“You didn’t say anything about my outfit,” Lily said, sticking out her lip. “I got dressed all by myself.” She jumped down from the bed and did a few twirls.
“You sure did,” Sophia said, her lips twitching as she checked out the plaid leggings, pink dress, and red button-down sweater decorated with hearts. As mismatched as the outfit was, Lily still looked adorable. And Sophia was a big believer in not stifling her child’s creativity.
“You look fabulous!” she said, bending at the waist to place a kiss on Lily’s temple. With her mocha-colored skin and big brown eyes, she was Sophia’s mini me. She couldn’t love this child more than she already did. Donny may have been a bust, but he’d given her the greatest blessing in Lily.
“Thank you, Mommy. I can’t wait till G-pop sees this fit,” she said, grinning from ear to ear. “Maybe we can bring him some pancakes.”
“Oh, I think he’ll already have eaten breakfast by the time we get there. He invited us for lunch, and you know how he likes to cook.” Her father was self-taught, and now that he was semiretired, he enjoyed cooking up a storm in his newly renovated kitchen. Sophia couldn’t bring her dad anything that he couldn’t whip up on his own ten times better.
Sophia headed to the kitchen with Lily at her heels. Her daughter was such a morning person, full of sunshine and smiles. Try as she might, Sophia couldn’t make herself enjoy mornings.
“Can I watchBlueywhile you make the pancakes?” Lily asked.
“Sure thing,” Sophia said, heading toward the playroom and turning on her daughter’s favorite show. Lily didn’t watch a lot of television, but she was aBlueyfanatic at the moment.
Once she’d set Lily up, Sophia headed toward the kitchenand began to assemble her ingredients for pancake making. Despite her best efforts to focus on the here and now, thoughts of last night wouldn’t leave her alone. Caleb’s gorgeous face kept popping into her mind. Dimples. Check. Russet-colored skin. Check. Six feet tall. Check. This man literally checked off all the boxes.
As much as Sophia had been ecstatic about being rescued from the confines of Hattie’s attic, she hated the fact that his brothers seemed to think she and Caleb were involved in some hanky-panky. Yes, Caleb was half dressed when they were discovered, but he’d also been covered in red, angry bug bites. Sophia didn’t want any assumptions being made about her due to Caleb’s past indiscretions. She supposed the Stone brothers’ suspicions made sense considering Caleb’s history of being a player, but it was still annoying to be dragged into the situation. She remembered Caleb acknowledging having a messy past in his video diary onLove Him or Leave Him. With his killer smile and gorgeous dimples, he’d looked straight into the camera and said, “Don’t hold my past against me. I’m a player by nature, but willing to be reformed by the love of a good woman.”
Sophia let out a snort. Caleb had been full of crap. It had been a tagline to gain the public’s attention, as well as Gillian’s, the star of the show. His shtick had worked perfectly for him, as well as his good looks, earning him a place in the finals.
Now that she had been up close and personal with Caleb, she could see how he used his charisma to win people over. If she had been trapped with him in the attic any longer, she might be singing his praises right now. He had that type of over-the-top magnetism! No wonder he’d sought out the limelight. It totally made sense.
Sophia hadn’t been interested in anyone in almost fouryears. What were the odds that Caleb Stone would come along and make her pulse race? He had a certain swagger that money couldn’t buy. He was the sort of man who walked through life effortlessly. Caleb led with confidence.
Stop thinking about him. Focus on something else, like feeding Lily.
Once she’d finished making breakfast, Sophia sat across from Lily at the butcher-block kitchen table, eating pumpkin pancakes in the shape of Minnie Mouse ears, scrambled eggs, and sausage. Afterward, she placed their dirty plates and utensils in the dishwasher, then headed upstairs to take a quick shower and get dressed. Forty minutes later they were in the car and on their way to her dad’s place.
While she was in the shower, she had been hit with the realization that she’d left the Leica camera in Hattie’s attic. With all the commotion related to their rescue, Sophia had completely forgotten to grab it. She would have to head over to Hattie’s place at some point to reclaim it. After all she’d gone through to get it, she didn’t want to let it slip through her fingers. And as Caleb had pointed out, Hattie wanted to pass the camera on to her. Knowing that such a dynamic woman as Hattie Stone valued her meant the world to Sophia.
Sophia loved antiques, especially cameras. It brought her back to her childhood and discovering her love of photography through her father’s eyes. He had been the owner of a vintage shop called Remember When here in Moose Falls. Sophia had loved to putter around the shop while her dad was working. Right before her freshman year in college he’d sold the place. Sophia had always wondered if he’d done so to pay her tuition bills. She had once asked him, years later, and his response had been cryptic. There wasn’t a single doubt in her mind that she would also make huge sacrifices for her own daughter.
Lily ran ahead of her once they had arrived at her dad’s home and parked. Her daughter didn’t bother knocking or ringing the doorbell. She simply turned the knob and pushed her way in, beckoning to Sophia to hurry up.
“Hey there, Daddio. What’s cooking?” Sophia asked as she followed the aroma emanating from Skip Brand’s kitchen. As usual, her father was standing by the stove stirring a pot of something that smelled heavenly. She sniffed the air, immediately recognizing his world-famous chili.
“G-pop,” Lily cried out as soon as she spotted her grandfather.
Skip opened up his arms and bent down to embrace his granddaughter. Sophia loved the joyful expression etched on her father’s face as he rained kisses down on Lily. As close as she had always been to her father, his relationship with Lily was like no other. Her daughter needed a strong man in her life, since Donny wasn’t much of a father. He barely saw his daughter and couldn’t be bothered to even remember her birthday. Sophia had swallowed her bitterness against her ex in an effort to make the relationship between father and daughter easier, but so far it hadn’t worked. Ever since Caleb had talked about the absence of his own father during his formative years, Sophia hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the damage the situation was inflicting on Lily.
Just the thought of Lily bearing the weight of Donny’s neglect caused a hitch in the region of her heart. With her lovely brown complexion and light brown eyes, Lily was a beautiful child, inside and out. According to most people, she was Sophia’s mini me, which served as a blessed relief. She knew it was a petty feeling, but she was thankful Lily didn’t resemble Donny.
“The two of you are a sight for sore eyes,” Skip said, turning toward Sophia and pulling her in for one of his famoushugs. Just being held in his arms made Sophia feel like a little girl again.
“Right back atcha,” Sophia said. Being able to see her dad on a regular basis was good for the soul. It was also important for Lily to spend time with a male role model who adored her. Skip thought the sun rose and set on his granddaughter.
“How was the shindig at Hattie’s house?” her father asked as he handed a juice box to Lily, who scampered off toward the playroom and the three-story dollhouse G-pop had handcrafted for her.
“It was… interesting,” Sophia said, making a face.
“Well, that’s a loaded comment. How so?” he asked. Sophia loved how her father soaked up all the details of her life. He wasn’t just asking either. Skip truly wanted to know all the goings-on in her world. And she enjoyed having a father she could confide in. When the storms of life came, he was always there in her corner.
She quickly filled him in on getting stuck in the attic with Caleb.
Her father winced when she got to the part about the insect bites. “Carpenter ants? Oh, those can be painful. I’ve endured quite a few over the years.”
“He was a good sport about it, especially since his brothers thought it was hilarious.” She made a tutting sound. “I felt bad for him.”
