Falmouth Echoes (A Cape Cod Series Book 2)

Chapter 9

“Grandma, please.” Sophia leaned back and patted her stomach. “You need to stop feeding me so much. I feel like I gain weight every time I come over.”

Grandma Jen waved her comment away. “Don’t be silly, dear. You’re as thin as a broom. Haven’t you been eating well?”

With that, Grandma Jen rose from her armchair and made a beeline for the kitchen. She was muttering to herself the entire time. Sophia twisted to face her, taking in her grandma’s slow movements and the thinning gray hair. When she looked over at her Grandpa Frank, he was flipping through the newspaper and nodding to himself.

As soon as he felt Sophia’s gaze on him, he glanced up and lowered the newspaper. Then he pushed the spectacles up on his weathered face and leaned forward in his chair. He reached between them, took Sophia’s hand in his, and squeezed.

“She’s right, sweetheart. You do look a little too starved. They not letting you eat at work, or what’s happening?”

“I’ve just had a lot on my mind,” Sophia replied, pausing to give her grandpa’s frail hands a firm squeeze. “But I don’t want you guys to worry about me. I’m fine. How’s your project going?”

“Horribly,” Grandma Jen replied from her spot in the kitchen. “He’s taking up too much space in the garage.”

“We’re not using the garage,” Grandpa Frank reminded her with a shake of his head. “Besides, we’re supposed to be enjoying retirement.”

Grandma Jen muttered something unflattering under her breath.

Grandpa Frank slapped his knee and chuckled. When Grandma Jen reappeared, carrying a tray with a large pitcher of lemonade and homemade cookies, Sophia jumped to her feet and took it from her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Grandpa Frank give Grandma Jen’s butt an affectionate squeeze. She swatted his hand away and gave him a withering look.

Sophia poured them all some lemonade and reached for one of the oatmeal cookies. “How about you, Grandma? What exciting projects are you working on?”

Grandma Jen sat down on the couch next to her husband and absentmindedly patted his arm. “Oh, this and that, dear. Nothing particular.”

“She’s got quite the eye for pottery. It’s why she wants the garage for herself,” Grandpa Frank whispered with a quick wink. “It’s supposed to be a surprise, though.”

Sophia pretended to zip up her lips and throw away the key.

As soon as she sat down to enjoy her lemonade, the doorbell rang. Sophia set her glass down, stood up, and opened the door, revealing all of her cousins. Tammy and Luke came in first, waving as they spoke on their phones. Jonathan and Suzie were arguing about something as they left their shoes by the door, pausing only to call out to their grandparents before continuing.

Emily, Jeff, and Tara trailed in last, carrying plastic bags of food and water. Suddenly, her grandparent’s house was filled with laughter and conversation. Then snacks were being set out on plates and drinks were being passed around. Sophia found herself leaning against the kitchen counter and talking to everyone all at once.

A few of them ruffled her hair on their way past.

Jonathan, Luke, and Jeff carried an ice box out to the backyard and set up the grill. Grandpa Frank joined them, a big smile etched onto his face. Sophia saw them set the burgers and hot dogs down, and her mouth watered in anticipation.

Emily, Tara, and Tammy lined up on the other side of the kitchen counter and began to chop up vegetables. Sophia stepped into the kitchen and rummaged around for a salad bowl, pausing to push herself up onto the tips of her toes. Once her fingers closed around the bowl, she set it down on the counter and squeezed herself in between her cousins.

Suzie handed her a tomato, her brows furrowing together. “Hey, Cous, what’s this I hear about Nora retiring. Is it true?”

Sophia nodded. “Yeah, she said her kids convinced her to retire. I guess she wants to spend more time with them.”

“That makes sense.” Tammy pulled out another bowl and was rummaging through the fridge for more vegetables. “But I heard Valerie is going to be the one to take over.”

Sophia cleared her throat. “Yeah, that’s also true. I think she chose well. Valerie has been there for a while, and she’s got a lot of ideas for the place.”

Tara snorted. “Okay, no offense, but that’s crazy. Valerie is going to ruin everything we love about Nora’s Delights. You can’t let her be the one to take over.”

“I don’t get a say in this,” Sophia said without looking up. “It’s Nora’s decision.”

Tara draped an arm over Sophia’s shoulders and squeezed. “We all know you’d be a better fit than she is. Why don’t you throw your hat in the ring and give it a shot?”

Sophia shrugged Tara’s arm off and drifted over to the sink. “I appreciate what you guys are trying to do, but I don’t think I’d be a good fit for Nora’s Delights. Besides, I’m not manager material.”

And she didn’t need reminding of all the ways Valerie was going to thrive as the next manager of Nora’s Delights.

Some people, like Sophia, just weren’t meant to reach for the stars and succeed.

While they prepared the rest of the food, her cousins talked about anything and everything they could think of while Sophia half-listened, not knowing what to contribute to the conversation. All she could think about was the fact that everyone knew about the bakery now.

Did they think less of her for bowing out? Or were they all just trying to help?

Since the Wilsons were known for being fierce go-getters who rarely let anything get in their way, she wasn’t sure for certain. All she knew was that she hadn’t even tried to fight for something she could be good at, and she wasn’t at peace with it like she’d been trying to convince herself.

By the time the men called out to them and began to bring in the food, Sophia was more conflicted and confused than ever, even with the arrival of her aunts and her Uncle Frankie.

Stu trailed after them, with Teddy in tow, looking very pleased with himself after a day at the groomers and smelling like freshly cut flowers. As soon as they spotted him, everyone fawned all over the dog, who lapped up the attention and wagged his tail incessantly. Then, they were all gathering around the dining table and spilling out into the living room and back porch. It wasn’t long before the food was being passed around, and Sophia found herself wedged between her uncle and Aunt Ashley.

In silence, she piled a plate with food and crept outside, Teddy following close behind. She sat down on the swing, crossed her ankles together, and peered into the night. Through the open glass door, she spotted everyone else talking and laughing together.

With a sigh, she tore off a piece of chicken and gave it to Teddy.

He swallowed it in one gulp and curled up at her feet.

“There you are.” Grandma Jen materialized, a small smile hovering on the edge of her lips and a plate of food in her hands. “I had a feeling I’d find you out here.”

“The food looks delicious, Grandma,” Sophia told her, pausing to scooch closer to the edge. Grandma Jen sat down next to her, skirt fanning out on either side of her. “You didn’t have to go through all of this trouble.”

“It’s no trouble. I like having you all here.” Grandma Jen tilted her head to the side and fixed her gaze on Sophia, her dark eyes growing softer. “What’s on your mind, sweetheart? It felt like you wanted to talk about something earlier before everyone else arrived.”

Sophia sighed. “Nothing in particular.”

Aunt Ashley appeared, her arm linked through Aunt Heather’s, the two of them sporting identical tans and bright smiles. Together, they paused to pull out a few of the lawn chairs before sitting down. Then they set their plastic plates down, and Sophia found herself at the center of their attention.

Even when she was little, there had never been a doubt in her mind that her family loved her. They’d never once made her feel like she wasn’t a Wilson.

Even without her mother tying them to her, the Wilsons hadn’t cared nor been fazed by her and Ian’s existence. If anything, they’d gone out of their way to include them and Stu in everything, leaving Sophia with a lot of warm and happy childhood memories.

Yet, a part of her had always wondered how it would’ve been to have her mom around. Would they have been less involved in her life since there wouldn’t have been a need? Or would they have been just as involved regardless?

She knew the Wilsons were a tight-knit group who liked to be involved in each other’s lives, but she sometimes wondered if it was too much.

This was one of those times.

Whenever she was the center of her attention, tight knots formed in the center of her stomach, and she had the distinct urge to run and hide, like she used to do when she was little, and everything was too overwhelming.

She hadn’t changed much since then—only learned how to hide it better.

“You know, when I first told Ed that I wanted to retire, he laughed in my face. He was convinced I wouldn’t be able to handle having a quiet life away from the hustle and bustle of the hospital,” Aunt Heather told her, pausing to swat at an errant lock of silver hair. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure I could handle it, either. I’d gotten a little too used to the comfort and familiarity of the hospital. The first few weeks of retirement were really hard.”

Sophia placed her plate in her lap and glanced up at her. “So, what happened?”

“I learned to adapt,” Aunt Heather replied with a meaningful glance. “It’s not always easy, but nothing ever stays the same. And change can be a good thing.”

Aunt Ashley popped a piece of bread into her mouth. “Absolutely. I couldn’t have imagined myself going from being a stay-at-home to volunteering in town and taking part in bake sales and stuff. It was terrifying, and I thought I was going to fall flat on my face.”

Sophia glanced between the two of them and said nothing.

“What they’re trying to say, not so subtly, I might add, is that it’s okay to be afraid of change, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.” Grandma Jen draped an arm over Sophia’s shoulders and squeezed. “I know that life hasn’t turned out the way you thought it would, but it doesn’t mean it can’t still be good.”

“You guys are talking about the bakery, aren’t you?”

“We’re talking in general,” Aunt Ashley told her with a smile. “Honey, you’ve got so much potential, and you still have so much left to give. It would be a shame to let it go to waste.”

“And it’s okay to be afraid to try again,” Aunt Heather added with a quick look in her sister’s direction. “Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?”

Grandma Jen sat up straighter. “It’s better to try and fail than not try at all.”

Sophia looked down at her plate and made a low noise in the back of her throat. “I guess you guys are right.”

“Even if you don’t think so, we’ll bring it up during the Labor Day gathering, too,” Aunt Heather teased, throwing a quick wink in Sophia’s direction. “You’ll soon be sick of us mentioning it.”

Sophia chuckled. “Actually, I appreciate all of the pushing.”

Because she needed it.

And throwing her hat in the ring didn’t mean Nora was going to change her mind about Valerie. It did, at least, mean a step in the right direction for Sophia, who’d been dragging her feet, afraid to commit to anything for the past two years.

For the first time in a long time, the thought of doing something different didn’t scare her.

If anything, Sophia welcomed it.