“Don’t you dare!” Tessa called as both Sophie and Cadence slipped outside to grab the rest of the groceries, giggling all the way to the car. Times like these made Sophie wonder how the three of them spent so many years on opposite ends of the country, connected by little more than the occasional text message and even less frequent phone calls.
“Oh, we picked up ingredients for Caroline’s lasagna, by the way. Tessa threw in a couple extra things for Caroline to try in her recipe.”
Sophie hefted a bag into each arm, avoiding direct eye contact, and followed Cadence back inside. “Thanks, that saves me a trip.” No need to point out she’d be blowing off Thursday dinner this week for that Anchorage trip. Cadence would only suggest she reschedule.
They dropped off a load of grocery bags and headed back to the car for another. Outside, Sophie asked, “Any idea what this party is about?” She kept her voice low because the kitchen window was cracked. They kept it that way for Ed’s sake, though the moose didn’t deserve treats after raiding the garden this morning.
“Nope. I think it’s some idea she and Liam have been working on together, but that’s about all I can figure out. You know Tessa. When she wants to keep a secret, there’s no prying it out of her.”
It’d been that way the summer the sisters spent in Sunset Ridge all those years ago. Tessa was sneaking out at night to see a boy, but it took Sophie and Cadence more than two weeks to figure out it was Liam Davies, the man she ended up marrying, just last fall.
With the trunk emptied, Sophie returned inside and attempted to lift the awkward box alone. She dropped it almost immediately, settling on the same conclusion from earlier. The package weighed more than her child.
“Tessa, can you give me a hand please?”
“Sure, just one sec. Oh, sorry—” She held up her cell, its case glistening a waterfall of pink sparkles. “Liam’s calling. Be back in a sec?” Tessa slipped out of the kitchen, seconds before Cadence brought in the last of the groceries.
“She’s been distracted like that all day,” Cadence said with a dismissive shake of her head. “I’ll help. How did you get this here anyway?”
“Uh, Denver gave me a ride.”
“Are—are youblushing?”
Sophie tried to laugh, but it came out nervous so she stopped. “It’s just from me trying to lift this stupid box. I think there’s a dead body in the bottom or something.” But the truth was, she was very much blushing.
* * *
Sitting on a bench overlooking the bay, Caroline swung her feet in rhythm, happily licking her ice cream cone. Ordinarily Sophie wouldn’t let her daughter have a double scoop, but today she’d been dubbed ‘classroom helper.’ Caroline had been eager for that title since the first day of school when her teacher, Mr. Andrews, explained the daily honor to the class. Sophie promised they’d get ice cream when Caroline was picked for her turn.
“I think my teacher likes you,” Caroline said between licks.
Luckily, it was only the two of them at the cozy lookout spot. Cadence sometimes accompanied Sophie to pick up Caroline from school, but today she was behind on tasks from the morning grocery run, and stuck in the lodge office paying bills. If she were here, she’d at least have a raised eyebrow at that comment. Mr. Andrews was recently divorced, and no mom could argue that he was attractive in that movie star sort of way. “Why do you say that?”
With eyes intently fixed on her moose tracks ice cream—Caroline would have no other ice cream unlessmoosewas in the name—she answered, “He always smiles really big when he sees you.”
The breath she’d been holding in released. What was with her lately? She’d spent so long being numb that it was strange to feelanything. “He smiles at everyone, sweetie.”
“He smiles at you more. And he doesn’t talk to the other moms as much as he talks to you.”
Before this conversation went any further—or worse, Caroline thought to mention her observation to Mr. Andrews himself—Sophie changed the subject. “I have a surprise for you. Denver’s going to pick you up from school Thursday. What do you think about that?”
“Really?” Caroline’s eyes illuminated.
“Yep. You, Denver, and Sherlock will have to get dinner started without me.”
For the first time since she was handed her ice cream, Caroline turned and looked at Sophie. “Why? Where are you going?”
“With Aunty Cadence. We have to give Rilee a ride to the airport.”
“I wanna come!”
Sophie swiped at Caroline’s cheek with a napkin, catching an ice cream dribble; she had to be quick these days. Caroline was quicker with her disdain. Blake had hated her being sticky or dirty at any point in time. Almost as though he’d never considered that having a kid meant they’d get dirty. A lot. Sophie only wiped her face now to save her shirt. It was one of the two new ones she’d been able to buy online.
“Sweetie, you have school. You don’t want to miss school, do you?’
“No.” Despite the disappointment in her voice, Caroline would sooner go to school on the weekends than miss a single day during the week. She loved itthatmuch.
“Sophie?” a familiar voice rang from a few dozen yards away. Tillie Grant’s trilling voice. It hadn’t taken Sophie long after meeting her to recognize it, with its sing-songy-ness that could carry half the length of a football field when necessary.
