Page 35 of Redeemed

A sly smile grew on Cassie's lips. She looked at JT who still had his back to them. She could see the tension in his back and shoulders. "So, what's that all about?" she asked. JT didn't answer. "Hey, Mr. Nothing to See Here, I'm talking to you!" Cassie threw a biscuit at his head.

JT dropped his knife and spun around. "Hey! What the fuck?"

"That's what I was asking you," Cassie said cheekily as the brothers chuckled. "Or is that the problem? No fucking going on?"

A flush grew across JT's face. "It's nothing. We were seeing each other, now we're not. End of."

"Somehow I don't think it's end of," Cassie shot back. "Or you wouldn't look like a bull who wanted to charge me."

"We just broke up last night. It's new. It'll pass," JT answered. "I don't want or need to discuss it. Let's get back to work."

Unfortunately, he knew it was only a matter of time before he’d have to face it. He knew from the way his chest continued to ache whenever he saw her and his gut churned, it wasn’t really ‘end of’ with him and Sofia despite his words, but he didn’t know how he could get past it.

Chapter thirty-three

Pushing Buttons

Sofiawasgettingmoreand more frustrated. It had been a week and she still had not been able to catch JT alone to talk. At the café, the kitchen was full with his friends that had come to help him prep for Amarylis' wedding. He seemed to make it a point not to come anywhere near the back hall or the office there. She wasn't sure he was even taking bathroom breaks just so he could avoid her. She had tried driving by his house but discovered the Garza brothers were staying with him while they were in town. She'd given up trying to call or text him. He never answered. He seemed to be working very hard to avoid her. And doing a pretty damn good job of it.

One afternoon after the lunch rush, she was sitting in the office, chin in hand, trying to put together a contract, but failing miserably due to her inability to concentrate, when Maggie waddled in. That was truly the only word for it. Her belly had expanded at an exponential rate the last couple of weeks.

"I swear, these babies have got to go!" Maggie said in a huff, dropping into the seat in front of the desk. "I feel like I'm going to explode!"

Sofia gave her friend a wry smile. "There's not too long to go now," she assured her. "A few more weeks and those munchkins will be here."

Maggie rubbed her belly and smiled. "I know but it feels like it's going to be forever. You've got to come over and see the nursery. Zane got the cribs and changing table put together this week and we've got all the painting done. It's so pretty!"

"I can't wait to see it," Sofia said. "Maybe I could come by in a little bit after work and check it out. Those babies are going to be so lucky."

"That would be great! Zane is going to be stuck at the clinic late tonight for some in-service," Maggie said. "You could come over and we can have dinner and oooh and ahhh over baby stuff."

Sofia grinned. She thought it might be the first true smile she'd been able to come up with since the blow up with JT. "Sounds like a plan. About six sound okay?"

"Perfect! Oh, is there anything you need my help with before I go?" she asked, motioning to the papers in front of Sofia.

Sofia hesitated. "No, I've got it. You get on home, and I'll see you in a bit."

Maggie started to leave but turned back. She cocked her head and looked at Sofia again. "Are you sure there's nothing you need my help with?" she asked again.

Sofia tried not to squirm under Maggie's scrutiny. "Nope," she said, dialing up the 'everything is perfectly fine' smile another notch. "Everything's good. I'll get done here and see you at the house."

"Oookaaay," Maggie said, not quite believing her but not able to put her finger on exactly what was going on. "See you then."

A burst of air left Sofia's lips once Maggie left. That woman was too perceptive by far. She wondered if she'd caught on that something was going on with her brother as well. Maggie had only been to Common Grounds a couple of times in the last week and a half, so maybe she'd missed it. She did have enough on her own plate as it was with cooking two tiny humans. Maybe she'd get lucky, and Sofia could distract her over all the baby stuff tonight. Maybe…

Sofia stood on her tip toes and glanced into the small windows set in the kitchen doors before she left, hoping against hope that she might catch JT alone, but no, everyone was still here. She knew it was going to be a cocktail hour followed by a large sit-down dinner, but the wedding was in only a couple of days. Surely, they were almost done with the wedding prep. She stood for a few moments simply watching him move around the kitchen, completely in his element. It was like watching a professional dancer dancing. Perfection.

The brothers looked like they were having a good time, joking around with each other, but she noticed JT wasn't joining in. He looked tired. The black circles were back under his eyes and his expression was drawn. But, Santo Padre, did he not know any women that weren't drop dead gorgeous? This Cassie was tall and blonde and looked like she should be walking down a catwalk in New York, not chopping vegetables in a small-town restaurant kitchen. Sofia also noticed the woman frequently cutting glances toward JT before she moved toward him and put a hand on his shoulder. She hadn't told JT about Jesse at first. Could he have had a thing with this Valkyrie when they were in school?

Sofia's fists clenched at her sides involuntarily. If looks could kill, the tall blonde would be a dead woman. She wanted to push open the door and drag her out of there, away fromherman. As soon as the thought finished running through her mind, however, her shoulders slumped, and a trembling breath escaped her. But he wasn't hers anymore, was he? How could they have been so happy such a short while ago and have it all fall apart so quickly? Could he possibly be moving on already? Surely, he had to be as miserable as she was, didn't he? He didn't look happy, but maybe that was just because he was overworked and not resting enough? Her nerves were shot with the back and forth of her emotions. She determined to go have fun at Maggie's, immerse herself in cute toys and tiny booties and shove JT's stubbornness to the back of her mind.

"That's what she said," Ramon cracked at his brother, who howled with laughter.

"You guys will never grow up, will y'all? " Cassie remarked, rolling her eyes at the brothers and fighting the smile that was trying to escape from her lips.

They were exactly the same as they'd been in school, albeit even more muscular and handsome. Their haircuts and dress were the only way to tell them apart. Julio had an undercut with the top of his long hair gathered in a manbun at the back of his head. Ramon's was buzzed down almost to the scalp. He'd always been the twin more concerned with function over fashion while Julio was the one sporting the latest trends. She wondered if they even had matching tattoos and underwear under those black t-shirts and jeans they were wearing.

JT, now, he was a different kettle of fish. He'd always been good looking in an All-American boy kind of way but in the ten plus years since they'd hung around in culinary school, he'd filled out in all kinds of nice ways. She might prefer women in her bed, but she could appreciate a fine-looking man. He used to be the guy always up for a good time. Another party. Another girl. Now, he seemed intense and focused. She wondered if owning the business had done that to him or if it was the woman, Sofia, who had made him this way. The woman who he definitelywasn'thaving issues with according to him. Julio had told her he was hitting the Cuervo pretty hard in the evenings when they got back to the house. She worried for her friend and though she still hadn't been able to break through that stubborn shell of his and find out what exactly was going on, she knew a broken heart when she saw one.