Sophie and Jake (Passports and Promises) Read online

  “Haven’t you realized I have a dark side, yet? I’m a woman on the edge of being totally evil and barely containing it.”

  “Yeah. You’re as evil as a kitten. Trust me. And I think ‘dork’ side sums it up better than ‘dark’ side.”

  She let out a little snort of laughter. “Yep. Pretty much sums it up.” She batted her eyes at me. “I love that you understand me, dork side and all. We speak the same language, don’t we, Jake?”

  “We do.”

  We said goodbye to Tyler and Kristy, and decided to take a walk around town together. It was a mild day for December, and the sun was shining, but being around Sophie warmed me from the inside out. She joked about being dark, but I knew darkness pretty well, thanks to Dylan. If his aura was a black cloud, Sophie’s was a glowing ball of sunshine. She radiated warmth, and I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame.

  Thinking about Dylan, I realized the last time I’d been in town with him had been the time he came to visit with Sam. It felt strange to know how much had changed in a few short months, for good and for bad.

  “Are you okay?” she asked, attuned to my emotions as always.

  “I’m fine,” I said. “I remember coming here a few months ago with Dylan and Sam. He was happy that day. It was nice.”

  She pulled me close, resting her cheek against my heart. “He’ll be happy again soon. I know it.”

  I kissed the top of her head, unexpectedly choked up. “Thanks, Soph.” I cleared my throat. “Now, how about some ice cream? You haven’t eaten in at least fifteen minutes. I think it’s time to feed you again.”

  We shared a banana split, spent way too much time in the bookstore, and then decided to head home. My parents weren’t back yet, so we curled up on the couch to watch a movie. We ended up falling asleep, and only woke up when my parents got back home. The sun was setting, the sky getting dark, and Sophie and I both looked around in confusion when my mom turned on the lights. As soon as Sophie realized what was going on, she scrambled to untangle herself from my arms and ended up falling off the couch and landing in an ungraceful heap on the floor. She popped up to her feet so quickly it was almost comical, her hair a mess and her clothing wrinkled. She straightened her shirt and extended her hand rather formally to my mom.

  “Hello, Mrs. Hunter. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  My mom hesitated for a second before shaking Sophie’s hand briefly. “Nice to meet you, too,” she said, her voice icy, as she turned to me. “Your father went to pick up dinner. He should be back in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” asked Sophie, trailing after my mom as she marched toward the kitchen. Mom still wore her coat, and the expression on her face said her visit with Dylan today had not gone as well as expected. I could also tell she was less than pleased with coming home to find Sophie fast asleep and practically on top of me on the couch. She had no idea it was totally innocent. Sophie burrowed for warmth and to be close to me. And, if I tried to explain it to her, it would probably make matters worse.

  “No, thank you,” said my mom, staring down her nose at Sophie. “It’s only take-out. Help isn’t required.”

  “Oh. Okay,” she said. “Um, I brought you a pie.”

  “How thoughtful,” she said, but she wasn’t even looking at Sophie at this point. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get washed up for dinner.”

  After she left, Sophie turned toward me, the corners of her mouth turning down dejectedly as her eyes filled with tears. “She hates me.”

  I pulled her into a hug. “She doesn’t hate you. No one could possibly hate you. She’s tired. Being at the hospital all day takes a lot out of her.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. “I have something to cheer you up. I was going to show you later, but now might be a good time.”

  I led her to my bedroom. She dug in her heels. “I can’t go in there with you, Jake. After what just happened, it would be a bad idea.”

  “Fine. Hold on a second.”

  I went into my room. I’d left my acceptance letter from the university on my desk, waiting for this opportunity. After I grabbed it, I brought her down to the basement, so we could have a quiet moment to ourselves before dinner.

  “I told you I hadn’t made a decision yet about college, right?”

  She nodded. “You’d already heard back from a few places, but you were waiting to hear from some others.”

  “I was waiting for this,” I said, handing her the envelope. “I haven’t told my parents yet. I wanted you to be the first to know.”

  Her eyes widened when she saw the return address. “Are you serious? You decided?”

  I grinned. “Yep. It looks like we’re going to be together next year. What do you think?”

  “Oh, Jake,” she said, wrapping her around my neck and kissing me all over my face. “It’s the best news ever. I’m so happy. Are you sure?”

  “Of course, I’m sure. I’ve wanted to go there ever since I visited the first time with Dylan. Their engineering program is outstanding, as you well know.”

  “What will you study? Are you going to be in chemical engineering like me?”

  “Aerospace. It’s the closest I can get to acting out my whole Star Trek fantasy, and still make a living doing it. Also, I thought it was creepy and stalkerish enough to go to the same college as you. If I was in the same major, too, it might totally scare you away.”

  “No chance,” she said, and pulled me close for another kiss. Her lips were sweet and soft, and before I knew what was happening, I had her pressed against the wall, my hands all over her. I cupped her bottom, bringing her closer, and she groaned against my mouth, the most perfect and amazing sound I’d ever heard.

  When I lifted her, she wrapped her legs around my hips and I slowly began thrusting against her. Pure, perfect, bliss. I lost myself in her as I hungrily kissed her face, her cheeks, and worked my way down her neck. She raised her chin, giving me better access to the velvety skin near her collarbone, and I nuzzled her there, filled with a desire so powerful it nearly overwhelmed me.

  A noise in the kitchen upstairs brought us back to our senses, and I stopped, letting her slide slowly back to the ground. She leaned against me a moment, catching her breath.

  “Wow, Mr. Hunter. You honestly are trouble, aren’t you?”

  “It’s my middle name.”

  She giggled. “I thought your middle name was ‘Dangerous.’”

  “I changed it as soon as I met you. You turned me into ‘Trouble.’”

  She rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t the one who dragged you to the basement for a make-out session only minutes after your mother caught us in a compromising position on the couch.”

  Now it was my turn to laugh. “We were napping. There was nothing compromising about snoozing together.”

  “Well, it looked bad,” she said, her eyes sad. “And I didn’t make a good first impression on your mom. Not how I wanted things to go at all.”

  “Don’t worry,” I said. “She’s tired, and overwhelmed by all that’s been going on with Dylan. She’ll be fine.”

  Unfortunately, she wasn’t. Sophie tried throughout dinner to engage my mom in conversation, but it was even worse than having lunch with Kristy. By the end of the meal, I felt so sad for Sophie, and so did my father. He kept giving my mom pleading looks, but she ignored him. No matter how hard my father and I tried, we could not get Mom to make any effort to chat with her at all. Other than the most basic comments, she barely spoke through the entire meal. And, when my father brought out Sophie’s pie, my mother flatly refused to have even a small piece.

  “I’m stuffed,” she said, even though she’d barely touched her food. “I’ll save mine for later.”

  My dad and I compensated by eating extra large portions, and the pie was delicious, but Sophie still looked like she might cry. Mom’s face was stiff and cold, like an ice queen.

  “How was Dylan today?
” asked Sophie, making one last stab at conversation.

  If possible, Mom’s face grew even icier. “The same,” she said, promptly ending her line of questioning. Sophie nibbled on her lower lip, eyes downcast. I could tell she was unsure if it would be better to keep talking or to shut up. I decided to solve the problem for her.

  “I have some news,” I said, taking the letter from the university out of my pocket. “I made a decision. I accepted yesterday.”

  Both of my parents grew still, and my mom’s face immediately paled. “You did this without even talking to us about it?”

  “We discussed it,” I said. “Before Dylan got sick. You knew it was where I wanted to go. This shouldn’t come as a surprise.”

  “Well, it does,” she said. She got up to clear the dishes, and I was surprised to see her hands shook. Sophie stood to help her, but my mom brushed her off. “Sit, Sophie. I can manage.”

  I followed her into the kitchen. “What is your problem?” I asked, my voice a harsh whisper.

  “Problem? I don’t have a problem,” she said, practically tossing the dishes into the sink. “Why would I have a problem? Your brother is nearly catatonic. Again. He seemed like he might be doing better, and then—bam—he plummeted right back to where he was before. Such a lovely surprise. And I came home after a long day by his bedside to find you passed out on the couch with your girlfriend. Another special surprise. Oh, and she has a sucker bite on her neck, by the way. Nice touch.”

  Crap. Had I given Sophie a hickey while kissing her in the basement? I hadn’t meant to, but I could have. Easily.

  I ran a hand through my hair. “We fell asleep watching a movie, Mom. Nothing happened.”

  “So the sucker bite magically appeared? Amazing.”

  She washed the dishes, her movements angry. I took her gently by the shoulders and turned her to face me. “Talk to me. Please. What is this all about?”

  “Do you even have to ask?” she hissed. “First you insist on dating her, a walking, talking copy of Samantha. Just the person to hurt Dylan the most. Sure, he says it’s okay now, but what’s he going to feel like when he’s home and she’s here? He’ll think about Sam each time he looks at her. It could be the thing to send him back to the hospital. Is that what you want, Jake?”

  I backed away, shocked. “Of course not—” I said, but she cut me off.

  “And now you’re going to the same school he went to? The place where all his problems started? It’s like a slap in the face. And you didn’t even tell us about it until after you’d already made your decision. Another slap in the face. You told Sophie before you told us. It’s hurtful, that’s what it is.”

  “I told Sophie five minutes before I told you, but when exactly did we have a chance to talk? It’s not like you’ve been around much,” I said. “You’re either at the hospital, or you’re emotionally and physically exhausted from being at the hospital. Even when you are here, you’re not here at all. You’ve…checked out.”

  “I’ve ‘checked out’? Oh, excuse me for taking care of your sick brother. I’m such a selfish person. How terrible of me.”

  “You know that isn’t what I meant,” I said.

  “I know exactly what you meant, Jake.” She dried off her hands with a dishtowel and tossed it onto the counter. “And I also know exactly why you chose this particular school. It’s because she’s going to be there, too, isn’t it? You’ve known her for a few weeks, and suddenly you base major life decisions on her. What is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?”

  “No,” I said, doing my best to control my temper. “I’m going to the college I selected long before meeting Sophie. She’s the icing on the cake, though, and do you know why? Because she’s the best thing that has happened to me in a long time, and I…” I swallowed hard. “I love her, Mom. I love Sophie, and if you have a problem with that, too bad. And if you can’t be happy for me, it’s your loss.”

  Chapter 17

  ~Sophie~

  Mr. Hunter and I sat in awkward silence at the large, gleaming dining room table, listening to Jake argue in the kitchen with his mother. When I heard her mention the sucker bite, I pulled the collar of my sweater up to cover my neck, absolutely mortified. I hadn’t realized Jake had bitten me. I’m sure he didn’t either, or he would have told me. He was likely as embarrassed as me about the whole thing.

  It had been the worst dinner ever. She wouldn’t even taste my pie, and I’m good at making pies. Hearing her and Jake fight made tears of shame pour down my cheeks unchecked. I didn’t want things to be like this. I wanted a do-over, to make a better first impression, to find a way for Mrs. Hunter not to hate me, but I kind of felt like I faced a losing battle at this point. Even though I understood her anger had nothing at all to do with me, it still hurt.

  Part of me wanted to grab my coat, leave, and never see Jake and his family ever again, but the other part, the bigger part, knew I couldn’t do it to Jake. It wouldn’t be fair, and none of this was his fault, but sitting at the dining room table with Mr. Hunter, listening to their argument, wasn’t helping things either.

  I stood, wiping away my tears, and gave Mr. Hunter an apologetic smile. “Maybe I’d better go,” I said, as softly as I could. Before he could respond, however, I heard Jake say the words that changed everything.

  I love her, Mom.

  He told his mother how he felt about me and I think he actually meant it. Maybe tonight wasn’t such a complete disaster after all. Maybe, just maybe, things would be okay. Jake loved me, which meant nothing else mattered. Not the pie, or the anger, or Dylan’s past relationship with my sister. This was about Jake and about me. The rest of the pieces would eventually fall into place

  Mr. Hunter gave me a crooked smile, so like Jake’s it tugged at my heart. “I think you should stay,” he said. “I have a feeling Jake will want to tell you what he just said in person, and not through the kitchen door.”

  “I’d like that,” I said.

  He stood up and came around the table to where I sat, putting a fatherly hand on my shoulder. “You’re a good girl, Sophie. I’m sorry about tonight. My wife is going through a rough patch right now. This thing with Dylan…” He paused, getting emotional and struggled to maintain his composure. “It’s eating us alive. My wife is a strong, capable, wonderful woman, but this sometimes feels like too much to bear. For anyone.”

  “I understand. Really, I do. And I don’t want to be the reason Jake and his mother fight. I want to make things easier for both of them, not harder.”

  “If they weren’t fighting about you, it would be about something else. Trust me. She’s looking for a reason to lash out, and this is convenient, but it’s unacceptable. Jake is taking the brunt of her anger, mostly because she can’t yell at Dylan right now, and she feels powerless.” He put his hands into his pockets. “And today was…especially bad.”

  Jake opened the door and burst back into the room, twin spots of color on his cheeks. “Sophie. I’m so sorry—” he said, but I stopped him.

  “It’s okay, Jake. You don’t have to apologize.”

  We stared at each other as Mr. Hunter cleared his throat. “Excuse me while I go and take care of my wife. It was nice meeting you, Sophie. Please come back and visit again soon. And bring more pie. It was fantastic.”

  I smiled at him. “You can count on it.”

  Jake watched him go, and turned to me. His entire body was stiff, his hands balled into fists by his sides. “She made you cry didn’t she?”

  I shrugged, not bothering to deny it. “It doesn’t matter. Do you know why?”

  He shook his head. “No, I don’t. That was awful.”

  I had to agree. “Yes, it was. Except for one part.”

  I got closer to him and wrapped my arms around his waist, holding him close, feeling the tension slowly leave his body as he enveloped me in his arms. He put his face in my hair and inhaled, like the scent of me soothed him.

  “Which part?” he asked.

 
“You told your mom you loved me. That part was very cool.”

  He leaned back and stared into my eyes. “I do love you, Sophie. I have ever since we started messaging each other back and forth. Seeing you in person just sealed the deal.”

  “The icing on the cake,” I said, repeating the words he’d said to his mother.

  “Yes,” he said, kissing me. “The delicious, beautiful, tasty icing on the cake.” He paused, pondering it. “Did I take that one step too far? Did it just get weird?”

  “I think it was when you said, ‘tasty.’ That was overkill. But cake is the perfect analogy, especially since you took a bite of me earlier this evening.”

  He winced. “The hickey. I had no idea. Did you?”

  I shook my head. “Nope.”

  “Let me see it,” he said, and winced when I lifted my chin. “Oh, yeah. It’s a hickey.”

  “How bad is it?” I asked.

  He bit his lip. “On a scale of one to ten? I’d say it’s about an eight. Maybe a nine. You bruise easily. You might want to wear a turtleneck around your parents for the next week…or two…or three.”

  “Yikes, Jake. I should call you Edward.”

  He looked confused. “Huh?’

  “The vampire. Duh. I guess that’s one movie I can’t reference. We’ll have to watch it next time we’re together. It’ll be a learning experience for you. But I’d better go. It’s getting late, and I have a long drive ahead of me.”

  He grabbed my coat, helped me into it, and walked me outside to the mucus colored mini-van. The weather had turned colder, but the night was clear, the moon bright, and the sky filled with stars.

  He put a lock of hair behind my ear; a muscle working in his jaw, his face so beautiful in the moonlight it nearly took my breath away. “Will there be a next time, Sophie? I would understand if you never wanted to see me again. Tonight was a total disaster.”

  “No. Because you said you loved me, and because I also love you. We’ll get through this.”

  He kissed me, barely brushing my lips with his, over and over again. “You love me?” he asked.