Page 19 of The Do Over
“There’s no way I can be serious when you look like that.”
She sniggered, but there was a smile tugging on the corner of her lips.
“That’s the point. I need you to know that what you’re saying isn’t it at all. You don’t drive slower than the slowest people in this town. Do you know how many people have told me that your only flaw is that you drive slow?”
“What?”
He raised a brow. How come he never heard of that? Jack knew that almost all the locals in the town liked him. Whenever he stopped at a shop on a solo errand, they smiled at him. The ones with the flowers gave him flowers. The ones with pastries had something sweet to offer him.
“I don’t believe you,” he shook his head. “You’re making it up because you want me to give you the keys. But I won’t. You lose, Sophie. I win.”
She shrugged and turned away from him. “Sure. Do you. I’m not going to change your mind.”
“All right.”
He started the car and started driving and there was no conversation between them for a long time. Jack did not say anything, because everything he wanted to say was the things that they hadn’t talked about since the blackout night.
He wanted to talk about the fact that they had almost sex. The fact that they didn’t talk about it the next morning—because when she was done with him, Andrew called, needing to speak with him on an issue. Jack went out to receive the call and when he returned, Sophie had retired to her room.
Or throughout that day, despite the fact that they had driven in the same car to her parent’s house and sat with the family the entire day, going through a few of the things that they had ticked off from the wedding supplies to make sure they were in order.
But he didn’t know what to say either. He knew he wanted to kiss her, he knew he wanted to go all the way. But Jack felt they needed to go past what happened first. The problem was,shewasn’t bringing it up and he couldn’t either.
Hopefully, after they had picked up Emily’s wedding dress—which they were going to get in the next town, he would have the courage to say something.
His problem was that he never had the right words.
“So,” Sophie finally spoke up and he turned to look at her briefly. “Aidan. He’s a sweet boy. I’m assuming he didn’t take that from you.”
“What makes you say so?”
“You’re anything but sweet. At least the way he is. I know you, remember?”
“Used to,” he corrected her gently because it was his fault that she didn’t know him anymore. It was his fault that they stopped talking—that things were awry. “I changed, Sophie.”
Apparently, she didn’t think so and it was evident when she snickered.
“Sure. You’re changed. I’ll believe you, for the sake that this might turn into an argument and I do not have it in me to argue with you. We’ve done enough of that over the past week and two days.”
“It’s been a week and two days?” Jack asked. It felt like it had been months since he arrived in Oregon. “So Andrew and Emily are getting married in about a week’s time. Wow.” He chuckled. “I’m still a little surprised he’s getting married at all.”
“Same here. He called me one day three months ago and said he was engaged. Then called me a month ago and said they were getting married. I couldn’t believe it—not Andrew. Not my brother who was so scared of commitment until a few months ago.”
Jack turned to her and saw that she was smiling. There was admiration for her brother clearly written on her face.
“That’s what love does to you. Meeting the right person does all things to you. You want to settle down with them as soon as possible, make a life, and share that life with them.”
Nostalgia settled over his shoulders as the words left his mouth, with a hint of grief on his tongue and Jack found himself blinking back tears.
“That’s what she meant to you, right?” Sophie said softly.
He knew what she was talking about without asking for more clarification. Jack nodded and swallowed a lump in his throat.
Sophie sighed.
“I see. Maybe I’ll get to experience something like that someday. I don’t know. I don’t think love is for me. When I left home, I threw myself into work without giving myself time for anything more than a shady date or a one night with someone that I didn’t remember the next day.
“Maybe I’ve used up all my chances. Maybe I’ve not.”
