woman. She retouched her makeup, fluffed her short strawberry blond hair and put in her gold hoop earrings. After spritzing herself with her favorite perfume, she was ready to deal with anything the day could throw at her.
The drive to Minneapolis took just over ten minutes. After parking her Lexus in the lot across from the Times Register Tower and entering through the glass front doors, Sophie was surprised to find Nathan sitting in one of the chairs directly across from the elevators.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, backing up as he stood and walked toward her.
“Sophie, we’ve got to talk. You have to let me apologize about yesterday.” He seemed truly distraught.
He was wearing a chef’s coat and jeans. He looked tall and rough, just as he always did. And he’d recently regrown his beard. “Did you drive all the way here from your restaurant?”
“I had to. I couldn’t stop thinking about last night, that I made an ass of myself when we spoke.”
“Did you ask Elaine to marry you?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t look happy.
“Did she say yes?”
He nodded. “Do you forgive me?”
“Nathan, forget about me. I’m not mad at you. Enjoy your engagement to Elaine. That’s what you should be concentrating on now.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right.”
“I just wish you hadn’t involved Bram’s daughter in your wedding plans.”
“Do you?”
“I thought I made that clear.”
“But she’s a wedding planner, Sophie. Why not use her?”
“Because she’s Bram’s daughter. Don’t you get it? We need to separate our lives, not interweave them. There are tons of good wedding planners out there.”
“Yeah, but I thought . . . I mean, since you and Elaine are good friends, and since her mother is gone now, I thought you’d want to help her with some of the planning. And if I hired Margie, it would only make it that much easier all the way around.”
Where did he get these ideas? “Nathan, you’ve got to listen to me.” She pulled him aside, away from the elevators. “Are you listening now? Really listening?”
“Don’t treat me like a four-year-old.”
He could be so exasperating sometimes. She might have found it endearing once, but she didn’t anymore. “I love my husband, and it upsets him when my old boyfriend seems to be continually hovering around me. That’s why we have to put a stop to it. We can’t see each other, not even casually. I won’t be eating at your restaurant again. And you can’t stop by the Maxfield anymore, okay? Do you understand? You can’t call. We have to live separate lives.”
Grudgingly, he nodded.
Watching him, she had a chilling sense that this was all for show, that he was marrying Elaine not out of love, not with the intent to end his relationship with Sophie, but as a way to keep it going. Elaine was just a means to that end. “Do you really want to marry Elaine?”
“Sure.”
“Nathan? Look at me.”
He didn’t seem to want to look her in the eye.
“What?” he mumbled.
“Why do you want to marry Elaine?”
“I care about her. She’s a wonderful woman.”
“Really?”
“You think I’m lying?”
Sophie wasn’t sure anymore. “Are we clear on this? On our living separate lives?”
“You want me to fire Margie?”
“No.” She sighed. “That would only cause more problems. But I won’t be helping Elaine with your wedding. I wish you two only happiness, Nathan. You know that.”
“Yeah, I do. You’re the greatest person I’ve ever known. And don’t worry. I’ll make sure you and Bram get a wedding invitation. Maybe you two would like to sit at the head table with us.”
For some reason, he wasn’t tracking. He just didn’t seem to get it. But standing here arguing with him wasn’t doing any good. Sophie glanced at her watch. It was already after eleven. If she didn’t get up to the auditorium on the fourth floor, she’d miss the meeting. “Nathan, I need to get upstairs.”
“But . . . I
The drive to Minneapolis took just over ten minutes. After parking her Lexus in the lot across from the Times Register Tower and entering through the glass front doors, Sophie was surprised to find Nathan sitting in one of the chairs directly across from the elevators.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, backing up as he stood and walked toward her.
“Sophie, we’ve got to talk. You have to let me apologize about yesterday.” He seemed truly distraught.
He was wearing a chef’s coat and jeans. He looked tall and rough, just as he always did. And he’d recently regrown his beard. “Did you drive all the way here from your restaurant?”
“I had to. I couldn’t stop thinking about last night, that I made an ass of myself when we spoke.”
“Did you ask Elaine to marry you?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t look happy.
“Did she say yes?”
He nodded. “Do you forgive me?”
“Nathan, forget about me. I’m not mad at you. Enjoy your engagement to Elaine. That’s what you should be concentrating on now.”
“You’re right. I know you’re right.”
“I just wish you hadn’t involved Bram’s daughter in your wedding plans.”
“Do you?”
“I thought I made that clear.”
“But she’s a wedding planner, Sophie. Why not use her?”
“Because she’s Bram’s daughter. Don’t you get it? We need to separate our lives, not interweave them. There are tons of good wedding planners out there.”
“Yeah, but I thought . . . I mean, since you and Elaine are good friends, and since her mother is gone now, I thought you’d want to help her with some of the planning. And if I hired Margie, it would only make it that much easier all the way around.”
Where did he get these ideas? “Nathan, you’ve got to listen to me.” She pulled him aside, away from the elevators. “Are you listening now? Really listening?”
“Don’t treat me like a four-year-old.”
He could be so exasperating sometimes. She might have found it endearing once, but she didn’t anymore. “I love my husband, and it upsets him when my old boyfriend seems to be continually hovering around me. That’s why we have to put a stop to it. We can’t see each other, not even casually. I won’t be eating at your restaurant again. And you can’t stop by the Maxfield anymore, okay? Do you understand? You can’t call. We have to live separate lives.”
Grudgingly, he nodded.
Watching him, she had a chilling sense that this was all for show, that he was marrying Elaine not out of love, not with the intent to end his relationship with Sophie, but as a way to keep it going. Elaine was just a means to that end. “Do you really want to marry Elaine?”
“Sure.”
“Nathan? Look at me.”
He didn’t seem to want to look her in the eye.
“What?” he mumbled.
“Why do you want to marry Elaine?”
“I care about her. She’s a wonderful woman.”
“Really?”
“You think I’m lying?”
Sophie wasn’t sure anymore. “Are we clear on this? On our living separate lives?”
“You want me to fire Margie?”
“No.” She sighed. “That would only cause more problems. But I won’t be helping Elaine with your wedding. I wish you two only happiness, Nathan. You know that.”
“Yeah, I do. You’re the greatest person I’ve ever known. And don’t worry. I’ll make sure you and Bram get a wedding invitation. Maybe you two would like to sit at the head table with us.”
For some reason, he wasn’t tracking. He just didn’t seem to get it. But standing here arguing with him wasn’t doing any good. Sophie glanced at her watch. It was already after eleven. If she didn’t get up to the auditorium on the fourth floor, she’d miss the meeting. “Nathan, I need to get upstairs.”
“But . . . I
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