Moonlight Masquerade (Edilean 8)

“Thank you,” she said and tried to smile.

He leaned back in his chair. “And, Sophie, if you two should get married I negotiated that every year all expenses will be paid for you to have two visits of two weeks each. You can meet anywhere in the world. And of course he’ll come home to you often.”

“He hasn’t asked me to marry him,” Sophie said.

“He will. The whole town says so.” Henry smiled broadly. He’d been worried at her glum expression and was afraid that his offer was what was making her sad. But it looked like her unhappiness was caused by her lazy boyfriend. Henry squeezed her hand again. “I’m sure he will ask you. Maybe tomorrow, for Christmas, he’ll get down on one knee.”

Sophie picked up the envelope. “I’ll go over all this with Reede and let you know. It’s a very generous offer and I thank you for it.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Henry said, but he was watching her closely and trying not to frown. He wished he knew her better so he could reassure her.

On the other hand he wasn’t sure how Dr. Reede would react to the offer. If Sophie gave him the packet, saying that his trips would be funded, what would that mean to Sophie? Would he give her a kiss, say “Thanks, babe,” and run away?

If he did, Henry thought, he’d make sure the young man lost his future funding. Sophie was a nice girl and she didn’t deserve being treated like that.

After Henry left, Sophie went back to help clean up. They’d be closed for Christmas Day, so they wanted everything especially tidy.

Kelli and Carter were talking quietly about what they were going to do at the meeting with his father, and their excitement filled the air. At the other end of the restaurant Roan and Danni were sitting in a booth and talking. They seemed to be planning where they were going to spend Christmas.

An hour later the four of them left, wishing Sophie a very merry Christmas. She made herself a pot of tea and sat down to go through the packet Henry had given her. It was, indeed, a very generous offer. There was no specific amount for the funding but seemed to be open-ended. However much whatever Reede chose to do cost, that’s how much would be available. She couldn’t help but wonder how many favors Henry’d had to call in to get such a generous proposal.

As for her, what he offered was equally generous. She’d be paid for working in a fabulous studio, and she could supplement her income in any way she could imagine. The insurance benefits were excellent. All in all, the plan couldn’t be better. Nothing had been left out.

So why did the sight of it depress her?

She went through the documents one by one and took out everything that had her name on it or pertained to her and Reede as a couple. For all that he wanted her to move in with him, he’d certainly never mentioned marriage. It would be embarrassing to hand him papers that referred to their marriage as though it were a done deal.

When Reede picked her up at five she did her best to be cheerful, but it wasn’t easy. “We’re going to Sara’s tomorrow?” she asked as he was driving them to his house.

“Sure. Unless you don’t want to. We could go into Williamsburg and see the programs there. We can do whatever you want.”

“When were you going to tell me about Dr. Becks?” she asked softly.

“Nothing to tell,” Reede said.

“That’s not what he told me. He’s offering to take over the practice so you can leave.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Reede said. “I need funding. I let every business contact I had drop because I was here. It would take me months to reorganize everything. By that time Tyler will be gone.”

Sophie took a breath. “I have something to show you. It’s something that you’re going to like very much.”

“So that’s it?” Colin asked. It was Christmas Day, and he and Reede were in the back parlor of Sara and Mike’s old house. They could hear carols on the other side of the closed door, and people were laughing and talking, but it was relatively quiet in this room. “You have it all now. Funding, someone to take over the practice, and you and Sophie are mad about each other. What else is there?”

“I don’t know,” Reede said. There was a blaze in the old fireplace, and Sara had a little Christmas tree in the corner. “Sophie has everything. It took me hours last night before I could get her to tell me why that guy Henry was offering me all this. He gave her a fabulous job.” He told Colin the details, even down to the dental plan.

“She can’t turn down something as good as that and leave with you,” Colin said softly. He’d been through this problem with Tris and Jecca. Her job was one place and his another. “What are you going to do?”

“Stay here,” Reede said. ?

?As Sara said, I don’t fall in love easily. I lost the woman I love the first time; I’m not going to do it again.”

“But you hate it here.”

“I’m adjusting,” Reede said. “It’s certainly more pleasant now that Sophie is here. And I can’t bear to lose her! That idiot Treeborne spends every day with her. If I left town he’d be after her in a second.”

“From what I heard he wants that girl who bakes.”

Reede shrugged. “That’s only because he thinks he can’t have Sophie.”