by T. L. Haddix
Sophie ducked back into the kitchen before she could draw attention to herself. She didn’t recognize the woman or her name. As she waited for the crowd to part so she could get back to the island for more food, she ended up standing beside Eli. She touched his arm with two fingertips.
“Who’s Summer?” she asked in a low voice.
He frowned for a second, glancing over her shoulder. “She’s here?”
Sophie nodded.
“She’s a neighbor from on down the road a short ways. A friend of Noah’s. No one special really.”
But Sophie saw concern in his gaze from the brief instant she met his eyes. “Oh. Well, I suppose it was ridiculous of me to assume… what I assumed.” She forced a smile. “Of course he has a girlfriend.”
The thought had never occurred to her. Eli had never mentioned a woman in Noah’s life, and Sophie’d not seen any evidence of one or heard anyone refer to a woman paired up with him. So she’d assumed he wasn’t seeing anyone.
“She’s not,” Eli told her, keeping his voice low. “They’re just friends, or at least that’s what he says. And I’m inclined to believe him. FYI, she doesn’t know anything about what he can do.”
“Oh.” Sophie didn’t know if she was surprised or not, but that she was relieved made her angry with herself.
“Plus, you know how determined my grandparents are to matchmake all of us,” he continued. “But neither of them has said a word about setting him up with her, and they’ve known her for a couple of years now if that tells you anything.”
“It’s none of my business,” she insisted. “And that food won’t put itself on the table. Excuse me.” She felt his eyes boring into her as she walked away, but she ignored the sensation.
All through the meal, Sophie surreptitiously watched Summer interact with Noah, and she came to the conclusion that while Noah might have insisted they were just friends, Summer would have been perfectly happy to take things further. And for whatever reason, maybe because she’d picked up on the tension between them, Summer had decided Sophie was her enemy.
During a lull in the conversation as everyone tucked into their desserts, Summer fired her first shot with a polite smile. “So you’re Eli’s sister-in-law or something, right? Well, former sister-in-law?”
She, Sophie, Noah, Eli, and Haley were all seated at one end of one of the tables that had been set up in the living room. Sydney, her husband Sawyer, Molly, and several of the other cousins were seated on the opposite end.
“Or something, yes,” Sophie said, responding with a polite smile of her own.
If there was anything she’d learned after the wreck, during the two years when she’d lived with her mother in Florida following their brief reconciliation, it was the power of well-placed silence and a minimally answered question. Until she knew more about where Summer wanted to go with her queries, she’d play her cards close to her vest.
“You’ve been living away from here, right?”
“Yes.”
Summer raised an eyebrow as she cut into her pumpkin pie but didn’t eat it. “So what brings you to Hazard? Is your husband here with you?”
“She’s working with Grandpa,” Noah answered before Sophie could. “They’re putting together some of the genealogy notes he’s made through the years. Who made this? Do any of you all know?” He used his spoon to scoop up a fluffy bite of whipped confection. “And what is it? I could live on this stuff.”
Sophie felt her cheeks flush. “That was me. It’s nothing really. It doesn’t have a name that I know of. It’s just some crushed Butterfingers, whipped cream, a teeny bit of powdered sugar, and softened cream cheese. You can put it in a pie crust if you like, but I prefer it as it is.”
“It’s perfect,” he said. “Is this what was in the clear dish?”
“It is.” Sophie couldn’t help but feel pleased. He was taking his time with each bite, savoring it, something she remembered him doing when they were younger with dishes he truly enjoyed.
His smile was slightly wicked as he licked the back of his spoon. “You’re going to need to make more next time.”
Summer shot him a look he either didn’t see or ignored, then she returned to her questioning. “So you’re Mr. Campbell’s what, secretary? I’m a little surprised. I thought there was bad blood between you and your ex.” She pointed at Eli with her fork then finally nibbled on the pie.
Sophie froze. She saw Eli’s eyebrows clash together in a deep scowl, but before he could respond, Noah spoke again, his voice quiet but with an implacable note that anyone with half a brain knew better than to ignore.
“She wasn’t his ex; she died. And it’s all old news, water under the bridge. Sophie was never part of that. She’s always been welcome here at the farm.” His gaze flickered to hers but didn’t linger. “Now if we could not talk about the spawn of Satan today, no offense to anyone, that’d be a good thing. How’d we even get on this topic? It’s not something any of us like talking about.” He sent a very brief look around the group and waited for a long beat to see if anyone was going to argue. When they didn’t, he gave a small nod and resumed eating.
His tone hadn’t been very warm by the time he finished, and Sophie almost felt sorry for Summer, whose flushed cheeks nearly matched her hair.
“I apologize. I was just… I didn’t mean to bring up a painful subject. Excuse me. I need to get a refill,” she said, standing and grabbing her empty cup as though it were a lifeline.
Noah didn’t try to stop her. As the awkward silence spread out, he laid down his spoon with a very precise movement and reached for his own drink. He didn’t pick it up though, just turned the plastic cup around and around.
“Erica’s had too much room in our lives,” he said quietly, staring at the tablecloth. “Enough is enough. I’m tired of her. I guess I should apologize for that remark though. ‘Spawn of Satan’ might have been a tad bit too much.”
Eli cleared his throat, and unless Sophie missed her guess, he was struggling against a smile. He rubbed his face. “No, I’d say it was fairly accurate. Soph?”
Sophie shook her head. “I don’t think it was nearly enough. I do agree though, that she’s had enough time and attention devoted to her.” She stood. “And on that note, I think I’m going to stretch my legs. Excuse me.”
She’d finished her food, but even if she hadn’t, she couldn’t have taken another bite. Grateful for a reason to escape, she took her disposable plate and cup to the garbage can someone had wisely set up in the front hall. The day had warmed up nicely enough, and she decided to forego her coat as she headed out the door.
“Sophie! Wait up,” Haley called as Sophie stepped onto the porch. “Do you mind some company?”
“Not at all,” Sophie told her with a smile. And she really didn’t.
They didn’t say anything until they reached the ornate picnic shelter the family had built a few years back, situated about fifty feet from the main house in the direction of the barn. The afternoon sunlight, though not as strong as it was in summer, was plenty warm, and with a grateful sigh, Sophie sat at one of the picnic tables.
“I didn’t really want to walk so much as I needed to get out of the house,” she confessed. “Do you mind if we sit?”
“Nope. I ate so much I feel like I’m going to pop wide open,” Haley said with a laugh. “I might sit down and go to sleep on you, fair warning.”
Sophie chuckled. “It was a good meal. It’s been years since I had shucky beans. Those were so good.”
“Thanks.” Haley’d made the Southern specialty, which was sun-dried green beans, hull and all, that were slow cooked for hours to soften them. “We always had them at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I’d be lost without them.”
“More than you already are?” Sophie asked softly.
Haley’
d been raised by her grandfather, Fred, who had passed away a few weeks earlier. Sophie knew that was bound to be weighing heavily on her.
Haley shrugged and stretched her legs. “Being around this family helps. Having Eli… well, thank God for him. I’m doing okay. Better than I expected. What about you?”
“What about me? I’m fine.”
“Uh-huh. Sure you are. You handled yourself very well in there, I thought. And I could have kissed Noah. Do you think he meant to piss her off so thoroughly?”
The question startled Sophie as it was asked so mildly. “I… don’t know.”
“Well, he did, you know. She was practically steaming when she got up. That conversation didn’t go the way she’d planned. I hate women who play games, and I think Summer likes to play. She reminds me of Jenna in that regard,” she said quietly. “They don’t feel like they’re woman enough unless they’re putting others down or marking their bedposts.”
Jenna had been Haley’s friend, a woman who had ended up living next door to Erica and Eli when he’d been stationed in North Carolina. She’d become friends with Erica, and Sophie knew her from that. Jenna had been the impetus that nearly tore Eli and Haley apart in late October. As far as Sophie knew, Jenna and Haley still weren’t speaking.
“What do you think Noah sees in her?” Sophie was horrified to hear the question come out of her mouth, but she couldn’t call it back. “Not that it’s any of my business.”
“I think he’s lonely, and she’s a friend—a very casual friend, nothing more—he hangs around with to pass the time. Eli said she’s had Noah do some repairs to her house, and that’s how they met. He also said she’s not a bad person, just territorial. Until recently, that hasn’t been a problem.” Haley’s look was knowing and entirely without judgment.
“Well, I don’t know that you could call me and Noah even casual friends. Casual enemies more likely.” She sighed. “And sure as hell I don’t have any claim on him whatsoever.”
“Maybe you don’t think so, but there’s a familiarity a couple has when they’ve been intimate,” Haley said softly. “You two have that familiarity. You both try not to let it show, but it’s there. It’s a bond you can’t get rid of.”
“But we weren’t intimate, not fully,” Sophie protested. “And what we had, it didn’t mean anything in the end.”
Haley’s eyes were full of sympathy. “Of course it didn’t.” She clearly disagreed, but she was thankfully kind enough not to say anything more.
Their conversation was cut short when Noah and Summer came out of the house and headed for a car parked down the driveway. They weren’t touching, but they were talking, and his head was bent toward her. Sophie felt sick watching them, and she hoped to God her Thanksgiving dinner didn’t make a second appearance.
“I think I’m going to take that walk now,” she said as Eli came out onto the porch.
He looked around, spotted them, and headed in their direction.
“Want company, or do you need some space?” Haley asked.
“Would you mind if I said space?”
The other woman smiled softly. “Not at all. Holler if you need me. I’ll be around.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Sophie told her. She waved at Eli and took off for the woods behind the barn, walking as fast as she could without appearing as though she was fleeing.
“Which you are, chicken-shit.” She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself, realizing suddenly that she was exhausted from interacting with so many people for so long.
While she wasn’t a true introvert like Noah, she wasn’t fond of large crowds, especially not these days. She’d gotten out of practice of dealing with them over the last two years as she’d holed herself up after the disaster that had been her relationship with her mother.
When she reached the woods, she slowed her pace to more of a stroll, forcing herself to take her time and try to de-stress as she walked. The grassy path that led, she assumed, to Noah’s house was wide, well-maintained, and quite a nice walk if one wasn’t trying to escape living ghosts. A minute or two after she started down the path, she saw a much smaller trail that branched off to the right. For a few seconds, she stood in indecision, torn between staying on the wide path and taking the branch. With a shrug, she decided on the branch.
The grassy trail led to a round clearing big enough for a wooden bench she recognized as probably being Noah’s handiwork. There was enough room around it for a small tractor to make a circle to cut the grass.
The ground sloped away from the bench steeply on the other side, and as most of the leaves were off the trees, the sight beyond was spectacular. The whole valley spread out below her, and Sophie stopped on the edge of the clearing to take in the view.
The snap of a twig behind her alerted her to someone’s presence, and she knew before she turned who it would be. Sure enough…
“Hey.” Noah approached her slowly, one hand shoved in his pocket, the other rubbing the back of his neck.
She faced forward again, her heart pounding in her throat. “Hey.” For the life of her, she couldn’t come up with anything else to say.
He didn’t speak for a bit either but stood an arm’s length away from her, gazing out over the valley as well.
“Summer wanted me to pass on her apology again,” he finally said. “She honestly didn’t mean any insult. She’s not that great with words sometimes.”
Sophie nodded. “Okay. No worries here. It’s not any of my business if she wants to get territorial over her claim on you.” Shit, Sophie! Where the hell did that come from? She cursed her runaway tongue as he stared at her with incredulity.
“Her what?”
She moved a shoulder in a loose shrug. She’d already opened her mouth and stuck her foot in the muck and mire. Too late to take the words back now. “Her claim.”
Noah blinked at her then shook his head. “She… no. You sound like Eli and Haley.”
Deciding to let that ride, she spread her hands a little. “Well…”
“No, there is no ‘well’ here,” he said, turning to face her. “Summer’s just a friend. Always has been. You people are reading way too much into that. Or are you going to try to tell me a man and woman who aren’t related can’t be just friends?” He propped his hands on his hips and lifted his eyebrows in a challenge.
“A few can be friends,” she said slowly. “Most can’t. You’re not that oblivious, Noah. She’s interested in you, and she thinks you’re hers. She was defending her territory. You shouldn’t hold it against her. It’s just how things are.”
“No,” he protested more vehemently this time. He paced away, kicking at the leaves on the edge of the grass.
When he started cursing under his breath, Sophie coughed, trying to wipe the smile off her face. He’d put it together if his words were any indication.
“Sorry,” she said when he turned back to her. “It can’t be that big of a surprise.”
His cheeks were flushed, and he was clearly flustered. “Well, it is.” He rubbed the back of his neck again and sighed, then he scowled at a spot out over the trees.
“Moira?”
The neck-rubbing was his tell for when a spirit was nearby, and given the topic of discussion, she expected it would be his cousin who’d died more than fifty years ago. As Sophie recalled, Moira loved to tease Noah, and his misunderstanding about Summer would have been the perfect opportunity.
“Yeah. She’s laughing at me.”
Sophie sat on the bench, grateful for the respite. She folded her hands between her knees and tried to stretch the muscles in her back without alerting Noah to what she was doing.
He groaned and sat beside her, resting his face in his hands. “Son of a bitch. I feel stupid now.”
Sophie bumped him with her shoulder before sh
e could think not to. “It happens. At least she’s attractive.”
He cut her a disgruntled look, which made her laugh.
“Why do women do that, build castles when all a guy wants is to be friends? Or not even friends but just go in and do a job and get paid for it and never have to see them again?”
Sophie tilted her head and studied him. “Your clients?”
He groaned again. “Yeah. Ask Eli about it sometime. It’s a great story, popcorn-worthy. Why can’t people be honest about what they want?”
The question was rhetorical, but Sophie answered anyway. “Because if they were honest… well, honesty is uglier than pretending. It doesn’t sell as well. If they came right out and said what they wanted to begin with, most thinking people would turn them down. There’d not be anything in it for them, and the majority of people aren’t interested in relationships where they’re the only ones who give.”
The answer clearly wasn’t one he’d been expecting, and he studied her somberly. “Who hurt you? Was it Erica?”
Sophie laughed. Oh, the irony. “She’s one person. It’s not worth going into really. I’ve learned all the lessons I need to in order to go forward, and that’s what matters, right?”
When she started to stand, he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. As she sat back down, staring at that hand, he swung his leg over the bench to face her.
“I’m serious, Sophie. What happened to you? You’re not the same person you were when we were kids.”
“Are you?” She lifted her chin, daring to meet his gaze. “I don’t think so. None of us are, thank God.”
Noah shook his head impatiently. “No, I don’t mean that kind of change. I mean… you’re not happy. You were always quiet, but you interacted with the world. You touched things, enjoyed learning about people and places and the most trivial things, like why eggshells were different colors. Which isn’t really ridiculous, not when you think about it, but you know what I mean. And you’re not like that now. Now you’re just keeping your head down and trying to get by, it seems.”
