Chapter 6

6

Sofia

After ordering our drinks, we stand side by side at the end of the counter. It's not lost on me that every female in the entire coffee shop is staring at Rhett. I'm not surprised, because he is by far the most beautiful man I've ever seen.

"Rhett, Sofia," the barista says and then hands us our drinks.

We find a table by the window, and he surprises me by pulling my seat out for me. "Thank you," I tell him and take a sip of my latte.

"I'm glad you decided to meet me." Rhett smiles at me and it makes butterflies take flight in my belly.

God, that sounds so cliché, but it's so freaking true. "I-I am too," I answer honestly. There is no point in playing games.

"Tell me about yourself," Rhett urges as he leans forward. "Who is Sofia Morgan?" He grins at me, showing off his pearly whites.

"Um, well… I'm twenty-five and have lived in Nashville all my life. I live with my mom right now while I wait for the money from my insurance company. Um… I have two older half-brothers. We share the same dad, but I don't really have a relationship with him." Oh God, why did I say that. "It's a long story, I mean my mom met him and they began seeing each other. Come to find out he was married. He broke it off with my mom and stayed with his wife. My brother, Kirk, is the one who wanted me in their lives, and then my brother, Drew, too. My car used to be my brother's. That's the only reason I'd have a BMW. If you were wondering." I realize I just blabbed everything and he's staring at me with his mouth open. "Shoot, I'm sorry." I'm ready to bolt when he reaches out, placing his hand on my arm.

"Wow. That's wild, and I'm sorry your mom was hurt like that."

That's so nice. "She never really got over the hurt and I hate that for her. Enough about me, tell me about Rhett Butler Ferguson ," I say his name in a faux Southern accent.

Rhett laughs. I love the richness of it, the way it makes his whole face light up. "Well… I have wanted to be a firefighter as long as I could remember. Marchy and I grew up together and we both had the same career path. I have an older sister, Annie. I'm twenty-eight and she's thirty-one. She and Dad are physical therapists and Mom's a nurse practitioner. They're still married, although Mom threatens to divorce Dad at least once a month because he drives her crazy, but she doesn't mean it." He shakes his head fondly. "She's a total nut."

He looks toward the display case. "Those donuts look good. Do you want one?"

"Sure, thanks. I'll take whatever," I tell him and then watch as the two counter girls race to wait on him.

Shaking my head, I pick up my phone and check my bank account. I'm still waiting for the money from my insurance company, but from the amount of my balance it has not come in. I love staying with my mom, but I can't stay there forever.

I clutch my chest when Rhett sits back down across from me.

"Sorry." Rhett holds up his hands and smiles at me sheepishly.

Shaking my head, I smile. "Don't be sorry. I was just lost in thought." He hands me a glazed cake donut. "Thank you."

In two bites, his donut is gone. "Oh my gosh."

"Wha? Is gud," he mumbles around a mouthful of donut.

I can't help it and start laughing. Rhett is so stinking cute and funny. We would never work, but I can't help wondering, what if? Crap, I'm in trouble.

"One, two, three eyes on me," I sing to my kiddos. They all turn their heads to look up at me. "We're going to finger paint our favorite animals. Raise your hand if you're excited." All their little arms shoot up in the air. "Okay, I'm going to have you split up into three groups. One will go with Miss Jodi, one will go with Mr. Daniel, and one will go with me."

We break them off into three groups and then we get to painting. There are eight kids in each group and let me tell you, it's chaos, but they have so much fun. When the weather is nice, like today, we do it outside. It keeps my room a little cleaner. Of course, with twenty-four kids, that's not saying much.

I walk around the table, helping my kids with their pictures. "Zoe, that's a great cat."

The little girl with brown pigtails smiles up at me. "Is my kitty, Boo."

Smiling, I make sure I tell each of my kids that I love their pictures, and I know Jodi and Daniel are doing the same. As the kids finish, we hang up their pictures on a clothesline to dry. It takes another half hour to get the kids cleaned up and ready for a snack. Each parent supplies snacks for the class, and the kids enjoy the variety they get.

Knock, knock, knock. Mandy, our secretary, is standing at my door with a bouquet of pink tulips. "Hey, Mandy, are these for Jodi or Daniel?"

She shakes her head. "Nope, they're for you." I take them from her, and she walks away.

I set them on the counter while ignoring the questioning looks of my friends. Plucking the card out, I wonder if they're from my brothers. No, it's not my birthday, which is the only time I've gotten them sent to me.

Just Because,

Rhett

"Oh my gosh," I whisper to myself. My heart races as I stare at the card in my hand. This is by far the sweetest thing ever. I stick it back in the envelope and shove it in my back pocket.

Jodi comes up to me. "Those are gorgeous. Who are they from?" She leans forward and smells them.

"Ummm…we'll talk about it later," I state quietly and then get back to my kiddos.

After the last of the kids leave, I begin wiping down tables while Jodi picks up toys from the around the room, and Daniel sweeps the floor. The whole time I keep waiting for them to ask about the flowers, but so far they haven't.

Also, I want to get out of here so I can text Rhett and thank him. I know I should call, but if he's at the station I don't want to bother him, but I want him to know that I got them.

The door to the back opens and slams shut. Daniel comes back in, followed by Jodi. They make a beeline toward me. "Okay, girlie, spill," Daniel says while looking at the flowers.

They hang on every word as I tell them about Rhett. I'm not sure which of them keeps squealing, but it makes me smile. "Nothing is going to come of this," I reply and my stomach clenches when I do.

"Why would you say that?" Jodi's voice loses its softness.

I quickly pull up a picture of him from Station 47's social media and turn my phone to them. Their mouths hang open and I know the feeling. "Look at him, look at me. What could he possibly see in me?" What is wrong with me?

Daniel grabs me by the arm, not hard, but to get my attention. "Girl, are you serious right now? Do you have a mirror?" He keeps going. "You are a fucking babe. You've got a killer body, gorgeous hair, and eyes so freaking blue they can't possibly be real."

Jodi's hands come together in a slow clap as we both stare at Daniel. He's usually so quiet, his boyfriend, Lonnie, is the one with the bigger personality.

I step toward him and wrap my arms around his waist. "Thank you for saying that."

"It's true, you have to know that," he assures quietly. "I mean, there is no doubt he is one beautiful man, and he obviously looks at you and see something he likes."

Jodi puts her arm around my waist. "I say, you should go for it. Have some fun. After everything you've been through, you deserve to cut loose."

They've given me a lot to think about. I just don't know what I'm going to do.