His eyes widened. “I can’t believe you’re feeling sorry for him. Wasn’t he the one on your favorite reality show? The guy you loved to hate?”
She folded her arms across her chest. “Hate is a very strong word. Let’s just say I disliked him intensely. He was pretty awful.”
He frowned. “Really? I kind of felt bad for the guy. Hewas caught between a rock and a hard place. I only watched a few episodes with you, but he seemed genuine.”
Sophia let out a groan. “You’re such a softie. He was a walking red flag.”
Pop stirred his chili. “And now? Is he growing on you?”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but he’s not on my awful human list.” She was reluctant to admit it out loud, but Caleb wasn’t anything like she’d imagined him to be. He had been a reassuring and comforting presence in the attic. She knew that her own experiences with Donny had left her jaded, so a part of her wondered if she had been biased against him.
“Well, Hattie seems to be over the moon about those boys being back home, so that’s a good thing. She deserves some happiness after everything she’s done for Moose Falls.” He took a spoonful of chili and blew on it before turning toward Sophia and offering her a taste.
“Don’t mind if I do,” Sophia said, taking the spoon from her father and putting it in her mouth. She closed her eyes and let out a satisfied sound as the spicy flavors hit her tongue.
“What do you think?” Skip asked, his gaze narrowed as he carefully watched her reaction.
“I think it’s amazing,” Sophia gushed. She handed the spoon back to him. “I can’t wait for lunch, and that’s saying something, since we had a big breakfast.”
Her father grinned. “That’s what I like to hear.” A timer rang out from the direction of the stove. “There goes my cornbread. I need to check it real quick.” As always, he became a whirlwind in the kitchen, turning down the heat on the chili before opening up the stove and peering in to check on the cornbread. “Perfect,” he said, reaching for oven mitts and pulling out a beautifully cooked sheet of cornbread. Sophia’s stomach grumbled at the delightful aroma circulating around the kitchen.
Her cell phone began to ring with the ringtone of her favorite Beyoncé song, “Halo.” Although she wasn’t inclined to answer her phone during family time, a quick glance at the screen showed that Hattie was on the other end of the line. She only called Sophia for important matters such as last night’s gig. She wasn’t about to ignore the call.
“I’ve got to take this,” she told her father before reaching for her phone and answering the call.
“Good afternoon, Sophia. It’s Hattie.” The older woman’s voice sounded a lot less robust these days, although she would know Hattie’s voice anywhere. It still rang out with distinction.
“Hey, Hattie. How’s it going?” Sophia asked. “You threw a wonderful party last night. I so appreciate you hiring me to capture the event.”
“Thank you. I’m very regretful about you getting trapped in my attic. Those hinges must be a little rusty.”
“No worries. I made it through in one piece,” Sophia reassured her. At this point in Hattie’s life she didn’t need to feel guilty about a single thing.
“I hope my grandson kept you entertained.” Sophia wasn’t certain, but she thought Hattie’s tone sounded a bit mischievous. “Caleb is quite the rascal.”
“Well, he was calm and cool under pressure while we were stuck up there. I’ll give him that,” Sophia said, as memories of him talking her through the panicky feelings washed over her. He had really grounded her so that she wasn’t freaking out about being confined in a small space.
“Sophia, the reason I’m calling you is because I’d like to offer you a full-time position at Yukon Cider. We have a lot of new campaigns starting, and I really enjoy your photography work. I would love to have you on board to help us capture the essence of the brand and boost our social mediareach. Perhaps we can meet up this week and discuss the particulars if you’re interested.”
Was she interested?Sophia felt like doing a cartwheel in celebration of Hattie’s offer. Honestly, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Her financial situation was dicey at the moment due to limited work hours, paying a mortgage, and a lack of child support from Donny. Working for an established company like Yukon Cider would be a dream come true.
“That would be fantastic,” she replied, practically sputtering out the words. Pure adrenaline was racing through her veins. Her head was spinning at the possibilities. If this worked out, being employed by Hattie could help her out financially and creatively. There was so much she could learn by working at Yukon Cider.
“How does Wednesday sound? We can meet in my office,” Hattie suggested.
“Wednesday is perfect. I so appreciate the opportunity,” Sophia said, her stomach doing flip-flops. She certainly didn’t want to get ahead of herself, but this sounded promising.
“Your work is impeccable, so it’s well deserved, Sophia. See you soon,” Hattie answered.
“Thanks again, Hattie.” Sophia ended the call and clutched her phone against her midsection. She turned back toward her father, feeling a bit breathless. If everything went smoothly, she would be working for Hattie Stone, the grande dame of Moose Falls. Sophia had always held Hattie in high esteem. Even as a little girl she had looked at her as if she was the queen of a kingdom.
Her father was regarding her with a quizzical expression. “What was that about? It sounded important.”
She could feel her smile stretching from ear to ear and threatening to crack her face wide open. “That was Hattie,”she said, sounding as breathless as she felt. “She’s offered me a position at Yukon Cider. I’m going to meet with her this week to go over things.”
Skip let out a loud whooping noise. “Way to go, Sophia. You must have really impressed her last night. This is great news. I know you’ve been waiting for something to change with your career, and this could be it.”
Lily came running into the kitchen. Her eyes were as wide as saucers in her little face. “What happened? I heard you shout.”
