Цитаты из книг автора «Sophie Love»

fine. I’ve never been on a breakfast date. It’s cute.” “I went about this all the wrong way, didn’t I?” Daniel said. Emily shook her head. “No,” she reassured him. “You’re doing fine. But you’ve got to give me time to get my makeup on. Brush my hair.” “You look great as you are,” Daniel said, then immediately blushed. “I may be a liberated woman,” Emily replied, “but I kind of don’t want to be wearing pajamas on a date.” She smiled shyly. “I won’t be long.” Then she turned and trotted up the stairs with a renewed spring in her step.

Well, yeah,” Daniel replied, squirming. Emily smirked. She thought Daniel looked incredibly cute standing on her doorstep like that being all coy. “You’re not just asking me because you feel bad about the letter?” she asked. Daniel’s expression turned horrified. “No! Not at all. I’m asking you because I like you and I – ” He sighed, his words disappearing in his throat. “I’m just joking with you,” Emily replied. “I’d love to go on a date with you.” Daniel smiled and nodded, but continued standing there looking awkward. “Did you mean right now this second?” Emily said, surprised. “Or later?” he said hurriedly. “We could do lunch instead if you’d prefer? Or Friday night? Would you prefer Friday night?” Daniel was looking deflated. “Daniel,” Emily said, laughing, attempting to save the situation, “now is

She’d slept terribly, having cried herself to sleep. Now she felt muggy-headed and more than a little embarrassed that she’d subjected Daniel to that outpouring of emotion, that she’d dragged him down with her. And then there was the kiss that never happened. She wasn’t even sure she’d be able to look him in the eye. She got to the door and pulled it open. “You’re early,” she said, smiling, trying to act normal. “Yeah,” Daniel said, shifting from one foot to the other. His hands were deep in his pockets. “I thought maybe we could have breakfast?” “Sure,” she said, gesturing for him to enter the house. “No, I meant… out?” He started rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Emily squinted as she tried to understand what he was saying. Then it dawned on her and a small smile started to spread across her lips. “You mean like on a date?”

Emily’s eyes fluttered closed and she leaned into him, anticipating the feel of his lips on hers. But nothing happened. She opened her eyes at the same time as Daniel’s encircled arms loosened. “What’s wrong?” Emily said. Daniel exhaled loudly. “My mom wasn’t a great woman but she gave me one piece of great advice. Never kiss a girl when she’s crying.” And with that he stood up and began to walk slowly across the study to the door. Emily felt herself deflate. She shut the door softly behind him and then leaned against the door and slid down to the floor, letting her tears fall once more.

“When I was younger your dad caught me on the grounds. I was running away from home and knew you guys weren’t here often. I figured I’d hide out in the barn and no one would notice me. But your dad found me. And instead of kicking my ass out, he gave me some food, a beer” – he looked up and grinned at the memory – “then asked me what I was running from. So I gave him the whole teenage spiel, you know. About how my parents didn’t understand me. About how what I wanted for me and what they wanted for me were so different we could never find common ground. I was going off the rails in those days, flunking school, getting in trouble with the cops for dumb stuff. But he was calm. He spoke to me. No, he listened to me. No one else had done that. He wanted to know what I liked. I was embarrassed, you know, to tell him I liked taking photos. What sixteen-year-old boy wants to admit that? But he was so okay about all of it. And he said I could use the barn as a darkroom. So I did.”

Not yet,” she said, turning back to Serena. “But I’ll let you know if I find anything you or Rico would like.” “Awesome,” Serena said, backing up, an end tables in each arm. “Thanks for these. And don’t forget to make a move on Mr. Hot Stuff. You’re still young!” Emily rolled her eyes and laughed to herself as she watched the younger woman swagger away. Had she been that confident in early twenties? If she ever had been she couldn’t recall it. Amy had always been the confident one, Emily the shyer of the two. Perhaps that was why she always ended up in such terrible relationships, and why she’d stuck with Ben for so long; out of fear of not being able to find another person, of

Why would you joke about that?” Emily asked, trying not to let her distress be audible. “I wanted to see your face when I said it,” Serena replied. “To see whether you were into him or not. Which you are, by the way, and you should totally do something about it. You know a guy who looks like that will not stay single for long.” Emily raised an eyebrow and shook her head. Serena was too young to understand how complicated things could be between two people, or know about the emotional baggage that weighed you down the older you got. “Hey,” Serena said, looking into the distance. “Have you had a chance to sort through the barn? I bet there’s a ton of exciting things in there.” Emily looked behind her. Way across the lawn the wooden barn stood in the shadows, lonely and forgotten.

Emily noticed Serena amongst them right away. “Hey!” Serena called, waving, before bouncing over toward Emily and greeting her with a hug. “You’re here for those end tables, right?” Emily replied as they parted ways, Emily feeling a little uncomfortable at the physical intimacy Serena seemed so able to initiate. “They’re just around the side this way, I’ll get them for you.” Serena followed Emily through the maze of furniture set out on the lawn. “Is that your boyfriend?” she asked as they walked, looking back over at Daniel. “Because if you don’t mind me saying, he is so hot.” Emily laughed and looked over her shoulder too. Daniel was speaking to Karen from the general store, still in his white tank top, the spring sun dancing across his biceps. “He’s not,” she said. “Not hot?” Serena cried. “Girl, are you blind?” Emily shook her head and laughed. “I meant he’s not my boyfriend,” she corrected. “But he is hot,” Serena implored. “You know, you can say it out loud.”

Serena followed Emily through the maze of furniture set out on the lawn. “Is that your boyfriend?” she asked as they walked, looking back over at Daniel. “Because if you don’t mind me saying, he is so hot.” Emily laughed and looked over her shoulder too. Daniel was speaking to Karen from the general store, still in his white tank top, the spring sun dancing across his biceps.

“I’m sorry, Amy,” Emily said, feeling deflated. “It’s just not what I want anymore.” She heard her friend sigh. “You’re really staying there?” she said finally. “In Maine? In a creepy old house? Alone?” Emily realized then how strongly she felt about staying, how completely right it felt to her. And saying it aloud to Amy had made it completely real. She took a deep breath, feeling confident and grounded for the first time in years. Then she stated simply, “Yes. I am.”