by T. I. Lowe
“I don’t.”
Josie turned in the passenger seat and gaped at her in disbelief. “Why not?”
“Because Dr. Stuck-Up refused to hire me.”
“That’s absolutely ridiculous. What was his reason?” Opal asked, flipping the turn signal on.
“When I brought Collin in that first week, he claims I caused a scene, and he somehow got wind of the twisted version of that Facebook post.” Sophia groaned and swiped her hands down her face. “Sounds like the town gossips have added a good bit to it, and so I really don’t blame him for not wanting to work with me.”
“I warned you,” Opal mumbled, sending Sophia a pointed look in the rearview mirror.
Silence took over as Opal drove on, but Sophia could tell the redhead’s mind was already at work. She confirmed it after another mile down the road when a knowing smile lit her face. “That’s an easy fix. All you have to do is share a fluffy post on how great Carolina Pediatrics is and how you trust Dr. Sawyer to care for your son. Let the gossipers blow that up and you’ll be sitting pretty in Agnes’s office by the end of the week. No way can that turn into a negative.”
Sophia considered the suggestion, and it really wasn’t a bad idea. “I can probably do that,” she mumbled, already working on a hook for the post.
“Sophia, my truck is at the diner. Can you give me a ride over there?” Josie asked as Opal pulled back up at the attorney’s office.
“Sure.” The sun was quickly burning off the fog and upping the brightness factor by a million. Sophia squinted and rummaged around her bag for her keys and a pair of sunglasses.
“I have a few projects to work on, so I better head over to the store. I’ll catch you gals later,” Opal said, that ever-present smile somehow making her more radiant than normal.
They exchanged another round of heartfelt congratulations and hugs with Opal before parting ways.
As Sophia headed toward Driftwood Diner, she stole a quick peek at Josie before looking back to the road. “So, umm . . . our Opal is going to be a mommy. Wow.”
Josie snickered. “I can hardly believe it.”
“I know, right?” Sophia shook her head and grinned. “I just worry what she’ll try dressing the poor baby in.”
Josie laughed. “We’ll have to keep her in check with the wardrobe choices.”
Sophia rolled to a stop at a red light. She glanced at Josie as her curiosity got the better of her. “You and August aren’t ready to start a family?”
“Eventually, sure, but right now the camp and art projects are our babies. The camp has become so popular that August and Carter are working on adding a spring and fall session next year.” Josie reached over and squeezed Sophia’s arm. “I know what you’re getting at, and it’s sweet of you. We’re not even trying yet. And I am over the moon for Opal.”
Sophia drove on and smiled. Josie didn’t have a jealous bone in her body, but that didn’t stop Sophia from wanting to be certain her friend was okay about it. “I can’t wait to spoil her baby like she does Collin. Payback time.”
The plan was to drop Josie off and make her getaway, but Josie roped Sophia into having breakfast with her. Even though an appetite had been something lost to her, along with everything else in the past year, she managed picking around a plate of grits and eggs until Josie finished hers and had to leave.
The ride back to the condo was quiet with her mind whirling around Opal’s great news and Wes’s rejection. She managed to make it to her room and close the curtains before her phone began to ring. An unfamiliar number flashed across the screen.
“Hello?” she answered tentatively while slipping her feet out of the sensible heels.
“Babe.” The one word was all it took to cause her heart to skip a beat and her stomach to flutter.
She sat on the edge of the bed and clutched her stomach with her free hand, hating that he still had such a profound effect on her. “Ty?”
“Yeah, babe.” The deep timbre of his voice wove through the phone. “This is my new number. Be sure to save it, okay?”
Swallowing, she managed a frail “Okay.”
“Look, you already heard about the sh—er, crap that just went down. Only thing you need to know right now is that the mess is my idiot manager’s and the accountant’s fault. Not mine. But I’m working on getting it all sorted.” There was some shuffling in the background, sounding like he was busy doing something, as always. “So sit tight and in the meantime let your parents take care of you and Collin.”
That was supposed to be your job, as promised in your vows, she thought as her eyes began to sting.
“I’ll pay them back.”
Clearing her throat, she whispered, “Ty, I’m no longer your responsibility.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that I want you to be . . . I’ve been attending the anger management classes and counseling sessions. All for you.” He sighed heavily into the phone and muttered a few choice words. “Babe, I love you. Nothing’s changed that either.”
When Ty loved her, she couldn’t ask for a better husband. He practically worshiped her. But when he allowed his demons free, he was the worst.
Sophia needed to redirect her thoughts before his bogus sweetness reeled her in. The loneliness was unbearable, so it would be too easy to give in to it. She pictured her baby boy with the sadness in his eyes. “Collin misses you.”
Ty sighed again. “I miss you both. I’ll get out there soon. Promise.”
“Okay,” she muttered, knowing it was probably another empty promise.
Voices echoed in the background. “I’ll be there in a minute,” Ty called out. “Look, babe, I have to head to practice. Give little man a hug for me.”
As the phone disconnected, the tears freed right along with a guttural sob. Each time she heard from Ty, it was like taking a knife to her heart all over again. Even though she wouldn’t say it to him, she still loved her ex-husband and had no clue as to how to stop.
Ty was no longer allowed to physically hurt her, but Sophia still ached all over as if the last beating were still fresh on her bruised body. With trembling hands, she managed to shrug out of her jacket and pants before climbing into bed. Cocooned under the blanket, the world darkened and took with it the thread of strength she was holding on to. Ty was supposed to be her strength, her partner. There to lean on and provide comfort. Yet she was cowering in a bed that wasn’t their marriage bed, still trying to recover from the pain he’d carelessly inflicted. Alone and scared with nothing but ruined promises.
Sophia blinked back tears as the night of the team party during the last year of their marriage invaded her thoughts. . . .
Sophia felt like an outsider, invited only out of obligation. She took special care to dress in her trophy-wife uniform of formfitting cocktail dress and mile-high stilettos with enough flashy diamonds to blind someone, even going as far as having her hair and makeup professionally done. She should have fit in quite well with the glamorous evening, but as she navigated the thick crowd celebrating in a rather raucous manner, she could hardly suppress the urge to strip the shoes from her feet and make a run for it. Life had grown too loud, and her heart was homesick for the quieter life back home in Sunset Cove, South Carolina.
“Darling, you look gorgeous tonight. Simply fabulous. The indigo blue really is your color,” Ty’s mother complimented, scrutinizing Sophia head to toe. “It really sets off the teal in your eyes.”
“Thank you, Helen. It’s the team color.” Sophia tugged at the hem of the slinky dress, feeling anything but fabulous. She scanned the crowd and caught a glimpse of a tall blonde leading an obviously cooperative Ty out of the room. “Excuse me.”
Mrs. Prescott tried to distract Sophia, but she’d looked the other way for far too long. She managed to get away from the clingy woman and scooted through the crowd. Hands shaking, she pushed through the door and on down the hall. Giggles and groans floated her way from a side corridor. Her heart begged her to turn back and leave well enough
alone, but Sophia knew it was time to face her husband’s infidelity head-on.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Sophia took a deep breath and demanded, “Get your lips off my husband.”
The blonde jumped and then tumbled sideways, but Ty caught her as he shot Sophia a warning look. “Mind your own business, Sophia.”
“I’m pretty sure this is my business.” Her voice came out much calmer than she felt as she watched the woman hang her head and try to scurry past her. “It’s a little too late to be ashamed of fooling around with a married man now, honey.” Sophia’s tart comment had the woman setting off in a sprint, nearly tumbling a few times in her heels.
“It was just a friendly kiss . . .” Ty’s innocent facade held in place until the blonde was good and gone before it slipped to reveal the darker version lurking just below his surface. The gold flecks in his brown eyes grew into a raging fire as his nostrils flared. “It’s my night, and you’re ruining it with this bitter-wife act.” Ty gritted the words through clenched teeth as his massive hand reached out and gripped Sophia’s upper arm, his fingers pinching into her flesh.
“You’re hurting me, Ty. . . . You said . . . you said you wouldn’t again.” She blinked back the tears, refusing to give him the satisfaction.
He dropped his hand as if her skin singed him, and he stalked out of the hall and away with the last sliver of dignity Sophia had been carefully hanging on to.
6
Quietness pressed down around him as Wes stared at the mountain of paperwork on his desk Wednesday afternoon. Sure, it was Agnes’s job, but he was on her bad side at the moment. He chose to keep his comments to himself and simply told her he’d happily take care of it. She cackled all the way out the door, obviously thinking he couldn’t handle it.
Yanking his tie off and unfastening the top button of his dress shirt, Wes slipped on his reading glasses and hunkered down in his chair. He rolled up his sleeves, determined to do what needed to be done.
“I’ll show Agnes who’s boss.” Pep-talking himself for the task at hand, Wes picked up the top file and got down to business.
A few hours later, the mountain had dwindled into a manageable hill and Wes’s eyes were blurring. He set the pen down, pulled off his readers, and massaged his temples. His stomach let out a mean growl, an irritating reminder that he’d skipped lunch and would be skipping supper also if he wanted to prove a point to his stubborn office manager.
After a litany of growls vibrated through him, Wes decided to go plunder Agnes’s snack drawer. She’d shown it to him on the first day and said he could help himself. That offer had probably been retracted as of Monday, but he was going to help himself anyway. As he stood to stretch his sore back, the door flew open and banged against the wall with such exuberant force his entire body jolted.
“Have you gone pure fool?” Doc bellowed, his white tufts vibrating with rage.
“I don’t believe so, sir.” Wes had seen that wild-eyed look before, so he readied himself for the lecture that was about to commence.
“You ain’t supposed to look a gift horse in the mouth.” Doc trudged over and shooed Wes out of the way so he could take his chair.
“I haven’t seen a horse since arriving in Sunset Cove.” Wes walked around to the other side of the desk but remained standing.
“Don’t get smart with me, kid.” Doc picked up the top sheet of the open file and tsked at it before releasing it to float back into the pile. He crossed his arms and let out a harrumph. “That young lady would be an asset to this office, yet you turned her away faster than you would a door-to-door salesman.”
“I don’t think Ms. Prescott is suited—”
“That dog won’t hunt, kid.” Doc leveled a look at him. “My wife says I ain’t allowed back into my own bed until I talk some sense into you.” He pointed toward the files in disgust. “But I’m thinking you’re a lost cause.”
Wes mirrored Doc, crossing his arms and scowling. “I’m not making excuses. And this wouldn’t even be an issue if you’d switched over to computerized record keeping ages ago, like the rest of the world.”
“If you’d hire that perfectly capable woman, she’d square away these files into some fancy computerized hogwash for you in a heartbeat.”
“Ms. Prescott’s disrespecting me and publicly questioning my credibility are both valid reasons not to hire her.”
“You’ve gone and went off with your pistol half-cocked again. How many times have I told you not to be so foolish?”
“But—”
“Kid, I’ve heard what happened here in the office.” Doc leaned back in the chair and grew solemn. “Sophia has had her world fall down on her in the past year. Now I know that’s neither here nor there, but she came in here a distraught mother needing her child’s physician to give her some reassurance her baby was okay. She didn’t need snide judgments cast on her over her parenting skills. She needed you to do your job and nothing more.”
When Wes didn’t comment, Doc pressed on.
“I know you don’t do the social media stuff. I don’t either, but I had enough wits about me to ask my daughter to pull up Sophia’s page so I could see the post myself. All the woman did was suggest the pediatric office on the other side of the waterway. Good doctors over there, if you want my opinion.”
When it was all laid out like that, Wes felt right foolish for getting so upset over it. “You know I came here because I promised . . . but I’ve never wanted to break a promise so bad in all my life.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked over to the window, noticing for the first time that a heavy rain was coming down. He peered over his shoulder and met Doc’s dark eyes. “In return, you promised I’d be left alone. You swore I’d have peace and quiet.”
“Wes, son . . .” Doc slowly shook his head. “You gotta get on with living, and sometimes that can be a bit unruly.”
“So I’m supposed to hire her and let in unwanted unruliness?”
“Won’t be like that as long as you don’t allow it.”
“I haven’t had any control over matters since arriving.” Wes released a pithy snort and leaned against the windowsill. “Can I get a refund?”
“You don’t want that,” Doc commented as Wes’s stomach let loose another growl. “But I can buy you supper and then you can sit with me during Bible study tonight, being as I’m in the doghouse with my wife because of you.”
It sounded more like Wes was doing Doc the favor, but he was too hungry to protest. He walked over and gathered the stack of files and his briefcase, determined to finish the paperwork before Agnes arrived the next morning. Maybe even tie it sweetly with a bow . . .
The men gorged themselves on flounder sandwiches and hush puppies at Sunset Seafood House before heading over to Sunset Cove First Baptist. They entered the cozy sanctuary and were met up with friendly greetings and chatter.
“Come on, let’s sit over here.” Doc led the way to the left side of the aisle.
With a quick glance around, Wes found Agnes sitting with none other than Sophia Prescott on the right side. Clearly the battle lines had been drawn.
After opening prayer, a short lady, who was about as round as she was tall, led a dozen toddlers to the stage. “Good evenin’. The Mission Friends would like to share a song with y’all before class.”
A head full of unruly brown curls caught Wes’s attention, sending a smile to his face. Collin spotted him at the same time and began waving.
“Hey, poo!” Collin shouted, interrupting the teacher’s little spiel about the class.
Laughter skipped through the congregation, sending the tips of Wes’s ears up in flames. At least he shortened it to only one poo . . . Collin continued to wave and seemed to have no intention of stopping until Wes acknowledged him, so Wes offered a small wave.
“Now that the greetings are out of the way, we are going to sing ‘This Little Light of Mine.’ The children have . . .” The teacher yammered on, but Wes tuned her out when he looked over an
d found a red-faced brunette staring him down.
“Sorry,” Sophia mouthed.
Wes shrugged it off and moved his attention back to the group of toddlers just as one in particular scooted down the steps on his bottom. Once Collin reached the last step, he beat a path straight to Wes.
“Collin,” the teacher called out to the little boy.
“He my fwiend!” Collin hollered back. He pushed past Doc and climbed into Wes’s lap. “My fwiend!”
“Hey, buddy,” Wes whispered. “I was hoping to hear you sing.”
“You sing wiff me.” It was not a request but a command. He scooted back down and began tugging Wes’s hand.
Really, the kid gave him no choice, so Wes rose to his feet and allowed Collin to pull him down to the front. He sat on the edge of the stage, well aware that every set of eyes in the sanctuary was fastened on him.
“Good thing I know this song,” Wes commented with a self-deprecating smile. A murmur of chuckles followed it. The first two pews seemed to be reserved for the group of old ladies. Their ringleader, Bertie Matthews, caught Wes’s attention as she handed out peppermint disks to those around her. Smirking, as she always appeared to be doing, she winked at him over the top of her glasses as if they were in on a secret together.
As the pianist began playing, Wes pretended not to see the wink and chanced a quick glance at Sophia. Still blushing with her eyes rounded, she mouthed again, “Sorry.”
Collin stood proudly beside Wes, garbling the verses of the song as only a toddler could do while Wes quietly sang along. He was a good sport about it and even participated in the hand motions, which was basically waggling his index finger back and forth. He assumed it represented a candle.
After the song concluded and the teacher led the children out to go to their class, a boldness with maybe a dash of spite had Wes moving over to the right side of the sanctuary. As he passed by Bertie, the little lady held out a peppermint for him. He thanked her before popping it into his mouth and continued making his way to a certain pew.
