Denver folded his glasses and stuffed them back into his pocket. “Right.”
“I just love this lighting,” Sophie said as she moved into the living room, spinning around to face Denver. “It’s so warm and inviting, don’t you think?”
“It’s not abadlittle place,” Denver finally admitted, cracking the faintest of smiles. Sunlight dusted his tanned face, highlighting the beard that grew a little thicker each day. When they met, he was clean-shaven, but over time, he grew it out. Sophie didn’t realize how much she liked this Alaskan man look on him until now. “I think you’ll outgrow it sooner than you think.”
The two had become such close friends this past year that she knew he only had her best interests at heart. He also knew it might be irresponsible to move into a house until things were sorted out. Something Jolene didn’t know, that her monthly checks from Blake were in jeopardy, he was kind enough not to say outright. “It’s only a year lease, Denver.”
“You should sleep on it,” he advised.
Sophie nodded, not ready to abandon her dream of having her own little house with her daughter.And let’s not forget the separate beds!Her feet stuck on the plush carpeting, unwilling to abandon the dream just yet. “I want to take one more look.”
The two bedrooms sat right next to each other, tucked on the east side of the house. She entered the smaller of the two rooms that would be Caroline’s, trying to imagine it furnished and decorated with moose decals. Her fists balled at her sides with frustration. Blake’s check was supposed to buy her daughter a twin bed this month. What good would a house do if the only furniture in it was a used loveseat from the lodge and a card table with folding chairs? It would be terrible to ask Caroline to sleep on an air mattress.
“Can I have a couple days to think about it?” Sophie asked Jolene, wandering back into the kitchen.
“Of course you can, dear,” Jolene answered. “But I do have to warn you there is other interest with that new price drop. It won’t last long.”
The pressure squeezed Sophie’s heart. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Already, she felt her dream slipping out of her hands. “I don’t suppose any other listings have come up?”
Sympathy lingered in Jolene’s eyes. “Not in your price range, I’m afraid. But I’ll let you know if another does.”
“Can we have a minute?” Denver asked.
“Of course. I’ll be outside.”
Sophie’s heart pounded when Denver entered the confined kitchen. The small room reminded her of an apartment she had when she first started college. Because she got pregnant with Caroline and married Blake, she never finished. Back then, the idea of escaping the crummy, too-crowded apartment for a fancy life in a big house in Hawaii was enough to sweep her off her feet. She dropped out without a second thought.
“Soph, I know you want Caroline to have her own room.” He reached out and touched her elbow, and that familiar electricity gently sizzled at the contact. She did her best to ignore it. “But this place . . . I don’t think this is it. Would you really be happy if you’re pinching pennies just to afford to live here?”
Sophie spun away and peered out the window over the kitchen sink, still a little scattered in her thoughts from that touch. Would Ed know to visit them in this new house? “I do have a little setback buying Caroline a new bed. Can’t expect my daughter to be excited about a new house if she has to sleep on the floor, can I?”
“Did you tell Mr. Jenkins about the check?”
Sophie let out a light sigh as Denver confirmed her suspicions and forced herself to face him. “Yeah, he’s on it.” Mr. Jenkins had come with the lodge, the lawyer who read Great-Aunt Patty’s will. Though he was the only lawyer in Sunset Ridge, he was the best Sophie had ever encountered. So much better than the cheap lawyers she’d been forced to hire during the original divorce proceedings. Mr. Jenkins was the only one to get her a dime.
“And?”
“He reached out to Blake’s lawyers, but after the initial call, they haven’t been available.”
The close proximity in the kitchen left Sophie so mixed up. These stupid feelings were annoying, because all she wanted to do was crawl into Denver’s arms and feel the safety and comfort of his embrace. Those strong arms promised to ease her burden, if only she—
Get it together, Soph. Instead, she slipped around him, careful not to touch him, and circled the tiny living room.
“The loveseat could go right here, you know. TV on the wall. I’d make dinner as Caroline did her homework.Homework,Denver. She’s in kindergarten and has assignments already! How is she growing up so fast?”
“Kids do that, you know.”
“Yeah.” Sophie let her gaze travel around the light-gray walls, slowly letting go of the hope that this rental could be their home, even for a year. She wanted so badly to make it work, but how? “Let’s go.”
The five miles Sophie had run earlier today didn’t seem enough anymore.Stupid tapering. She wanted five more. However many miles it took to outrun these dooming feelings.
“Thanks again, Jolene,” Sophie said once they were outside, pulling the realtor from her phone. Sometimes Sophie wondered how her life might be different if she’d finished college. Or if she’d gotten a real job while married to Blake. She had no real-world experience outside of a couple waitressing jobs in college. Cleaning lodge rooms and keeping up with the laundry was good, honest work, but it wasn’t fulfilling.Will I ever feel fulfilled?
“You just let me know what you decide on this house. Probably best to give me an answer by end of day tomorrow if you can manage. Day after at the latest. I won’t be able to stall off any other interest beyond that.”
“Thank you. I will.”
Sophie followed Denver to his truck, contemplating whether she would enjoy being a realtor. It was a fleeting, random thought, as many were these days. It took very little to entirely dismiss the idea. Sunset Ridge could only support one successful realtor, and Sophie wasn’t about to move anywhere else. This was home.
