Chapter Three
OnMonday,Sofiastarted a new temp job at an awful company. From the second she walked in, the staff there were giving her the cold shoulder. Fast forward to Wednesday and she couldn’t wait to hightail it out of there to meet Hattie. Wednesday nights had been their standard girls’ night for as long as Sofia could remember. Hattie was her only real friend since she moved back to Miami and she liked it that way. They found in each other the things they needed. Friendship without judgement. Growing up, Sofia learned that most people expected perfection from everyone around them. If someone found one tiny fault in a person, they would exploit it and she had a ton of faults. Meeting new people often brought on a whole set of complications she couldn’t stand dealing with.
“Well, it’s about time,” Hattie said as she removed her purse from the seat next to her, “These people are like vultures. Do you know how hard it was to keep you a seat?”
“Sorry, it’s this job. I can’t believe people actually chose to work for this company.”
“Maybe that’s why it’s so hard for them to find people.”
“Probably.”
“What are you even doing for them?”
“Just answering phones and normal office work. It’s not rocket science, but the Office Manager finds something wrong with everything I do.”
“Ew... how long are you there?”
“Just a week. I can request longer, but there’s no way. I’d rather wait for another job than go back there next Monday.”
Sofia waved to the bartender and placed an order for drinks and appetizers when he came by. This was one of their favorite spots, so she knew what she wanted before even looking at the menu. Familiar places were just as important to her as familiar people. With everything that had happened over the last year, she grasped at anything that comforted her.
“Did he text again today?”
“He did. He’s texted me every day since he left. I’m flattered, but I’m also worried. Is that stalkerish to you?”
“I define stalker as someone providing you with unwanted attention. Not a hot ass dude who knocked you off your feet the first time you met him.”
“He is hot. Like really hot. Like the kind of guy that makes me nervous just looking at him. I’m so happy he’s only texted because when we met I couldn’t stop talking. I’m amazed I didn’t divulge all my darkest secrets right there in the middle of the coffee shop.”
“Do you know where he’s taking you on Saturday?”
“Not a clue, he said it’s a surprise which also makes me nervous.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“So you say.”
“This guy helps teenagers, owns a dog and lets you eat dessert first. You couldn’t ask for a better man.”
“Right... so what’s wrong with him?”
“There doesn’t have to be something wrong with him.”
“No one is perfect.”
“Ugh, here we go again with your perfectionism issues. Listen, you don’t want to be perfect, so don’t expect him to be. Maybe he leaves his socks on while having sex, or he could be one of those people who puts his clothes next to the hamper rather than inside of it. Oh wait! I’ve got it. He doesn’t change the toilet paper roll. The thing is, you won’t know what it is until you spend more time with him, and if it is something like that, then maybe you’ll be willing to overlook it because he’s so damn hot.”
She’d like to think she would be willing to overlook things because of who he was as a person, not just because of his looks, but as for the rest of it, Hattie was right. Only time would tell if there was a possibility something could work out between them. What she still needed was a date to the wedding. He didn’t really address the situation when she mentioned it to him and she didn’t press things either, but the wedding was coming up quickly and she was going to have to figure something out. Micah and Izzy were insisting she go with them even though she didn’t feel as if she should. Things between her and Luca had been strained since they met, but his fiancée wanted her to be involved. Nervous didn’t even begin to explain how she felt about it all. The first time they all met was during a weekend trip to New York City. Sofia and Bella, Luca’s fiancée, hit it off immediately and her new niece Jenny was phenomenal. Luca was polite but guarded, which she understood, but it still made her anxious. They had a long way to go, and the wedding was going to be one of those first steps in the right direction. She just needed to get her act together, find a date, a dress, and some confidence to get her through the whole thing.
After way too many drinks and more hours at the bar than they had planned, Sofia found herself happily in bed. She had to set her alarm extra early so she could go back and pick up her car on her way to work in the morning. Getting a taxi home was a must, but that meant the morning was going to be tough. She turned out the lights and just dozed off when her phone rang. She nearly jumped out of her skin. The bright screen hurt her eyes, but her heart started racing when she realized it was Ozzie. He never called, only texted, but now at midnight he was calling and she was just sitting there staring at it ringing. Sofia shook herself out of her stupor and answered it.
“Hello?”
“Hey, did I wake you?”
“No, not really.”
“I can let you go if you’re sleeping.”