Chapter 2

Sophie stared into the mirror and tried to see herself as Luke had. The person reflecting back at her was a stranger. This woman had soft, gentle curves with a hint of color to her cheeks. Her green eyes sparkled as she thought back to the conversation held in the confines of his car.

With the dress back on its hangar, her stilettos in the closet, Sophie put on a pair of lounging pajamas and went to bed. When the telephone rang a few minutes later, she was still awake, lost in fantasy.

"Hello," she said into the receiver.

"Were you asleep?" Luke asked from the other end.

"Luke," Sophie whispered. "I was awake."

"I had to hear your voice. Tonight was special and I needed to be sure it wasn't a dream," he admitted.

"It was wonderful," Sophie added.

"Sophie, I want you to know I meant every word," Luke emphasized.

"I know," Sophie replied.

"Sweet dreams, Sophie," Luke said. "I'll call you."

"Good night, Luke," she whispered.

Sophie held onto the receiver long after the dial tone began. Only when she was near sleep did she reach out and hang it up. Several hours later, with the sun shining through the curtains, the ringing of the telephone woke her.

"Hello?" she mumbled.

"I want details, Sophie, and no messing around this time," Toni demanded in place of a greeting.

"Toni, what time is it?"

"Eight fifteen. Were you sleeping?" Toni asked.

"Uh huh," Sophie managed to get out.

"I'm coming over. You better be ready to talk," Toni told her.

The telephone went dead before Sophie could reply. She shook her head to wake up a bit and headed to the shower. Morning was never the best time for Sophie. It crossed her mind as she dressed that she should have told Toni to stop for fresh bagels on the way. She sat at the table with a hot cup of coffee instead and waited for Toni.

Sophie heard Toni drive in and bound up the steps. It reminded Sophie of when they were kids. Toni was always eager to know what was happening and never seemed to slow down.

"Good morning!" Toni sang out as she slid into a chair next to Sophie.

"It's too early to be morning," Sophie replied.

Toni laughed and brought up a bag from the town bakery. She held it in front of Sophie and grinned.

"You'll never guess what I brought," Toni teased.

"Well, I was hoping bagels," Sophie guessed.

"Nope. Remember when mom used to slip us an extra dollar and we went to the bakery?" Toni asked.

"You didn't! Toni, it's been forever since I had their home-made cinnamon rolls!" Sophie exclaimed.

"Me, too, but I was driving down Beech Street and an image of us running through the alley to the bakery skittered through my brain," Toni explained.

Toni pulled out the gooey confections and set them on the plates Sophie set out. Before Toni sat back down Sophie was biting into hers, a look of bliss on her face.

"These are so good, Toni," Sophie told her.

Sips of coffee and frequent dabs with napkins accompanied the moans of delight from the sisters. It was several minutes before they finished. Sophie leaned back in her chair and sighed.

"Now tell me what happened," Toni demanded.

Sophie thought back to the evening before. Toni noted the dreamy look in Sophie's eyes and the smile that took over her face.

"We had dinner and he brought me home," Sophie said.

"That's it? You're not stopping there," Toni insisted.

"What more do you want? Dinner was fabulous, the food delectable, conversation—"

"I don't care about all that and you know it," Toni broke in.

"I told you we ate and he took me home," Sophie repeated.

"Is he a good kisser? Did he make you burn? When did he go home?" Toni threw out the questions one after another.

"Toni, he didn't come in. After dinner, he drove me home, we said goodnight and I went to bed. Alone," Sophie emphasized.

"You're serious," Toni stated. "I'm sorry things didn't work out for you."

"Why do you say they didn't work out? I'm not like some of the women I write about, Toni," Sophie declared.

Toni studied her sister for a few minutes. She realized that Sophie wasn't her kid sister anymore. Sophie was a grown woman thinking of her future.

"You really like him, don't you?" Toni asked softly.

"I do, Toni," Sophie replied.

They talked a few minutes more before Toni said she needed to get back home. Sophie went to her computer and turned it on. Her mind was racing with ideas to add to the latest story. After a couple of hours, she took a break, satisfied with the progress.

Chores and errands filled the remainder of the day for Sophie. It even included a spur of the moment shopping trip. Wearing Toni's dress the night before made Sophie realize her wardrobe need an update. She smiled when she thought about wearing them for Luke.

Monday morning arrived and it was time for work once more. Sophie had finished a story over the weekend and was in a good mood. Her boss kept her busy updating some of the forms for the sales department. She returned from lunch to find an enormous bouquet of flowers on her desk.

Sophie pulled the card out to see Luke's name scrawled across the card. 'A perfect beginning' was the short message. She smiled and tucked the card into her purse before she went back to work. All afternoon her mind wandered back to their date. Her eyes strayed to the bouquet so often she kept making mistakes on the documents she was working on. It was finally time to go home and she put away the project. Sophie carried the flowers out to her car so she could enjoy them at home.

It didn't surprise her when Luke called that evening. Sophie thanked him for the flowers right away. Soon they were chatting about things like politics, sports, the weather, and family. Luke mentioned how hard it was for him to choose some of the colors for the new home he was having built.

"Sounds like you should hire someone to help you," Sophie chuckled.

"Sure, then I'll end up with frilly curtains and pink wallpaper," Luke replied.

"No, they would find out what you like," she stated. "Show you different décors, contemporary to traditional to period or even rustic."

"What?" he asked.

Sophie laughed at the confusion she heard in his voice. "They're different styles to decorate your home in, Luke."

"You're hired," Luke said.

"Me? I don't know what you like," Sophie reminded him. "I've never even seen where you live now."

"That can be fixed. Come to dinner Friday night. I'll cook," he added.

"You cook?" Sophie asked hesitantly.

"There are a lot of things I can do, Sophie," Luke told her. "My mom made sure all her children could take care of themselves. I even do windows."

Sophie was impressed and told him so. Luke gave her his address when she agreed to have dinner with him Friday. He lived in an apartment complex right near her work so she didn't need directions. Laying in bed later, a smile on her face, she still heard his voice in her mind.

That week went pretty much as the one before. Sophie had a small yard but she enjoyed puttering in the flower garden. One evening she shopped for new shoes to go with the clothes she had bought. Of course, there was always her writing. Toni sent her the links to a few sites that accepted erotica so she spent time browsing them. It was a huge step for her to submit her work. Sophie thought back to the night Luke helped her choose 'Flame' as the name she would write under and blushed.

Friday Sophie hurried home from work to shower and change. Luke mentioned he planned to grill salmon for them on the deck so she chose a casual outfit. She arrived a few minutes early and rang the doorbell.

"Hi," Sophie said cheerfully.

"You look great," Luke replied. "Come in, please."

Sophie took in the small apartment and the boxes stacked along one wall. She knew he'd been packing a few things already for his move. His furniture seemed to be typical for a male with the recliner and big screen television taking up most of the living room. Luke took her through the kitchen to the patio.

"Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. I hope you don't mind eating out here," Luke said.

"This is great. I've always wished I had a deck at my house," Sophie confessed. "You'd think with Toni's husband in construction I could get him to build me one. He's always so busy though I hate to ask him."

That led to more discussion of Luke's new house. Sophie was impressed when he told her where it was. She knew that area and it was beautiful. Luke surprised Sophie with his culinary skills. The dinner was delicious and she told him. He just grinned and reminded her he had numerous skills.

The evening taught Sophie many things. She realized Luke was very comfortable with himself. He was very well built and gorgeous but not cocky or arrogant about it. Sophie could feel how close he was to his family by the way he talked about them. His mother still wasn't happy he had moved away but did accept it as his choice. When it was time to leave Luke walked her to her car and opened the door for her.

"I enjoyed tonight, Sophie," Luke said.

"Thank you for dinner, Luke," she replied.

Sophie looked at Luke's lips and knew she wanted him to kiss her. She caught her breath when she saw him move closer. His lips touched hers for a soft kiss.

"You're a special lady and I can't wait to discover more about you."

The weekend was busy for Sophie. Toni had asked her to help get the house ready for a dinner party they were having. Luke was always in her thoughts. She picked up some groceries and remembered the dishes he had prepared for their dinner. Sophie decided to begin a new story on Sunday. It flowed from her mind until she had several thousand words completed. She added 'Flame' and saved the piece before she went to bed.

Luke picked Sophie up one night to go with him and check the progress on his new house. She fell in love with the airy rooms and large kitchen. They shared a pizza in the middle of the living room amidst all the dust. Luke took her around the property and pointed out the small stream nearby. It was the perfect place to raise a family and Sophie knew it.

It amazed Luke how much he enjoyed being with Sophie. One day he talked Sophie into helping him choose a color for the master bedroom. He imagined them in his big bed, naked, touching each other for hours. Luke left the room to cool off outside.

Weeks passed. Sophie brought Luke to meet Toni's family one evening. He realized that Toni's husband had done a bit of the work on his new house. Sophie's nieces and nephew took to Luke right away. The evening was a success. Sophie began to think she was in a dream world. Luke was everything she had been looking for in a partner.