Page 51 of The Billionaire's Angel

Annabelle's face brightened when she heard my name and her smile grew wider. “So this is Sophie. Charlie says you’re a miracle worker. She says you're the only one who can keep her aunt Amelia in line without starting World WarIII.”

Annabelle's enthusiasm was infectious, and I found myself smiling back, forgetting my momentary flash of jealousy. She led us to a cozy table for two in the corner. When Gage tried to pay, she waved him off. “Another time. This is a special occasion. I'm sorry I can't talk, I have to get back behind the counter, but if I don't see you before, I'll see you at the wedding.” A quick kiss to Gage's cheek and a shoulder squeeze for me and Annabelle was gone in a swirl of cinnamon-coloredhair.

“Is she always like that?” Iasked.

“Totally genuine and packed with enough energy for twenty people?” Gage asked with a grin. I nodded. “Pretty much. You'd think it's all the espresso, but she was like that when she was akid.”

Annabelle reappeared just long enough to give us our hot chocolate, a thick slice of red velvet cake, and say she’d have someone bring us a hot cocoa for Charlie when Gage mentioned that was our next stop. I thought I was full from lunch, but Gage had been right, Annabelle's hot chocolate was the best thing I'd ever tasted. This was what chocolate dreamt of – sweet, creamy, and rich with just a hint of bitterness to keep it from tasting like chocolatesyrup.

The red velvet cake was almost as good, and I wondered if she baked it in-house. Either way, now that I'd finally been to Annabelle's, I knew I'd be back. I'd been meaning to come here for months—Charlie talked about it all the time—but with Amelia's low sugar diet, bringing her to a place packed with dessert cases was asking for trouble. Since I spent most of my time with Amelia, I'd never been herebefore.

Charlie's hot chocolate appeared on the table, delivered by one of the baristas from behind the counter. Annabelle was nowhere to be seen as we left. Gage held my hand as he walked me back to the truck, opening the door for me and waiting until I was settled before closing it and rounding the truck to get inhimself.

My head spun a little at the sheer normalcy of the afternoon. We were just two people eating lunch together and sharing a slice of cake. Nothing weird about that, right? Except that I couldn't remember the last time I’d been on a date. Not one like this. My dates with Anthony had been formal affairs, dinners in fine restaurants and a chaste kiss at mydoor.

“Have you seen the new place Charlie and Lucas bought?” Gage asked as he started thetruck.

“Not yet,” I said. “But the last one they did wasamazing.”

Just before Thanksgiving, Charlie and Lucas had finished rehabbing a mid-century modern house in the Virginia Highlands, not far from where they lived. Lucas had proposed to Charlie there the day they finished the house, and not a week later it was under contract. I wasn't surprised. I didn't know much about real estate, but I knew what looked good and that house had beenbeautiful.

I'd heard their newest purchase was a dump. If you went by Aiden's opinion, it was going to collapse on Charlie's head any second, though Lucas had reassured him the foundation and basic structure were sound. When we pulled up in front of the modest Craftsman bungalow, I could see Aiden's point. My opinion must have shown on my face because Gage took one look at me and burst outlaughing.

“I'm sure they can fix this, right?” I said, doubtfully. The roof over the porch sagged alarmingly. Most of the front steps were missing, and two of the four windows facing the street were boarded up. The house was a nondescript grayish color that might have originally been green. Or purple. Or blue. Now it was justsad.

“According to Vance, Charlie and Lucas's house was this bad when she bought it. Everyone thought she was nuts, but you’ve seen it, haven'tyou?”

I had. Charlie and Lucas's house was a showpiece, every inch of it restored with loving care and a sharp eye for good design. Aiden had commented that she could put it back on the market and make a tidy profit, but Charlie and Lucas had fallen in love putting that house back together. Neither of them would sell it for any amount of money. I found it hard to believe their house had ever been thisbad.

“If you say so,” I said, willing to give Charlie and Lucas the benefit of the doubt. After all, they knew what they were doing. What I knew about restoring homes wouldn't fill apostcard.

Gage helped me out of the truck, carrying Charlie's hot chocolate in one hand. “She said to go in through theback.”

I followed him through the side yard, picking my way carefully across the scrubby grass and around discarded piles of trash. Based on the dented beer cans, damp cardboard, and other junk, it looked like Charlie hadn't gotten around to cleaning up the mess left behind by the formerowners.

Charlie met us at the back door, swinging it open and stepping down to the concrete blocks she’d put in place of actual stairs. Her chin length auburn curls were pulled back beneath a beat-up ball cap, and her eyes lit when she caught sight of the paper cup in Gage’shand.

“You brought me Annabelle’s!” She jumped over the remaining stairs, meeting us in the grass, and snagged the cup from Gage. “I owe you one,” she said, taking a longsip.

“I think it's the other way around,” Gagesaid.

“Whatever.” Her eyes drifted down, and she caught sight of Gage's hand holding mine. Raising one eyebrow, she said to me, “So, are you giving Gage a trialrun?”

Gage bit back a laugh, and I shrugged a shoulder. “Kind of,” Isaid.

“Good for you. I'd say he's a lot to handle, but you’re used to managing Amelia. One of the Winters men is child's play compared tothat.”

This time, Gage didn't bother to bite back his laugh. I couldn't help but join in. Keeping a handle on Amelia took every bit of creativity and tenacity I had. I still wasn't sure I could manage Gage, but I was going totry.

Gage dropped my hand and put his arm around me. My phone rang in my pocket, and I pulled it out, hearing him say to Charlie, “Do you have that jump drive you were talking about? I finished those reports. When you get a chance, I want to sit downand—”

I stopped listening as I studied the screen of my phone. The number read as UNKNOWN. I hit the button to answer and held it up to my ear. “Hello?” Silence. Something in the background. A voice? I couldn't make it out. “Hello?” I said,again.

Just as I was about to hang up a man said, “Sophie. I've missed the sound of yourvoice.”

The phone slipped from my fingers, striking a broken chunk of concrete at my feet. The plastic case cracked, the noise cutting through Gage and Charlie'sconversation.

I heard Gage say my name, felt his eyes on me. I stared down at the phone, imagining I still heard that voice, the way he’d said my name.Sophie.Before we got married, I’d loved the way my name sounded when he said it. Almost reverent. Worshipful. Later, it turned my heart toice.