Leave the Lights On Page 12

  The pause on the other side of the line gave her hope. “When did you start spending time with him again?”

  “A few weeks ago. He moved back into his parents’ house after his dad passed away.”

  “And now you’re spending the night with him? I suppose the whole neighborhood sees you sneaking back to our house after your rendezvous?”

  Frustrated tears stung the backs of Sophie’s eyes. “It’s not like that.”

  “Did you or did you not just get home at ten o’clock in the morning?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Was Mr. Thomas out on his porch like he is every morning?”

  “I don’t know.” Her voice was barely audible. She had a hard enough time standing up to her father under normal circumstance. Once he was in lawyer mode she didn’t stand a chance.

  “When are you going to start thinking about how your behavior looks to other people? Is it not enough that your mother and I had to listen to the entire town talking about your divorce? Now we can expect phone calls telling us you’re sleeping around all over the damned neighborhood.”

  That was too far. “I’m not sleeping around.”

  “I suppose you were at his house all night playing Parcheesi?”

  Anger mixed with her sadness. “No. No I wasn’t. But you don’t need to make it sound so sordid, Dad. It’s not. It’s—”

  “It’s what? Classy? Dignified? For God’s sake, Sophie. I’d think you’d have had enough of being talked about after what you’ve already done.”

  “What I’ve already done? I’m the one who got cheated on, not the other way around.”

  “You think people are going to remember that if they see you hopping into bed with every guy in sight?”

  “Every guy?” Stomach acid surged up Sophie’s throat, making her cough. “Look, I’m not having this conversation with you. You and Mom made it perfectly clear when you moved that you wanted nothing to do with the drama in my life so why don’t you just leave this alone. Why are you calling anyway?”

  “You’re still our daughter and, whether we like it or not, your actions reflect on us.”

  Sophie crumpled the piece of paper she’d been doodling on, clenching her fist so tightly it ached. “What did you call for?”

  “I need you to call the gas company. It’s the last account that’s still in our name, and they need you to acknowledge that you’re taking over the account before they stop sending me the bills. I trust you can make those payments?”

  “Yes, of course I can. I’ll call them as soon as we hang up.”

  “Good.”

  “Anything else?” Sophie wanted to get off the phone so badly she could barely breathe.

  “Just try to use some judgment. Please.”

  Sophie squeezed her eyes shut, willing her brain not to explode. “I do, Dad. I wish you could believe that.”

  “Act like it, and I’ll believe it,” he said and hung up.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Parker’s entire body was still humming from his night with Sophie. He felt more alive than he had in years. He’d spent the morning going over invoices and checking in with the crews working various job sites. Just as he’d answered the last email in his inbox, another came through, flagged urgent. Subject heading: Memorial Dinner for Ethan Wood.

  The temperature in the room seemed to drop by at least ten degrees, as if a ghost had passed by. A memorial for Dad? Parker clicked the message.

  Dear Mr. Wood,

  As you know your father was an important part of this town for many decades. His community service along with his support of all local businesses and his devotion to serving on the town planning board made him a memorable man and one who will truly be missed by all who knew him. To honor his time and commitment a memorial dinner is being held in his honor. A plaque bearing his name will be unveiled and later placed in the town park as thanks for the countless hours he put into restoring it to its original beauty. We would be delighted if you could attend the dinner and ceremony to accept this award on your father’s behalf.

  My apologies for the short notice, but we wanted to host this event during the summer months while the park is so richly enjoyed by our community.

  Thank you in advance for your quick response. We hope to be seeing you at the dinner on July 12 at 6pm at the Hilton Manor hotel.

  Our sincere sympathies for your loss.

  Best regards,

  John Frederickson, Town Commissioner

  Parker stared at his computer screen. Dinner? A plaque? It was great that they wanted to honor his dad’s service to the town. Dad would have appreciated that. But the last thing Parker wanted was to spend an evening with a bunch of people coming up to him and telling him how sorry they were for his loss. He hated that. The look in their eyes. The hands on his shoulder. The sympathy was harder to take than anything else.

  Fuck.

  Of all the times he wished he’d had a sibling, this one took the cake. But he didn’t. And odds were one wasn’t going to materialize out of thin air. Certainly not in the next two weeks. Two weeks. Shit.

  He knew there was no way he could say no. He’d have to go. Hitting reply made his stomach turn.

  Dear Mr. Fredrickson,

  Thank you for your kind words about my father. I know he’d have been very pleased to know that you all thought so well of him. It would be an honor to attend the dinner.

  Best,

  Parker Wood

  He hit send before he could change his mind.

  Parker tried to put thoughts of the memorial out of his mind. Sophie was due to arrive at his house any minute so they could start cooking for the July Fourth BBQ they’d invited Joey to attend. He’d already bought steaks and chicken and had a big pot of water up to boil for the corn. Sophie had said she’d bring dessert and they were going to make potato salad and coleslaw. She was determined to teach him how to cook. He enjoyed any excuse to spend extra time with her, so he’d said “sure”.

  He saw her walking across the yard, carrying a cooler that looked big enough for her to fit inside. He trotted out and met her halfway, taking the ice chest from her and stealing a kiss. “Jesus, what do you have in this thing? A dead body?”

  “Yes, but you weren’t supposed to ask. You were just supposed to help me bury it.”

  Parker chuckled. “You do know it’s just the three of us tonight, right?”

  “Yep. I also know how much the two of you can eat.”

  “Good point.”

  Sophie held the door as he turned sideways to get the cooler into the house. He set it next to the kitchen counter and watched as she unpacked salad, a seemingly endless array of fruits, ice cream, a pie, bacon, eggs, pickles and potatoes.

  “We need all this for one meal?” he asked, loving the scowl that furrowed her brow.

  “We need a big pot to boil the potatoes.” She brushed past him, her hip knocking into his in a way that made him want to order pizza and forget about cooking anything so they could sneak upstairs for a quickie before Joey arrived.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Sophie let out a cross between a sigh and a growl as she stuck the ice cream in the freezer.

  Parker held up the biggest pot he could find. “Will this work?”

  “Sure. Can you fill it about halfway and put it on the stove?”

  Sophie put the rest of the groceries in the fridge and set the bag of red potatoes down next to the sink. “You want to scrub potatoes or cut up fruit?”

  “I’ll do whatever you want.” He slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her in for a kiss.

  “Oh, really?” She went up on her toes and rubbed her nose against his before kissing him back. “Good to know. For now, how about you quarter some strawberries while I scrub the potatoes.”

  Parker set the Tupperware full of strawberries on the counter and got a cutting board out of the cupboard. He popped a berry into his mouth.

  “Make sure some of those wind up in the fruit salad, okay?”


  He grinned. “No promises.”

  “Oh, hey, I keep forgetting to ask you. I’ve been invited to an engagement party. It’s local and a lot of my friends will be there. Do you want to come with me?” Sophie was trying to act casual, but Parker could hear the nervousness in her voice.

  “Sure. Well, wait, when is it?”

  Sophie’s face fell, and he immediately regretted phrasing it that way. “You don’t have to. I mean I know wedding-related stuff can be a bit much and if it’s not your thing or you don’t want—”

  Parker kissed her to stop her from talking. “I want to know when it is because I’ve got a dinner to attend on the twelfth so if it’s that night, I can’t go. Any other night, I’m yours.”

  “Oh.” Her cheeks turned a rosy pink as a smile spread across her face. “It’s not until the end of next month.”

  “Then you’ve got yourself a date.”

  Sophie looked so happy Parker couldn’t help but grin at her.

  “What’s the dinner you have to go to?” she asked.

  “Nothing. I don’t even want to go. It’s some town thing honoring my dad.”

  “What kind of town thing?” Sophie stopped scrubbing potatoes and turned to look at him.

  Parker continued cutting strawberries. “They’re presenting a plaque that’s gonna be put in the park. It’s at the Hilton. I don’t really know much more than that. They just sent me the invitation today.”

  “Well, let me know when it is, and I’ll go with you.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” he said. Shit, I don’t even want to go, and he was my dad.

  “I know I don’t have to. I want to. I mean, unless you don’t want me to.”

  “It’s not that. I’d love to have you there, but I’ll tell you right now, I’m not going to be very good company. I hate shit like this. Seriously, if I could think of any good reason to say no, I would have.”

  Sophie leaned in and kissed him again. “That’s why I’m going with you.”

  That was the nicest thing anyone had offered to do for him in a long time.

  “You sure?”

  “Positive. That’s one of the benefits of having a girlfriend, you know. We do this kind of thing.”

  Girlfriend? Sure they’d been nearly inseparable for weeks, but she’d never referred to herself that way before. He liked the way it sounded. “Well, boyfriends usually attend ‘wedding-related stuff’ with their girlfriends, so I guess the rest of our summer is pretty booked up.”

  “Looks that way.” He saw the smile pass back across her face as she returned to scrubbing potatoes.

  Sophie crumbled the crisped bacon and sprinkled it over the potato salad, trying to block Parker from stealing the remaining strips from the plate. She smacked his hand as he went for a second piece.

  “You’re mean,” he said, pouting.

  She giggled. “That’s not what you said last night.”

  The doorbell rang, and she glanced at the clock. Exactly four p.m. “Wow, he’s sure gotten punctual.”

  She watched Parker cross the kitchen as he headed for the front door. There weren’t many things she enjoyed more than the way his ass looked in his low-slung jeans. She tingled from head to toe.

  “Hey, Sophie,” Joey said, pulling her into a sideways hug and kissing the top of her head. He grabbed a strip of bacon off the plate before she could stop him.

  “The two of you are nothing but trouble. Why don’t you go get the grill started?”

  Joey and Parker both laughed at her reprimand. It was feeling more like the old days by the second.

  “What’s in the cooler?” Parker asked, pointing to the blue Igloo in Joey’s hand.

  “My patented margaritas. You got some ice?”

  “We sure do.”

  Watching as they mixed the drinks, it was hard to believe they’d barely talked for two years. They seemed to have fallen right back into their friendship. Just like we did. Well, with one notable difference. She felt her cheeks heat. How many times had she hung out with them, cooking for them, wishing she was Parker’s girlfriend? Far too many to count. And now it was true. For a second she let her mind wander into the future. Holidays. Weddings. Their wedding.

  Whoa. She stopped herself the second the thought crossed her mind. Way too soon to even think about that. Hell, he hadn’t even told her he loved her yet.

  Yet. Would he? Did he? He’d been through so much, what if he just needed to have some fun for a while? Needed the comfort of an old friend and then wanted to move on? It wouldn’t be unreasonable. He’d been with Chrissie for so many years, then in recovery. It would be totally understandable if he wanted to live a little. Date tons of women. Play the field.

  Oh God. The only thing that had bothered her about learning that he was a virgin was the nagging thought that if they stayed together she’d be his one and only. Nate hadn’t been able to stay faithful to her for two months of marriage. How could she possibly expect Parker to be happy with just her for his whole life?

  It was almost unthinkable, and yet she wanted it to be possible more than she’d ever wanted anything.

  Joey interrupted her thoughts. “Earth to Sophie. You want salt on your margarita?”

  She shook her head. “No, thanks.” I need to stop obsessing.

  Parker came up behind her and murmured in her ear. “Where were you just now?”

  “Hmm?” she asked, trying to focus on stirring the potato salad.

  “You were a million miles away. Joey almost used the BBQ tongs to stir the margarita, and you didn’t even notice. You okay?”

  “Sorry,” she said. “I’m here. I’m fine. He really almost used the tongs?”

  “One margarita, no salt.” Joey handed her a glass and raised his. “To old friends making new memories.”

  Parker raised his glass, and all three of them clinked. “I’ll drink to that.”

  “Cheers.” Sophie took a sip, savoring the cool lemon-lime liquid as its tanginess filled her mouth. New memories sounded like a great idea.

  Parker removed the last steak from the grill and set the platter on the wooden picnic table.

  Sophie had been chatting with Joey nonstop. “I see your dad all the time. He seems to be doing well. How’s your mom?”

  Joey put a heaping spoonful of potato salad on his plate. “She’s good. Her MS is really under control now. New meds. She’s super busy as usual.”

  “How many of your brothers and sisters still live at home?”

  “Three. Maria and Dave are both still in school. Dave’s getting his MBA, and Maria’s doing some sort of nursing internship this summer. The rest are still in the house, causing trouble.” Joey smiled but he looked bothered about something.

  “They’re amazing, you know, your folks. My parents had a hard enough time with just me.”

  “Agreed,” Parker said. “I don’t think my dad could have handled more than me either. Your parents are goddamned saints.”

  Joey nodded, biting into an ear of corn. “They are. You know when I got my contract the first thing I offered to do was buy them a new house, and my dad flat out refused. ‘That’s your money. You’re earning it. You use it. We’re fine.’” Joey nailed his father’s voice as he mimicked him.

  Parker could almost hear the exact same words coming out of Mr. Nardo’s mouth over a decade earlier. There had been a baseball camp Joey and Parker both wanted to attend. Best camp in the Northeast and expensive as all get out. With five kids and one on the way, Mr. Nardo hadn’t been able to afford the tuition on a mailman’s salary.

  Parker’s dad had offered to pay for both of them, saying it was worth it to him to have the boys together at the camp, but Mr. Nardo wouldn’t hear of it. Had it not been for a last-minute grant from the town athletic department, Joey wouldn’t have been able to go. Parker wondered if Joey or his dad had ever figured out that the grant had been started that year, or that it had been sponsored in part by Wood Landscaping.

  “Be glad
your parents are happy for you and want you to do what you want. My dad still treats me like I’m in middle school.” Sophie poked at the fruit salad on her plate.

  “I thought they moved down to Florida,” Joey said.

  “They did, but my dad has a way of making his presence known no matter how far away he is.”

  “Your dad always scared the crap out of me.” Joey shoved a forkful of potato salad in his mouth.

  “Every man with a daughter hated you. You had good reason to be scared,” Parker said, wondering what Sophie’s dad was still giving her grief about. He knew they’d had a problem with the divorce, but she hadn’t mentioned anything recently. He made a mental note to ask her later.

  “True enough.” The grin on Joey’s face made him look exactly like he had in high school. Handsome, evil and unwilling to take no for an answer to anything.

  “I certainly had a few girlfriends whose fathers would have been happy to string you up from the nearest pole.” Sophie snorted, shaking her head. “You still leaving a string of broken hearts wherever you go?”

  “I don’t know about broken hearts, but I haven’t settled down yet if that’s what you mean.”

  “No girlfriend?” Sophie asked.

  “No one special.” Joey eyed Sophie in a way that caught Parker’s attention. “Haven’t found the right girl. Yet.”

  She smiled, clearly oblivious to the look Joey was giving her. A look that made Parker’s stomach tense. He knew that look. He’d seen it a thousand times over the years. He still has a thing for Sophie. Not that I can blame him. I do too. But now she’s mine.

  The words startled Parker as they formed in his head. She’s mine. Was she? She’d used the word girlfriend and was inviting him to things like her friend’s wedding, but she’d only been divorced for six months. Was she ready to commit to a relationship yet? Was he?

  Ready or not, he realized with a swift kick to the head, that he already was. Totally committed. Holy shit. When did that happen? Somewhere between a decade-long crush, a first kiss and several earth-shattering nights of passion, his feelings for her had deepened beyond what he’d expected. Jesus. I’m falling in love with Sophie.