Chapter 2
“Ican’t believe you’re here.” Sophia threw her arms around Lily and squeezed. When she drew back, she gave her sister another bright smile. “What took you so long? Get lost on the way?”
Lily shook her head and bent down to pick up her bag. “Amy wanted to look at a few things in town. She’s got that meeting with a potential divorce lawyer.”
Sophia stepped to the side and ushered Lily in. “Your poor stepmother. How is Amy doing?”
Lily set down her bag and glanced around, and Sophia followed her gaze, taking in two windows overlooking the backyard, the TV mounted to the wall, a comfortable-looking leather couch set, and the open-floor kitchen with modern appliances. Then Lily set her back down by the wall and lowered herself onto the couch.
“Honestly? I’m not sure. I keep telling her that she can trust me and she can tell me anything, but I feel like she still doesn’t.”
Sophia swung the door to the apartment shut with a click. “You can’t really blame her, though. Based on what you told me about your dad, he sounds like a piece of work.”
And it made her all the more grateful for her own father. No matter their differences, Sophia knew her father had her back.
Lily grimaced. “He is, but it can’t be healthy for her to bottle it all up. I don’t know how to help her.”
Sophia stepped into the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards. “Have you thought about suggesting a shrink? Our dad took us to one when we were younger because he wanted to be sure we didn’t have any lingering issues because of our mom. I can try to get you the name and number.”
Lily set her purse down on the couch and stretched her legs out in front of her. “Let me ask Amy first. It’s a very sensitive topic.”
Sophia swung the refrigerator door open, took out the bottle of wine, and grinned. “I knew I had that somewhere. Red wine?”
Lily smiled and stood up. “Yes, please. Merlot, if you’ve got any. Is there anything I can help with?”
Sophia waved her comment away. “No, you’re my guest. Now, sit down and tell me how things are going with Ben.”
Lily blushed. “Things with Ben are different. You know, with Lance, I always wondered if I just had unrealistic expectations of him. Lance always made me feel like, by wanting him to be there and be supportive, it was too much to ask for. Ben isn’t like that at all. Sometimes, I still can’t believe my luck.”
Sophia took out two large glasses and poured them both a generous amount. “You deserve to be happy, sis. I’m glad Ben is treating you the way you deserve to be treated.”
Lily’s smile turned soft. “Thank you. So, how are things going with you? How’s work? And thanks again for letting me stay here, by the way. I tried to convince Amy to join me, but she insisted on staying in the hotel.”
After rummaging through a few more of the cupboards, Sophia opened up a bag of chips and poured it into a bowl. “Don’t worry about it all. I like having you here, and hopefully, Amy will feel more comfortable as time goes on. I know it’s a lot to take in, and starting over isn’t easy.”
“That’s true.”
Sophia carried over the tray with the wine bottle, the glasses, and the bowl of chips in the center. After setting it down on the coffee table, she took a seat opposite Lily and tucked her legs underneath her.
“I’m good. Work keeps me busy, but I’m still not sure Nora’s Delights is the right fit for me.”
Lily eyed Sophia over the rim of her glass. “I thought you liked it there.”
“I do, but I’m not sure if I can see myself there long-term,” Sophia replied after a quick sip of her drink. “You know, I used to try to convince Ian to drink wine with me so I could pretend he was my sister.”
Lily burst into laughter. “I bet he didn’t enjoy that.”
“He enjoyed the wine, but every time I tried to get him to do something girly with me, like nails or hair, he’d run away,” Sophia confessed with a rueful smile. “I really wanted him to be a girl when I was younger. I even begged my dad to exchange him.”
Lily took a long sip of her drink. “I’m the opposite. I think I wanted Sylvie to be a bit more like our brother, Lucas. She was a little too feminine and clingy for me when we were younger, but I definitely appreciate her a lot more now.”
Sophia nodded and pulled the blanket over her legs. “Sibling relationships are like that.”
Lily snorted. “Yeah, like when you’re younger, you can’t stand to be around each other, but when you’re older, you realize you’d give them a kidney if you had to.”
Sophia chuckled. “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.”
Lily’s eyes glowed when she looked over at her half-sister. “I’m really glad we’re getting to do this, and I’m glad Amy is feeling comfortable enough to be out and about.”
“I told you we’d have fun. So, how’s it going at the spa, by the way? Grandma Jen mentioned you’ve been getting a lot more clients. Some people are even talking about you here in Provincetown.”
Lily’s cheeks turned a bright red. “I think people are giving me a little too much credit. I’m just doing my job. I’m excited that Lauren has decided to visit every other weekend and see how things work. I think it’ll be a good fit.”
“How are Liam and Sara?”
Lily’s smile lit up her entire face at the mention of her children. “They’re good. Busy. How about Zac and Zoe? Is Zac still not visiting?”
Sophia’s stomach twisted as she lowered her glass. “I don’t know, Lil. I think we might’ve traumatized him for life by getting divorced, but I mean, a lot of people get divorced, and their kids don’t run away to another continent.”
Lily placed a hand over Sophia’s and squeezed. “I’m sure he’s not running away from you. Sometimes, when things get to be a little too much, people shut down. Liam didn’t take the news of the divorce well either at first.”
Sophia studied her sister’s face. “Really? He didn’t run away to another continent, did he?”
Lily shook her head. “No, but he did give me a really hard time for a while, especially when Lance tried to turn him against me. Eventually, he started coming around again on his own, and he saw the truth. Zac will do the same; don’t worry.”
Sophia sighed and blew out a breath. “I don’t know. It feels like I’ve already lost him, Lil. And now it feels like I’m going to lose Zoe, too.”
“Because she also wants to do the habitat program?”
Sophia paused and nodded. She took a long sip of her drink, the liquid trickling down her throat before settling in the pit of her stomach. “I don’t want to push her away, but I’m afraid that if she leaves, she won’t want to come back, either.”
Not when she realized how great Africa was.
The last thing Sophia wanted was to be estranged from her children, yet there she was, sitting on her living room couch, drowning her sorrows in wine and chips and powerless to stop it from happening. She tried to imagine a different outcome for herself or a way where she didn’t end up all alone, but she couldn’t.
And she couldn’t help but blame herself for ending up there.
Sophia was, after all, the one who’d insisted on the divorce. If it weren’t for her, the four of them would’ve still been a family, with Darren and her drifting further and further apart but still living under the same roof.
Would it really have made a difference if she’d stayed with her ex?
Would it have kept Zac from fleeing to another part of the world?
“I think you’re being too hard on yourself. Zoe is doing her last semester in college, and she’s trying to figure herself out. She’s going to change her mind a million and one times before she settles on something.”
Sophia sat up straighter and stuffed a handful of chips in her mouth. “You think so?”
“Oh, definitely. Sara was like that.” Lily’s expression turned thoughtful as she sipped her drink. “Actually, so was Liam. The only one who doesn’t change her mind easily is Lauren. Anyway, look, my point is, you’re a good mom who did the best she could.”
Sophia looked down at her drink and frowned. “I don’t know. Maybe I should’ve stayed with Darren. I’m the one who broke up our family.”
“You didn’t break up the family. You and Darren weren’t happy together. It’s not a crime to want to be happy with your partner, Soph.”
Sophia glanced up at Lily and swallowed. “Really?”
“Absolutely, and you just need to trust that Zoe is going to come back no matter what. Just like Zac will. She needs time and space to figure herself out, and the only thing you can do is give her that.”
Sophia sighed. “I guess you’re right.”
Lily touched her glass to Sophia’s and giggled. “It’s okay. You’re lucky you’ve got a big sister to guide you during all of this.”
Sophia threw her head back and laughed. “I am.”
“Knock, knock.” Her father’s face appeared in the doorway, hands clasped behind his back and an eager expression on his face. “I couldn’t help but hear you ladies through the walls. Sounds like you’re having fun.”
Sophia stood up and swayed a little on her feet. “Yeah, Pop. Come on in.”
Stu straightened his back and shook his head. “Oh, no. I don’t want to intrude. I just wanted to be sure you ladies didn’t need anything.”
“I was just telling Sophia what a great mom she is and how she should trust herself more,” Lily replied with a smile in his direction. “I bet you tell her that all the time, don’t you, Stu?”
Sophia stumbled into the kitchen and filled up a glass of water. “Yeah, but he’s my dad. He has to tell me stuff like that.”
“It doesn’t make it any less true,” Stu said to her back. “If it makes you feel better, your mom was like that, too.”
Sophia wheeled around to face him, the cup halfway to her mouth. “She was?”
“Kelly had a lot of moments of self-doubt,” Stu replied, shifting from one foot to the other. “But she always found a way to get back up on her feet. Did you know that when she moved back to Provincetown, she rented out this empty apartment with only a mattress on the floor and a mini fridge?”
Sophia downed her drink and swallowed. “You never told me that.”
Stu cleared his throat. “I could tell you a lot of stories about your mom.”
Sophia exchanged a quick glance with Lily and looked back at him. “We do have room for one more. Come on, Pop. Tell us some more stories.”
Her father settled on the armchair across from the couch, his face bathed in the dim glow of the yellow light. When he told stories about their mother, his face lit up, and his voice changed, and Sophia found herself hanging onto his every word.
She’d heard most of the stories before, but she didn’t get tired of them.
And she loved sharing the experience with Lily, who was watching Stu with tears in her eyes. A short while later, when tears of laughter were sliding down their face, Sophia’s father left them to their own devices. It wasn’t long before Lily was sprawled on the couch, her mouth half-open and drool collecting on the sides.
Carefully, Sophia crept into her own room, changed out of her clothes, and left the door ajar. That night, she dreamt of her mom, dad, Ian, and Lily. In her dreams, the four of them were in the backyard, smiling and laughing.
Sophia wanted to stay in that dream forever.