***
Sophie settled on the unlevel ground of the grassy hillside knoll that had been draped with dozens of mismatched blankets and beach towels. The slight elevation provided an amphitheater-style view of the band below, and she watched the dancers pivot in small circles down on the street while she waited for Damon to return.
A pair of small hands clapped over her eyes. “Boo!”
“I thought you were dancing, Sparrow. What did you do with your partner?”
Sparrow arranged her long skirt and gracefully collapsed into the open spot next to her. “Which one?” she asked with a devilish glint in her eye. “I think the more important question is what you did with your partner. Who is that guy?”
Sophie hoped the lack of light hid her cheeks, which suddenly felt very warm. “Just a guy.” She decided to omit the details of their meeting on the trail. “His name is Damon.”
“His name is hotness,” Sparrow giggled. “Where did he go?”
“Just to get drinks.”
“So he’ll be back? Can I meet him?”
“Uh, yeah. I guess so. Just don’t overwhelm him, okay? He’s sort of…well, shy.”
“Moi?” Sparrow asked in mock indignation, and both girls laughed.
Sophie put her hand over her friend’s. “Seriously though…are you okay with this?”
When she didn’t seem to understand the question, Sophie swallowed and leaned against Sparrow’s shoulder. “I mean, he’s not your brother. Are you sure you’re okay with meeting him?”
“Of course.”
Sophie took a breath. “Will you be okay if I leave with him?”
“Hell, you can run off into the sunset with this guy for all I care.”
“Sparrow….”
“Please, Sophie. I know I’m a lot younger than you, but I wasn’t born yesterday. You and Adam have a history, but that doesn’t require you two to have a future. One of these days he’ll wake up and realize that you don’t have to possess someone to love them. All of them will.”
Sophie put her arms around Sparrow. She got the distinct impression that she was referring to herself, too. Knowing that Sparrow felt so caged by her family’s expectations was enough to break Sophie’s heart.
“Hey,” Sparrow said as she broke away from the embrace. “Here he comes.”
Sophie felt her breath catch again as Damon walked up the incline to where they sat. He had a solo cup in each hand, and he offered one to Sophie before seating himself next to her.
“Hi, Damon! I’m Sparrow,” the little red-head breathed as she reached across Sophie’s lap to take his free hand.
Okay…so much for not overwhelming him.
“Uh…hi,” he answered back with an uncomfortable chuckle. “That’s a pretty name.”
“It’s a weird name. But nobody forgets it!”
“I’m sure they don’t. It’s very nice to meet you, Sparrow.”
“Thanks,” Sophie interjected as she lifted her cup toward him and took a sip.
“How’s the brew?” Sparrow asked.
Sophie took a sniff and followed it with another small swallow. “Not terrible.” She handed the cup to Sparrow, who copied her assessment process exactly.
“The flavor’s okay,” she agreed as she handed it back, “but the texture is too pulpy—doesn’t touch the stuff from our farm this year.”
“You brew cider?” Damon asked.
“Mm-hmm,” Sparrow replied. “We don’t sell it, though. And we have eggs and honey and all sorts of produce. You should come out to see the farm sometime. Do you live around here, Damon?”
“Not exactly.”
Damon was spared from further questioning by the blond—Sparrow’s original dance partner—who spotted her and sauntered up the hill. “I’ve been looking for you,” he admonished lightly.
“Have you?” she asked, eyelashes batting over her freckled cheeks. She leaned over and gave Sophie a quick kiss on the cheek. “See you later…or whatever,” she winked. “Nice to meet you, Damon.” She and her blond trotted down the hill and back into the throng of merrily gyrating couples.
“She’s something,” Damon mused as he took a sip of his own cider.
“She’s twelve,” Sophie answered and laughed when Damon coughed out loud.
Twelve? he mouthed, shaking his head. “Whoa, her father is in a world of trouble.”
“Her father…and two very protective older brothers, too.”
They laughed together. “What about your family, Sophie? Do I need to worry about any overprotective brothers?”
“I have a stepbrother, but I think he would like you. On the farm, though, we’re all kind of like siblings….” Sophie launched into a description of the commune. As she rambled on about who they were and what they did there, she couldn’t help leaning closer to him. By the time she came around to how she and her mother had wound up living there, she was lounging with her back against his chest. “My mom has pretty much run the show since my stepfather passed away. Everyone trusts her, and she’s so good at it…it’s like she was meant to be there.”
“And you, Sophie? Is it where you’re meant to be?”
She shrugged, and he used drinking from his cup as an excuse to wind his arm around her.
“Honestly?”
“Of course.”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I can’t imagine spending my whole life there, but I also can’t imagine where I’d go instead. If Adam had his way…”
“Adam?”
Shit. Did I really just bring up Adam? She looked down into her empty cup. I haven’t had enough to make me do something that stupid. “Um, yeah. Adam is one of Sparrow’s brothers. He and I have been best friends for as long as I can remember.” She took a deep breath and inhaled the smells of grass and cider. The smell of him. “What about you? You’ve let me drone on and on, but you haven’t told me anything about you, Damon. I don’t even know what you look like. This is beginning to feel a bit one-sided.”
“Fair enough.” He grinned and placed both hands over his mask. Sophie twisted around where she sat, eager to see the face of the man who had held her captivated all evening. He hesitated for the span of two full breaths, then lifted the mask over his head and placed it in the grass beside the blanket. His dimple was not duplicated on the cheek that had been concealed, but a long flesh-colored scar spanned the length of his cheekbone. His gold-flecked eyes were startling against his tanned skin, framed with dark lashes and heavy eyebrows the exact shade as his hair.
To Sophie, he was perfect. She reached up to touch the side of his face that had finally been revealed, to brush over the long scar with the back of her fingers, and found herself tracing the smooth line of his lips. He raised one brow in silent question, and she smiled and leaned in closer. The sounds of the crowd around them, even the music down on the street, melted away as she kissed him. Something within her unlocked, and she didn’t notice that she had wound both hands into the back of his hair until he took them and placed them back in her lap.
“Not here,” he whispered.
She nodded, breathless, as she abruptly became aware of their public setting once more. What is wrong with me tonight? She glanced around to make sure nobody had noticed her indiscretion, and her eyes landed down on the street below, where Adam stood watching with an expression of equal parts hurt and horror.
Damon followed her gaze and took a deep breath. “I assume that’s him…Adam?”
She nodded again.
“What do you want to do, Sophie?”
“I…I need to go.”
“Are you sure? The Festival won’t be over for hours…it’s still early.”
“I know. But I need to go.” She stood and held out a hand for him. He looked up at her as he took it, and Sophie was struck by the crushing disappointment on his face. He’d misunderstood her. I am terrible at this, she laughed at herself silently.
She tried again. “We need to go.”
Damon quirked one eyebrow u
pward, the same gesture Sophie had seen implied behind the mask so many times throughout the evening, and her knees faltered again. She steadied herself only just in time to pull Damon to his feet next to her.