Chapter 4
Things in Sophia’s life seemed to be speeding by at a record pace.
Nora, her only child, had just graduated from high school.
At eighteen, Nora seemed mature for her age but also completely naive as well.
Sophia couldn’t believe the law considered her baby girl an adult, and she still didn’t wash her own laundry.
Another big change—everyone leaving.
A fact Sophia still couldn’t fully acknowledge, as she pulled the old chore chart off the bulletin board that Crissy had created when she’d moved in with her kids.
Sophia wasn’t ready for an empty house.
Nora was leaving for college in less than five weeks.
She was headed to the mountains of New Hampshire, where she would attend the local university.
After the wedding, Arielle would be leaving for an orientation camp before cheer season began at Boston College.
She had already packed everything up and just needed to wait until the vows before she could take off.
Jason lived at the house but stayed half the time with Gina who talked about renovating above the garage so he could move into his own place. Pretty soon, it would be only Sophia and Patrick.
“Knock, knock,” Mr. Wilson said as he and her mother walked through the back door. They held paper cartons of what looked like freshly picked strawberries.
“There are strawberries at Moulton’s farm.” Marilyn held the berries up before setting them on the counter.
What would Sophia do with two boxes of strawberries a few days before her wedding? “I guess we should buy some shortcake or get vanilla ice cream.”
Marilyn faced Sophia. “Remember when Gram used to serve us ice cream with fresh strawberries?”
Sophia loved those hot summer nights when the ice cream would turn pink as she stirred the strawberries into the vanilla until it turned completely smooth.
“I thought we could add them to the wedding,” Marilyn suggested.
Sophia drew a deep breath, trying to balance everyone’s suggestions with what she wanted, which was a simple beach wedding. Now, it seemed everyone on the island was invited.
But the wedding wasn’t what mattered to Sophia. It was what came after. The life she and Patrick would share together. That’s what she wanted.
This week had been particularly hard on the emotions with Nora’s graduation.
With less than a week until the wedding, Sophia’s stress seemed at an all-time high.
Plus, having your best friend and her family move out while moving in your fiancé and his son, while accommodating your daughter’s wishes for her late father’s things, had been more than she had bargained for.
And strawberries might just put her over the edge.
“Where is everyone?” Mr. Wilson asked, looking around the empty kitchen.
Sophia suddenly remembered why she had been standing there in the first place.
She had been trying to figure out what to do next on her to-do list, but then she realized she was all alone for the first time in forever.
It had probably been the first time she had been alone since before Crissy and the kids had moved in.
How strange it felt to hear nothing but the humming of the ceiling fan.
“Everyone is gone.” She’d said it with sadness.
“Funny how fast it goes, isn’t it?” Marilyn said, tilting her head at her in sympathy.
The past few months with Marilyn back on the island full time, the mother and daughter had been having a weekly lunch, just the two of them, and Marilyn had been coming to dinners regularly.
She came at least a few times throughout the week, usually when Mr. Wilson came.
The time together had brought the two women closer.
Sophia wondered if Marilyn came over as much as she did for Sophia and the kids, or was it to see Mr. Wilson.
She privately thought they had started up a secret romance.
They never let on if they had, but as their friendship continued to grow, so did the time they spent together.
More times than not, Marilyn would be with Mr. Wilson or go over to his house to say hello.
He’d swing by if he saw her golf cart. They would shop together, walk together, “bird-watch” together, though Sophia couldn’t imagine anyone actually considering bird-watching a social activity.
“I remember when Megan moved out,” Mr. Wilson said of his youngest daughter. “She had bags and bags of trash from her room, and Nancy went through it all, checking each item to make sure she’d allow it to go to a landfill. She ended up keeping most of it. It’s still in my basement.”
Marilyn laughed. “I could never throw out the childhood things, like her favorites. Her favorite doll, her favorite blankie.”
“You never threw out a thing, and it’s all in my attic now,” Sophia said, thinking about the attic full of everyone’s mementoes, including Marc’s stuff.
At first, she’d kept everything. Then when Crissy had moved in, she’d helped Sophia go through all his things and whittle his possessions down to what Nora would want to keep.
His police uniform, his medals, his favorite CDs and yearbooks.
She’d give Nora all his pictures and baby books.
Some of his fancy things like cuff links and a gold watch that Nora could pass down if she had a son.
She’d kept his favorite jerseys, and a few of his hoodies that were never washed.
Now, the attic had Patrick’s and Jason’s things up there, as well.
In a few days, she would be a new wife.
Wow. Things really did change fast.
“Do you think you could go with me to my fitting?” Sophia asked, feeling rushed about her to-do list. “That way I could have you help me a bit.”
“You want me to come with you?” Marilyn seemed surprised by the ask. “Not Crissy? Or the girls?”
Sophia suddenly felt bad. “Did I make you feel left out, Mom?”
She hoped she hadn’t.
Marilyn shook her head. “No, I’m just thankful you thought of me.”
She patted her purse against her chest. “We can leave whenever you’re ready. I drove over here with Bob.”
“Do you mind if we reschedule?” Marilyn asked Mr. Wilson.
He shook his head. “Goodness, no. See you at pickleball.”
“It’s at four?” Marilyn asked, though Sophia knew she knew.
Bob nodded. “Last one until the big day.”
“You guys better not sprain Patrick’s ankle or something,” Sophia warned them.
Bob laughed, but Sophia knocked on the wooden table nonetheless. Never too careful.
She had less than a week before she became Mrs. Patrick O’Sullivan. Until then, she would make sure everything went as planned, which meant she needed to double up on some errands, which is why she needed her mother to come with her to the dress fitting.
“Are you feeling anxious?” Marilyn asked as soon as Sophia turned on the golf cart.
“Just for the usual things,” Sophia answered. “You know, like will it end up raining during the ceremony, or will there be a problem with the lobsters, or something with the DJ? You know, worst-case scenario stuff.”
“Well, give those worries to me,” Marilyn said, putting her hands in her lap.
“Then start by taking notes,” Sophia said, dropping a notepad next to her mother. “The second tab is my to-do list.”
“Oh, dear,” Marilyn said as she turned to the page filled with things Sophia needed done in three days. Three columns of things.
“I need someone to pick people up at the ferry with a car,” Sophia said. “It should be on the list.”
Marilyn scanned the list. “Yes, it’s here.”
“Add, contacting Gina about sheets for Lois’s room.” Sophia tapped the wheel with her thumb.
“Where’s Lois staying?” Marilyn asked.
Sophia had mulled over where to put her aunt for weeks.
She wanted Lois to be part of things, but she also couldn’t have her stay at the house.
Marilyn wouldn’t say it, but she would definitely feel left out, so she had asked Crissy and Gina if they would mind putting Lois up.
She didn’t even bother asking Marilyn. Their complicated relationship had been good since Christmas, and Sophia didn’t want to rock the boat, especially before the wedding.
After the wedding, when Sophia and Patrick head off for their honeymoon, the kids would be left to themselves, but Sophia had offered for Lois to stay there with the kids until she headed back to Vermont.
She just didn’t know how to tell Marilyn without hurting her feelings that she hadn’t asked her to stay with them.
“Don’t be mad, but she’s going to stay at the house when Patrick and I go on our honeymoon without the kids.” Sophia waited for Marilyn to freak out.
But when Marilyn said, “That’s a good idea. I bet she misses the island, being landlocked out there in the Vermont mountains.”
Sophia looked at her mother for a second before going back to the road. Things between the women were really okay after all. She almost started talking about it again, ready to defend her decision, when she just decided not to. Why? Her mother seemed to not mind. She’d take the win.
“So, you and Mr. Wilson have been hanging out a lot lately,” Sophia said, turning onto Seashore Lane.
“Yes, he and I have a lot in common,” Marilyn said back.
Sophia wondered if her mother ever thought about her neighbor romantically. “He’s very kind. Willing to do anything for us.”
Marilyn nodded at that. “Yes, always has been a good neighbor.”
The term didn’t seem appropriate for their relationship and the amount of time they spent together, being neighbors for over forty years. “Don’t you think you’re more than just neighbors? Maybe even more than friends?”
“Sophia!” Marilyn scolded. She adjusted the seat belt around her chest. “He’s my best friend’s husband.” Then she mumbled, “That still means something to me.”
“Nancy passed away years ago,” Sophia said. She’d been gone almost as long as Marc had been gone. “You’re both so young still. Why not? If you enjoy each other’s company.”
Sophia waited to let the idea percolate.
“Sophia.” Marilyn closed the notepad. Then paused before saying, “Never talk about this again.”