My brows furrow as I gaze over to him and Sophie, who, from their tense body language, seem to be arguing.
“I just… I can’t hold it in anymore,” Sophie responds.
“Hold in what?”
The table goes silent. I don’t think Sophie meant us to overhear. All of us were engrossed in our own conversations. Now, every eye is turned towards her and Will, the weight of expectation palpable.
“Well, I guess you can go for it, now,” Will says, one corner of his lips turning up as he gives Sophie a sideways glance.
Sophie takes a deep breath, presses her palms to the table, and sweeps her gaze over each of us. “We’re, uh… we’re retiring.”
A collective gasp rips out of the room.
“Retiring?” Avery asks, eyes wide. “So, selling the business?”
That’s what she has to mean. Eight years ago, Will quit his consulting job to join Sophie at her party planning business full-time. To say that it’s been thriving over the last decade is an understatement.
“Yup,” Sophie says, looking down towards her lap.
“But that’s great news!” Tania exclaims. “Isn’t it? You’ve been wanting to spend more time with the kids, no?”
“We’re leaving Montréal.”
This time, no gasps echo through the room. Only shocked silence.
Sophie meets my gaze. “We’ve been talking about doing this for a long time. And the whole family agrees. Even Gwen. We’re going to take some time to travel as a family.”
I don’t know what shocks me more—the fact that I won’t see my sister in law for who knows how long, or the fact that Gwen, who has a single year of high school left, agrees to leave her friends behind right before graduation.
“That’s… amazing, guys,” Karan says to break the long, awkward silence.
“It really is,” I add, though all I can think is,My boys are gone, and now so are my brother and my best friend.
“But… wait just a minute.”
My gaze flits between Sophie and Océane.
“Where will you go?” I ask my sister, my throat threatening to clog up.
Océane beams. “Sammie asked me to move in with her.”
“Oh.”
I’m flushed with conflicting emotions. Sammie is a wonderful woman, and yes, they’ve been together for nearly five years. I’ve known her for much longer; she’s about to celebrate her ten-year anniversary working at Karan’s studio.
But I can’t help but wonder if she can take care of my sister in the way she needs.
“Don’t doubt our sister like that,” Will chides me. “I, for one, am proud of her.”
I look at Océane, her cheeks flushed, her smile big. And I realize Will is right. She’s come a long way in dealing with her trauma. Yes, her fibromyalgia will always be a part of her, but her mental health is miles from where it once was. Under all accounts, she’s thriving.
There’s no reason she can’t thrive with the person who seems to be the love of her life.
“You guys are going to love it,” Avery says, her voice breaking as she fights back the flood of tears threatening to spill forth. “Traveling like that was the best experience Logan and I ever went through.”
“I’m going to miss the fuck out of all of you,” Sophie continues, now also on the verge of tears.
“Me too,” Tania adds.
