“I have a fitting for the rehearsal dinner dress,” Sophie lied, grabbing her purse. “I’ll be gone for a few hours.”
William, currently debating napkin folds with a planner, barely looked up. “Take the driver. And make sure the fabric matches the theme.”
Sophie didn’t take the driver. She took a taxi to the Sterling-Khan Community Clinic.
She found Dr. Lucas Hale in the breakroom, nursing a lukewarm coffee. His face lit up when he saw her–not with manic expectation, but with a simple, warm smile.
“I was hoping you’d stop by,” Lucas said, pulling out a chair for her. “I saved you a donut. It’s a little stale, but the chocolate is good.”
Sophie sat down, the tension in her shoulders instantly evaporating. For an hour, they didn’t talk about galas, or press releases, or blackmail. They talked about favorite colors, bad movies, and the weather.
“You look tired, Sophie,” Lucas said softly, watching her over his cup. “The kind of tired that sleep doesn’t fix.”
“I’m just… planning,” she deflected, though her voice wavered.
“If you ever need to stop planning,” Lucas said, his eyes earnest, “and just be… you know where to find me.”
Sophie looked at him–the “Rival” to William’s chaos–and felt a dangerous pang of longing. For the first time, she wished she had walked into this clinic before she ever walked into the Croft penthouse.