Plus One

Chapter Sixteen

"Sophie! You made it!"

Thomas practically ran to give her a hug.

"How could I turn down a yacht in the Riviera?"

"You'd be crazy."

"I would."

From where the taxi had let her and Ian out she could see a wide bay surrounded by colorful apartments. Dozens of boats bobbed in the water and people walked up and down the cobblestoned shore. A warm breeze blew in off the sea, ruffling her long, wavy hair.

Thomas leaned in close to her. "I made sure that Ian knows you are not his plus one for this little clam bake of mine. You are officially off the clock—on vacation. So just have fun. I know it's been...rough."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."

For the past two weeks she and Ian had stayed away from each other. He only took her out a few times to be his plus one, each time more awkward than the last. They didn't talk about it, not exactly. Or, they did, but not to Sophie's satisfaction. She wanted the whole thing out in the open because maybe if they actually talked about what was happening between them he would see that the person he was looking for had been standing right in front of him all along. But it was so easy for him to walk away from her. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe the whole thing had been entirely one sided.

Ian stood on her porch, his hands in his pockets. "We probably shouldn't..." He sighed. "Shouldn't—"

"Sleep together," she said. "I know. I was going to say the same thing."

"Right," he said softly, his face sagging in relief. "Well..."

"Just call when you need me," she said.

"Okay. Will do."

He turned around and headed back to his car.

"Hello, darling," Troy said, practically skipping up to her. He and Thomas had been in Italy for the better part of a week, just the two of them.

"Are you having a marvelous time?" she asked, trying to keep the smile on her face for his sake. It hurt that as he and Thomas got closer together, she and Ian got further apart.

"Of course." He glanced at Ian, who was chatting to the rest of their party, then lowered his voice. "Are you two..."

"Business associates? Yes." She had a hard time keeping the bitterness out of her voice.

"Then fuck him. Thomas and I found the perfect guy for you. You'll love him."

He slung an arm around her shoulder and walked her toward the villa.

She'd slept through most of the flight to Italy—a combination of Xanax, sleeping pills, and champagne. She was still feeling groggy and very much looked forward to her private room in Thomas's villa and long days on the yacht in Portofino. The Mediterranean was just what she needed after the past few miserable weeks.

Even though this wasn't technically work, Ian had still insisted on Laura giving her a wardrobe that included four to die for swimsuits. A part of Sophie wondered if Ian would even notice. He'd been so cool and distant with her since the premiere. She was trying to take this new Ian in stride. And forget how he'd been making love to her every night just a few weeks ago.

Thomas had invited ten people to spend a week with him in southern Italy. All of them were single except for Thomas and Troy. Sophie secretly thought Thomas was trying to play matchmaker. There was Thomas, Ian and Sophie and Troy. The other six were all in their early thirties, beautiful and successful. Two stood out in particular: Elise Warner, a leggy blonde and Senator Warner's daughter, and Eric Winterson, one of Silicon Valley's brightest stars and, other than Ian, the best looking man Sophie had ever seen.