloth and silver platters of bite-size food samples. They’d been taste testing for the past hour, but that wasn’t going to stop Sophie from trying more.
“Honor, hi,” the woman said.
“Hi, Elena. Elena, this is Sophie. Sophie, Elena. Elena is the best personal chef on the West Coast,” Honor boasted. Then, leaning toward Sophie, she whispered, “She’s made lunch for the president.”
“Wow,” Sophie said. “I better try one of everything, then.” She eyed the platters before picking up a mini taco. She bit into the crunchy goodness and moaned. “Oh my gosh, this is so yummy. What’s in it?”
“Duck,” Elena said, a warm smile on her face. “Those are my hubby’s favorite, too.”
Honor and Sophie indulged in everything on the table, all the while talking with Elena and hearing about her plans for the rest of the year. She was quite the busy chef and traveled up and down the coast to cook for many wealthy and famous people.
The clock tower chimed, and Sophie dabbed a napkin at the corners of her mouth. “Shoot. I’m late. I’m supposed to judge the Battle of the Burger contest on the Culinary Stage. Thank you, Elena. Honor, I’ll catch you later?”
Honor nodded and Elena waved good-bye. Sophie hurried down Main to the large stage set up for cooking demos and competitions. She’d stepped in last-minute when one of the judges had taken ill, happy to lend a hand. But seeing the large audience in attendance made her falter for a second. Not a single folding chair was left vacant. And glancing up at the stage, tiny flutters detonated in her chest. Zane sat at the judges’ table, a smile on his too-handsome face directed right at her.
She broke eye contact and hurried to the side of the stage and up the steps.
“Hi,” she whispered, sliding into the seat beside him just as the twelfth chime sounded.
“Hi.” One little word and her body grew hyperaware of him. He smelled so good, like the beach and—she inhaled—vim and vigor.
