CHAPTER FIVE
Their days fell into a pattern. Every morning before he left to work on his barn, Luke made Sophie an incredible breakfast. He showed up every evening to another fantastic meal. They spent the hours before bedtime playing with Jamison, watching TV, and reading.
Sophie lay in bed every night hyper-aware of Luke. She listened for a return of his nightmare, but it never happened. By Thursday, she was able to put weight on her foot and by Friday, her shoes fit again. On Saturday, Luke moved back to his barn.
He left a great gaping hole in her life. She desperately missed him and Jamison seemed extra fussy with him gone. Even Atticus moped around the house. On Sunday, Sophie invited him to dinner after church.
“It’s the least I can do,” she said, “after all the great meals you made for me.”
“I would love to come, but Mia and her friend Paige are here for the weekend.” They stood in the church parking lot. A stiff wind blew between them. The easy comradery they’d enjoyed during his brief stay had disappeared. Sophie missed it almost as much as she missed him, and she wondered what she could do to win it back.
“Oh, well. Bring them, too!”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. In fact, do you think the lot of you would like to help me pick out a tree?”
He didn’t say anything.
“I have seven acres full of trees, you would think one of them could be a Christmas tree.”
“Those trees that look like they’re a reasonable size outside will be huge inside your house.”
“Well, that’s another good reason to bring you. You’ll make a much better measuring stick than me.”
“It’s nice to know I’m good for something.”
“Oh, you’re good for plenty of things. In fact, I think you’ll be especially useful in tree transportation. But I don’t want you to feel like you’re being used, because, really, you’ve done so much for me already.”
“And what does tree transportation involve?”
“Let’s just say that you’ll be glad there’ll be four of us.”
#
While Jamison napped, Sophie went to the attic and found her grandmother’s Christmas ornaments and decorations. Her heart twisted and she had to blink back tears as she carried the boxes to the living room. Her grandmother had been gone for nearly a decade, but this would be the first year without her sister. In her entire life, she’d never once imagined a world without her sister—until she had to. She had thought about calling her dad and offering to fly up with Jamison, and maybe she would still do that, but…
The truth was she didn’t feel comfortable around her stepmother, and she knew the feeling was mutual. And her dad didn’t do a thing to ease the tension. So, would she rather spend Christmas alone—or would she rather be uncomfortable with her dad and stepmother?
The teapot let out a high squeal, letting Sophie know that the cocoa was ready. She chose the reindeer mugs her grandmother had always used and filled four of them with the steaming cocoa. She topped each with a dollop of whipped cream and added chocolate sprinkles.
Luke’s SUV swung down the driveway. Maybe, she thought as she watched him climb from the car, there’s another option. The door slammed after Mia and Paige got out. Paige, dressed in a long black coat, dark jeans and knee-high leather boots, frowned at the house and wrinkled her nose as if she didn’t like what she smelled.
Sophie hurried back into the kitchen to check on her lasagna. It was her grandmother Morelli’s recipe and she’d made everything—even the noodles—from scratch, just as her nonna had.
She loaded up the tray with the cocoa mugs, carried it into the living room, and set it down on the coffee table before opening the door.
Luke came in and gave her a swift hug before turning to Mia and Paige. “I hope you don’t mind, but they insisted on bringing a salad.”
“Only it’s not made yet,” Mia said, nodding at the grocery bag in her arms.
“That’s great,” Sophie said. “Come on into the kitchen. If you can’t find anything, Luke can show you around while I set the table.” She motioned to the mugs on the coffee table. “I made some cocoa.”
Paige slipped off her coat and laid it over the back of the sofa. “Do you have any sugar-free?”
“Huh, no. Sorry.”
Paige sniffed. “How about tea?”
