Chapter 7
Sophia made a low grumbling sound, and her hand darted out. As soon as it connected with her phone, she pried one eye open, then the other. Vision blurry, she threw herself back onto the bed and pressed the phone to her ear. Zac’s voice came on, sounding exhausted and defeated. Immediately, she chased away the sleepiness and sat up.
“What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
“I wanted to hear your voice,” Zac whispered, his voice catching toward the end. “I don’t think I ever told you that I’m sorry.”
Sophia sighed. “What are you talking about, sweetheart? You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I do, though. I left without a second thought. I barely even said goodbye, and I haven’t been back since. I know I shouldn’t have done that.”
Sophia threw the covers off and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Honey, I don’t blame you. I know you felt like you had to get away and start over. I wish it didn’t have to be so far away, but I understand.”
“You don’t have to be so understanding. You can be mad if you want.”
“I could never stay mad at you,” Sophia replied before circling around Teddy’s sleeping form. He was on his back with his arms and legs in the air, tongue lolling out of his mouth.
Sophia drew the curtains shut, stumbled back in the direction of the bed, and sank onto the mattress. “Is everything okay? Did something happen?”
“There was a flood in the village,” Zac murmured, his voice trailing off toward the end. “We saved as many people as we could, but when there weren’t enough aid workers, we had to help with search and rescue.”
Sophia sighed and drew her knees up to her chest. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”
Zac fell silent, and she heard him sniffing.
She drew the phone away from her ear, placed it against her knees, and selected the video option. When her son’s face appeared, it was puffy, and his hair was a matted mess on top of his forehead, but none of it mattered. All that mattered was for Zac to feel like he wasn’t alone.
He palmed the back of his neck. “Sorry about the quality. It’s hard to find a good connection here.”
Sophia touched a finger to the screen. “I don’t mind.”
Zac’s camera swam in and out of focus, his voice sounding garbled. When it finally settled, he was outside, the evening stars behind him, and his face lit up in the pale glow of the moon.
“Zoe told me about the break-and-enter. Please be safe, Mom.”
“You know your old mom. Nothing can get to me.”
Zac didn’t even crack a smile. “I’m being serious.”
“So am I. I’m fine, really.” Sophia held the phone up and pointed it at Teddy, who was snoring softly, his feet kicking in the air. “Your dad asked me to foster a dog so he can keep an eye on me.”
Zac peered into the screen. “He looks too nice. What’s his name?”
“Teddy,” Sophia replied defensively. “And he is nice, but he’s also protective. I’m sure he’d do a good job if anyone tries to break in again.”
“Yeah, because the name Teddy strikes fear into the hearts of men.”
Sophia swung the camera back around, saw some of the tightness on Zac’s face disappear, and some of the knots in her stomach unfurled. “How do you know I didn’t choose the name on purpose to lure the robbers into a false sense of security?”
Zac snorted. “Did you?”
“No, but I could’ve.”
Zac threw his head back and laughed. “Sure, Mom. Whatever you say. Well, I should get back to things. I miss you. Love you, Mom.”
“Okay, honey. Be safe. I love you, too.”
“I’m going to be making a lot of changes here when I take over,” Valerie said before casting a meaningful glance in Sophia’s direction. “Not that Nora isn’t great or anything, but this place has been under the same management for thirty-something years now. It’s time to take things in a new direction.”
A few of the other employees exchanged worried looks.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Sophia said under her breath. She reached into the bowl for another egg and cracked it against the counter. “Nora’s is successful because of Nora.”
“We should definitely look into expanding the business and including a drive-thru option,” Valerie added breathlessly. “I don’t know why no one’s suggested this idea before.”
Sophia rolled her eyes and said nothing.
But the more she listened to Valerie, the more worried she became. Not only did it sound like Valerie had every intention of making Sophia’s life difficult—out of spite, no less—but it also sounded like she intended to change everything about Nora’s that made it unique. Little by little, she wanted to transform and then erase whatever remnants of Nora’s were left till it became totally and completely her own.
While Sophia understood that Valerie wanted to leave her own stamp on things, she didn’t think Valerie was going about it the right way. If anything, Valerie needed to spend years adapting to being the manager and learning the ropes before implementing any new changes.
At least, that was what Sophia believed.
But what did she know anyway?
She wasn’t the one Nora had chosen.
With a sigh, Sophia glanced over at the table, where Teddy peacefully dozed off underneath. He received pats and scratches from everyone who saw him, except for Valerie, who gave him dirty looks and wrinkled her nose whenever she passed by. When Sophia returned her attention to the batter in front of her, Valerie was done talking about the changes and had moved onto another topic: all of her experience that had led up to this moment.
Once Nora came in, looking flushed with her gnarled hands fluttering anxiously at her sides, Valerie immediately fell silent. “Everybody, listen up. We have a major problem.”
The kitchen went quiet as everyone turned their attention to Nora.
She stood up straighter and grimaced. “I know that this is short notice, but I just received the phone call. Madison Blake has asked us to change the menu—again.”
Murmurs of protest rose.
Nora’s expression turned sympathetic. “I know that this is the third time she’s changed her mind, but we cannot afford to lose a client like Madison, and we definitely don’t want to make an enemy of her followers. I know you’re all more than capable of rising to the challenge, so let’s buckle up and get this over with, okay?”
A ripple of unease moved through the room.
“When this is all over, I’ll take you all out for drinks on me,” Nora added with a quick look around the room. “For now, let’s try and keep the bride happy.”
With that, she spun on her heels, skirt swishing back and forth with every movement. As soon as she disappeared into her office, a cacophony of voices broke out, and the sound of pots and pans filled the kitchen. Teddy woke up from his nap and looked around the room in confusion.
Sophia paused to pat his head before swinging the refrigerator door open.
A few hours later, Sophia’s face was covered in flour and sweat. Her apron was stained with chocolate frosting, and she was sure it was going to smell like sugar for weeks. Rather than stop, she leaned over the counter, squinted at the recipe book propped open in front of her, and grumbled about Madison Blake.
What kind of influencer was she? And why hadn’t she just chosen a place that was more suited to her needs?
Nora’s was a bakery that catered to the needs of a small town, not a demanding bride-to-be.
One by one, the rest trickled out of the kitchen until Sophia was the only one left. When she heard Darren at the backdoor, calling out for her, she looked up from the loaf pan and blinked. Then she hurried over to the door and unlocked it. He stood in his usual dark uniform consisting of pants, a shirt with a patch on the side, and boots.
Darren gave her a quick smile as he stepped in and pulled the door shut behind him. “I saw the light on and had a feeling you were the one who was working late.”
Sophia raised an eyebrow. “You saw my car, didn’t you?”
Darren’s face broke out into a grin. “Yes, but I would’ve figured it out eventually. We were married for twenty-five years, remember?”
“No, it slipped my mind,” Sophia teased with a shake of her head. “Anyway, what are you doing here?”
“I was actually on my way to check on the security system and see if you needed anything.”
“Dad hates the new security system. You know how he feels about change.”
“You mean like when we came home that one time, and your dad was yelling at the fridge and pointing a spatula at it?”
Sophia burst into laughter. “Oh, my God. I almost forgot about that. Yeah, he still hates fridges with a screen display.”
Darren paused to pat Teddy on the head. “Do you remember a few years ago when we tried to get him a smartphone, and all of your calls were you looking up his nose?”
“He kept forgetting to switch off the camera,” Sophie remembered with a smile. “I’ve seen way more of my dad than I ever wanted to.”
Darren glanced over at her, and she saw a strange glimmer in his eyes. “We’ve had some good times, haven’t we? It wasn’t all bad.”
Sophia swallowed past the lump in her throat. “It wasn’t bad at all.”
Darren looked away first and crouched in front of Teddy. “How’s it going with him? Also, please tell me that Zoe was kidding when she said you named him Teddy.”
“He reminds me of a teddy bear,” Sophia responded defensively. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the name.”
Darren took Teddy’s face in his hands and pressed a kiss to the center of his forehead. “Sorry, dude. You’re going to have to live with the name now.”
Teddy’s tongue darted out, and he licked a path right down the center of Darren’s face. His laughter filled the kitchen, and Sophia found her stomach giving an odd little dip. When she turned her back on them, she placed a hand over her stomach and blew out a breath.
Why couldn’t she just move on from Darren once and for all?
She didn’t want to spend the rest of her life pining over him.