by Holly Jacobs
He simply laughed.
Sophie watched the family banter with an ease that suggested this was a normal part of their lives. Teasing each other. Laughing with each other.
Tori was the first one who seemed to remember Sophie was there, observing their interaction. She took off on another topic. “Mom and Dad said you had a job for me?”
“A volunteer job,” Sophie said. “Why don’t we talk about it inside?” As she ushered the family into her kitchen, she asked if anyone would like anything to drink.
“I’d love a cup of coffee,” Gloria said. “If it’s not too much trouble.”
“Mom’s an addict. Dad only drinks herbal teas. Hippie,” Tori teased again.
“A child of hippies,” he corrected.
Sophie had a sad selection of herbal teas. And since she’d be spending the next few months decaffeinated, she’d have to invest in a few more. But for now, she offered Dom what she had. “I have some blueberry tea, and Sleepytime.”
“Blueberry,” he said. “Thank you.”
“Tori?”
“Juice?” she asked.
Normally, Sophie had orange juice on hand, but she’d expanded her choices. She wanted to give this baby the best nutritional start she could. “I’ve got orange juice or cranberry pomegranate.”
“The cranberry.”
Sophie bustled around, serving everyone. It gave her something to do. Almost too soon, everyone was served. She sat down with a cup of tea herself.
“So,” Tori began. “Mom and Dad made me wait to get here to tell me about my punishment for stealing the car. They said you have an idea for my—”
“Probation,” Gloria filled in with a smile.
“Tori, we all agree that you need some sort of consequence,” Dom said. “Your mom and I understand why you stole the car. And okay, we’re partially to blame. By not telling you something so important, we gave you cause to believe we couldn’t be trusted to help you.”
“But you didn’t even try, Tori,” Gloria added.
“But I—” Tori started.
“We’ve heard your arguments,” Gloria said “Yes, you have driven vehicles at your grandparents’ farm. And yes, you did read the book and obey all the traffic laws. But, Tori, you’re still a fourteen—”
Tori interrupted. “Almost fifteen.”
“—year-old girl, and anything could have happened. I can’t tell you how many nightmares I’ve had thinking about all the possibilities.”
“Mom’s talked and talked and talked,” Tori grumbled at Sophie. “Some kids get paddled or grounded—I get lectured to death. Sometimes I think getting spanked would be easier. So what torture did you think up for my probation?”
Both Gloria and Dom looked at Sophie. “It’s not torture. At least I don’t think it is. Valley Ridge has a small library that closed years ago. Maeve Buchanan moved in next door to it a while back and said it was almost torture to look out the window every day and see the ghost of the library she’d loved so much when she was young. So she talked to Ray, my friend, Mattie’s brother, our mayor. He gave her permission to reopen it. She volunteers her time after work, so it’s open most evenings. But she’s wanted to open it during the day, especially during the summer when all the kids are out of school. So, I talked to your parents, and they agreed that might be a good place for you to volunteer at.”
“Yeah. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time?” Tori asked. Sophie must have looked surprised, because Tori laughed. “Hippies think punishments should be useful and teach a lesson.”
“Not a hippie,” Dom said by rote. “My parents—”
“Were hippies,” Tori finished for him. And all three Allens burst into laughter at the family debate. Sophie couldn’t help but join in.
After the laughter died down, Tori asked, “So, what would I do at the library?”
“If you think you could handle it, you’d open the library a few afternoons a week. You’re almost fifteen and I’d be close by if there was a problem, and there are other volunteers who will be in and out, but your parents agreed that you were old enough to handle this kind of responsibility. You’d check out books, and when things are slow, check materials back in and reshelve them.”
“So my punishment is I’ll be the librarian for the summer?”
“I guess that’s one way of looking at it, though a real librarian does more than check books in and out.”
“So, I’d be the library checker-outer?” Tori asked with a grin.
Sophie loved the entire Allen family’s sense of humor. She joined in with their laughter, and realized that this was what she was going to miss about Colton’s family. They laughed together like this. “Yes, you’d be the library checker-outer. Maeve thought it sounded like a brilliant idea, if you think you’re up for the challenge?”
“Piece of cake,” Tori said. “I like books.”
“She’s a voracious reader,” Gloria shared.
“I was, too, when I was younger.” Sophie thought of the stack of mothering books in her closet and said, “Still am, I guess. Maeve asked if you’d like to come over Monday morning and she’ll show you around.”
Tori shrugged and tried to look blasé, but Sophie had seen Tori’s excitement at the idea. “If that’s a yes, I’ll let her know.”
“Yes,” Tori said.
“Sunday’s the big Fourth of July party, so we’ll have plenty to do then, but I was trying to think of something for all of us to do today. Maybe we could drive to some of the wineries I work with. Some I don’t, if you like, too. One of my friends said he’d give us a behind-the-scenes tour, if you like?” She phrased the suggestion as a question.
“That would be wonderful,” Gloria said. “We have some favorite wineries in Ohio. There’s a couple in Port Clinton that are amazing. The entire lakeshore region has some of the best vineyards outside France.”
Sophie forced her smile to stay in place, but inwardly, it slipped a notch. She couldn’t help but remember Colton rhapsodizing over his grapevines, and about how his small vineyard was on the same longitude—or was it latitude?—as some of the best French grape-growing regions. It had become a standing joke between them. He’d come home and talk about his grapes and she’d say oui, oui in her awful French accent. They’d laugh over it, like the Allens all did—with a sense of familiar.
“...I made her a wine rack a few years ago, after which we both decided that woodworking was not my forte,” Dom was saying.
“But you should see how Dad painted it. And then he hand-painted wineglasses to go with it,” Tori said. And the look she gave her father was one of utter love and pride.
“Dom doesn’t like it when the wine rack has too many holes in it.” Gloria’s look for her husband was also love, but a different kind of love. It was one that Sophie suspected she’d once had for Colton. Her heart broke a little all over again.
“Well, I know Western New York and North East wineries. We’ll have to see what you think.”
“Are we going to Colton’s?” Tori asked.
Sophie shook her head. She’d told him they’d be friendly. And odds were he wouldn’t be there. Ray Keith would be, and/or Mrs. Nies. But seeing them would lead to questions Sophie didn’t want to answer. “I don’t think so. But my friend Geoff is going to give you the tour. He’s been making wine for only a decade, and his enthusiasm is contagious....”
She continued to talk, ignoring Tori’s expression, which lingered somewhere between disappointment and guilt.
Sophie would need to ensure that Tori didn’t have any lingering feelings of remorse over the wedding, because she knew exactly where all the blame belonged.
Firmly on her own shoulders.
* * *
COLTON WALKED INTO the diner, hoping to catch up with Sebastian.
He was in luck. His friend was at the grill and caught sight of him. Colton raised an eyebrow, wordlessly asking if Sebastian had time to talk.
Sebastian held up a finger, indicating
he’d slip away in a minute.
Colton walked to the most distant booth. He still hadn’t decided when he should tell his friends about the baby. He wanted to be sure that Sophie had talked to Lily and Mattie first.
He wasn’t sure why, but he suspected that she needed to be the one to tell her friends, and he hoped she had already told them, because she needed someone to talk to, to support her.
Once upon a time, he’d have been the one she talked to. She’d once said that one of the reasons they worked so well as a couple was that he didn’t like to talk and she did. She’d laughed and said she talked enough for the both of them.
He missed her laughter. He’d dreamed about her last night. Showing him how to hold a baby. She’d laughed at his attempt. He’d woken up to the sound of her laughter. He hadn’t been able to go back to sleep after that, and had gone downstairs to watch the news for a couple of hours. Her laughter had seemed so real. The touch of her hand as she handed him the baby.
On the heels of that longing came a surge of anger. For all her talk, she’d never mentioned the daughter she had given up, and the fact her parents were still alive. He understood her point that the first time he’d asked her about her family, she hadn’t known him long enough or been close enough to owe him an explanation. But later, she should have clarified. She should have said something.
She should have told him.
Hank came over, coffeepot in hand. Sebastian’s grandfather always had a coffeepot in hand. Even when Colton, Sebastian and Finn had popped into the diner for something when they were kids, Hank had carried around that coffeepot. He probably walked a few miles a day, circulating the diner, refilling coffee cups.
And they’d spent a lot of time in the diner growing up. Hank was always good for an after-school snack. He’d encouraged Sebastian’s friends to treat the diner as home. And for Sebastian, it was probably more home than their house had been. For all intents and purposes, Hank had raised his grandson Seb here at the diner. His friend’s mother had left him when he was a kid. To the best of his knowledge, Seb had never talked about her. Not to him, and probably not to Finn.
Like Sophie never talked about her parents?
“Coffee?” Hank asked.
Colton turned his coffee cup upright and nudged it toward Hank. “Perfect.”
“Anything else?” Hank asked.
Colton didn’t need a menu. He suspected most of Valley Ridge never even looked at one. The only thing that changed about the Valley Ridge Diner’s menu was the day’s special. “Ask Seb if he’ll bring me out a BLT?”
“Oh, you know Seb?” Hank looked surprised.
Colton realized that Hank didn’t recognize him. He remembered what Lily said and tried a gentle reminder. If it worked to bring Hank back to the present, good. If it upset Hank, stop. “Oh, Hank, after all those times you yelled at the three of us for climbing the cliffs at the lake, I can’t forget Seb.”
For a moment, Hank had a blank look, and then he laughed. “You three boys were almost the death of me. I know your parents and Finn’s felt the same.”
And he was back. Colton grinned. “You kept us in line.”
“I tried to keep you in line. I didn’t always succeed.” He paused. “Were you ready to order?”
“A BLT?” Colton repeated.
“That’s right.” Hank hurried off to the counter to call back his order.
These days, someone occasionally got a meal they didn’t order, but not one local would have said anything and hurt Hank’s feelings. The town was aware of his dementia, and they were not only willing to eat unordered food, but the community had made it their business to keep their eyes out for Hank’s roaming, especially after they lost him before the wedding.
Colton sipped his coffee and thought about Sophie and their baby. If his child was anything like him, they were going to have their hands full.
Valley Ridge was such a wonderful place to grow up. Especially on his grandfather’s farm. He’d run amok there with Sebastian and Finn.
He’d have to reconsider keeping livestock again. He’d raised a couple milk cows for his vocational-agriculture—vo ag—class, but he’d never had livestock around as an adult. He’d have to think about that. Kids loved animals. He’d want his son or daughter to grow up comfortable around them. When they were older, they could join FFA—Future Farmers of America.
If they wanted to.
He’d never force his son or daughter into a particular path or career.
His child. Sophie’s child.
Sophie had talked about getting chickens. Just a couple, she’d assured him. Two hens. Hell, she’d already named their fictional hens, Thelma and Louise, and when he’d asked, assured him that he wouldn’t be getting any fried chicken dinners, but if he played his cards right, he might get a quiche.
He hated quiche.
But he’d have eaten it for Sophie.
He’d have done anything for Sophie.
He’d have even married her for the baby’s sake, despite whatever secrets she was keeping. But she’d said no.
How could she do that, considering she was carrying his child?
They’d planned on having a houseful of children. He’d imagined what it would be like, but never this.
He’d thought they’d go out and celebrate. Maybe to the beach. Or maybe, back in the woods behind his house. No, probably up on the ridge where Sophie could watch the sunset over Lake Erie as they ate dinner. Some women might have wanted a fancy dinner out, but Sophie would have been happier with a simple picnic.
They would have—
“BLT, anyone?” Sebastian said, putting a plate down in front of Colton. “I added the fries.”
“Thanks.”
Sebastian slid into the seat across from him. “So, how’re you doing?”
“Fine. I wanted to ask you something.”
Hank came over and poured Sebastian a cup of coffee. “Thanks, Hank.” Sebastian turned to Colton when Hank walked back toward the counter. “You wanted to ask me something?”
“Has Sophie talked to Lily?” Colton popped a fry into his mouth and realized how not hungry he was.
“Recently?” Sebastian sipped his coffee.
“Yeah.” If Sebastian hadn’t been sitting across from him, Colton would have pushed the plate back and given up on the lunch, but instead, he took another small fry.
“I know they saw her on Sunday,” Sebastian told him.
So Sophie hadn’t seen her best friends yesterday. Colton couldn’t imagine that she’d have told them on the phone, so odds were her friends didn’t know. So, he wouldn’t say anything to Sebastian.
“Maybe they should go see her,” he said. Gee, Sophie not sharing important information with people she was close to? A week ago, he’d have been surprised, but not now.
“I know her daughter and the girl’s parents are in town this weekend.” Sebastian lowered his voice. “The parents go home Sunday night and Tori’s staying with Sophie.”
Colton took a big bite of his BLT despite the fact he felt faintly nauseous, thankful he couldn’t respond verbally, and he simply nodded.
Hank came over and refilled both his and Sebastian’s cups. “You boys look serious.”
“Seriously hungry,” Colton assured him, though it was a lie.
Hank made another round through the dining room, and Sebastian reached for his cup with his left hand. He didn’t hold the handle but rather wrapped his hand around the whole cup. The scars traveled from Sebastian’s hand to under his sleeve.
He noticed Colton watching him. “Lily keeps insisting I need to do more with my left hand.”
Sebastian had been in the Marines, but after some sort of accident, which he didn’t talk about, he’d left the service. Colton knew his friend had been angry about that when he’d come home, but secretly, he was relieved that Sebastian wouldn’t be going overseas again.
He thought of what Sophie had mentioned about Lily, and smiled. “Lily said, huh?”
“She’s a good woman.” Finn had worked with Lily at his hospital in Buffalo. He’d hired her to come to Valley Ridge and take care of Bridget when she had gotten sick. She’d done more than simply care for her as a nurse—she’d been Bridget’s friend. She’d bonded with Sophie and Mattie as they all cared for Bridget.
“She is,” Sebastian replied. “So, about Finn and Mattie. You and Sophie okay with it?”
Colton nodded. “I’m happy for them.”
“I’d say we’d have to plan a bachelor party, or even a stag and drag like you and Soph—” He cut himself off, as if realizing he might be broaching an uncomfortable topic.
Colton ignored Sebastian’s awkwardness. “Finn doesn’t want one?”
“He and Mattie want the wedding to be low-key. He’s planning on talking to you, but he wanted to give you some time to recuperate before he did.”
How did you recuperate from a broken heart? Because as romantic as the term sounded, it was the truth. He’d thought he’d known Sophie Johnston like no one else in the world, but he’d been wrong. So wrong. “I’ll call him.”
“A phone call? You’ll have to use words, you know.”
“Smart-ass.” He couldn’t manage another bite of the sandwich or fries. “I don’t want him to feel awkward. Sophie and I are both happy for him and Mattie.” He looked at Sebastian, who was taking another sip of coffee. “And you and Lily.”
“Thanks.” Sebastian paused and asked, “So did you and Sophie decide to reschedule?”
“No. No, I don’t think that’s going to happen.” Unless he could find some way to change her mind. But she had a stubborn streak, which was just one more thing he hadn’t known about Sophie.
“That’s too bad. You two were perfect together.”
Colton shook his head. “Not as perfect as you might think.”
“Is it her daughter?”
He could have accepted Sophie’s daughter, but he couldn’t accept the fact she’d lied to him. That she’d held so much back.
It didn’t mean he didn’t love her, or miss her like crazy. And it certainly didn’t mean he wouldn’t marry her for their baby’s sake.
