Sophie
I'd woken early after a rather restless night of sleep. I had tossed and turned, constantly checking to see if Chase had answered my text – he hadn’t. I'd rolled out of bed before my alarm with a bad headache, a bad case of bed head, and practically everything in my body aching. I took a hot shower, popped two pain pills, and got ready for work, leaving the condo with bagel and coffee in hand.
I took my usual route to my office and decided to make a pit stop down by the waterfront. I parked the car, grabbed my coffee, and took a walk down the pier. I needed to try and forget what had happened last night before I got into the office. I would never be able to get through my day, if my mind wasn't clear.
I sat down on a bench, sipped my coffee, and watched the boats leaving the harbor. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the birds chirping, and I took in a deep breath of fresh morning air. While I sipped on my coffee, I watched couples walk along the water's edge, holding hands. I smiled to myself, and once my cup was empty, I got up and made my way back to my car, glancing at my watch.
I pushed the heavy door open and walked into the lobby of my office. I was surprised to see the waiting room as full as it was. I had figured it would still be quiet at this time, and that was when I saw one of my clients was sitting waiting for me. I glanced at my watch as I made my way to my office, and then up to the clock on the wall, and realized my watch had stopped. The place was packed because I was the one who was running late. Almost forty minutes late, to be exact. Certainly not the way I wanted to start my day.
I set up my computer in record time and pulled the client file and immediately called them in, apologizing profusely.
A lot of conversation and two hours later, I walked back into my office and picked up the client file that still remained on my desk. That made two appointments down, and even though the day started out rocky, I was feeling surprisingly good, and then I looked to the stack of files that sat on my to-be-done pile. A surge of stress ran through me, and I shuddered at the thought of all I still had left in front of me for today.
"Hey, girl. I'm on my way to refill my cup. Did you want a coffee?" I heard Carol ask as she stopped just inside of my door. She leaned against my door, looking over to the corner of my desk where my work sat. "Looks like you might need one, considering your workload today."
"That would be wonderful, and I have a feeling that I will be taking half this stack home. I just spent an hour with Mr. Leeman and Mr. Sage. Oh, and did you know that Mr. Sage does not like it if you are late," I said, rolling my eyes.
"Ah, yes, Mr. Sage. Say no more, my dear. That alone calls for one strong cup of coffee that you should have had prior to the next appointment." We both laughed as she reached for my cup, and then carried on down the hall.
I walked around and sat back down in my chair and opened up the next file that sat on top of the pile. I was going over the notes from our last meeting when Carol set the cup of coffee on my desk. "Thank you! You're a saint," I said, letting out a breath and smiling up at her.
"No worries. Good luck with the rest of your day. I have a boardroom meeting I have to get to."
"Have fun with that."
"You betcha." Carol winked and disappeared from my office.
I glanced at the clock on my desk and went back to reading over the file. I was glad to see I had a few hours before my next meeting, which meant I had plenty of time to get prepared, I thought to myself. I took a sip of coffee and began reading over the client file in front of me.
A good twenty minutes had passed, and I had just gotten deep into file when my cell phone vibrated across my desk, causing me to jump. My heart sped up a little when I saw Chase's name on my screen. As I answered, my stomach did one of those excited but nervous little flips.
"Good morning." I did my best to keep my voice upbeat. I didn't want Chase to think I was nervous to talk with him, but the truth was, my heart was pounding out of my chest.
"Morning. I'm sorry to bother you at work, but I got your message and was hoping that perhaps you still wanted to meet for lunch today."
I glanced down at my watch, and then to my schedule, noting I had time between eleven and one free. "Yep, how is eleven?" I questioned.
"Eleven works fine."
"Where did you want to meet?"
"How about The Manor House, and would you be able to do me a favor and pick me up on your way?" He chuckled.
I frowned. He'd had his car last night. I'd seen it. "Sure. Your car in the shop?"
Chase let out a breath. "No, it's still at the restaurant. Hunter came and picked me up last night. I was in a little bit of shock, not to mention I'd had too much to drink, and my best friend left me high and dry."
I let out a little giggle. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Guess I will see you in an hour or so."
"Sounds good. Oh, and, Soph, I'm looking forward to finishing our little talk today."
"Yes, of course. I'll see you soon." I hung up the phone and did my best to ignore the funny feeling in the pit of my stomach as I tried to dive back into the file in front of me. My stomach rolled in anticipation of talking to Chase, and I found it harder to concentrate the more I tried. After ten minutes, I grabbed my legal pad and jotted down some things I wanted to make sure I brought up to Chase. I wasn't about to blow another chance with him. I needed him to realize that I was serious about this.
I saw a few drops of rain on my windshield as I pulled up outside of Malone Law. Chase stood on the sidewalk and waved when he saw my car pull up. He looked just as tired and worn down as I felt. I waved as he approached my car, my stomach doing that anxious little flip again. To say I was nervous was an understatement. Since he had called, I had been absolutely useless at work, and even working on the list of things I wanted to mention to him had been of no help. I quickly tucked the legal pad between my seat and console so that he couldn't see it when he climbed in.
He opened the car door and climbed in, doing up his seat belt before he turned and looked at me. "Hey! How are you?" he mumbled, giving me a nervous smile.
"I'm okay. How are you?"
"Okay." I swallowed hard and pulled away from the curb and headed towards The Manor House. Chase was oddly quiet on the drive, looking out the window as we made our way the five city blocks to the restaurant. I pulled into the parking lot and right up beside Chase's car and cut the engine.
We walked side by side into the restaurant, neither of us saying anything. The tension between us was unbearable, and all I kept thinking to myself was that I was the one who had created this tension. Me and my silly ideas.
Within ten minutes, we were seated at the back of the restaurant, bread basket sitting between us on the table, while the waitress was waiting to take our drink orders.
"I'll have a soda water with lemon," I said, looking to Chase.
"Crown and Coke." He coughed into his hand.
"Um, how about just a coke? I don't want a repeat of last night." I giggled.
Chase rolled his eyes and dismissed the waitress. As soon as she had walked away, he looked over to me. "I'm fine, you know. I'll be fine." He opened the menu in front of him.
I stuck my head into my menu and sat staring at the page, the names of the dishes eventually all blurring together. I was beginning to doubt if I could indeed go through with this whole thing again, after what had happened last night. I sat there trying hard to find something that I wanted to eat, and that was when my worst fear entered my mind. What if he said no? I really didn't know how I would react to that answer.
Chase slapped his menu shut, causing me to jump and draw my attention to him. He reached for the bread, but I quickly swatted his hand away. "Let me." I grabbed the knife from the table and took the bread, cutting it into pieces.
"How is your hand anyways?" I asked.
"It's okay," he said, looking down at his bandaged hand and reached for a piece of bread.
"I felt awful that you cut yourself."
Chase shrugged as he buttered his bread and took a bite.
"All right, so back to what we were talking of last night," I said, finally putting the knife down and grabbing a piece of bread for myself.
"Yes, about that. I have a few things that I want to say," he said, clearing his throat, but I put my hands up to stop him.
"Before you say anything, you should know I want to do this natural," I bit out as he buttered his second piece of bread, fearing he may stab himself with the butter knife.
"What? Childbirth? Of course, both Carter and Hunter have said that Heather and Hope have said they wouldn't have done it any other way, so I can totally understand that."
I shook my head and took a drink of my soda water before continuing. "Um, no, not childbirth. Well, no, yes childbirth, but making the baby. Thought perhaps we should start here first. I also don't want you to worry. I won't hold you accountable for anything."
Chase looked around the restaurant and then back to me. So far so good, I thought to myself. He hasn't cut himself or passed out yet.
"Okay. Go on." He swallowed hard.
"Okay, so this is what I was thinking. You'd spend the week at my place. Now if you stay in October, which is next week, I've counted everything out, and if everything goes according to my plan, then I will be good to work right through tax season before the baby comes. However, it has to be the first week of the month. One week earlier or later, and it will mess everything up."
Chase finished chewing and took a drink, placing his glass down on the table. "I see you've really thought this out."
I nodded. "I have. I'm very serious about this, and that also is exactly the right time. I've been tracking my cycle, and next week is the most optimal time for me to get pregnant."
Chase was just about to say something when our food was placed in front of us. His eyes met mine as the waitress announced each dish and finally walked away. We both dug into our plates and ate in silence. Once our plates were cleared and the bill was delivered to the table, Chase sat forward.
"Listen, Sophie, I'm still going to think about this. I will have a decision to you in a couple of days. Does that sound okay?"
I nodded. I felt confident that I had laid everything out on the table. Chase hadn't fainted or cut himself, and I felt satisfied and hopeful with his answer. I went to reach for the bill, but Chase grabbed it first. "You got last night. The least I can do is get lunch." He winked.
"All right, I've got to go," I said, glancing down at my watch. "I have a client in a half hour. I'll talk to you soon."
Chase stood as I stood, and unlike last night, this time he kissed me on the cheek before I walked away.