Sophie awakened to darkness. She’d slept like a rock but had no notion what time it was. Pippa didn’t stir as she stretched toward the flashlight on her nightstand and flipped it on. It was after nine o’clock in the morning.

She searched for her dog in the jumbled bedding. “Pippa?” Not finding her, Sophie shone the light around the room. The door was cracked open.

Rain pattered on the roof, and the wind howled as she slipped from bed and out the door. “Pippa?”

“She’s in here.” In the living room Aiden was seated in the armchair, the screen of his phone lighting his face.

Pippa jumped from his lap and skittered over to greet her.

“She was whining earlier so I took her to the garage to do her business. She’s getting to be an old pro.”

“Thank you.” Sophie smoothed her hair, which probably looked like a skein of yarn. “I can’t believe I slept this late.”

“You must’ve needed it. And it’s so dark it’s impossible to know the time.” He handed her the phone. “I charged it in my car all night. You’ve got a few messages.”

“Thanks.” Her notifications showed an unknown caller, a text from Seth, two from Jenna, and one from Erik. She and the groomsman had texted back and forth a bit, but hours went by between her texts and his responses. It was a little annoying.

“I scheduled a flight for tonight,” he said.

Her stomach plummeted. “That’s great.”

“The storm will be over early this afternoon, and we can get the house back in order before I go.”

“Thank you. I appreciate the help. Hope there’s not much damage.”

“Doubt it. The house has been through much worse. I helped myself to a protein bar earlier. There’s plenty left.”

“I’d kill for coffee.”

“Too bad there’s no fireplace—I could heat some water.”

“How long do you think the electricity will be out?”

“Hard to say. Hopefully not more than a day or two. I can take you to get a rental car later if we can find someplace open.”

“That would be great. Thanks. I’ll have to call for a tow too.” She shifted. “I think I’ll go get dressed.”

*  *  *

Sophie retreated to her room, Pippa on her heels. The woman looked adorably mussed fresh out of bed. Even in the dimness he could see the pillow crease on her cheek and the snarls in her tousled brown hair. He was glad she’d been able to sleep late.

As for himself he’d tossed and turned, thinking about last night’s conversation. About her revelation, about the way she’d forgiven him. She lightened up as they played the games. He glimpsed a side of her he hadn’t seen since their dating days. He’d forgotten how competitive she was. She’d never been the most gracious winner.