Chapter 37
37
SOPHIE
S ophie felt exceptionally accomplished by the time she got home in the middle of the afternoon. She had been on a mission to transform the home Gavin had purchased at Conor’s insistence. Though it was a nice three-bedroom home that had been remodeled in recent years to add numerous skylights as well as a modern kitchen, the layout was European with the reception room, study, and combined kitchen and dining room all closed off rather than part of an open layout. It was also remarkably empty.
She’d gotten up early while Gavin slept and taken the train into Dublin from their Sandymount neighborhood where she placed orders for a sofa and loveseat combo, an entertainment center, a dining table and chairs, area rugs for the hardwood floors, a bed frame, lamps, curtains, and various sets of pots and pans. She carried home bags containing supple throw blankets, ridiculously high thread-count sheets, plush bath towels, bath rugs, and sweet-smelling soaps. As a bonus, she’d picked up a few colorful scarves to make bundling up in the cooling temperatures as fashionable as she could.
The endeavor had made her feel very grown up and she couldn’t wait to see it all come together. After realizing that her school admission would be delayed due to her impetuous decision to move to be with Gavin, she needed to establish as much stability as she could, and the act of creating a home that was theirs seemed an important step in solidifying the commitment they had made so quickly.
She had dropped everything just inside the front door that Gavin could never seem to remember to lock when she heard voices coming from deep within the house. Moving toward the kitchen, she heard a woman’s voice along with Gavin’s through the open door leading to the garden.
Hesitating at the outer dining area, Sophie felt an uneasy sense of déjà vu. Gavin stood with Julia O’Flaherty. And once more, she looked upset.
“This just isn’t making sense. Are you trying to say we experienced two completely different things?” Julia said, verging on tears.
“I don’t know what else to tell you, Jules. I feel terrible. I do,” Gavin replied.
Sophie hesitated, torn between wanting to continue to listen in and doing what was right. She took a deep breath and moved through the kitchen, stepping outside with them and forcing a bright smile.
“Hi, guys,” she said.
The tension was obvious. Julia looked down and let the growing ash of her cigarette fall to the ground. Sophie almost laughed out loud when she saw Julia was smoking. That excuse of hers last night about smoke bothering her eyes really was as bogus as it had sounded.
Gavin turned to Sophie stiffly. “Where did you get off to, then?”
“Oh, I did some epic shopping,” she said. “This place is going to look like someone actually lives in it really soon.”
He nodded distractedly. “That’s great, thanks.”
The silence stretched out as they stood there, and Sophie could not have felt more out of place. “I’m going to let you two talk. Nice to see you again, Julia,” she said, and Julia nodded.
“Thanks,” Gavin said again.
The tone of dismissal stung Sophie and conjured up the not-so-long-ago moment in the backstage room of the Palladium where Gavin had rejected her. She turned and quickly moved back inside the house.