“Miss Bertie, I can assure you, anorexia isn’t something you catch. I can also assure you that Sophia isn’t anorexic. It’s clearly been noted by you time and time again that she’s gone through a few trials lately—but you know what? It’s neither of our business to be discussing her personal life.” Wes hoped his aloofness mixed with professionalism was enough to get the nosy women off his porch.
Dalma reached over and swiped a cookie off the plate.
Bertie tsked. “Dalma Jean, those are for Dr. Sawyer.”
Dalma tilted her head to the side and openly checked Wes out as she chewed. “He’s fit as a fiddle. Ain’t no way he’s going to eat these. Plus, he’s so sweet on our Sophia Grace that I bet there’s no room for any more sugar.” She gave him a knowing wink.
Wes was about to dispute her comment, but then he remembered Sunset Cove was under the illusion that he was sweet on Sophia. He also knew deep down it wasn’t entirely an illusion any longer.
“Heard you took her out to dinner a couple weeks ago?” Bertie peered up at him as she caught Dalma’s hand going in for another cookie.
“Yes, ma’am. And I can confirm the fact that Sophia ate.” Not much, but Bertie didn’t have to know that. He recalled a flyer that was in today’s newspaper and said without thinking, “Actually, we’re taking a cooking class together this Friday night at the rec center.”
“So you two are an item?” Bertie smirked.
“An item is singular. There are two of us.” Wes offered that nonsense with a wink of his own as he slid Dalma another cookie and took a step inside. “Thank you for the cookies. I’ll be sure to share them with Sophia.”
The old bird gave him a sly look. “You do that, sugar. See you soon.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He closed the door before she started up again. Walking to the kitchen, he placed the cookies on the counter and glared at them for all the things they stood for. He drummed his fingers against the cool marble and contemplated how to talk Sophia into going on another date with him. She’d remained firm on no more fake dates, and the phone numbers had picked right back up again. No matter how clear and up-front he was with each woman, it only seemed to be taken as a challenge.
Of course, Sophia thought that was the funniest thing. It wasn’t.
“What do I have to barter with?” Wes mumbled to himself, looking around the kitchen. “Nothing. I got nothing.” Suddenly yesterday’s incident came to mind, so he unplugged his cell phone where it was charging by the coffeepot.
Two rings in, that lovely voice answered with a terse “What?”
“Hello to you too, Sophia. I need your help.”
“How?”
Wes fished the flyer out of the recycling bin. “Remember yesterday, when you and Collin came over?” They’d been next door at the Coles’, but Collin had spotted Wes on the back deck and all but had a fit until Sophia brought him over to visit.
“Yes,” she answered hesitantly.
“And after our walk on the beach, I hosed Collin down and cleaned the stink off him? You remember that, right?”
“I remember, Wes. Get to the point already. Good grief. It’s like talking to Opal.” Sophia let out a growl that sent a grin to his face. He wouldn’t admit it to her, but that feistiness was attractive.
“You said if I cleaned him up, you’d owe me a huge favor, so I need to collect on that Friday night at . . .” He scanned the flyer. “Seven.”
She grumbled something underneath her breath before relenting. “Fine. What should I wear?”
That was almost too easy, but then he recalled the awful mess and stench, so perhaps she knew not to argue for once.
“One of those pretty dresses like you wore on our one and only date will be fine,” Wes answered with a hint of condescension to help his cause. Jeans and a blouse were probably fine too, but he liked those flowy dresses on her. He was about to thank her, but the little spitfire hung up on him. Chuckling, he placed the phone on the counter and headed out to get in an evening run.
At least Sophia had finally agreed to another date. He didn’t know why she was being so stubborn about it. Ever since Collin’s birthday, the three of them had shared meals in private or just hung out together. But she’d refused each time he proposed another date. It made no sense to him and certainly wasn’t helping the mission of repelling unwanted advances from several women.
“Women,” Wes mumbled while setting out down the back deck steps. The sky was painting itself in rich pink and orange, so he focused on just taking in God’s wonderment and leaving the trivial mess of Sunset Cove for a spell.
•••
By the time Friday arrived, Wes was ready to leave Sunset Cove altogether. He huffed loudly as his passenger let out another round of giggles.
“It’s not funny.” He shook his head and glared at the road.
“It’ll be funny to you once you get over it.” Sophia giggled again and had enough nerve to poke him in the side.
“I’m driving here,” Wes snapped.
“You’re stopped at a red light, silly.” Sophia exhaled, obviously trying to tamp down the laughter. “You need to lighten up or tonight is going to be our last date.”
“You didn’t have a stranger break into your house.”
“In all fairness, she was making you a surprise supper.” Sophia snickered, sounding like she was trying to hold it in, but then a roar of laughter followed.
“How would you have liked finding a stranger cooking in your kitchen?” He white-knuckled the steering wheel and refrained from hitting the gas too hard when the light turned green. “I came down after my shower in only a towel.”
She sniffled and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. “I’m sorry, Wes. Seriously sorry that I didn’t get there in time to get a video.” She barely finished the tease before bellowing out another laugh.
Wes shook his head and worked on taking several calming breaths. If it hadn’t been for Sophia fetching Lincoln to help out, Wes would have had to call the law to get the deranged woman to leave. “I should have just locked the door and not worried about you having to sit on the porch until I was ready. Yes, that’s the last time I’m considerate like that.”
“At least I got there before she took her little robe off.” Sophia playfully popped his arm.
Opal had volunteered to babysit Collin, so it made sense at the time to meet at Wes’s house. He was just glad Sophia had dropped the little boy off before coming over. No way would he have wanted the image of that half-dressed woman branded in Collin’s memory.
“I need to pack up and disappear in the middle of the night,” Wes muttered as he pulled up to the rec center. He noticed Miss Giggles had finally dried it up. “What?”
Her face was all puckered up. “Don’t you dare think about pulling a disappearing act. My son would be heartbroken, and he’s had enough of that.”
“I’m not going anywhere . . .” He hated that his snide comment had dampened her mood, even if it was at his expense, so he reached over and tickled her side. “You do see why it’s imperative that you hold up to your side of the deal with these dates?”