wisp of hair behind her ear.
“Yeah, I mean, who’d want to go out with you? Pretty, intelligent –”
“Oh, please.” Sophie blushed.
“Okay – forget the intelligent bit.”
Used to his teasing, she laughed. James and Sophie were design engineers, specialising in robotics. When she’d started at the company ten months ago, he’d taken her under his wing, becoming the older brother she never had and even introduced her to his girlfriend, Kate.
“Does Kate know you think I’m pretty?”
“Kate thinks you’re pretty! She wants to set you up with one of her boring accountant types.” Then, grinning, showing off boyish dimples, he added, “I keep telling her they’ll be too outgoing, even for you.”
She jokingly slapped him on the arm, finished her drink and excused herself, heading for the ladies. When Sophie pushed open the door she found a stunning young woman, cursing into the mirror whilst delicately dabbing the corner of her eyes with tissues. Sophie meekly smiled and hurried into a cubicle. Having enough worries of her own, Sophie didn’t need someone else’s problems, too. The woman continued her tearful rant to herself in front of the mirror. “Commitment-phobic bastard. You can do better than that arsehole, Bella. Adam arsehole Reid’s loss, not yours!”
Sophie knew that name. Relief washed over her as she heard the door swish and Bella leave, and hoped she wouldn’t be upset for too long. Men these days were not worth it.
With the amenities to herself, Sophie tidied her ponytail and reapplied some lip-gloss. Working in a male-dominated office, she preferred to keep a low profile, hair worn back, minimalist make-up. Sophie wanted to be noticed for her work, not the skirt she wore.
She stared into the mirror as Bella had just done, her head clouded with excuses to make to her best friend Cassie, and how she’d deal with Cassie’s anger – albeit over the phone.
Coward.
If only it had been Kate who had set Sophie up with one of her friends …
Or maybe she could feign a terrible illness?
God, why’d she let it go this far?
Because I thought I wouldn’t be going home alone. She’d had months to find someone, and she hadn’t thought it would come around so quickly.
She sighed heavily. This was ridiculous. She couldn’t stand in a pub loo worrying all evening, James would wonder where she was.
Walking towards the picnic bench, Sophie noticed fresh drinks on the table and someone sitting in her seat. The man – with mouth-watering good looks – had removed his jacket and loosened his tie, laughing with James.
Adam Reid – Bella obviously long forgotten.
His name often came up when James discussed his weekend jaunts with his mates. How could such good friends be the opposite ends of the spectrum? Unlike his friend, James wasn’t a naturally smart dresser. Adam looked sophisticated with his crisp, white shirt, a contrast to James’ faded dark blue polo shirt that hadn’t ever seen an iron.
Adam glanced at her as she approached. He had short, sandy blond hair, expensively cut. She’d heard some of the women in the office talk about him being a real head turner. They weren’t wrong. Poor Bella.
Poor Bella? More like poor Sophie.
Oh, please don’t have a trail of loo paper stuck to my shoe like some Andrex puppy trailing tissue behind it.
She subtly tried checking her blouse was tucked into her trousers, and quickly brushed a hand over her hair. Why hadn’t she untied it? She could understand why Bella had been upset. This man was a catch.
“Sophie, this is Adam Reid.”
She nodded and smiled. “I know.” She’d attended a couple of meetings which he’d been at, and could count – on one hand – how many words she’d spoken to him.
“Oh, sorry, I’m in your seat.” Adam stood up, and Sophie had to look up into his blue eyes. They shook hands. He had a firm, professional handshake. She could feel the warmth from his palm in her own.
She shuffled along the bench as some of their colleagues moved from the table, and she gestured to Adam to sit. As he did, she caught a whiff of his aftershave and heat instantly rushed up her neck.
“Adam’s an account manager in Sales and Marketing,” James said. Hence, he looked smart and she and James didn’t. Working in the design department allowed them a more casual dress code. He must think we’re a right pair.
“I know that, too,” she said, placing her handbag on the table. Some said he was the best in the marketing department supporting the company’s biggest clients. Sophie wasn’t going to forget his cool, confident attitude in a hurry. Adam Reid had dominated the meetings she’d sat in a couple of times. His smooth, deep voice, combined with his good looks, had made it very hard for her to concentrate on what he’d been saying. James once told her Adam had started on the factory floor. She doubted he ever got his hands dirty now, but it hadn’t stopped her watching his strong, masculine hands, and picturing what they could do.
He rubbed his thumb along the condensation on his pint glass.
Stop looking at his hands.
“Sophie works with me,” James said to Adam.
“I’d worked that one out, James.” Adam winked at her. “Aren’t you lucky working with such a bright spark?”
“Someone has to work with him. I drew the short straw,” she said, nervously smiling back, finding it very hard to meet his eyes and not blush. The bottom of her wine glass was easier to look at. “I’ve managed to put up with him for almost a year.” Adam chuckled.
“Hey, you two!” James laughed and reached for his pint, but knocked Sophie’s full wine glass over, spilling the contents on her handbag.
All three of them jumped to their feet. Cheers and laughter came from a neighbouring table. James righted the glass.
“Oh, hell, sorry.”
“James,” she huffed, as she scrambled to empty her bag onto a dry part of the table and shake it out. Some of the contents fell through the gaps of the picnic table and onto the ground. She mumbled a curse. Luckily her bag had got most of it, not her clothes - the last thing she needed, especially in front of Adam.
Adam reacted quickly, grabbing clean paper napkins from another table and soaked up the wine.
“What’s this?” James picked up a card, battered and now soggy, from underneath the table. Sophie tried to snatch it, but he held it away from her.
“A wedding invitation.” James looked at Sophie, then Adam, his eyebrows raised. “For next weekend.”
“James, please give it to me.” She tried reaching for it again, but he raised it so she couldn’t grab the card.
Sod him for being so tall.
