Teresa Morgan - Plus One is a Lucky Number

“I heard voices,” she said.

“Cassie.”

“Ah, yes, sorry. Should have explained about Cassie. She’s completely off her rocker, but a really sweet friend.” Sophie chewed her lip, then hesitant, she asked, “What did she want?”

“She came to drop off your bridesmaid dress.”

“Oh, um, I was going to tell you. Honestly, I was.”

“You were coming to this wedding with or without me,” Adam said, frowning with confusion. A shot of anger pulsed through him. Had she tricked him into coming away with her? James had been the one who’d talked him into it – so he couldn’t get mad at her. Not yet.. “You were never going to cancel, were you?”

Sophie met Adam's gaze and then quickly looked at the floor, shoving her hands into the robe’s pockets.

“And I’ve been trying to work out something your aunt said earlier, about you mentioning a boyfriend but not going into detail. Then Cassie said she’d talked to you over a week ago about me . We only arranged this last week. So how do they know about us already?”

Sophie sighed and dropped onto the chaise longue, wrapping her arms around herself. “They all assumed from the beginning I had a boyfriend, so I played along with it. I thought, by the time the wedding arrived, I might have found someone to come with me, and then I wouldn’t have been lying.”

“But you didn’t find a boyfriend, did you?”

“No, because I didn’t even try. Hardly going to find him down The White Lion on a Friday night.” She looked up at him and then shrugged her shoulders. “Which I’m fine with. I don’t need or want a boyfriend. If they hadn’t jumped to conclusions …”

“It seems a bit much to cancel, especially as you're part of the wedding party. They’re your friends and family. They’d understand. You don’t seem the type of person to let people down.” James always spoke highly of Sophie – she was always the one who was there to the end, getting a project finished. She’d had a nerve to call him a workaholic earlier.

She didn’t look at him, staring out the balcony window. Any anger he had been feeling vanished with the devastation he’d seen in her face. Adam sat beside her.

“That’s not all of it, is it?” He rested his hand on her shoulder and resisted pulling her into him, fighting the desire to inhale the scent of soap lingering on her. “Simon is the real reason you didn’t want to come to this wedding?”

“How’d you know –?” She instantly turned to meet his eye. “Oh, let me guess, Cassie and her big mouth?”

Adam watched her closely. He squeezed her shoulder. Something was eating away at her. He had a knack of knowing when someone wasn’t telling him everything – usually applied to sales negotiations. He was also good at keeping his own secrets. But he needed some answers for this weekend to be effective. And he certainly didn’t like seeing her this anxious. They’d come a long way today, and he’d only just started seeing her relax.

“Sophie, for this to work, I need to know what’s going on. I can’t play along if I don’t know everything.”

Sophie nodded. “I wanted to tell you. I needed to find the right moment. It felt so …” Sophie sighed, met his gaze and then stared at her hands in her lap.

He waited patiently.

“Simon’s the best man,” she said.

“And?”

“And the reason I didn’t want to come here on my own.”

“Sophie, are you ready?”

“Just finishing my make-up!” Sophie called from the bathroom.

Adam looked at his watch. They had five minutes yet, but what was it that took a woman so long? He smiled to himself, rubbing his brow. She might be a plain Jane in the office, but it didn’t mean that she’d make less of an effort to look nice. Let her take her time. She wouldn’t be the first woman to keep him waiting … and unlikely to be the last.

She’s probably anxious too . He could feel his own nerves with the idea of going downstairs and performing. Especially now the stakes were bigger for him, up against an ex-boyfriend.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Sophie said, emerging from the bathroom, clipping her small, glittery handbag closed and putting it over her shoulder.

Adam cleared his throat and smiled, staring at her transformation. Wow . She wore more make-up than she’d been wearing today, or down the pub when he’d first seen her. She was definitely dressed for a night out, not to blend in with her engineering colleagues. If her appearance this morning was a surprisingly pleasant change, tonight she was devastatingly sexy, intending to create a stir - a midnight-blue, strapless dress clinging to her figure perfectly, cut above the knee, heels and jewellery. She looked like a woman he’d love to have on his arm.

“How do I look?” she asked, smoothing her dress.

Did James – and the rest of the design team for that matter – even realise they had a beautiful woman in their department? Why would she hide herself in the background?

And she really did have great legs.

You made James another promise, remember. Stop thinking about her.

But was her effort for him, or Simon? And why did that thought grate upon him?

Sophie shook her head. “Oh sorry, what a typical thing to ask. You don't have to answer it.”

Realising he’d taken too long to respond, he said, “I was going to say you look good.” Which was an understatement, stunning was more like it, but Adam decided it was best to keep his thoughts to himself. He needed to play this cool where Sophie was concerned.

Sophie let out a laugh. Something, or someone, had really hit her confidence, and he wanted to know why.

“So, how do I look?” Adam asked, straightening his tie and adjusting his black jacket.

“You know damn well how good you look.”

He gave a sly smile and they walked out of their hotel room.

***

As the lift door opened they could see across the atrium and into the bar. A small crowd waited for them. Sophie took a deep calming breath, trying to not let her nerves get the better of her. She glanced at Adam. He appeared relaxed. She should do the same. She had a very handsome, competent man holding her hand – literally. She’d be fine. Relax.

“Sophie!” Cassie shouted across the bar, waving at them.

“Here goes nothing,” Adam whispered in her ear, wrapping his arm around Sophie’s waist, pulling her closer to him. To everyone watching it probably looked like an affectionate whisper, a kiss. She slid her arm around him. She realised she had a tight grip on his jacket, and loosened it.

No need to show everyone the whites of your knuckles.

“Hi, everyone, this is Adam.” Sophie made her introductions, noticing Adam still kept his arm around her, keeping her close. She really liked it – so reassuring. “Adam, this is Cassie, who you’ve already met. She’s Natalie’s cousin and a friend of mine.”

“Hello, handsome. You’re sure you haven’t got a brother?” Cassie winked at Adam, grinning at him. He laughed, shaking his head. “I’ve known Sophie for years.” She mischievously pinched Sophie. “Any secrets you want to know, I’m the person to tell you.”

Adam looked at Cassie with intrigue. “Secrets… okay.”

Sophie scowled at her.

“Only kidding!” Cassie held her hands up and backed off, winking again at Adam.

“This is Natalie, the bride.” Natalie gave a little wave. “Gareth, the groom.” Gareth shook Adam’s hand firmly. “And…” Sophie hesitated, “this is Simon, the best man.”

He hadn’t changed, not really. Still the broad shoulders, muscles defined by his hard work as a builder. He owned a construction company now. When she’d met him, he’d always been sporty, so his physique had been impressive. He hadn’t lost it. Dark, short hair and mischievous eyes; distinctive looks that got him a long way, especially with the girls. She could see why she’d fallen for him – yet now he didn’t seem so attractive. Now she knew what he was capable of.