Who Needs Mistletoe?

6

SOPHIE LEANED BACK AGAINST the wood-paneled wall and sighed. The rain had begun again, the soft hiss of raindrops filling the room, the sound amplified by the tin roof. The sun had set and the last traces of light were leaving the sky. In another few minutes, it would be impossible to see.

Trey had walked out a while ago and hadn’t come back. She thought about going after him, wondering why he wasn’t interested in finishing what they’d begun, but Sophie didn’t want to hear the answer. They’d almost done something they could have both been sorry for later. And yet, Sophie was sorry now.

Since their sunset stroll on the beach, something had changed between them. What had begun as a physical relationship was quickly turning into something more. She’d grown desperate to feel him inside her, without anything between them, and not just because it brought physical pleasure. She had wanted him to bury himself deep during his release so that they could share something they hadn’t yet experienced, something that would be theirs alone.

It was foolish, Sophie knew. She’d never allowed such an emotional attachment to any other man. But her feelings had somehow become tangled up in all of this and she couldn’t help herself. For just a little while, she wanted to believe what she and Trey had was more than just sex.

Ever since her parents’ divorce, Sophie’s heart had been left nearly paralyzed. It still beat every day, but she’d been unable to feel anything deeper than mild affection for anyone. She couldn’t trust herself with emotions that might end up wounding her even more deeply.

Yet the moment she and Trey had faced possible death, the moment they’d stumbled out of the plane and into each other’s arms, she’d felt her heart begin to come alive again. Sophie had tried to tell herself it was just the adrenaline rush of landing safely. But the adrenaline had worn off long ago and she realized she was falling for her fellow castaway.

Sophie drew a ragged breath and moaned softly. Sexual attraction and mutual desire had somehow transformed into trust and affection. And though it was dangerous to even explore such emotions, perhaps it might be worth the risk. Maybe this was just a first step, a way for her to find herself. How much could he possibly hurt her in such a short time? She was stronger now and more able to recover. Why not take a chance?

Reaching up, Sophie touched her lips, still bruised from his kiss. No man had ever made her feel this way. Every moment with Trey was like a carnival ride, a mixture of thrills and fear and exhilaration. She wanted to get off, yet she felt compelled to stay for just a little longer, to see what wonderful experience might be next.

“That’s the problem,” Sophie murmured to herself. “Knowing when to get off.”

She bent down and picked up her pareu, then wrapped it around her naked body and knotted it under her arm. When she reached the door, she stepped out onto the porch. Trey was bent over the fire he’d built earlier, trying to coax a flame to life while shielding it from the rain.

Sophie wrapped her arms around the porch post and watched him, wondering what he was thinking. “It’s raining too hard,” she called. “It won’t last.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “If it’s big enough, I can keep it going,” he said. “Besides, your father is going to know something is wrong by now. He might send out a search plane. If they see the fire, it may give him cause to hope.”

Sophie smiled, grateful that he understood her father’s worries. But she suspected he was working on the fire to avoid talking to her. “In the dark, they could miss the island by miles. They’re not likely to see a fire that small.”

“Then I’ll make it bigger,” he snapped. Trey grabbed another branch and tossed it onto the feeble flames, the muscles across his back tight, his fists clenched.

He was angry, Sophie mused. They had let their desire get the better of them, both of them enjoying the feel of each other without a barrier between them. But they’d stopped in time. And it wasn’t as if she were trying to trap him with some surprise pregnancy. “You don’t have to take it out on me,” she replied. “What’s your problem?”

He straightened, as if he were about to turn around and face her. But then, he must have thought better of it, as he continued to stare into the fire. “I don’t have a problem.”

“Why are you angry with me?”

He drew a deep breath, his shoulders rising. “Sophie, just go back inside.”

She didn’t like being dismissed. And she didn’t like being blamed for something she wasn’t even sure she’d done. With a muttered curse, she hurried down the porch steps and crossed the short distance to Trey, then grabbed his arm and spun him around to face her.

“You can’t just ignore me,” she said. “We’re stuck on this island together.”

“I’m not trying to ignore you. I-I just need some space right now.”

“If you didn’t want to have sex, you could have just said so.”

His sharp laugh split the damp night air. “That’s not the problem. All I want to do is make love to you. It’s all I think about. I can’t get enough of you. The moment I touch you, I lose all capacity to resist.” He stopped himself, drawing a deep breath. “I don’t like that feeling. It scares me.”

“It’s just sex,” Sophie said.

“No, it isn’t. And I’m not sure it ever was.”

She took a step back. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Trey shrugged. “It means I’m not sure we can just walk away from this when it comes time to leave this island. I’m not sure I want to. And I don’t think you do, either.”

Sophie shook her head. “I’m not going to talk about this,” she muttered. “We were just having some fun. There’s no need to make a big deal out of it.”

“Come on,” Trey countered. “It’s more than fun. I feel it. You feel it. I know you do.”

Sophie avoided his gaze, as if one look would reveal the truth. Of course she felt it. But that didn’t mean it was anything more than just infatuation.

He grabbed her chin and turned her face up to his. “Go ahead. Admit it.”

“What? You want me to say I love you? No, I’m not in love with you, Trey. We’ve spent a day together. No one falls in love in a day.”

“I didn’t say love.” He paused. “You did.”

Thunder rumbled in the sky and she felt her temper rise. Was this all a game to him? “What were you going to say?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it again as he measured his words. “I’ve never felt this way about any woman,” he replied. “There’s something there. It’s…different.”

“Right. Different. Oh, that tells me a lot.” She spun on her heel and stalked back to the porch, cursing to herself in French. “That something is lust, pure and simple,” she said, shouting through the rain.

She stepped through the door and slammed it behind her, but the moisture had made the wood swell and it refused to close. With a frustrated growl, Sophie shut it, then leaned back against it, her breath coming in tiny gasps, her heart slamming in her chest.

She hadn’t meant to say it out loud. All along, from the moment they’d first kissed, Sophie had warned herself against just this moment. She’d been a fool to believe either one of them could keep emotion from creeping into their relationship. And now that it had, everything was ruined.

She wanted to run away, to hide until all these feelings evaporated. But she was trapped here with him, at least until morning…and maybe even longer.

A knock sounded on the door. “Sophie?” He tried the doorknob, then gave the door a push, but she braced her shoulder against it.

“Go away,” she called.

“Let me in.”

“I just want to be alone for a while.” She closed her eyes, trying to stem a flood of tears. Great. Now she was crying over him. What was wrong with her? “I need some space.”

“All right,” he finally said. “But we are going to talk about this again.”

Sophie slid down along the rough wood door until she was sitting on the floor, her knees tucked under her chin. It had been so simple to avoid attachments. Trey had been right, she could have left her father and found a place for herself in the world. But instead, she’d hidden from her future, from love, in one of the remotest places she could find. Was it any wonder she had no one to love?

In her mind, she rewound the memories of her previous relationships and Sophie recognized a disturbing pattern. Whenever her feelings became too intense, she’d walk away. Her motives weren’t difficult to interpret. Her father had been a notorious philanderer and though she loved him, she’d never really trusted him. But all men weren’t like her father, were they?

There were people in the world who had wonderful marriages, people who loved the same person for their whole life without infidelity ever entering the picture. Had she already found a love like that and carelessly tossed it aside because of her fears? Or was that man here, on this island, with her?

Sophie covered her face with her hands, trying to restore a sense of order to her crazy thoughts. Someday, she’d have to face all her doubts and insecurities about love. But now wasn’t that time. How could she afford to risk her heart with a man she didn’t even know? Though they’d shared the most incredible intimacy, Trey was a complete stranger. She knew nothing of him beyond what she’d learned on this island.

Sophie silently cataloged the things that she did know. He cared about her and in more than just a sexual way. He wanted to protect her. He found her interesting and amusing and attractive. And when he touched her, he made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world he could ever want.

Inside the cottage, it was now dark and she could barely see any light coming through the windows. It would be a long, lonely night with Trey outside and her alone inside. But right now, facing Trey meant facing her feelings. And she just wasn’t ready to deal with that. Not yet.

TREY HEARD THE HINGES SQUEAK and the soft footsteps on the porch floor. He lay in the hammock, his arm thrown over his eyes, blocking his view. He slowed his breathing, wondering if she intended to speak first or reach out and touch him.

He felt her fingertips brush his shoulder and he pulled his arm back. He could just barely see her as his eyes adjusted to the dark. Trey held out his hand and she wove her fingers through his, repairing the break between them in that single instant.

He gently pulled her to the hammock and she crawled in beside him, stretching her body along his. They lay together silently, the hammock swinging back and forth, the warmth of her body seeping into his skin. Sophie nestled beneath his arm, then threw her leg across his, wriggling until she was comfortable.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his lips brushing her forehead as he stroked her hair. “I didn’t mean to snap.”

Sophie nodded. “And I’m sorry for getting angry.”

“I shouldn’t have walked out.”

“It wasn’t you,” she continued, a trace of hesitation in her voice.

“What was it?”

“Past mistakes,” she said. “What do you call it? Luggage?”

“Baggage,” Trey corrected.

“Yes. Baggage. I have a lot of baggage.”

“You and me both.” He kissed her again, but this time it wasn’t out of desire, but pure affection. She hadn’t really opened up to him, keeping details of her personal life to herself. But now, he felt desperate to know what had formed this extraordinarily fascinating female. “Sometimes, it’s better to just open it up and examine it.”

A long silence grew between them and Trey wasn’t sure she was willing to enlighten him. But then, she drew a ragged breath and began to speak.

“When I was young, we lived in Pape‘ete, in a little house near the water. My mother worked as a pastry chef in one of the big hotels and my father ran the air-charter business. I was pretty much in charge of myself and I’d come and go as I wanted. We had a wonderful life and I was happy. And my parents were like this…golden couple. Everyone loved them. My father was handsome and dashing and my mother was sophisticated and beautiful. They were proof that opposites could attract.”

She paused and for a moment, Trey wondered if she intended to stop there. But then, the next words came out in a rush. “After school, I’d usually go to the airport and work at the hangar with my father, helping to keep the books or clean the planes.” Her fingers traced lines over his bare chest, as if the distraction helped her to explain. “I’m not sure when it first happened. But one day, I walked into his office and there was a woman there, sitting on his lap, kissing him. I didn’t know what they were doing at the time, but when I got older, I understood.”

Trey could hear the pain in her voice and he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.

“My father told me I couldn’t say anything to my mother or she would be so upset she might leave us both and never come back.”

“He made you keep his secret?”

Sophie nodded. “I was so confused. I mean, I assumed he was telling the truth-that if my mother walked out on their marriage, she’d leave me behind. So I didn’t say anything. But it kept happening, with that woman, and with others. Sometimes he’d use me to make excuses to my mother. And I kept my mouth shut. Even after my mother suspected, when I could see it in her eyes, I still didn’t say anything. Then one day, she was gone.”

“That’s it? She just walked out?”

“She went back to Paris, to her family. It was a separation at first. And I thought, it’s right she leaves me, because it was my fault, too. The funny thing was, from the moment she left, my father just fell apart. He didn’t know what to do without her. And when she finally sent for me, he begged me to stay with him and I did. I thought my mother would never be able to forgive me and I just couldn’t face her.”

“Why?” Trey asked. “It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know.”

“It was me who’d done it, too,” Sophie said. “I could have asked him to stop. I could have made him stop. I could have told her when it first happened. But I didn’t.”

Trey reached down and cupped her cheek in his palm, feeling the tears that dampened her cheeks. “Oh, sweetheart, you can’t blame yourself for any of that. You were just a kid. Your father was wrong to make you keep that secret. And your mother was wrong to leave you behind.”

She drew a ragged breath and then let it out. After another, he did the same along with her, until her breathing had slowed and the tears had stopped. “Better?” he asked.

Sophie nodded. “You’re right. Now that I’ve said it out loud, it feels like I can leave it behind.” She placed her palm on his cheek and kissed him. “Is that how you deal with your luggage?”

“Baggage,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of it. Steamer trunks full. But I usually pack it all up and leave it behind. I’ve got trunks all over the world-Paris, Tokyo, London, New York. I usually just abandon my baggage.”

“Is that a good idea?”

“It’s worked for me in the past,” Trey admitted. But now that he thought about it, walking away from his problems had never really solved them. He’d never taken responsibility for his life, for the mess he’d made of it. Maybe it was time for him to open some of those trunks, too, and look at what was inside.

“I didn’t have the most perfect parents in the world,” he said, deciding to open up, too. “My mother and father are still married, after thirty-five years. But they barely speak to each other. Most times, they’re living in separate houses. My mother lives for her charity work and my father concentrates on business. They go out in public all dressed up and looking happy for the cameras, but they don’t have a marriage, either.”

“Do you know anyone who is married and happy?” Sophie asked.

“My grandparents. My grandfather was the one who bought the first hotel, and he and my grandmother built the business together. They were always so content, so solid. They never spent a night apart throughout their whole marriage. When he was sick at the end, she slept at the hospital with him. They were devoted to each other.” Trey smiled. “That’s what I’d like. But maybe that’s just asking for too much.”

“So, I guess we’re both pretty screwed up,” Sophie finally said with a soft laugh.

“Maybe. Or maybe we know just enough not to make the same mistakes our parents did.”

Sophie pushed up, bracing her hand on his chest, and looked into his eyes. “Do you really think so?”

“Yes, I do,” he said. Trey smoothed her hair out of her eyes, trying to read her expression through the darkness. “Whatever happens with us begins here, Sophie. It doesn’t start back when we were kids. It begins now.”

She snuggled against him again and sighed. “Merry Christmas,” she murmured.

“Merry Christmas,” Trey said. He chuckled softly. “Speaking of Christmas, I have presents for you.”

This brought her upright again and Trey could detect a smile on her face. “You do?”

“Of course I do. Since it’s Christmas, I thought we ought to have gifts.”

“But I didn’t get you-”

Trey reached out and touched his finger to her lips. “No need. You kind of saved my life this morning, so I’ll count that as a very big gift.”

“I saved my life, too,” she said. “You just happened to be along for the ride.”

Trey chuckled. “You also gave me a story I can tell for years to come. About how I was marooned on a deserted tropical island with a beautiful woman.”

“Can we open them now?” she asked.

“Oh, you’re one of those.” Trey shook his head. “Nope. Can’t do it. Presents are for Christmas morning. This whole idea of opening them on Christmas Eve is just wrong.”

Sophie curled up beside him again. “You’re probably right,” she said. “Besides, I wouldn’t be able to see anything, anyway. It’s very dark.”

“Oh, well. I can take care of that.”

“Now you command the sun and the moon?”

Trey rolled out of the hammock, then walked across the porch. He’d found a lantern earlier that day, hung above the porch rail, but hidden by the twisted vines. It was full of kerosene, probably replenished by a passing boater. He retrieved the matches from his pocket and lit one, touching it to the wick.

Holding it aloft, Trey turned to see Sophie standing beside the hammock, a surprised expression on her face. “Just what I wanted for Christmas,” she teased. “Light.”

“This isn’t one of my presents. Although, it is nice to see you again, Miss Madigan.”

“Where did you find it?”

“Hanging from that hook behind you. I figure it will last us a good part of the night.”

“So, we can have a celebration,” she said.

Trey nodded. “Why not? We don’t have any other pressing engagements, do we? No parties, no caroling. Church is pretty much out of the question. A celebration would be nice.”

“Then, I need some time,” Sophie said. She hurried up to him and took the lantern from his fingers, then walked back to the door of the cottage. “You wait out here and I’ll get things ready.”

“What am I supposed to do in the dark?”

“You could work on your fire,” Sophie suggested.

“I think that fire is a lost cause,” he said. Trey smiled as he watched her slip inside the cottage. How quickly the mood had changed. Hell, he’d been with plenty of women who could hold a grudge for weeks. But all he’d had to do was find out what was on Sophie’s mind and allow her to talk. Once she’d unloaded her worries, things went right back to the way they’d once been with them-easy.

Was it really that simple? He’d been prepared to play the typical games, the abject apologies followed by the standard groveling. But this time, he listened and things were set right.

Trey walked down the steps to the fire. He grabbed a stick and stirred the embers, surprised to see an orange glow beneath the ashes. Like the fire between him and Sophie, this one refused to die, even in the pouring rain. He tossed a few more branches into the center of the flames and watched as sparks rose into the air and were quickly snuffed out.

Trey turned his face up to the sky and let the soft drizzle fall on his sunburned face. Raking his hands through his hair, he drew a deep breath. What happened between them tonight would probably set the course for the rest of their relationship, he mused. Either he’d be able to convince Sophie what they had was real, or he’d fail to prove his case and they’d go their separate ways in the morning.

Trey wasn’t even sure how this would all work out, even if they decided they wanted it to. He lived in Los Angeles now and she lived in the South Pacific. And then there was her father, although perhaps he could be convinced to move back to the States given proper incentive.

Still, there was always the resort. If he could find a way to build it, then he’d be here with Sophie for at least a year or two. Living on an island in the middle of the South Pacific certainly wouldn’t seem so bad if Sophie was with him. Maybe they could build something together, like his grandparents had.

But he was getting ahead of himself. Trey wasn’t about to put all his hopes out there and risk Sophie rejecting him out of hand. No, he had to at least be certain she’d consider the possibility of a future together, permanent or otherwise, before he made any plans.

He’d come to this island unsure of his future. Now, if things went well, he’d be leaving with a purpose. That was a lot more than he’d been able to achieve in the first twenty-nine years of his life.

Sure, the thought of allowing himself to fall in love was a little scary. And he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t want to take off after just a few months. But the possibility of finding a woman to spend his life with was intriguing, especially if that woman was Sophie.

SOPHIE SMOOTHED HER HANDS through her damp hair and tugged on her T-shirt. It was Christmas and she and Trey were going to have a date-of sorts. It was only proper that she dressed for the occasion. And though she might have preferred a sparkling party dress with a low-cut back and a high-cut hem, this outfit was what she had available.

She glanced at the preparations she’d made for a light meal, laid out on the cabinets at the back of the cottage. They had wine, the rest of the crackers, another tin of oysters and a can of what seemed to be ham salad. Though they weren’t the most sophisticated hors d’oeuvres, they’d do in a pinch.

A knock sounded on the door and Sophie turned. Trey had been outside for the past half hour, biding his time and tending to the fire. But the rain had increased in intensity again, evident from the sound of it on the tin roof. She took a deep breath and walked over to the front door, then pulled it open.

But instead of setting eyes on Trey, she found herself staring at a clump of palm fronds tied together at the base with a short length of rope. Interwoven in the fronds were blooms picked from the vines on the porch. “Oh, you’ve brought me flowers,” she exclaimed.

He slowly lowered the fronds to reveal his face. “It’s supposed to be a Christmas tree,” Trey admitted.

Sophie smiled. It did look a bit like a tree, if she didn’t look too closely. And he’d done the best he could in their circumstances for ornaments. “It’s lovely,” she said, stepping aside to let him enter. “Thank you.”

He crossed the room to the lantern, then set the “tree” on the counter, leaning it up against the wall until it was balanced upright. He’d found his shirt and put it on, buttoning it properly and rolling up the sleeves, but his hair was still wet and his shorts soaked. “Not bad,” he murmured.

“It does look festive,” she said.

Trey plucked a blossom from the tree and turned to her, then tucked it behind her right ear. She fixed her gaze on his face, then reached up and turned the flower around. It was clear by the look in his eyes that he understood the signal. He bent closer, wrapping his arm around her waist and dropping a soft kiss on her lips.

“Merry Christmas, Sophie,” he murmured.

“Merry Christmas, Trey,” she replied, desire humming in her veins. Now that they were both dressed as they had been when they’d met, the thought of getting naked was even more exciting. She couldn’t just look at Trey and admire his body as she had for most of the day. Now, she was left to imagine what was hidden beneath the clothes.

“Would you like some champagne?”

He blinked in surprise. “We have champagne?”

Sophie picked up the bottle and held it out to him. “It was on the bottom, beneath the other bottles. Someone was thoughtful to leave it behind.”

“Very,” Trey said as he pulled the foil off the cork. “Let’s hope it’s still good.”

A moment later, the cork popped. He sniffed at the bottle. “It still smells okay.” Tipping it to his mouth, Trey took a sip and smiled. “It would probably be better chilled, but I’m not going to complain.” Trey held out the bottle. “A toast. To my lovely pilot and castaway companion. I can’t think of another person I would have wanted on this island with me.”

His words were incredibly sweet and Sophie couldn’t help but blush. Everything seemed so different now, as if they’d brushed aside a curtain hanging between them. It was all right to admit she cared about him and that her feelings were more than just lust. Trey Shelton was a man any woman would be lucky to claim as her own.

“We don’t have much time left here,” she said. “They’ll send out planes at first light. And they’ll probably come here first.”

“If they don’t?”

“They will. Sooner or later, they’ll find us. Or another boat will come along. If all else fails, we could try to fly out. I can drain the fuel sumps and we can hand prop the plane to start it. But I don’t really want to do that without knowing what’s wrong. Hand propping can be dangerous.”

“Hand propping? What is that?”

“That’s when I sit in the plane and you spin the propeller. If you don’t pull your hands back in time, they-well, you don’t have hands anymore.”

Trey held up his hands. “I kind of like these things. Besides, I don’t mind staying a few more days.”

Sophie smiled. “Your family will come looking for you, no doubt. Whether we like it or not, I’m afraid, we’re going to be rescued tomorrow.”

Trey gave her a reluctant smile. “Yeah. I know. But a guy can dream, can’t he?”

“It hasn’t been all bad,” she said, taking a sip of the champagne, the bubbles tickling her nose. “The landing wasn’t so much fun, but after that, it’s been pretty nice.”

He nuzzled her neck, biting softly. “Just nice?”

“Better than nice.” She shivered as his lips trailed to her shoulder. “It’s been interesting.”

“Oh, no, not interesting. Watching someone pet a puppy is nice. Watching someone build a house is interesting. Certainly, you have a better word than that for us.”

Sophie took another sip of the champagne and handed him the bottle. “All right. How about intoxicating?”

“How about tantalizing?”

“Enthralling?”

“Mind-blowing?”

“Earth-shattering.”

“We are good together,” he admitted. He set the bottle down on the counter and pulled her into his arms. A heartbeat later, his mouth was on hers, soft, yet demanding. His fingers ran through her hair, and he molded her lips to his.

Sophie had come to know his kiss so well. She could walk into a pitch-black room, filled with a hundred men and pick him out of the lot by just the fleeting touch of his mouth. How was it that she could know this part of him so well, the way he seduced her, the way he made her body ache with need, yet not even know what he liked to eat for breakfast or how he took his coffee?

She stepped out of his embrace and grabbed his hand, then led him over to the counter. Boosting herself up, Sophie drew him between her legs, her hands clutching the front of his shirt. “We’ve been on this island together for a day, but I don’t know anything about you.”

“I’m not very complicated,” Trey said. “But if you’re curious, ask away. I’ll answer any question you have. As long as you do the same for me.”

“This doesn’t have to be the Spanish Inquisition,” Sophie said. She turned and picked an oyster out of the tin and placed it on a cracker, then held it out to him. “We’ll pretend that we’ve just met at a holiday party. Your friend Bob and my friend Danielle introduced us. We find ourselves sitting together…on a terrace. Under the moonlight.” Sophie held out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said. “What did you say your name was again?”

“Peter,” he said. “But my friends call me Trey.”

“Peter.” Sophie gave him a coy smile. “I’ll call you Pete. My name is Ann-Marie. But my friends call me Sophie.”

“Your name is really Ann-Marie?”

She nodded. “Sophie is my middle name. My mother is Ann-Marie. My father insisted I be named after her. But she always called me Sophie, so it stuck.”

Trey nodded. “I like this,” he said. “So, Sophie, what do you say we blow this boring party and find a place where we can be alone?”

“Where are you going to take me?” she asked, toying with the top button of his shirt.

“I have a really fast car outside. We’ll put the top down and ride up to Malibu.”

“Malibu? What is that?”

“A beach in California.”

“Oh, we’re in California?” she teased. “I just assumed we’d be in Tahiti.”

“No, we’re in L.A.,” Trey said.

“Well, if we’re not going to be in Tahiti, then I’d rather be in Paris. We can take a ride along the Seine in your convertible.”

“You’re making this really difficult,” Trey said, frowning.

“Then maybe we should stay at this boring party a little longer,” Sophie suggested. “And get to know each other better.”

“So I’m going to have to charm you?”

Sophie nodded slowly, a smile curling her lips. “Yes. And maybe, if you’re lucky, I’ll let you take me home at the end of the evening.” She smoothed her hands over the front of his shirt. “So, Pete, what do you do for a living? I want to know everything about you.”