Chapter 17
“Thank you all for coming to my retirement party.” Uncle Frankie lifted his beer up and patted his stomach. “I’m starting to think it’s the reason why I can’t lose all this extra weight.”
“Don’t blame my cooking,” Paula added from where she sat a few feet away. “Everyone here knows what the real issue is.”
Uncle Frankie nodded, his expression turning serious. “Yeah, it’s these old genes. Exercising just isn’t in my DNA.”
A ripple of laughter rose through the crowd.
Sophia lifted the glass of lemonade up to her lips and smiled.
“As usual, I’ll be accepting gifts in the form of cash, credit cards, and checks,” Uncle Frankie continued, his bright eyes sweeping over the room. One gnarled hand darted out to swat away a fly and slick back a lock of thinning hair. “There’s a table set up in the living room for that express purpose.”
More laughter rose through the crowd.
“And as usual, I’ll tell you all not to waste your time or money until his actual retirement comes.” Paula stood to face the crowd, her skirt billowing with the wind and amusement etched onto her face. “Please don’t encourage him any further.”
Another ripple of amusement moved through the crowd, leaving some members of the Wilson clan to wipe the tears off of their faces. Since this was her Uncle Frankie’s fifth retirement, it was now becoming something of a running joke between all of them. Not only was it becoming clear that he had no intention of retiring anytime soon, but Sophia was also pretty sure that Wilson Realty was such an integral part of his identity that it was engraved in his bones and embedded in his DNA.
As she stood in the doorway to the backyard, sipping on her drink, Sophia couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if he did actually retire. Considering Paula herself had quit teaching a few years back, she thought her aunt was itching to have more time with her husband and their children.
Emily materialized next to her in a long skirt, a button-down blouse, and a glass of wine already in hand. “So, do you think he’ll actually go for a theme next year?”
Suzie sidled up to Emily, chewing on a sausage-filled appetizer. “Are you kidding? Dad nearly got away with a theme this year. Mom had to pull out all the stops to keep this from turning into a sci-fi fest.”
“I thought the Game of Thrones-themed birthday party was cool.” Jonathan came to a stop in front of them and shoved a hand into his pocket. “At least up until Dad decided to play the Red Wedding theme song.”
“Nothing kills the mood like knowing what that music means,” Sophia added with a smile. “I just hope he doesn’t decide to pull one of his murder mystery parties. Do you remember how the town reacted last time?”
“Hasn’t the mayor banned him?” Tara showed up with Jeff in tow, the two of them holding plastic plates piled with food. “I’m pretty sure his exact words were he’d run Uncle Frankie out of this town before he allowed him to have another murder-mystery event.”
Jeff lifted the beer bottle up to his lips and snorted. “Yeah, like that’s going to stop Uncle Frankie from having one if he wants to. You know how single-minded he gets.”
Emily glanced over their shoulders and dropped her voice. “I heard the neighbors were complaining because he came out shirtless and in his boxer shorts.”
Suzie grimaced. “Don’t remind me. At least he was wearing boxers. The other day, when I stopped by to pick Mom up, he answered the door in his tighty whities and wouldn’t change.”
Jonathan choked on his drink. “Oh, God. I thought I was the only one who had that image burned into my mind.”
All of them exchanged a quick look before bursting into laughter.
Someone handed Sophia a plate with a piece of corn, some mashed potatoes, and chicken drizzled in sauce. She inhaled and talked to her cousins in between bites of food, the rich flavor dancing on the tip of her tongue. Halfway through her food, the cousins all ended up on their own table, clutching their sides and swapping stories of their adventures.
Sophia couldn’t stop smiling or laughing.
Emily wiped her mouth and turned to face her. “So, cous, I heard that Nora changed her mind about wanting Valerie as her successor. You’re going to say yes, right?”
Sophia choked on her bread, and her eyes watered. “How did you know about that?”
“I’ve got eyes and ears everywhere.” Emily shrugged, her eyes never leaving Sophia’s face. “Does it matter how I know? What matters is I do.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t ask too many questions,” Tara teased with a quick look around the table. “Or you might not like the answers.”
“Are you in the mob or something?”
Emily cast a quick glance around the table and leaned forward. “If I were, I wouldn’t tell you, would I?”
“Or you would, just to throw us off your track,” Sophia joked, earning a few more snickers from her cousins. “I’m just saying… We don’t really know how far your reach extends.”
Emily’s expression turned somber. “And you never will. Not if I can help it.”
When the cousins erupted into laughter again, they earned a few curious looks from the other members of the Wilson clan, especially the grandparents. Grandma Jen and Grandpa Frank wandered over and gave them all a bright smile before they were pulled away by the aunts.
Then Sophia and her cousins were arguing about anything and everything they could think of. For the first time in a while, Sophia felt herself begin to relax, the knots in her stomach loosening until she was able to sit back and let the feelings of joy and contentment wash over her.
Although she was still no closer to figuring out her next professional move, especially after the surprising turn of events with Nora, Sophia liked that she still had her family to depend on. Even in the midst of the chaos and confusion, she knew they had her back no matter what.
It was something she was immensely grateful for.
As she glanced around her Uncle Frankie’s backyard at the steady stream of people coming out, her eyes welled with tears.
When her phone vibrated in her pocket, bringing her back to the present with a jolt, she fished it out, and her heart gave an odd little lurch once she saw her son’s name. Mumbling under her breath, she weaved in and out of the throngs of people till she was inside the blue-colored living room with its matching couch set.
She lowered herself onto one of the armchairs, pausing to wipe her hand on the back of her jeans. After exhaling nervously, she sat up straighter, tossed her blonde hair over her shoulders, and held the phone up with both hands.
As soon as Zac’s face emerged on the screen, Sophia burst into tears.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong? Is it Dad? Is it Zoe?”
Sophia hiccupped and fanned her face. “Everyone is fine, sweetheart. Nothing is wrong. I’m just so happy to see you.”
Zac’s expression softened, and he pulled the camera back, revealing a plain brown wall behind him and a few men and women in shorts and t-shirts milling in the background. Slowly, he set the phone down on a table and leaned back in his wooden chair.
“I’m sorry that if I’ve been a jerk the past few days,” Zac began, his eyes softening around the edges. “I know I shouldn’t have treated you and Dad like that, especially when you were just trying to help.”
Sophia sniffed. “I know, honey. Your dad and I will do whatever it takes to make this right, okay? You just tell me who I need to talk to and consider it done.”
Zac waved her comment away. “It’s water under the bridge, Mom. They’re over it already. I was just upset because I’m trying to prove myself to them, and I want to find my place in the world, and you know I love you and Dad, but…”
“You don’t want us to pull strings and interfere?”
Zac grimaced. “I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad at me.”
Sophia glanced up, caught her Grandma Jen’s eye, and nodded. “I’m not mad at you, Zac. I could never be mad at you for long anyway, and I understand why you flipped out.”
“Just don’t do it again,” Darren warned, materializing behind the chair in a dark green polo and with wet hair tossed to the side. “You know your mother and I love you, and there’s very little we wouldn’t do for you.”
Zac nodded. “I know. I’m sorry, Dad.”
Wordlessly, Sophia handed Darren the phone and blew her son a kiss. Then she drifted into the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards in search of a glass. After finding one, she poured herself and Darren a generous amount of sweet lemonade. While she sipped on her drink, she kept sneaking glances over at Darren, who was smiling and laughing while Zac did the same.
“Get a room,” Emily joked on her way past. “I haven’t seen anyone staring at someone so intensely since I caught Uncle Frank and Aunt Paula in the hot tub.”
Sophia sputtered and choked on her drink. “I didn’t need that mental image.”
Emily spun around to face her, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Now I’m not the only one who has that image. You’re welcome.”
Sophia shot her a dirty look. “Did you come in just to put that image in my head?”
Emily filled up her glass of water and eyed her over the rim. “No, I was going to tell you that you should take Nora up on her offer, and we can merge bakeries. People love that sort of thing, and we’d have double the clientele and double the profit.”
“And double the work,” Sophia added, pausing to set her glass down on the counter. “I don’t know, Em. I appreciate how much confidence you all have in me, but I don’t know if I want to run a bakery, especially one that isn’t mine. I walked away from the Gusteau’s because it was too fast-paced, and I didn’t like it anymore.”
Emily nodded and took a long sip of her drink. “I know, but this would be different. We would make the rules, and think about it this way: At least you wouldn’t have Valerie as a boss.”
Sophia sighed. “Yeah, you do make a good point.”
Emily washed her glass and set it out to dry. “Anyway, think about it, and let me know. I’d love to go into business with you. I think we’d make a great team.”