Chapter 16
“Yeah, I know, I know.” Sophia downed the rest of her drink and stood at the sink. After washing the mug, she twisted to face Teddy, who was sitting underneath the counter, his tail wagging incessantly. “Stop looking at me like that. You already had breakfast.”
Teddy made a low whining sound.
She wagged a finger at him. “No, stop giving me those big, cute eyes. That’s how dogs gain weight and have health issues. We’re not going to do that.”
Teddy blew out a breath and gave her another look.
With a sigh, Sophia brushed past him and into the living room. She pulled the curtain aside, saw Stu holding the hose and watering the bushes, and smiled. For a while, she watched her dad, completely in his element outside, talking to himself as he tended to the lush green backyard. When Teddy pushed his snout against her palm, she let the curtain fall back into place. Then she hurried over to her apartment, changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, and grabbed some of Teddy’s toys.
Outside, there were a few clouds gathering on the horizon and a slight nip in the air. She climbed down the stairs, with Teddy close on her heels, and paused at the bottom. Once she sat down and drew her knees up to her chest, Stu spun around to face her with a smile, his weathered face free of some of the shadows and tightness that had plagued him over the past few weeks.
His eyes were lighter, and his smile was bright, like he was radiating joy and peace from within.
She liked seeing him like this.
Teddy pressed his nose to the ground and circled the backyard, pausing to glare at the fence encircling the area, high enough to offer them privacy without compromising on the view of the sparkling water in the distance. Then he darted off in the other direction, chasing after a bird that flew a little too close to the ground. Sophia and Stu watched until Teddy gained momentum and ran right into the fence.
All at once, they both burst into laughter.
Teddy shook himself off and wandered over to where Stu stood. He tilted his head in her father’s direction and wagged his tail. Stu gave him a firm pat with one hand and kept his grip on the hose with the other. Once Teddy took off again, Stu walked over to the faucet and switched off the hose.
“Did you know that the sunflower isn’t just one flower?”
Sophia stretched her legs out in front and placed her arms on either side of her. “I think you mentioned this before. Something about how the fuzzy brown part has close to one thousand individual flowers?”
Stu nodded and wiped his hands on the back of his khakis. “Sometimes, two thousand, and each of those will produce sunflower seeds.”
“I love that you spout off facts like that off the top of your head,” Sophia told him with a smile. “I’m always learning things.”
“Did you know that the fastest-growing woody plant in the world is bamboo? It can grow about eighty-eight centimeters in a single day.”
Sophia let out a low whistle. “That’s impressive.”
Over the next few minutes, Stu gave her a few more facts until he caught Teddy pawing at the ground underneath one of the bushes. With a frown, Stu waved the dog away and wagged a finger at him.
“Here’s another fact for you: If Teddy ruins my garden, he’s going to be the one to replant everything.”
Sophia burst into laughter. “Yeah, I’d love to see you try and make that happen, Dad, when he doesn’t even have opposable thumbs.”
Stu stood up straighter and spun around to face her. “You making fun of your old man?”
Sophia pressed her lips together. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Stu crossed the distance between them and sat down on the last step next to her. He turned his face away and fixed his gaze on an unmarked spot on the horizon. “You know, your mom used to make fun of me, too.”
Sophia swallowed. “Yeah?”
Stu nodded, a shadow settling over his face. “I know I don’t like to talk much about her, but you deserve to know everything.”
“Maybe not everything,” Sophia teased, pausing to drape an arm over her father’s shoulders. “Just, you know, small things. You never told me how the two of you met.”
“We reached for the same set of pajamas.”
Sophia chuckled. “Really?”
Stu shook his head and swung his gaze back to hers, his bright eyes shining with tears. “No, we were fighting over the last can of tuna. I remember thinking that I really didn’t want it that badly, but I didn’t want to stop talking to her, either.”
“So, who got the can of tuna in the end?”
Stu’s lips lifted into a half smile. “Your mother did, of course. Even after only knowing her for a few minutes, I would’ve given her anything she asked for, including the shirt off my back.”
Sophia brought her head to rest against her father’s shoulders. “You’re so corny, Dad. I can’t believe Mom found that charming.”
“It got her to marry me, didn’t it?”
Sophia smiled. “Yeah, I still can’t believe you asked her to marry you after only knowing her for a few months.”
Stu shrugged. “When you know you’ve met the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you don’t waste any kind of time. Besides, I couldn’t wait to start a family with her, either. The day she told me she was pregnant, I think I was more emotional about it than she was.”
“I didn’t know that,” Sophia murmured, pausing to give his shoulders a light squeeze. “You know that it’s okay to talk about her, right?”
Stu exhaled, his shoulders deflating. “I know it is, and I like how talking about her makes it feel like she’s still here, but sweetheart…it’s not about wanting to talk about her. Sometimes, it feels like I can’t.”
Sophia drew back and studied his profile. “Do you think it’ll ever get easier for you to talk about her?”
Stu tilted his head in her direction. “I don’t know. Sometimes, I think it will, and some days, I know it won’t. It really depends on how I’m feeling at the moment, but I don’t want you to feel like you can’t talk to me about her. Even though I only had two years with your mom, I know I’m never going to forget her. She was the love of my life.”
And Sophia could hear it in his voice and see it on his face that her father had no intention of ever finding someone else. Considering how well and deeply he loved Kelly, she shouldn’t have been surprised, but she often found herself wondering if it was for the best. Her father had, after all, only been with Kelly for two years, and she’d been gone for over forty years, yet her father was still as in love with her now as he was back then.
As far as Sophia was concerned, it was bittersweet. But she couldn’t deny that a part of her was relieved he’d never decided to move on, if only because it kept the memory of her mother alive and untainted.
With a sigh, Sophia stood and stretched her arms over her head. Teddy hurried over, sniffed her hand, and snorted.
“I know how much you loved her, Dad, and how difficult it was to lose her, so I don’t want to push,” Sophia told him in a low voice. “Whenever you feel like you can talk about her, I’ll be right here.”
Stu nodded and rubbed his eyes.
In silence, he stood and disappeared inside. Sophia stayed outside with Teddy until a strong gust of wind blew past, and Teddy began to bark and spin around in circles. As soon as she pushed the back door open, Teddy raced past her and into her father’s room, where the door was propped open.
She heard Stu tell Teddy off with a smile in his voice.
Sophia spent the rest of the day in her apartment with the yoga mat rolled out in the middle of the living room and the latest DIY project playing on her screen. In the afternoon, she went to check on her dad, only to find the house empty. She slunk back into her own apartment, made herself a sandwich, and ate it by the window, watching through a slit in the curtain as people passed each other on the sidewalk.
In the evening, she had her legs tucked underneath her and was doing some deep breathing exercises when Stu came in. He took his arms out from behind his back to reveal a hand-carved, wooden jewelry box with a ballerina in the center. Wordlessly, he set it down on the kitchen counter and took a few steps back.
“I forgot that this existed,” Stu began, his hands fluttering to his sides. “Your mom had me make this for you, and I had no idea that she kept it in the back of the closet until now.”
Sophia untucked her legs and rose to her feet. “It’s beautiful, Dad.”
Stu nodded. “I think so, too. It’s got more of your mom’s jewelry in there. I thought maybe you and Lily could go through it together and see what you want to keep or give away.”
Sophia frowned and bridged the distance between them. “Dad, we don’t have to do any of this right now. There’s still time.”
Stu shook his head. “It’s been over forty years. It’s never going to be a good time to go through her stuff, but I think it’s time to start.”
Sophia’s heart stopped and sputtered. “Dad, I—”
“I’ll call Ian later, and we can set it up, so Lily is here, too,” Stu continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “I can’t delay it any longer.”
Sophia’s throat turned dry.
She opened and closed her mouth several times, but no words came. Eventually, her dad left the apartment after giving her a sad smile and pausing to pat Teddy. As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, Sophia exhaled, and her eyes darted around the room, wild and unfocused. Before she knew what she was doing, she’d changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Then she clipped Teddy’s leash and left through the back door, a cold breeze slapping her across the face.
She took off at a brisque pace in the direction of the pier.
Sophia was sitting on a bench overlooking the water when Darren walked up to her and sat down. He draped his jacket over her shoulders, the smell of pinewood and incense washing over her. She didn’t look at him as she leaned forward and released a deep, shaky breath.
“How long ago did he call you?”
“As soon as you left, but I wanted to give you a few minutes to yourself,” Darren replied without looking at her. “You okay? Do you want to talk about it?”
“I know she’s been gone for over forty years, but giving her stuff away seems so…final and permanent, you know.”
Sophia felt Darren’s eyes on the side of her head. “She’s always going to be with you, Soph. Even if you decide to give all of her things away.”
Sophia twisted to face him, tears burning the back of her eyes. “Thank you.”
Darren stood up and drew her to him. He wrapped his arms around her, and she brought her head to rest in the crock of his neck, allowing the familiar smell of him to waft up her nostrils. His hands fell to her waist, and they stayed there, trying not to move.
Until Teddy wedged his way between them and started licking their faces.
Sophia pulled a face and stepped back. “Teddy, that’s disgusting. Your breath stinks, and I know what you lick with that tongue.”
“He’s got no respect for personal space, does he?” Darren took the leash out of her hands and draped an arm over her shoulders. “Come on, why don’t I treat you to some chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream? I know a good place nearby.”
Sophia matched her pace to his. “You mean the place I introduced you to?”
“Did you, though? I remember things very differently.”
Sophia rolled her eyes. “Of course, you would because you’re a credit taker.”
Darren threw his head back and laughed, the sound slicing through the air like music to her ears. “I don’t think that’s an actual word, but fine, whatever makes you sleep at night.”