Sophie's Playboy Read Online Free PDF Page A

was her music.
    Melina and the production manager had created and recorded it, but with luck everyone in town would associate it with Sophie Macgregor.
    "Exhausted?" Melina entered the booth, followed by a beaming Stevie.
    31
    Sophie's Playboy
    by Natalie Damschroder
    Sophie stood and stretched. "No, energized. How do you guys think it went?"
    "Great."
    "Right on." Stevie added a thumbs up. "You never ran out of callers. There were no major glitches. You have a gift for timing and getting the callers off before they get redundant—
    and that's hard." He frowned. "What's with that Parker guy?
    You know him?"
    Sophie shook her head. "I don't think so. He sounds familiar, but I don't know anyone by that name."
    "Could be a made-up name."
    She hadn't thought of that. If it was a made-up name, it could be Biff. She thought of the golf game they'd had last month and how little he'd spoken. Her fault, of course, as she'd rambled on for most of the round. Even once she stopped, he hadn't said enough to cause tingles and sparks in her midsection. The man was seriously into his golf.
    Hmmm.
    She shrugged. "I'm not sure. Is it a problem?"
    Stevie's face cleared. "Not at all! There was some chemistry there. Perked things up. Not that they needed to be!" he rushed to add. Apparently, Stevie was used to appeasing personalities' egos.
    The travel host came in to start his program, and Sophie followed the others out. They went to Stevie's office and spent an hour dissecting the show, listening to taped sections and discussing ways to improve it. By the time Sophie got home, she was exhausted. But exhilarated, too. She saw big things coming down the pike.
    32
    Sophie's Playboy
    by Natalie Damschroder

    * * * *
    Parker lounged on his suede sofa and half-listened to the financial reports on TV while he sipped a glass of wine. His mind kept straying to Sophie's show. He knew he'd have to work his schedule around it from now on.
    Chuck Whitmer had been at the club last week, whining into his martini about how Sophie had abandoned them.
    Parker had willingly lent a sympathetic ear and learned that her original little radio gig—which he'd happened upon while driving to pick up his sister's kids—had turned into a full-time program.
    He'd had fun this afternoon, egging her on, flirting without all the assumptions between them. Except Sophie's assumptions had gotten between them, anyway. Maybe he'd been too heavy on the golf.
    The phone rang and he balanced the glass of merlot on his stomach while reaching for the receiver.
    "Hello?"
    "Hey, love."
    "Mare, hi. What's wrong?"
    "Nothing, I just wanted to catch up with you. We're both always going, going and when I see you, the kids are in the way." She sighed and he pictured her settling into her easy chair. She'd have a glass of water and a medical journal on the table next to her, and be rubbing her feet. "Now the hellions are in bed and I can talk without interruption."
    33
    Sophie's Playboy
    by Natalie Damschroder
    Parker set his wine glass on the table and zapped the TV
    with the remote. "Is there something in particular to talk about?"
    She hesitated. "Maybe. I was wondering if you could pick the kids up again tomorrow."
    "You know I will, Mare, but you've got to slow down some." His sister was a wonderful mother, but had trouble with balance. She concentrated on work until the kids suffered, then concentrated on the kids until work suffered.
    She was cursed with two rambunctious boys and with being great at a demanding job.
    She sighed and Parker heard tears in the catch in her breath. "I know, Parker, but it's a bad time. This new office negotiation isn't going well. The docs are on my back all day unless I'm up there, and when I'm up there I can't get back here fast enough."
    "Let someone help you coordinate the Lowell office." He knew that was fruitless advice. Mare worked with warm-hearted, efficient people who panicked the instant some task crossed the boundaries of their jobs.
    Mare