And here it was. Landon was emotional about what was going on with Hattie. No matter how much they tried to carry on as if nothing was catastrophically wrong, there was this huge shadow hanging over them. How were they supposed to make such a monumental decision about Yukon Cider, knowing what their grandmother truly wanted them to choose? For a moment he envied Xavier. Having True as his future wife gave him more of a reason to stay in Moose Falls and run the company. But, as they knew, their decision had to be unanimous. As brothers they all needed to be on the same page regarding the decision so there weren’t fractures in their relationships.
“No one or nothing.” It was what Daisy had always told them since they were small. No one or nothing could get in the way of what the three Stone brothers had.
“Point taken,” Caleb said, putting his hand on Landon’s back. Sometimes he forgot how his brother was—loyal to a fault. He would have reacted the same way if he’d thought someone was disrespecting him or Xavier. And that was just one of the many reasons to adore Landon.
“We need to keep talking about our decision and keep the lines of communication open,” Xavier said. “It’s the only way we’re going to make it through this and come to an amicable decision that we can all live with.”
“Agreed,” Caleb said, knowing that with each passing day they were coming closer to having to make a decision. And it wasn’t going to be easy, much like today’s tension-filled lunch. There would be strain and disagreements and discord, but eventually they would be in accord. They had to be. Brothers Stone above all else. All for one and one for all.
There were a lot of things Caleb didn’t have figured out, but he knew one thing for certain. No one would have laughed harder than Hattie if she’d heard Landon referencing her as a ghost coming from the beyond to haunt them. That was the type of woman she was. His grandmother was always able to see the humor in situations, and he loved her for that more than words could express.
In Sophia’s experience, when it rained it turned into a tsunami. A flat tire on her way to Yukon Cider had resulted in her sitting in a cold car while waiting for emergency roadside service. While rushing inside the Yukon Cider building, she had missed a step and fallen, landing on her butt. Now, she had just gotten off the phone with Lily’s sitter, Yolanda, who had suddenly taken ill. From the sound of it, she was suffering from the flu, which meant Sophia didn’t havecoverage for her photo shoot tomorrow with Malina Blackrock in Anchorage. Thankfully, her dad was able to go to her house today and relieve Yolanda, but tomorrow he was going to be out of town on a trip with friends. It wasn’t as if she could bring a four-year-old with her on a professional photo shoot. And it wasn’t likely that Yolanda was going to recover from the flu overnight.
She was wracking her brain and coming up empty. Despite her issues with Donny, she would ask him in a heartbeat, but his schedule as an EMT didn’t permit him to take time off at the last minute. There was literally no point in asking.
It was massive bad luck that this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was falling apart right before her eyes. Nothing was more important in her life than Lily, but yet and still, she wanted this opportunity to come to fruition. Who knew when another chance like this one would come along?
A knock at her studio door dragged her from her thoughts. She definitely needed a distraction from her current situation. Sophia was starting to feel sorry for herself, and years ago she’d made a vow never to get stuck on the pity train. It never led anywhere good.
“Come in,” she called out, her stomach doing flip-flops at the sight of Caleb in the doorway. This was the perfect pick-me-up. Just seeing him made her feel better.
“I hope this isn’t a bad time to stop by,” he said, dimples on full display.
Sophia sat up straighter in her chair. “Of course not. It’s nice to see you.” Even though her brain was telling her to play it cool, another part of her wanted Caleb to know she appreciated this impromptu visit. It was hard not to feel excited when he was in her orbit, even in the midst of a bad luck day.
“I come bearing gifts,” he said, advancing toward herdesk and holding out a small brown paper bag. She felt a little jolt as his fingers brushed against hers.
“Something smells good,” Sophia said as she opened the bag. A big fat chocolate chip cookie sat inside. “Oh, my goodness. How did you know these are my favorite?”
“Aren’t they everyone’s?” he asked, smiling.
“If they’re not, they should be,” she said, pulling out the cookie and splitting it evenly in half. “Here you go. Halfsies.”
“I bought the cookie for you. Sharing isn’t necessary,” he said, taking a seat in a chair by her desk.
“I’m about to take a gigantic bite out of this, and I don’t want to eat alone.” She pushed his half of the cookie toward him.
“If you insist,” Caleb said. He immediately took a bite and let out a satisfied sound. “Almost as good as my mom makes.”
Sophia bit into her half and sighed. “This cookie is good enough to almost make me forget this dumpster fire of a morning.”
Caleb frowned. “You look a bit stressed. What’s going on?” he asked, leaning forward in his chair.
She let out a ragged sigh. Although a part of her didn’t want to unload her problems on Caleb, another part of her yearned for listening ears. “My shoot with Malina isn’t going to work out the way I planned,” Sophia told Caleb, doing her best to sound unbothered about the situation. It was actually one of the most devastating career disappointments she had ever faced. There was nothing she could do about it, but being this close to a huge career opportunity only to have it slip through her fingers was heartbreaking.
“Why not? Malina didn’t back out on you, did she?” The fierce expression etched on Caleb’s face was endearing. He looked as if he was ready to wage war on her behalf.
“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s Lily. I don’t have anyone to watch her tomorrow. My sitter suddenly took sick,” she explained. “And my dad is going on his annual fishing trip on Kachemak Bay with his buddies. I know he’d cancel if I asked, but I can’t do that. He’s looked forward to this trip all year.”
“How about Patience? Can she swing it?” Caleb asked, his brow furrowed.
“She’s out of town herself on assignment.” Patience traveled where the stories took her. This week she was in Nome writing a piece on the Iditarod Race.
Caleb shook his head. “There’s got to be a way.”
Frustration flooded her. Opportunities like this one were rare. Being asked to photograph a famous Alaskan singer was an honor and a privilege. She couldn’t imagine being asked again if she canceled at the last minute.
She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from screaming. Life wasn’t always fair. And even though she was eager to boost her career, Lily always came first.
