24. Sophie
TWENTY-FOUR
SOPHIE
Foster looks far more comfortable at this table than he did at his parents’ place. He’s in the middle of telling Marley and Bennett about Pete and his love of storing things in his pockets, and the two react the way you’d hope people would—engaged, taken in, genuinely curious. No one is sneering or judging him because of his job.
I don’t realize I’m staring at him until Cass clears her throat, pulling my attention from the conversation.
“So, how terrible was my uncle?” she asks, her lip curling in disgust.
“From what I’ve heard about him, he was in fine form,” I grumble.
Cass rolls her eyes and chews a piece of cinnamon roll thoughtfully, her gaze sliding to her brother for the briefest moment before looking back at me and mouthing, “Thank you.”
I shrug in response. I don’t need to be thanked for being there for him. Friends show up for the tough times too.
“So, Soph, it’s wild that you got placed somewhere with someone you know, eh?” Marley says enthusiastically.
“Even wilder that I had no idea that it was a possibility.” I glare over at Cass, who is suddenly very interested in a smear of ketchup on her plate.
“Do you two get to hang out much during the day?” Bennett asks, leaning back and wrapping his arm around Marley’s shoulders. She relaxes into him, her hand automatically going to his thigh.
I’ve never seen two people who need to have constant contact with one another and yet have it look so natural. I don’t even think they realize they’re doing it. Even before they were officially a couple, they were like this. It’s a level of intimacy I worry I’ll never understand.
“Most days we see each other at lunch,” Foster says. “But some days we don’t see each other at all.” I hate those days. Not only because seeing him is a highlight but if we don’t see one another it’s usually because something has gone wrong.
“Those days always seem extra-long,” I admit shyly. I can feel my face heat and then turn into an inferno when I see the way Marley looks over at Cass.
“I remember those days,” Bennett says as his hand tightens on Marley’s upper arm.
“So, Bennett, any new additions?” I ask, changing the subject before anyone else can try to interpret what I said.
“We’ve got a couple boarders,” he says. “Temporary residents,” he amends forcefully, smiling down at Marley who’s looking at him like she doesn’t believe a word of it.
“Oh? You’ve learned what ‘temporary’ means?” I tease.
Foster looks from me to Bennett, confused.
“Believe it or not, Soph, I’ve become somewhat of an expert on the word.”
“He has,” Cass confirms. “The three temps are from Teddy’s place.”
“Teddy’s place? It’s official then?” I ask.
Cass’s former coworker Teddy and his partner Nellie had gone up to Marmot Point five years ago and had bounced between Bennett’s and Spencer Lake Rescue while the owners were dealing with some health issues. The bet had been that it wouldn’t be long before Teddy and Nellie would be permanently changing their address.
“It is. Spencer Lake Rescue is officially their home,” Marley says sadly. “I’m so happy for them, but I do miss seeing Nell more.” Bennett and my parents burst out laughing. “I know, I know, it’s a role reversal.” She rolls her eyes.
“Aren’t you two going up next week?” Dad asks.
“We are,” Bennett confirms.
“And weren’t they here two weeks ago, to bring the dogs down?”
Bennett nods, avoiding Marley’s glare.
“And before that…” my mom begins.
“Okay, I get it,” Marley huffs.
I feel the heat from Foster’s body before his arm brushes into mine. “I don’t get what’s happening,” he whispers.
“I’ll tell you later,” I assure him.
He nods and pulls away, making me wish we were pretending to be dating here too.
“Ya know,” Marley says as we begrudgingly take part in the annual “I’m too full for this shit” Easter walk, “for two people who aren’t pretending to be together, you kind of look like two people who are together.”
I slow my pace, putting some distance between everyone else and us. “We get along well. We always have.”
“No offense, but the vibes are more than two people who get along well. Is there something there?”
“No,” I say a bit too quickly.
“Do you want there to be?” she pries.
“When did you become such a romantic?” I ask.
“You’ve met my husband? Oh, and this slightly overbearing, if not well-meaning, incredibly meddlesome couple, the Hores? I had no choice. I had to conform or lose my mind. And conforming has way better benefits,” she says coyly.
“How’s the new book coming?”
Marley looks at me as we walk and I can see her wanting to push for more out of the corner of my eye, but she gives her head a small shake. “It’s going well. I’ve submitted everything I need to for the outline, and now it’s up to Simon to fill in all the blanks.”
“Well, I’m excited for it. Let me know when pre-orders are available.”
“I’m sure your mom will before I have a chance.” She chuckles. We ended up with nine copies of the first one between my parents and me because we all ordered a copy for ourselves and each other. A fact that thoroughly embarrassed Marley.
“Any new cravings or aversions?”
“Sadly, only your mom’s sauce still. I was hoping I’d start craving things that are super healthy, but so far nothing. I guess I should be happy I’m not craving really specific things that are hard to get.”
“You know Bennett would find any way he could to get them here.”
“I do know that.” She smiles dreamily at her husband as he talks with Foster.
Foster picks that moment to look over his shoulder. His eyes find me, crinkling with his smile.
Marley makes a tiny contented sound before she hurries ahead of me to take Bennett’s hand. Foster is instantly forgotten and he slows for me to catch up.
“Good conversation?”
“Yeah, he was telling me about Spencer Lake’s new barn.”
“Riveting,” I joke.
“It is in a way. I appreciate people who are into the minutiae of their jobs. I mean, the dogs are clearly the best part, but he seems equally as enthusiastic about fixing a barn door as he does about taking them out for a walk.”
“That’s how you sounded about your job today.”
“It’s easy with your family.” I love that he calls them “my family” despite the fact I’m only technically related to two others here.
“No,” I say, resting my hand on his arm as we both slow to a stop. “That’s how you sounded with your family. Despite all the nasty things some of them think and even say about your job, you still sounded as passionate about it with them as you did with everyone here.”
I register the look of surprise on his face at my words.
“I guess I’m so used to being on autopilot when I’m around them I didn’t even realize. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For telling me. For going with me. For keeping me sane. For encouraging me to be myself.” His eyes track across my face, the world around us quieting and fading away as they land on my lips.
“You don’t need to thank me, Foster,” I assure him, stepping closer. The urge to kiss him is like none I’ve ever experienced before.
“It’s what friends do, right?” he says.
“Absolutely,” I force out.
“Are you two coming or what?” Cass calls from the front of the group, breaking the spell.
“Still as impatient as ever.” Foster grins toward his sister before turning and continuing on while I stand there trying to remember how to walk.
“I’m sorry, you’re what?” I gasp, sitting up so quickly that the hot chocolate in my mug sloshes over the side.
“We’re retiring. Or I’m retiring, at any rate,” my dad says.
“Is something wrong?” I look up at the mantle where my parents’ wedding photo sits. Mom in a vintage blue polka-dot dress and Dad in a button-up vest and jeans as he holds her in his arms above the snow. They’re practically kids compared to the people sitting in front of me now. It’s like I didn’t register how much they’ve aged until “retiring” came out of my dad’s mouth. Come to think of it, he does look a bit more tired than usual. Maybe it’s just the late hour; he’s usually been asleep for a few hours by this time.
“Why does anything have to be wrong?” Mom asks, setting her mug down on the table beside her. “You’re not taking over the farm. Our herd is half of what it was. We don’t have a bull anymore. It feels like the right time.”
“Besides, the deal your mother got will—” My dad stops talking abruptly when he sees the look on my mom’s face.
“What deal?”
“I should…” Foster says from beside me, rising slowly but not getting far before my arm shoots out and I pull him back down. “Or not,” he says slowly.
“What deal?” I ask again, calmer this time.
Mom takes a deep breath and straightens a little before answering. “I signed a brand deal for my tomato sauce.”
“Holy shit,” I say under my breath. “With who?”
“Simmons.”
“Whoa,” Foster breathes out. “They’re everywhere.”
“And…” my dad says encouragingly.
“A book deal,” Mom says sheepishly.
“Why do you sound embarrassed, boop?” Dad asks while Mom glares at him. He never calls her boop in front of anyone other than me, but he let it slip in front of Foster.
“I’m not embarrassed. I’m bloody overwhelmed with pride, but I’m still coming to terms with the fact it’s real.”
“Can you explain so I too can come to terms with the fact it’s real?” I ask.
“About three months ago, some TV executive was eating at The Blind Shepherd and he had a dish with my sauce.” It’s rare that I see my mother flustered but she’s well on her way trying to tell me about this news. “He wanted to know where to buy it, and when they told him he couldn’t, he wanted to see how he could make buying it a possibility. There were talks and lawyers and now I have an agent and?—”
“Slow down, dearest,” Dad says, taking her hand and squeezing. I watch as she looks at him and takes a couple steadying breaths.
“Turns out I’m pretty good in the kitchen.” She shrugs.
I sit there staring at her, in complete shock.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but I was worried it wouldn’t happen and then I’d be a disappointment to everyone.”
“Excuse me?” I say in disbelief. “A disappointment to everyone? Who is everyone? Mom, this is amazing!” I squeal, jumping up and going to hug her. “I’m so fucking proud of you,” I murmur as I pull her up so I can squeeze her tighter.
My dad’s arms wrap around us next in a family hug.
“Get over here.” I hear him say before another set of arms join the fray.
Notes of patchouli and leather hit my nose, and I let myself enjoy the sensation of being held, albeit somewhat awkwardly by Foster.
When we separate, my mom announces that they’re heading to bed. “Oh, one tiny thing,” she says, turning back to us at the bottom of the stairs. “It totally slipped my mind with all the hosting duties that the new mattresses for the guest bedrooms were supposed to be delivered on Thursday but were delayed.”
“Oh,” Foster says, the warmth from his body impossible to ignore as he steps beside me. “I can… I can see if Cass has room, or maybe borrow the car and go to my parents’?”
Mom is already waving off the suggestions like they’re the most ridiculous things she’s ever heard. “Cass only has her bed and a small sofa. It’s very late, and there are lots of deer out. And Marley had that look in her eye when they left, so no point in calling them. Thankfully, Sophie’s bed is a queen so there’s plenty of room.”
My mouth drops as my dad hides a chuckle by clearing his throat and guiding my mom up the stairs.
Slipped her mind, my ass.