Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Essie sat on a low beach chair with a towel draped across her knees, the sand warm beneath her bare feet.
Mattie was several yards away, crouched over a bucket, utterly focused on filling it with wet sand only to dump it out again.
Mira slept on a towel in the shade of the umbrella, her little chest rising and falling.
Liliana stood at the water line, watching the waves roll in, then came back and lowered herself into the chair beside Essie’s. She brushed sand from her hands and followed Essie’s gaze toward the water. “This is so beautiful. You’re so fortunate to live here.”
“We are,” Essie said. “And you know, Frank and I don’t come down here as often as we should. It’s a shame. I think when Frank gets back, he and I need to start taking daily walks on the beach. It would be good for both of us.”
“It would be,” Liliana said.
A few moments passed with both of them just watching Mattie and listening to the soft thrum of the waves. A seagull landed near Mattie, had a look at what he was doing, then took off again.
“I thought Sophie might have come down here,” Essie said. She kept her voice light, though the thought had been on her mind all morning. “She must have gone to the pool instead.”
Liliana glanced up and down the shore. “I haven’t seen her.”
Essie nodded. “I didn’t really expect to. I just wondered.”
Liliana shifted in her chair. “I know you’re worried about everything going on with her.”
Essie smiled faintly. “I can’t help but be concerned. After what happened with Ryan, I thought she’d drop the lawsuits.”
“Yeah,” Liliana said. “I would have thought so, too.” She sighed. “Sometimes I think I never should have shown you those TikToks of hers.”
“Don’t say that. I’m glad you told me about them,” Essie said. “Even if they were hard to watch.”
Liliana’s gaze was on her son as he scooped water into his bucket and squealed when it splashed over his hands. “From the videos, she seems…almost frantic,” she said. “Angry, maybe. And a little exhausted at times. It’s hard to tell.”
“That’s how she is in person. Hard to read,” Essie said. “Very closed off.”
“And then there are those lawsuits,” Liliana said quietly. “I know I don’t have the full picture, but it feels like those color everything.”
“They do,” Essie said. “Every conversation, although she’s not big on talking. But it hangs there, in the air. At least for me. It’s impossible not to think about.”
Liliana folded her arms loosely. “From the outside, it looks like she doesn’t trust anyone right now. And maybe she doesn’t know who she can trust after what happened. Just playing devil’s advocate here, but Frank did hire a private investigator to watch her.”
“No,” Essie said, needing to set things straight. “Frank hired him to watch Ryan. That’s how we found out he was cheating on Sophie. That’s how that all came about.”
“Oh.” Liliana’s brows lifted. “He was just watching out for his daughter.”
“Yes,” Essie said. “You can’t fault him for that.”
“Nope. Not a bit.”
Essie looked out at the water. The waves came in steadily, indifferent to it all.
“I don’t know what to do with her,” she said.
“I want to be kind without her feeling like I’m trying to smother her.
I want to show her that I’m available if she wants to talk.
That I’m not going to judge her, just listen. ”
“That’s a big ask,” Liliana said.
“Yes,” Essie said. “Worse, I don’t think she wants to even try.”
Mattie ran over, sand stuck to his legs, holding up his bucket like a trophy. Essie praised him and admired the shells he’d collected in his bucket. Barely a minute had gone by before he ran back to the water, absorbed in the hunt again.
After he left, Essie looked down the shoreline once more. Families passed by, couples walking slowly, a woman shaking out a towel. No Sophie. She must be at the pool. Maybe she’d gone there because she’d anticipated they’d be at the beach.
“She might come later,” Liliana said.
Essie nodded. “Or she might not.” Either way, she thought, the spot beside her would stay open if Sophie wanted to join them. And when they went home, the door would be, too.
They stayed at the beach a little longer than Essie had planned, but that was all right. She was happy that the kids were enjoying themselves.
They were there long enough for Mattie to lose interest in his bucket and decide the water itself was more interesting, long enough for Mira to wake up and have some playtime of her own in the sand.
But as the day wore on, they all got tired and when Mira got fussy, that was the cue to pack up and head back.
Essie shook the sand from the towels, folded them, and put them in the beach bag.
Then she helped Liliana gather shoes, buckets, and all the important shells that could not possibly be left behind.
They walked back to the house in a loose line, Liliana balancing Mira on her hip, the diaper bag over her other shoulder.
Essie held Mattie’s hand while he chattered on about everything he’d done that day, as if Essie hadn’t been watching. She used her free hand to pull the wagon with all their stuff. She smiled, amused by his every word.
Back in the house, the rhythm of childcare took over. Baths first, to get the sand off, then Liliana put them straight into their pajamas.
Essie made a quick supper of dinosaur chicken nuggets and mac and cheese with a salad for herself and Liliana. Essie didn’t mind the extra work. There was comfort in having her family here, even with the added stress of Sophie.
After dinner, Essie cleaned up while Liliana settled on the couch with Mira. Mattie sprawled across the rug with his cars.
Essie went to the cabinet and pulled out bowls for popcorn, already thinking about which movie would keep everyone still and occupied for ninety minutes. Or was that too much to hope for?
She set the bowls on the counter, then decided to put her phone on the charger in the master bedroom and send Frank a quick text.
That was when she noticed the door to the guest room was closed. It hadn’t been when they’d left for the beach.
Essie stood there, listening. She couldn’t hear anything but Mattie’s car noises. Maybe Liliana had closed the door to keep the kids from going in there? Essie moved closer to the guest room door and knocked lightly.
After a moment, the door opened a few inches. Sophie appeared, hair rumpled, eyes unfocused, like she’d surfaced from a deep sleep.
“Hey, there,” Essie said. “I didn’t realize you were home.”
“Yeah,” Sophie said. She rubbed her face with the heel of her hand. “I fell asleep.”
Essie nodded. “We just got back from the beach. The kids are clean and fed, but there’s still chicken nuggets and mac and cheese if you’re hungry. I was going to put a movie on.”
Sophie looked past Essie toward the living room, where the low murmur of Liliana’s voice carried. Sophie’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“You’re welcome to join us,” Essie said. She kept her tone light, the way she always did. “No pressure.”
Sophie shook her head. “I’m tired.”
“All right,” Essie said. “If you change your mind—”
“I won’t,” Sophie said, firmly. She stepped back and closed the door. The click of the latch sounded loud to Essie’s ears.
Essie stood there for a few seconds longer, staring at the door like it might reopen if she waited. It didn’t.
She went to the master bedroom and plugged her phone in.
Frank was on her mind as she sat on the edge of the bed.
She didn’t want to dramatize things. She didn’t want to minimize them, either.
Frank deserved to know how it was going—the good and the difficult, mixed together the way things usually were these days.
She typed slowly. Beach with Liliana and the kids today. Mattie had a great time. Mira slept through most of it, which was fine, too. We came back, did baths and supper. I’m about to put a movie on.
She paused, her fingers hovering, then continued.
Sophie was already home. She’d been sleeping in the guest room. I asked if she wanted to join us, but she said no and closed the door. I let her be.
Essie reread the message, then added one more line. I’m trying to give her space, but this is hard. Doing my best and hoping she’ll let me in, at least a little.
She hit Send and set the phone down before leaning back against the pillows to stare at the ceiling fan turning slowly overhead. She was doing everything she could.
She went back to the living room and got the movie started. The kids settled in to watch. Essie sat at the end of the couch, hands folded in her lap, watching the screen without really seeing it.
She ran through the possibilities of what to do with Sophie. Say less or say more? Give her space or stay available? Every option seemed to cancel another out.
She didn’t want to knock again. But she didn’t want to leave Sophie alone, either. Essie didn’t know which choice would do less harm.
She sank back against the cushion and listened to the movie play on, the house full and quiet at the same time.
She consoled herself with the knowledge that Sophie knew Essie was here if she wanted to talk.
All Essie could do was wait and hope that would be enough.