His Secret Alaskan Heiress. Belle Calhoune
Establishing boundaries was a good idea.
“How are you liking Cameron’s place?” Sophie asked. “I always thought it had such fantastic views of the bay. At night you can really catch a glimpse of the constellations.”
“It’s nice,” he said, reaching up for an order slip. He pretended to study it so he wouldn’t have to look in Sophie’s direction again.
“And it’s fairly close to everything in town, so it will be really convenient for you. Not to mention you don’t have much of a commute to work,” she continued. “That will be a lifesaver when it’s storming outside or the roads are icy. Or even if you want to pick up something at the post office.”
“I imagine so,” he muttered. Although he sensed Sophie meant well, her friendly demeanor was making his assignment exponentially more cumbersome.
She continued to chatter away. “Just wait till you meet Emma, Cameron’s little girl. She’s a charmer if there ever was one. And Cameron’s wife, Paige, is wonderful.” Sophie shook her head and her mane of red hair rippled across her shoulders. “Matter of fact, everyone here in Love is pretty amazing. You’ll see what I’m talking about once you start meeting folks.”
“I’m kind of busy here, Sophie,” he snapped.
He instantly saw the hurt flash in her eyes. She resembled a wounded deer. A piercing sensation stabbed him in the gut. He hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but pushing her away had felt like throwing himself a life preserver. It was difficult to establish boundaries between them when Sophie was treating him like her new best friend.
It took her a moment to recover. “Okay, then,” she said in a crisp tone. “I won’t waste another second of your time.” She turned on her heel and disappeared from the kitchen as if her feet were on fire.
Once she’d gone, Noah let out a tortured groan. He wanted to follow after her and apologize, but he knew the words would just stick in his throat. He’d never been good at smoothing things over.
Well, he’d just managed to solve his problem regarding Sophie’s close proximity to him. He had just proved to her without a shadow of a doubt that he was a total jerk. Noah couldn’t imagine that she’d want anything further to do with him. And that thought left him feeling way more shattered than he could have ever imagined.
* * *
Sophie blinked away the tears that had pooled in her eyes. She wasn’t sure whether she was furious or embarrassed. Who did Noah Callahan think he was, anyway? He was a newbie in town, and since she had been in that position herself, she’d wanted to show him grace and kindness and fellowship. Everyone in Love had treated her with compassion when she had arrived here. She had just been trying to pay it forward with Noah!
Clearly, that had been a major mistake.
Noah had been all kinds of wonderful yesterday when he’d rescued her from a long walk to the Black Bear Cabins. What had happened to alter his mood so drastically? Sophie thought he’d been as sweet as peaches and cream yesterday. She’d been looking forward to getting to know him better. Last night she’d thought of him before she closed her eyes to go to sleep. He had been so kind, and she respected the way he had come to Love for a steady job and a regular paycheck. That took gumption!
Of course, the fact that he was very easy on the eyes didn’t hurt. A sigh slipped past her lips. His looks were scrumptious. She couldn’t deny it. There was something about Noah that she found very appealing.
Not that his good looks mattered at the moment. There was nothing more of a turnoff than a cutting tongue and incivility. Rudeness was not attractive! It totally went against Sophie’s philosophy about greeting the world with a warm smile and encouraging words. Every single day she put her best foot forward and stepped out on a limb of faith. It was her goal to treat people with kindness. Maybe he was one of those men who knew he was good-looking and tended to act as if he was God’s gift to the universe.
Humph. It would be a hot winter’s day in Alaska before she put herself out there again with Noah Callahan! Perhaps the ladies in his life put up with his snotty ways, but she wasn’t about to put up with his churlishness.
With her head held high, she moved toward the table where her next customer sat awaiting service. “Morning, Dwight. Can I start you off with some coffee before I take your order?”
“Why hello, Sophie.” Dwight Lewis clutched the menu in his hand and peered past her, adjusting his glasses as if he might be able to see better in doing so. Dressed in his signature suit and bow tie, he made Sophie wonder if he ever dressed down in jeans or a sweater. A smile tugged at her lips at the thought of a dressed-down Dwight. She might not even recognize him.
“Are you waiting for someone to join you?” she asked, saying a silent prayer that he was meeting up with someone special for an early-morning date.
Dwight Lewis was the town treasurer. Although Sophie knew that he meant well, he tended to rub people the wrong way with his desire to keep the books balanced in a town that had almost gone belly-up financially a few years ago. He had a tendency to act like a know-it-all.
Sophie had a feeling that Dwight was just lonely. He had tried on several occasions to pair up with women from the Operation Love program, but so far nothing had stuck. Bless his heart. He deserved love just as much as anyone else in this lovelorn town.
“I, um... Marta usually pops in to say hello when I come for breakfast. Is she around? I haven’t seen her for a few days.” Dwight’s gaze darted about the restaurant as he spoke.
Marta! Sophie had totally forgotten that she and Dwight had gone out on a few dates. Hadn’t Marta told him about her plans? Sympathy flared inside Sophie at the realization that Dwight was about to get his feelings hurt.
She reached out and patted his shoulder. “Oh, Dwight. I’m sorry to be the one to tell you, but Marta had to go back home for an emergency. She gave notice to Cameron a few weeks ago about having to give up the cook position.”
Dwight resembled a startled owl as he looked up at her. “What? When did she leave?”
Sophie thought for a moment. “Almost a week ago.”
Dwight’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “W-when is she supposed to return?”
“I—I’m not sure she’s coming back, Dwight,” Sophie said, her heart aching as the man’s face fell. He appeared stunned by the news. Although Marta was a nice, unassuming woman, Sophie could wring her neck right now for wounding Dwight like this. Despite his brash attitude, he was a gentle soul.
He bowed his head for a moment, then placed the menu facedown on the table and slowly stood up. “I think I’ll forgo breakfast this morning. I don’t have much of an appetite, after all.” He briskly walked past her, his gaze focused on the exit.
“Wait, Dwight,” she called after him. “If you’d like a listening ear, we could talk over coffee.”
Sophie watched as he slinked out of the café without bothering to answer her. His heart had shattered right before her very eyes. It sent a chill straight through her. If this was love, did she really want to have anything to do with it?
“What was that all about?” Hazel asked in a booming voice as she came up behind Sophie. With her tall height and commanding air, the woman could be a bit intimidating. She was a straight shooter who didn’t mince words. But in Sophie’s eyes, her friend was a real sweetheart and all-around mother figure.
Sophie shrugged. “He was looking for Marta. If I had to hazard a guess, I think he’s in love with her. And now he’s heartbroken because she’s gone and she didn’t even have the courtesy to tell him she was leaving Love.”
Once again this morning, Sophie found herself blinking away tears.
Hazel patted her on the back in a soothing gesture. “Now, now, don’t fret about it. We can’t judge Marta because we really don’t know the entire circumstances. Things will work out for Dwight,