decide.
They don't understand that I've been looking for a long time.
They don't know how hard it is to find The Man."
"I do," Brie chimed in.
62
Sophie's Playboy
by Natalie Damschroder
"And why did I open my big mouth, anyway? Huh, Joey?
Can you tell me that?"
Joey bubbled spit through his little smile, but his gaze was still adoring, so Sophie forgave him when it dripped on her silk pants.
"Tell me all about him," Elyse urged as she began to stack plates in front of her. "I want to know everything."
"I'm not telling you anything, Mom." Sophie transferred Joey back to the crook of her elbow and let him watch Grandma go into her usual cleanup frenzy. "Not that there's anything to tell, anyway."
"Did you meet him at the club?" Kira asked.
"No. I don't think so. I'm not sure."
Jake laughed and stood to carry the tower of scraped plates to the counter. "Were you drugged?"
"I just don't know if he's the same guy."
"The same guy as who?" Brianna asked, propping her chin in her hand as if the story she was trying not to tell was fascinating.
She sighed. There was no way to avoid it. They'd get it out of her eventually. "There's been a guy calling my radio show.
He has a voice that gives me shivers and a unique method of courting."
"Unique how?" Kira asked.
"Unique as in over the radio. Anyway, he sent me a puppy.
And I never met him, but he might be a guy I know from The Club. Except his name is different."
"Why do you think he's the same guy?" Duncan Macgregor asked.
63
Sophie's Playboy
by Natalie Damschroder
Sophie addressed her normally silent father and tried to articulate her suspicions. "Every time Biff—"
"Biff?" Five people roared the name. Five shouts of laughter followed.
"Cut it out," Sophie growled. Joey began to wiggle and fuss, so she handed him to his mother. "You startled the baby. And I didn't name him."
"But you picked him," Brianna pointed out.
"I didn't pick him. Do you want to hear this or not?"
Sorries were murmured all around. Sophie took a deep breath and tried to get it all out at once.
"Every time I hear Biff's voice and can't see him I think it's Parker. Parker is the guy who calls the show. Biff asked me out twice and I turned him down. Parker keeps flirting with me on the air. And he sent me a dachshund after we had a show with a pet theme. His sister has a dachshund named Moose, so I named mine Hippo. My producer has him for the weekend because I didn't want him around the baby; he gets nervous and would probably pee on Mom's floor. I decided it's worth a try to find out if Parker and Biff are the same guy and even if they're not, Biff's starting to interest me, so it can't hurt. One date. If I can arrange it. After I rejected him the second time he said he wouldn't ask again. That's all I'm going to say, so leave me alone."
Everyone waited a beat, then jumped up at virtually the same time.
"Who wants coffee?" her mom called.
64
Sophie's Playboy
by Natalie Damschroder
"Jake, I've got something in the shop to show you."
Duncan clapped a hand on his son-in-law's shoulder and they headed for the basement stairs.
"I'm going to nurse the baby." Kira went into the living room, already unbuttoning the flap of her nursing blouse.
Only Brianna and their mother were brave enough to stay.
Elyse settled back at the table with a thermal carafe of decaf coffee and a sympathetic expression.
"Do you want advice, honey? Or are you not as adrift as you seem?"
Sophie sighed and rested her arms on the table. "I don't need advice. Not yet. I'm plenty adrift, but I'm finding my anchor, bit by bit." She sipped her coffee. "I'd rather talk about you and Daddy."
Elyse's glance toward the basement door was affectionate and happy. The knot of worry in Sophie's gut that was dedicated to her parents relaxed a bit.
"Daddy and I are fine, dear. We have been for a long time."
"I know, but when you came out of your cocoon, it wasn't a slow fluttering. I keep needing to make sure no one
They don't understand that I've been looking for a long time.
They don't know how hard it is to find The Man."
"I do," Brie chimed in.
62
Sophie's Playboy
by Natalie Damschroder
"And why did I open my big mouth, anyway? Huh, Joey?
Can you tell me that?"
Joey bubbled spit through his little smile, but his gaze was still adoring, so Sophie forgave him when it dripped on her silk pants.
"Tell me all about him," Elyse urged as she began to stack plates in front of her. "I want to know everything."
"I'm not telling you anything, Mom." Sophie transferred Joey back to the crook of her elbow and let him watch Grandma go into her usual cleanup frenzy. "Not that there's anything to tell, anyway."
"Did you meet him at the club?" Kira asked.
"No. I don't think so. I'm not sure."
Jake laughed and stood to carry the tower of scraped plates to the counter. "Were you drugged?"
"I just don't know if he's the same guy."
"The same guy as who?" Brianna asked, propping her chin in her hand as if the story she was trying not to tell was fascinating.
She sighed. There was no way to avoid it. They'd get it out of her eventually. "There's been a guy calling my radio show.
He has a voice that gives me shivers and a unique method of courting."
"Unique how?" Kira asked.
"Unique as in over the radio. Anyway, he sent me a puppy.
And I never met him, but he might be a guy I know from The Club. Except his name is different."
"Why do you think he's the same guy?" Duncan Macgregor asked.
63
Sophie's Playboy
by Natalie Damschroder
Sophie addressed her normally silent father and tried to articulate her suspicions. "Every time Biff—"
"Biff?" Five people roared the name. Five shouts of laughter followed.
"Cut it out," Sophie growled. Joey began to wiggle and fuss, so she handed him to his mother. "You startled the baby. And I didn't name him."
"But you picked him," Brianna pointed out.
"I didn't pick him. Do you want to hear this or not?"
Sorries were murmured all around. Sophie took a deep breath and tried to get it all out at once.
"Every time I hear Biff's voice and can't see him I think it's Parker. Parker is the guy who calls the show. Biff asked me out twice and I turned him down. Parker keeps flirting with me on the air. And he sent me a dachshund after we had a show with a pet theme. His sister has a dachshund named Moose, so I named mine Hippo. My producer has him for the weekend because I didn't want him around the baby; he gets nervous and would probably pee on Mom's floor. I decided it's worth a try to find out if Parker and Biff are the same guy and even if they're not, Biff's starting to interest me, so it can't hurt. One date. If I can arrange it. After I rejected him the second time he said he wouldn't ask again. That's all I'm going to say, so leave me alone."
Everyone waited a beat, then jumped up at virtually the same time.
"Who wants coffee?" her mom called.
64
Sophie's Playboy
by Natalie Damschroder
"Jake, I've got something in the shop to show you."
Duncan clapped a hand on his son-in-law's shoulder and they headed for the basement stairs.
"I'm going to nurse the baby." Kira went into the living room, already unbuttoning the flap of her nursing blouse.
Only Brianna and their mother were brave enough to stay.
Elyse settled back at the table with a thermal carafe of decaf coffee and a sympathetic expression.
"Do you want advice, honey? Or are you not as adrift as you seem?"
Sophie sighed and rested her arms on the table. "I don't need advice. Not yet. I'm plenty adrift, but I'm finding my anchor, bit by bit." She sipped her coffee. "I'd rather talk about you and Daddy."
Elyse's glance toward the basement door was affectionate and happy. The knot of worry in Sophie's gut that was dedicated to her parents relaxed a bit.
"Daddy and I are fine, dear. We have been for a long time."
"I know, but when you came out of your cocoon, it wasn't a slow fluttering. I keep needing to make sure no one
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