Chapter Eleven
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The rest of the work week passed by in a blur with Sophia’s workload centered around the new campaign featuring Caleb. Although they took more pictures, she was so busy trying to get the project off the ground that there was no time to really connect with him. He had invited her to dinner, but she had asked for a rain check for another time. Between work and spending time with Lily, she was totally swamped.
It was a shame, since she enjoyed every moment she spent in his presence.
Sophia had an important meeting with Hattie, who weighed in on the initial batch of photos. Although she didn’t usually get nervous about her work, Sophia knew there was a lot riding on this campaign. Like Caleb, she didn’t want to let Hattie down.
“I’m thrilled with what you’ve done so far,” Hattie told her. “These photos are all winners. Not a bad one in the bunch. You’re good, Sophia.”
“Thank you,” she said. “It’s pretty incredible to be able to do what I love. And thanks for hiring me. Working for you is a privilege.”
Hattie had reached over and patted her hand. “The privilege is all mine. Working with so many young people is giving me life.” She cackled.
“Hattie, I’ve never met anyone who has a bigger zest for life than you do.” And she meant it. Hattie was such an inspiration for all those in her circle and in the Moose Falls community. She was still pushing and striving despite a diagnosis that would have kept most folks confined to their beds. Sophia was going to soak up everything she could from Hattie in the weeks and months ahead.
“Have you shown these to Caleb?” Hattie asked, tapping the photos with her finger.
“Not all of them. The first day we were shooting I gave him a peek at some of the initial shots. He was pretty excited.” Just the thought of Hattie’s grandson made her smile. It had been a pleasure to work with him. He had a good attitude and a strong work ethic. He also had a great sense of humor.
“I think that I’d like to see how it goes if we bring in a female model to shoot with Caleb. We’re going to show these photos to some test audiences, and I’m curious as to how they’ll respond to a romantic angle. What do you think?”
“Honestly, I can’t imagine the photos turning out better than these, but it’s a good idea. Caleb has lots of masculine appeal, so he could generate some real chemistry.”
“Sounds like a plan. Let me know when you book a model and plan the shoot. I love being on set to watch it all unfold,” Hattie said, sounding gleeful.
“Will do,” Sophia had said, making a mental note to contact a modeling agency ASAP. This campaign was proceeding at a lightning-fast speed. She wondered if Hattie was fast-tracking it due to her illness. Maybe she wanted to see this new line—and Caleb—take off into orbit.
And now, after an intense week, Patience was treating her to a pedicure at Nailed It, their favorite nail salon spot. Her sister wouldn’t take no for an answer, which was par for the course for Patience.
She felt a little guilty being away from Lily, but doing something relaxing for herself would benefit her daughter. Or so everyone always told her. While she was away, G-pop was going to take Lily to a playdate and then out to lunch. She was planning to bring Lily to a toy shop this afternoon so she could pick a plush toy to stuff. Her little girl would be fine.
At the moment she and Patience were seated side by side at the nail salon, getting luxurious pedicures. She had to give it to Patience. She had suggested getting deluxe leg and foot massages, and all Sophia’s worries evaporated as her muscles were kneaded and manipulated.
“This was a brilliant idea,” Sophia said, closing her eyes as the nail tech continued her soothing treatment.
“So, what’s happening between you and Alaska’s Next Top Model?” Patience asked.
“Would you believe me if I said that I didn’t know?” Sophia answered.
“Not really. That night at Northern Exposure the two of you were vibing, and it was even more obvious during dinner at your house.”
“I don’t know how to pace this thing between us. Should I take things slowly? Back off because we’re working together? Kiss his face off the next time I see him?” She shrugged. “It’s been four years since I even looked at a guy. I didn’t think I’d want this… whatever this is brewing between us.”
“Donny sure did a number on you.” Patience frowned. “Remind me to kick him in the shins the next time I see him.”
“Please don’t. I already have enough to worry about with him. He might file charges against you,” she mumbled.
“What now?” Patience asked, clenching her teeth.
Sophia lowered her voice to a whisper. “I didn’t want to say it in front of Dad the other night, but he’s going after joint custody of Lily.” Just saying the words out loud made her body tremble. As ridiculous as his claim might be, all it took was one judge to side with him and uproot Lily’s life.
“Joint custody?” Patience asked in a raised tone. Sophia made a motion for her to lower her voice. She didn’t want her business spread all over the salon.
A few moments later they were moved to a more private station for drying their nails. Cups of tea were placed in front of them, adding another layer of comfort to the experience.
“You’ve got to be kidding me about Donny,” Patience continued, now that they were alone. “He doesn’t even see his daughter on a regular basis as it is.”
“I know,” she said, burying her face in her mug of tea. “All I can do is hope he gets tired of this ridiculous idea and drops it.”
“I can’t believe that I ever liked the guy,” Patience groused. “I thought he was a good dude until he started acting like a punk. I’m so sorry this is happening to you. You’re such a great mom to Lily. You don’t deserve this hassle. Especially from someone who’s been MIA for years.”
“Donny was a good guy, Patience, back when we met. I don’t even recognize who he’s become, but I just need to remind myself that Lily is what’s important.” Sophia hated that the man she had fallen in love with had transformed into someone she no longer recognized. He’d been selfish and verbally abusive. That’s what scared her about getting into another relationship. People changed right before your eyes into someone you no longer knew or loved.
“You’re important too. You need to remember that. You deserve good things,” Patience said, putting her arm around her.
“I lost so much confidence when he bailed on our relationship. I kept thinking it was my fault, that I did something to change the way he felt about me.”
“He didn’t deserve you, if you want to know how I truly feel. I know raising Lily on your own hasn’t been easy, but it’s a lot better than making a life with someone who wasn’t committed to the type of life you deserve.”
“That’s all true,” Sophia said, “but I just wish my experience with him hadn’t left me feeling so broken. I want to be in a relationship again, but I’m afraid of putting myself out there.”
“It’s hard to do that, especially when you’ve been put through the wringer. But if you don’t try, you’ll never know what’s possible. You might miss out on the greatest thing that ever comes your way.”
Sophia bit her lip. She knew she was being a bit of a mess, but Patience was her soft place to fall. She could tell her anything. Her insecurities. Her fears. The highs and the lows. Her sister always understood where she was coming from. She grounded her.
“You don’t have to figure out any of this today,” Patience reassured her. “Have you ever thought of simply having fun with Caleb?” She let out a mock cry of horror and slapped her hand over her mouth. “Or is that a dirty word?”
“It’s definitely something I haven’t had in a long time,” Sophia admitted. “But Caleb makes me want to be spontaneous. I haven’t wanted to walk on the wild side for a long time.”
“Oh, really? Tell me more.” Patience leaned over and put a hand to her ear.
“We kissed at work the other day,” she admitted. Just saying it out loud made her feel sheepish.
Patience let out a loud squeal. “Get out! I want details! The more, the better.”
“There’s not much to tell, but on a scale of one to ten it was off the charts. And we were alone in the photo studio, so we were a little bit discreet.”
“Look at you, making out with Hattie’s grandson during your first week at Yukon Cider. I absolutely love this side of you.” She put up her hands and said, “Grrrrrr” as if she were a tiger growling.
Sophia swatted her sister’s hand away. “I don’t know if it was the wisest move, but you know what? Kissing Caleb was the most exciting thing that’s happened to me since Lily was born. It made me feel alive, and I can’t feel sorry about that. Not by a long shot.”
Patience was right. She needed to live a little while she still could. Reaching out to Caleb about dinner would be a great start.
When Sophia texted Caleb to ask if he was interested in having dinner with her on Sunday night, his response was immediate. Her only stipulation was that it would have to be dinner at her house due to Lily. As the son of a single mother himself, Caleb understood that Lily’s needs came first, and he wouldn’t want it any other way.
Caleb arrived at Sophia’s place carrying a huge amount of takeout he had picked up in town. Not knowing what her favorite food was had been a bit challenging, but he’d decided to go with Italian and Mexican. The scent of the food had taunted him during the drive over, serving as a reminder that he hadn’t eaten since noontime. Because his hands were so full, he was forced to lean on the doorbell with his elbow.
“I come bearing food. Lots and lots of food,” Caleb announced as Sophia greeted him at her front door. He paused for a moment to drink in the sight of her. Even in jeans and a cardigan she looked incredible.
“Whoa. Let me take some of that so you don’t drop it,” Sophia said, reaching for one of the bags. She ushered him inside, then gracefully kicked the door closed with her foot.
Once they were in the kitchen, Caleb placed the food down on the counter and let out a sound of relief. Maybe he had gone a bit overboard with the food, he realized as soon as he saw how much space the bags took up on the counter.
Sophia placed her bag down and turned to him. “You do realize it’s just the two of us, right? Lily is having a love affair with chicken nuggets. That’s pretty much all she eats.”
“She ate ribs at dinner, didn’t she?” he asked, remembering how the little girl scarfed down a hearty portion.
“That’s an exception, especially since Auntie P made them.”
“Well, then, I hope you’re as hungry as I am,” Caleb told her.
“I’m a bit peckish.” Sophia peeked in the bags. “What do we have here?”
“Mexican from Fiesta and Italian from Amore’s. Consider yourself lucky. I almost ordered wings from Northern Exposure,” he confessed, chuckling.
She shook her head. “You should definitely bring the leftovers back to Hattie’s place. I can’t imagine we’ll eat all of this.” Sophia took out plates and glasses from the cupboard. “Lily,” she called out as she began taking the food from the bags.
“Tacos. Empanadas. Rice and beans. Meatballs. Garlic knots. Chicken parmigiana. And for dessert, churros.” Caleb rattled off the items as if he were a chef who’d made the meals.
Just then Lily ran into the kitchen and headed straight for Caleb. She let out a cry of delight as she wrapped her arms around his legs. “Caleb!”
“Princess Lily,” he said, bending down to lift her up in the air.
“I missed you,” Lily said, placing her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek.
“I missed you too,” he said, smiling. What was it about kids that made grown adults feel like they could vault over tall buildings? How could her bio dad not want to spend every waking hour with this little gem? He tried not to judge people he had never met, but Sophia’s ex was a total punk in his opinion.
“Lily, we’re about to eat. Do you want to try some of the food Caleb brought over?” Sophia asked.
“Mmm. I don’t know,” Lily answered with a shrug. “Did you bring chicken nuggets?”
She was looking straight at Caleb, waiting for an answer.
“No, I’m sorry, but I would have if I had known you loved them so much,” Caleb said. Rookie mistake. He’d forgotten kids loved chicken nuggets. That’s what happened when there weren’t any littles in his family tree.
“But I did bring some chicken parm, which is yummy chicken with red sauce and mozzarella cheese.” He rubbed his stomach and made a funny face that immediately generated giggles. “Yummy in my tummy.”
“I wanna try,” Lily said, causing Sophia’s eyes to widen.
“That’s music to my ears,” she said as she placed utensils down beside the plates before organizing the platters in the middle of the table. “Take a seat, Lily.”
Caleb pulled out a chair so Lily would sit down, then he pushed her chair in.
“Let me make a plate for you,” he said as he sat down beside her. “Let’s start with the chicken parm. If anything else looks good, just let us know, and we’ll put some on your plate.” Sophia, who was sitting on the other side of Lily, leaned over and cut up her chicken into small pieces.
“Okay,” Lily said, lifting a forkful of chicken parm and putting it in her mouth.
Caleb and Sophia waited with bated breath for her verdict.
“So, do you like it?” Sophia asked, pausing before she took a bite of her own food. Sophia had filled her plate with a little bit of everything, just like he did. This food smelled too good not to sample.
“I don’t like it,” Lily said, wrinkling her nose. After a few beats she yelled, “I love it!”
Caleb and Sophia looked at each other and shook their heads.
“Yes!” Caleb said, raising his palm so Lily could high-five him.
“Thank you,” Sophia said in a low voice. He had to admit that it felt all kinds of wonderful to have enticed Lily out of her chicken nugget comfort zone. He could see the satisfaction on Sophia’s face, and it made him happy. Lily completed her meal by taking several bites of a taco and eating half a meatball.
After dinner they ate the churros, with Sophia pulling out some vanilla ice cream from the freezer to top them off.
“Lily’s practically falling asleep at the table, so I’m going to bring her upstairs,” Sophia said, lifting her from the chair.
“Can I help?” Caleb asked.
“No, I’m good, but if you can pack up the leftovers, that would be great. You can take them home with you,” Sophia told him. “Although you can leave the rice and beans for me. I love ’em.”
Caleb got to work as soon as Sophia headed upstairs with Lily. By the time he was finished packing up the items, Sophia was back in the kitchen.
“That was fast. No bedtime story tonight?” he asked. He stacked the leftovers and placed them in a bag, making sure to leave the rice and beans in the fridge.
“Nope. She was out like a light by the time her head hit the pillow,” Sophia said, a smile twitching at her lips. The love she felt for Lily was evident in every single gesture, smile, and softly spoken word.
“How about some sangria?” Sophia asked, reaching into her fridge and pulling out a chilled bottle.
“I would love some,” Caleb said. “Let me grab the goblets.” He rooted around in her cabinet, quickly finding them.
A few minutes later they were in Sophia’s great room, sitting on her couch and drinking sangria. The room was light and airy, with cream-colored walls and floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Lily is a great kid,” Caleb told her. “I don’t spend a lot of time with little ones, but she’s a great one.”
Sophia took a big sip of her sangria. “That means a lot to me. It’s so true what they say. Once you bring a child into the world, everything shifts.”
“I totally get that. And everything else fades away in comparison to her needs and wants.” How often had his mother said this to him and his brothers?
“Exactly. I still have aspirations, but if things aren’t good with Lily, then nothing is right with me.”
“I’ll toast to that,” Caleb said, lifting his glass in the air and clinking glasses with Sophia, who’d raised her goblet to meet his.
“I received a very cool call today,” Sophia announced, barely able to contain her excitement. She was wiggling around in her seat and looking at him as if she were holding on to the world’s biggest secret.
“Tell me more,” Caleb said, getting a kick out of her being so eager to tell him something.
“By some extraordinary stroke of luck, I was asked to do a photo session with Malina Blackrock.” Sophia covered her mouth with her hand and let out a strangled scream.
“What? Are you serious? She’s a superstar.” Malina was an indigenous Alaskan singer who had catapulted herself to fame and fortune all over the globe. She was a local girl with humble origins, having grown up in Seldovia.
“I know!” Sophia said in a raised voice. “It’s such a random thing. She’s on fire as an artist. Can you believe it?”
Caleb shook his head. “Nothing in life is random. Growing up, my mom drilled it into our heads that what will be, will be. Meaning that this is happening for a reason. Most of all, you deserve this gig.”
“That’s sweet of you to say.”
“I’m not being kind. Just truthful. You’re very talented, which is why your name is out there generating buzz.” He reached over and entwined his hand with hers. “Take this opportunity and run with it. She’s not the only one who’s on fire.”
Sophia responded by playfully fanning her face with her hand.
“Seriously, it’s like I said earlier. Lily is the center of my world. If she’s proud of me, that means I’ve succeeded.”
“So, what’s the story with you and Lily’s dad? If I may ask.” Caleb didn’t even bother to hide his curiosity. He figured she was just as curious about his infamous relationship with the Taylor twins. At some point he knew that particular topic would crop up. He just hoped he was ready to tackle it head-on.
“Of course you may ask.” Sophia took a long sip of her sangria. “Well, do you want the short version or the detailed one?”
“Whatever you’re comfortable with. I just want to know more about you and what brought you to this point, especially your journey as a single mom.”
Sophia was blown away. She had never met a potential romantic partner who had wanted to know about her past. Not even the father of her child. None of them had expressed any interest whatsoever. She was touched by Caleb being so intentional toward her.
She took a steadying breath. “I met my ex, Donny, about six years ago. We were together for two years. Honestly, everything was going great until I took a pregnancy test, and it was positive.” She winced as the painful memories crashed over her.
Caleb frowned. “I’m guessing he didn’t take the news very well.”
“Bingo,” she said, running a fidgety hand through her hair. It wasn’t easy to talk about, but she wanted to get closer to Caleb. She wanted to tear down her walls with a sledgehammer. They had been up for so long, and she knew on some level it was impeding her growth. “Even though we had talked about a future together—engagement, wedding, kids. Then all of a sudden he became a ghost. He stopped communicating with me, and he didn’t show up at any of my prenatal appointments.” Her stomach clenched. “I didn’t want to believe it, but I could feel that he was pulling away from me.”
“That had to be confusing and painful,” Caleb said.
“It was. I was months away from giving birth, and my partner was completely MIA. When I found out I was having a girl, I was with Patience. He was nowhere to be found when I went into labor.” Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away. She had cried enough tears over Donny’s behavior. Now her sorrow was for Lily. Lily’s father wasn’t a reliable man, and she worried constantly that he would smash Lily’s heart to smithereens.
“My sister always showed up for me, but he should have been there. He should have been holding my hand and feeding me ice chips. Even if he decided that he didn’t want to be with me anymore, he still should have shown up.”
“I-I can’t believe he treated you that way,” Caleb sputtered. The look of disbelief on his face turned to anger. “What kind of man abandons his partner and baby?”
“Well, according to him, he hadn’t asked to be a father.” She let out a snort. “Lily wasn’t planned, so I wasn’t expecting the news either. But I embraced the fact that I was going to be a mother. And, honestly, she’s the very best thing that has ever happened to me.”
For a moment the kitchen was eerily silent. Neither one said a word.
“Sophia, you’re not only a strong woman, but you’re an incredible mother raising a wonderful little girl.” He placed his hand over his heart. “I’m in awe of you.”
Sophia ducked her head down. Making eye contact with Caleb after she’d spilled her guts would make her feel too vulnerable. Telling him about Donny made her feel as if she’d bared her soul.
“Aww, shucks,” she said, trying to sound lighthearted. “If I’d known that, I would’ve told you weeks ago.” She let out a shaky laugh that didn’t sound at all genuine. There was nothing funny about what she had just told him, and they both knew it.
“I see you, Sophia,” Caleb said, reaching out and grazing his knuckles across her cheek. “And I don’t think I’ve ever laid eyes on anything as beautiful or as real.” Caleb leaned over so that their lips were mere inches away from each other. “I want to kiss you so badly, but I need to know that you want this too.”
Sophia nodded. She licked her lips in anticipation. “Yes, please.”
He encircled her waist with both of his hands and pulled her against his chest. Once she was there, Sophia tilted her head upward just as Caleb’s lips brushed over hers. She parted her lips in response, inviting him in.
As the kiss heightened and soared, she inhaled the scent of him—something rugged and woodsy like cedar. Caleb’s hands were solid and grounding.
This kiss wasn’t just explosive. There was sweetness too, a kind of tenderness that made the moment even more amazing. A feeling of security swept over her. She wasn’t sure that she’d ever responded to a kiss this way or needed someone as much.
By the time they pulled apart, Sophia’s mind was nothing but mush. This man was like a five-alarm fire.
“So, you owe me your story, Caleb. I’m all ears.”
“Another time, okay? It’s getting late, and I’ve got an early shoot tomorrow with a really demanding photographer.” He leaned in and whispered, “I hear she’s a bit of a diva.”
She let out an outraged sound and playfully swatted him. “Absolutely not. She doesn’t have a diva-like bone in her body.”
“For which I am very grateful,” Caleb murmured as he swept another kiss on her lips. Although this one was short and sweet, it left her equally breathless.
Once she had walked him to the front door, Sophia said, “Good night, Caleb. See you tomorrow.”
“Night,” he said as he dipped his head down and brushed a kiss on her temple.
She was definitely going to hold him to his promise to tell her his story. Sophia knew now that there was way more to the story regarding his stint on the reality show. And she wanted to know why he seemed slightly guarded with regard to his heart.