“You’re expecting?”
She laughed prettily and allowed him to kiss her cheek. “I am. You’re going to be an uncle again. This time we’re hoping for a girl. There’s more than enough Townsend testosterone in this family.”
Her smile fell slightly when she looked at Mara but unlike his mother, she at least extended her hand in greeting. “Hello, I’m Sophia.”
After they were all seated, Mara asked, “So, this is your second baby?”
Sophia glanced at him in surprise before answering. “No, this is our third. Trent has two nephews that he spoils outrageously already.”
The waiter interrupted to bring their water and take their orders. Once he left, Trent picked up Mara’s hand and held it on his knee.
“I don’t spoil them,” he responded to her earlier comment, happy that the conversation seemed to be on neutral terms. “I just encourage them in their natural desire to create chaos.”
Sophia took a delicate sip from her water goblet. “You give them all the toys parents hate. Basically everything that makes noise or squirts water or leaves permanent stains.”
“That’s what being a kid should be about.”
At that statement, Sophia’s eyes softened. She knew how he felt about their upbringing and on this one matter, they agreed. Children should be children. Not little robots. Or pawns.
“Well, I’ll have ample opportunity to pay you back when you have kids of your own.” She looked at Mara, finally.
It wasn't the friendliest look and Trent shifted in his seat, hoping to bring his sister's attention back to him. Sophia wasn't vicious like their mother but she could be disturbingly blunt. "We definitely want children but we have to get through the wedding first."
She turned back to him. "I hope you're back for good. Running away from your problems doesn't solve anything."
"Sophia," he warned. She glared at him, her eyes warning him that she knew things about him. Things he didn't want to be public knowledge. Sophia loved him, he didn't doubt it, but she could be incredibly pushy when she thought she was doing something for his own good.
"Not to worry, big brother. I'm just glad you're back."
There was something calculating in her eyes but before he could dwell on it too long, the waiter stepped between them to put their food down. After he left, Sophia started chatting with Mara about the new charity she was working with and didn't look his way again.
* * * * *
MARA WASN’T SURE what Trent was hoping to accomplish by sending her out shopping with his sister. There were some people who would simply never be friends and after Sophia’s polite but disinterested treatment of her during lunch, she figured that was their destiny and was surprisingly fine with it.
After she'd come back from the bathroom halfway through the meal, she'd noticed the siblings arguing from across the room. But by the time she slid into her seat, they were both focused on their food. Sophia had made a minimal effort to engage her in conversation but Mara didn't foresee them being best buddies anytime soon.
She thought then of Penny, with her warm demeanor and penchant for telling inappropriate jokes. Even though it was partially because they’d known each other since she was a child, there was also a comfort factor there that came simply because Penny didn't view her as a rival.
She didn’t get the sense that Sophia shared much of anything well, much less her brother’s time and affection.
The doorbell chime rang, startling her. With a curse, she shoved her feet into a pair of strappy black sandals and grabbed a light cardigan. Sophia had told them she'd meet them at the penthouse since she needed to check on her kids first. Mara had spent the time going back and forth over whether or not she should change. A dress was fine for lunch but if she was going to be traipsing around a bunch of stores, it was probably better to keep things somewhat casual. Her jeans and fitted blouse probably wouldn't win her any style points with Sophia but she was doubtful that anything she did would meet with Sophia's approval anyway. So if that was the case, she might as well be comfortable.
Trent appeared in the doorway to her closet sipping from a cup of coffee. “Are you ready? I just told the front desk to allow Sophia to come up.”
Curious, Mara asked, "Would they really keep her away if you told them she wasn't allowed up here? I mean, what would they do, tackle her?"
Trent threw his head back and laughed, a deep full-bodied sound that echoed throughout the room. "I adore you, you know that?"
His eyes held hers and she warmed from the inside out. The awkwardness between them was starting to thaw and it was good, very good, to see the old Trent that she knew and loved back again.
"I was just wondering." She smiled sweetly. Although she had to admit that the mental image of the ever-helpful Walter tackling a wayward visitor was extremely amusing.
"Well, so far none of my family members have been brave enough to test the limits of my security. That's a good thing because I believe Walter probably would tackle someone if he had to. He's very dedicated."
"I noticed. All of your … people, or whatever you want to call them, seem very loyal to you. I got an email from Gina. Apparently she'll be handling my calendar as well. She seems really happy to have you here."
Trent was watching her closely. She should have known that her confusion wouldn't escape his notice.