Bookshop by the Sea - Denise Hunter Page 0,32
meant to help the winner take the product to market if he or she wanted.
Sophie smiled down at her needlework. “And why do you want to thank your dad?”
He did a double take. “Because he taught me everything I know. Because he showed me what hard work and discipline can accomplish. Because he sacrificed everything to give me a good life.”
She held his gaze, her smile widening. “And Ross?”
“I see what you’re doing here. All right, Ross. He gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. Ross believed in me.”
She nodded. “Good stuff, Aiden.”
“And God,” he added, having the hang of it now. “Well, I wouldn’t even be breathing without Him, now would I?”
“There you go then. Sounds as if you’ve got this.”
“I need to get all that down.” He opened his notes and started writing, his fingers clumsy on the tiny keypad. When he finished the acknowledgments he silently read through the speech from the beginning, correcting a thing or two as he went.
“The opening is still boring.” He looked up at Sophie. “Any suggestions? And don’t say ‘open with a joke.’ I tried that already.”
“Sounds as if this whole award thing is a little scary for you.”
“You know, writing’s not my thing.”
She gave him a pointed look. “And yet, you jump out of planes for a living . . .”
“I see the irony.” As he frowned down at his phone the perfect opening line came to him. He glanced back at Sophie, a smile spreading across his face.
chapter fifteen
From beneath her lashes Sophie watched Aiden’s brows draw together as he tapped away on his phone. Helping him like this took her back to when she’d tutored him. He never needed much help with writing, really—just someone to jump-start his creativity. She completed the knit stitch and began another.
Her phone buzzed at an incoming call, and she recognized the number from the previous voice mail. Joshua had promised to call back later. She appreciated that he hadn’t put the burden to call back on her like a lot of people did. And she had looked him up on Facebook. Not only was he a handsome doctor, but he regularly posted pictures of his family, and he had an adorable black Labrador named Bear, to boot.
She set down her knitting and answered the call. “Hello?”
“Hi, is this Sophie?”
“Speaking.”
“Hi, Sophie. It’s Joshua Stevens—my grandmother is a friend of your grandmother.” He said the last a little sheepishly.
“I hope she didn’t have to twist your arm too hard.”
His laugh was a pleasant one. “Not once I found you on social media. I confess to stalking you a little.”
“In the vein of honesty, I’ll fess up to a little stalking myself.”
“And you still answered my call?”
“It was Bear that sealed the deal.”
He laughed. “Your grandmother didn’t lie. You really are delightful.”
“You know, she never says nice things to my face.”
“I have a sister like that. Other people tell me things she’s said, and when I bring it up to her—okay, hold it over her head—she denies she ever said such a thing.”
Sophie laughed. She caught Aiden’s eye, and her stomach gave a little wobble. She looked away. “Sounds about right. I have two siblings myself.”
“Full confession, I saw them on your Facebook page. You were recently in your sister’s wedding—this is weird, isn’t it? I should at least pretend I don’t know your life history.”
“Would it make you feel better if I ask how your nephews are doing on their mission trip?”
He laughed. “It would, actually. Dating in the modern day sure is a wild adventure. I took somewhat of a break during the rigors of med school, and when I jumped back on the merry-go-round, everyone was meeting on apps and cyberstalking.”
“It’s a brave new world. I admit I’ve been on a bit of a break too.”
“Your grandmother said you were opening a bookshop in Piper’s Cove.”
“Guilty as charged. It’s been a long time in the works.”
“I gathered . . .” He paused for so long Sophie nearly checked her connection. “Listen, it sounds as if you’re wanting to grow roots there on the coast—and I’m stuck here in Raleigh, at least through my residency.”
Sensing a dismissal, Sophie shifted in her seat. “Ah. I see what you’re getting at.”
“No, no. I’m just saying . . . distance is an obstacle, at least a short-term one. But I really like you, Sophie, and I’d like to get to know you better.”
“I’d like that too.”
* * *
Aiden scrolled through his newsfeed, not seeing a thing.