15. Sophia
Chapter 15
Sophia
“I'm sorry you had to stay at Pecker’s last night. Colt didn’t tell me he was going to do that.” Leslie frowns as she folds a shirt and places it in a pile on the table.
“It’s fine. Pecker’s a total sweetheart. I didn’t mind one bit.”
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on between the two of you?” Leslie arches a brow.
“Nope! It’s my secret for now.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Give me until Christmas. Then you can pounce and ask all the questions.” I wave her off.
“December twenty-sixth, you better plan on spending the day with me and spilling all the gossip.”
“Eh, that isn't going to be possible. I start at a new job on the twenty-sixth.” I wrinkle my nose, knowing she’s about to lose it.
“What! Why didn’t you tell me? Is it here or are you going home? Where are you working?”
“If you stop asking so many questions, I could answer you.” I roll my eyes. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to you. Sydney asked me if I’d come work for her at Sydney’s Sweets. She’s the best and I can't wait to start there. She’s going to teach me how to run a business and I'm going to help her with creating some new treats.”
“Soph, that’s amazing! I'm so happy for you.” Leslie wraps me in a hug. “Does this mean you and Pecker are dating?” She smirks, trying to get any sort of information out of me.
“It’s not after Christmas,” I singsong.
I wouldn’t mind telling Leslie about Pecker and I dating, but I really want to continue keeping our relationship just between us. I don’t want Leslie or Colt getting involved. I like being in our own little universe when we’re together and no one else is around.
I disappear into my room and come out a few minutes later. I thought I brought my curling iron with me, but I can't find it. I really want to be able to curl my hair for my date with Pecker. I want to look cute and different than I have for every other date.
I glance out the window at the snow steadily falling. It’s so beautiful here. I wish I could stay here forever, but I’m not sure I want to stay away from Mulberry Lane permanently.
“Do you have a curling iron I can borrow?” I pop my head into Leslie’s room.
“Um… I have one, I'm just not sure if it’s here.” She squats down under the bathroom sink and rifles through some things. “It must still be at my house. We can go get it.”
“No, I don’t want to bother you.” I wave her off. I'm trying to not get in their way or annoy them in any way. I know Leslie and Colt don’t necessarily enjoy having me here, but I want to stay longer. I want to work at Sydney’s Sweets and be with Colt, but I can't do that without a place to live.
“Sophia, it’s a five-minute drive. It’s not a huge deal. C’mon, I’ll make you come with me and keep me company on our long journey.” She rolls her eyes as she walks through the house and bundles up.
“Are you sure? The snow is really coming down.” I step onto the covered front porch and stare out at the snow blanketing the street.
“I'm positive. Plus, we need to go to the grocery store anyway. We can stop at my house on the way home.”
The entire time we’re driving, I nibble on my bottom lip and stare out the window. I don’t like driving in the snow. There’s no particular reason, I'm just terrified of getting stuck or sliding on the ice.
“Are we sure it’s safe for us to be going to the grocery store?” I peek over at her, happy to find both hands on the wheel and her full attention on the road.
“I texted Colt. He knows what our plans are.”
“Good.” I nod my head. “How are you feeling about all of this?”
“I'm scared, but I'm trying to pretend this is just another normal day. I don’t want to stop living again. I finally got my life back… Do you want to tell me what’s occupying your brain?” She peeks over at me with a grin.
“I kind of want to stay in Maple Springs for a while, but I don’t want to keep being a bother at Colt’s house.” I drop my gaze to my hands and fidget uncomfortably.
“You’re not a bother. I love having you there.”
“Colt doesn’t.”
“Colt isn't upset you’re there. He’s upset about Jimmy and everything that entails. He’s scared and he doesn’t like feeling that way. I think he’s really overwhelmed and is trying to hide it, but he’s never once made a negative comment about you staying with us.”
“I don’t know. I just feel like I need to find a different place to stay.” I lift my shoulder in a shrug.
“How long are you planning on staying?”
“I’m not sure. At least a month?”
“Really?” She peeks over at me with a massive smile. “I’d love that!”
“Me too.”
“If we’re ever not on red alert, you could take my old house. I obviously don’t need it and I think Ollie would love to not have to find a new tenant until the winter is over.”
“Ok. That sounds like a plan.”
When we get to the grocery store, we move up and down aisles to grab the things we need for Christmas. I'm planning on making a few desserts to take with us and maybe even make a little box of cookies for each person.
I love baking and giving out the treats I make. I'm a firm believer that sugar can make you feel better or make you happy in general. On top of that, baking is my stress reliever.
Leslie tenses and glances around the store. She’s been doing this our entire time here and it’s starting to make me nervous.
I make quick work in the baking aisle. I know I could spend hours here, but something in my gut is telling me to hurry. As soon as I'm finished, I pull the cart to the checkout line and quickly pay. We get the groceries loaded into Leslie’s car in record time, and I'm more than ready to get out of here.
“I’ll just put the cart away, then we can go.” I take a step away from the car, but Leslie stops me.
“Nah, I got it. You just start the car and lock the doors.” She glances around nervously and waits for me to climb inside. As soon as I do, she hurries to put the cart away and practically sprints back to the car.
She’s gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles are turning white. I want to say something, anything to ease some of the anxiety she’s feeling, but there’s nothing I can say. Nothing I can do. I'm powerless in this situation.
It doesn’t take long to get to Leslie’s house and that gives me a little bit of relief. If we’re going to be out where Jimmy could see us, I think I’d rather be locked inside a house than in a car on an icy road. I know he isn't afraid to push us off the road and that’s terrifying.
As soon as we’re inside the house, Leslie locks the door up tight and checks every window and door on the first floor. We’re being cautious and, in this situation, I don’t think we can be overly so.
We take our time grabbing some of Leslie’s things while we’re here. She knows she isn't going to move back in here and she wants to have all of her things at Colt’s house. I can't blame her one bit. I wouldn’t want my things split between two houses either.
“I think I'm ready,” Leslie groans, looking at the six bags we have packed. I don’t mind, but I'm sure she’s thinking about how she’ll need to put these things away when she gets home.
We each grab three bags and hoist them over our shoulders, more than happy to get back to Colt’s house. Leslie opens the front door and gasps. It’s snowing even harder now and we’ve gotten at least a few inches of snow coating the roads in the short time we were inside.
“Uhh… Are we stuck here?” I nibble on my bottom lip.
“No. No, we’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?” I eye her wearily.
“Not at all.” She chuckles. “We get a lot of snow here and I’ve never gotten stuck though.”
“Should we call Colt?”
“No, but we need to get going before it gets worse.”
Leslie slowly takes one step at a time. She glances around the silent surroundings and I can tell she’s on edge. The snow insulates everything, making it look and sound so peaceful. That silence is making this feel eerie though. Like someone is about to jump out at us and we’re blissfully unaware.
As soon as she has the car door open, I toss the first bag down the steps to her. We’re hoping this will keep both of us from falling down the icy steps and we’ll be able to load up the car faster.
It only takes a few minutes to load up the car, then I lock the front door and attempt to walk down the steps. I slip almost instantly and shriek. Leslie moves towards me to help, but I stop her.
“Don’t even think about it or we’ll both go down.”
“Sophia, hurry up,” Leslie hisses under her breath.
My brows draw together as I glance up at her, trying to figure out why she sounds so upset. The fear I see in her eyes has me moving as quickly as I can.
Then I notice a person walking towards us. He can't move fast without slipping, but he’s moving faster than I am. My gaze snaps to Leslie’s and I realize this is why she’s freaking out.
“Get in the car,” I urge her, but she shakes her head.
“Not until you get in.”
We both glance back at the person. He’s the right height and build to be Jimmy, but I don’t know if it’s him. This is a fairly empty street though, with only a few houses on it. It’s weird for anyone to be out here, especially in this weather.
His eyes lock on us and he starts moving fast, closing in on us more quickly than I’d like.
“Get in now!” I shriek as I pass Leslie to get to the passenger’s door. I'm moving as quickly as I can without falling down, but I'm still slipping with every step.
Leslie’s climbing behind the wheel and as soon as my door is shut, she locks them and cranks the engine. I glance out the back window to find the man only a few yards away from us. I hold on tightly as Leslie reverses out of the driveway. She lets out a shriek as we glide across the ice, and I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for us to make impact with something.
After a few seconds, I peel one eye open to see Leslie has the car in control once again and we’re moving down the street.
“Call Colton!” She whimpers as her hands tremble on the steering wheel.
I fumble with my phone, trying to get my fingers to work the way I want them to. The entire time I'm praying we don’t get into an accident and Jimmy can't get to us.
“It just keeps ringing.” My voice is full of terror and I don’t even sound like myself. I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared in my entire life.
“Call Pecker,” she says more calmly, keeping her full attention on the road.
As the line rings, I hold my breath and wait.
Please answer, Peck. I need you.