Shrugging that aside, Regina reminded him of one thing. “Romero seemed excited about seeing you again after all this time. And everyone was very cordial.” He continued to stare straight ahead and said nothing, so she continued. “The girls said you were handsome but thought you looked a bit intimidating.”

They came to a stop, and Brandon unclenched his hand on the wheel then clenched it again tightly. He finally turned to her. “Is that right? What else did they say?”

His chilly demeanor confused her. Was it possible he didn’t realize she knew who Sofie was? Shouldn’t she be the one feeling a little perturbed about his reaction to seeing her? That after all these years he was obviously still feeling something for her.

“Valerie said you were always different.”

The light turned green, and he was back to staring straight ahead. “Valerie is Alex’s wife, right?”

“Yes,” Regina confirmed. “The petite blond one.” He chuckled dryly, continuing to stare ahead, and Regina peered at him. “What’s funny?”

He lifted a shoulder. “Before today, I don’t remember ever exchanging so much as a word with her.”

Regina watched as his jaw clenched, still confused why he was acting this way. “And that’s funny?”

“Yeah, it is,” he turned to her, but there wasn’t a trace of humor in his eyes. “Because she knows as much about me as I do about her.” Bringing his attention back to the road, Regina noticed how he clenched the wheel again. “Not a goddamned thing.”

Clearly the fact that Valerie would make such a harmless remark was offensive to him. But Regina wasn’t buying that this is what had him all worked up, and it made her insides wild with jealously. As much as she tried to calm herself, she couldn’t help but just put it out there. “Sofia said you’re a good guy.”

Instantly, it felt as if the air had been sucked right out of that Jeep, and they both sat there in suffocating silence.

Chapter Twenty-One

Brandon

The phone rang, and without looking at who it was, Brandon sent it to voicemail. He had a feeling the moment he realized what he was in for today that before the day was over someone would get to Regina about him and Sofie, but he hadn’t expected for it to be her.

“You asked her if I was?” he said, staring straight ahead because he didn’t dare look at her.

He could feel her eyes digging into him. The whole time he’d been stuck standing up there taking those damn pictures he’d seen her with all the yentas and wondered what they were filling her head with. That Sofie would say he was a good guy surprised him. If he weren’t so paranoid about all of them, maybe he would have been glad instead of suspicious.

“No. She just brought it up all on her own,” she said then added. “It actually came out of nowhere.”

He f**king knew it.

His phone rang again. This time he looked down to see who it was, but he didn’t recognize the number, so he sent it to voicemail again.

“Out of nowhere, huh?” he said, pulling onto the freeway exit. “What else did she say?”

“Is there more . . .?”

She stopped before finishing, but the sound of uncertainty in her voice made his heart speed up, and he turned to her. “More what?”

“More to you and Sofia you didn’t tell me?”

Looking in her worried eyes now for as long as he could before he had to look back at the road, he didn’t see any anger or distrust—just apprehension.

“Why? Did she say there was?”

“Was there?”

His f**king phone rang again. It was the same number from before, but he’d be damned if he were answering it now.

“No, there wasn’t.” he said nearly through his teeth. “Now answer my question, Regina. Did she say there was?”

He turned to face her again, and she was peering at him now. The suspicion was undeniable now. “Why?” she asked, the uncertainty she’d spoken with earlier replaced with a more demanding tone now. “She didn’t say anything else, but is there something you’re thinking or worried she might’ve?”

Brandon gripped the wheel even tighter. His heated pulse was thrumming in his ears. “She didn’t? Did someone else?”

His brain raced, trying to remember if Regina had been alone with Alex or maybe Eric. Had the girls fed her any bullshit about how things had gone down between him and Sofie?

Once again his phone rang. Fuck! He was in no mood to talk to anyone right that second. He could barely contain the heat rising within him, enough to keep the conversation he was having with Regina under control.

Looking at his phone, he saw the same damn number on the screen again.

“Is that the same person calling again?”

Brandon nodded unable to even look at her at that moment. Thoughts of what someone might’ve told her inundated him. But the fact that she was sitting here questioning him with obvious distaste was what really pissed him off.

“You should answer it,” she said. “It might be important.”

Only because he thought giving his mind a break from his infuriating thoughts might help him calm, he hit the button on his earpiece. “Hello?”

“Brandon. Oh my God, I was about to give up and just call Regina. Is she with you?”

The female voice was familiar, but he couldn’t immediately place it. “What? Who is this?”

“This is Pat,” her sister said. “I didn’t want to call Regina because I don’t want her to freak. She plays it off pretty well, but I know when it comes to Daddy she just might. He was unconscious when I got my mom home.” Pat’s voice suddenly broke. “We have no idea how long he’s been out, but he was rushed to the hospital. They think he had a heart attack. I’m just getting here now. Is she with you?”