8. Sophie
Sophie
“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” – L.M. Montgomery
“ H ow’s Loverly Cave treating you? Ready to come back yet?” Vassar asks through the phone.
“Nope. I love it here.”
“Sophie, come on! It’s been over a week now, isn’t that enough?”
“Do you like my new haircut?” I ask, changing the subject.
“It looks good on you, although you looked great with long hair as well. Now, don’t try to change the subject.”
Well, there goes that.
I stop searching through my closet for a dress to wear to the bar with the girls and purse my lips. “Sooo, here’s the thing…” I trail off, biting my lip as Vas stays si lent for a moment.
“I feel like I’ve heard that line from you before and nothing good came after it.”
I have no idea how to break this to my brother, so I shift on my feet and decide to just go for it. “I’m not sure I’m coming back.”
Another beat of deadly silence and then a loud “ Theè mou! ” comes through. Okay, so we are bringing out the Greek again, I wince. “What does that supposed to mean? Are you planning to travel the world or moving to that hippy town?”
“The latter option, please.”
“Tell me you’re joking.”
“Nope?” It comes out as a question because as much as I love my older brother, he can get pretty scary at times. Next, I hear shuffling and a lot of distant curses in Greek.
“Okayyy.” Kira picks up his phone. “So, there’s a lot of foreign shouting happening right now. Can you please tell me what you said to your brother to get him that worked up? I need to write it down for later use.” I hear that evil, sultry smile in my sister-in-law’s voice.
“Ew, Kira.” I make a disgusting face, and even though she can’t see me she knows it and laughs.
“Seriously, what did you tell him?”
“That I’m moving to Loverly Cave permanently.”
“No, you are fucking not!” comes from Vassar, still sounding distant. “This is just some weird premature midlife crisis with cutting your hair and all that happening! What are you in crisis for even?” He keeps shouting, and I no longer find it funny because he’s being an ass right now.
“I can be in whatever crisis I want! Thank you very much!” I shout back.
“No, you can’t! You’re an adult now, in case you forgot, and adults don’t run away from their problems. They face them head on! What you’re doing are the actions of an unstable child. Who throws away their whole entire life over some problem? You’re twenty-seven, Sophie, not eighteen anymore.”
“You did not just say that right now,” I grit through my teeth. “I am not an unstable child! ”
“Then prove it to me! Be the responsible adult I’ve always thought you were.”
“Okay, break time,” Kira interrupts us before we can take it up a notch. “How about you both take a few days off, cool down, and come back to this conversation?”
“I have nothing more to say to him.”
“Well, I still have plenty!” Vas shouts.
“Sophie,” Kira says softly but stern. “Your brother is about to have a coronary over here and I really like his charming personality and his dick and would like to keep those for a long while, so how about you take those few days off and give us a call when you’re ready to talk?”
“Ew again, Kira. But fine, tell him I don’t say bye.”
“Tell her I don’t say bye back.”
“Annnd I’m officially a first-grade teacher.” Kira sighs and ends the call, leaving me fuming over here.
A child! An unstable one at that! That’s what he called me! That’s what he thinks of me! I huff, running my hands through my short hair that I’ve come to love very much. It feels so…me!
I’m not unstable!
I might be a little lost, I can admit that, but I’m not unstable and I’m slowly finding myself in Loverly Cave, why can’t he just see that?
Well, I’ll show that blind fool! I’ll show him how adult and responsible and stable I am.
“Why are you all pregnant?”
“I’m not,” Hope pipes up, and I grin at her.
“Great, you and I are getting drunk tonight!” We high five while Grace, Joy, and Julie pout. There will be no drinking for them for a while still. “Where is Zoe?” I ask, not seeing our blonde.
“About to pop,” Joy answers, sliding into the booth at the back of Love and Peace bar. “She can barely walk at this point, and let me tell you, I’m not looking forward to that. If it’s that hard with one baby, I’ll probably just die with these twins.” She points to her fast-growing stomach.
“Pshh, as if that Viking husband of yours won’t simply carry you all around,” Hope says, sliding in next to her as Grace and I take the other side and Julie sits at the open edge.
It’s my first time in LPs and this place is packed. When I asked the girls if there was some kind of party going on tonight, they looked at me and said, “You live in Loverly now, the whole life is a party here.” And that was that.
Hey, I’m not complaining. After the stuffy and always rushing New York, this is the most wonderful reprieve.
Love and Peace is just as fun as the rest of the town is with mix-matched furniture, heart-shaped string lights, karaoke station, and the chilliest vibe ever. Grace was right when she called me and said I’d love this bar.
I do!
It used to be what we did for fun back in New York. We’d find a new, not well-known bar and check it out, giving it a rating. In fact, that’s how she met her now husband.
“Well, that’s the least he can do after putting not just one but two samples of his crazy DNA inside me,” Joy responds.
“Stop complaining, none of us are buying it anymore.” Grace rolls her eyes. “We know you are crazy about the man, so just give it up already.”
“What would be the fun in that?”
“Gosh, I have no idea how he puts up with you.” Grace sighs.
“Right back at ya,” Joy counters.
“Break!” Hope puts her hands in a time-out gesture. “I’ve about had it with your pregnancy hormones today, you two! Where is that drink, Soph?”
“That bad, huh?”
She gives me an exasperated look. “Yes, they find something to fight about every single second.”
“No, we do not,” Grace protests at the same time as Joy says, “Grace does.”
“See?” She points to them. “A drink, stat. ”
Julie giggles, patting Hope’s arm. “Okay, so we know why this one is drinking, why are you in such need? Please don’t tell me my brother broke your door again?”
“Oh, no.” I wave that off. “I haven’t seen him since he helped with those couches the other day. It’s my brother this time.”
“Uh-oh, what did Vassar do?”
“He called me a child!”
“Ah,” Gracie gasps in outrage like the true best friend she is. “No, he did not!”
“He totally did. I broke the news that I’m staying in Loverly permanently and he lost it, going into the whole ‘premature midlife crisis’ speech again.”
“I don’t like your brother,” Joy announces.
“You don’t like anyone, you are not a reliable source,” Grace says, and I catch Hope’s eyes twitch.
“That’s it. One more word between you two and I’m calling in the reinforcements.”
“Luke and Jacob?” Julie asks.
“No, Mom and Fanny!”
“There are my favorites girls,” an older woman with long, graying hair in a braid, a beaming, warm smile and a million bracelets dangling off her arm, comes up to our table. “Oh, one is missing. Where is my Zoe?”
“About to pop,” Joy repeats.
“Ah, I can’t wait to meet our little girl,” she says and turns her welcoming eyes to me. “And you must be Sophie, Gracie’s best friend from New York. Love that dress you’re wearing,” she says, eyeing my white dress with colorful flowers stitched over the fabric.
“Thank you! And yes, I am her,” I smile back.
“I’m Willa Loverson and let me tell you, we are all so happy to have you!”
“You are?” I ask, surprised.
“Why, of course! No one moves to Loverly Cave if they’re not meant to be here. This is your home now, and I hope you find what you came looking for here. ”
Instantly, my heart warms at her warm welcome. I also want to ask how she knows I’m looking for something, but I refrain, it must be written all over my lost face. So I settle with, “Thank you, Willa.”
She smiles, giving my arm a squeeze. “What can I get you girls?”
“Something safe for these three.” Hope points to the pregnant women. “As for me and Sophie, we’re planning on having a good time and venting over here so give us your special brew.”
Suddenly, something dangerous sparks in Willa’s eyes and a shiver runs down my spine.
Why do I have a feeling that this night might have an ending I wasn’t prepared for?
“Coming right up!” She claps her hands and heads to the bar.
“Special brew?” I raise an eyebrow at Hope.
“Willa is the owner and head creator of all the drinks here.” She points to the blackboard above the bar.
Taking a better look at it, I see that there are no regular drinks written on it. Instead, there are: Cupid’s Arrow, Fry, Yellow-Mellow, and more along the lines. My eyes shine with excitement.
“Grace! This is the best bar!”
“Right, that’s what I told you.”
“It is pretty amazing, but I’d be careful if I were you,” Julie tells me, biting the corner of her lip.
“What she said,” Joy agrees. “These drinks are not just drinks.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have no idea what kind of voodoo spells Willa puts in them, but each drink has some special power that will make you do stuff.”
“What stuff?”
“It depends on the drink,” Julie adds. “But Hope just ordered something to unwind and relax, so you should be relatively safe.”
“Said no one ever about Willa’s brews.”
I frown, my eyes volleying between them. It’s just drinks, how bad can it be?”
“But I don’t wannaaaa go homeeee. I want to paaaartyyyy,” I sing-song, trying to pull out of Luke’s strong hold. “Set me down, Luke!”
“Not happening, Soph. The party is over.”
“No, it’s not! Where is my partner-in-crime Hope? HOPE?”
“Jesus Christ, Sophie, my ears!”
“Oops! HOPEEEE,” I whisper-shout.
“Your partner-in-crime was in an even worse shape than you when Alec carted her out of there, so there will be no more partying for anyone.”
“Well, I didn’t agree to that.” I pout. “Gracie! Your grump shut down my party!”
“The bar closed, Sophie, and Gracie is unavailable for comment at this time. She’s done enough for one night.”
“It did?” I frown. “Well, that’s unfortunate. And stop giving my best friend glares.”
“How do you know I’m giving her a glare? You’re facing my back.”
“I can feel it through your aura.”
“Oh, goodie! You got accustomed to Loverly Cave really fast,” Luke says dryly, and I’m about to say something back but then I see the ocean and forget what I was about to say.
“I see water! I wanna go swim.”
“Sophie! Stop. Moving. You’re not going swimming. You’re going home to sleep it off and pray the hangover in the morning isn’t too bad.”
“Who are you calling drunk? I’m not drunk! I’m a respoponsiple—wait, that didn’t sound right—I’m a repso…responsible—there we go—adult! I don’t get drunk.”
Hiccup .
“Gracie, do you want to go swimming with me?” I prop my elbow against Luke’s back.
“Sure,” she says but then very quickly adds, “Tomorrow! Lumos, I mean tomorrow, Luke. Seriously, stop glaring.”
“Ha!” Hiccup . “See, I knew you were glaring. Maybe I’m clearvoyant—wait, that doesn’t sound right— clairv…claywor…”
“Clairvoyant?” Grace says, and I snap my fingers.
“There, that’s the one. I think Willa’s drinks opened my third eye.”
“I’d like to say what it opened, but I’ll hold my tongue,” Luke mutters. “Thank God, you live down the street.”
“I wanna sing, can I sing? What song should I sing, Gracie?”
“Oh, hell no,” I hear Luke grumble, and then suddenly I’m moving through the space a whole lot faster. “Sorry, Soph, no time for a concert. We’re here already.”
“Are we home?” I try to turn my head, but Luke won’t let me.
“Sophie, for the love of all that’s holy, please, just stay still so I can get you up and into your apartment in one piece.”
“Fine, fine,” I grumble.
A second later, my ride gets a lot bumpier, my stomach hitting against Luke’s shoulder with each step he takes, and it rumbles. “I’m hungry.” I sigh.
“I’ll make you a sandwich right now,” Grace says, and I smile at my bestie.
“I love you. You are like the bestest. You know that?”
“Oh, she sure is,” Luke says.
“Is that sarcasm I detect in your voice?” I ask. “Because I don’t appreciate you talking like that to my bestie.”
“Noted. There.” He sets me down and I stumble a little. “Whoa, hold onto me, please.”
“I told you, I’m not drunk! I was upside down for too long.”
“Yep, I’m sure that’s the problem here. Grace, hand me her keys please.”
“Oh, it’s not closed,” I tell him and push my front door open, stepping inside.
“Of course, it’s not. Why would it be?”
“Exactly,” I point a finger to him and sigh. I guess the party is really over. I fall to my brand-new couch.
“Here’s that sandwich, sweetie.” I prop open my eyes, not realizing they were closed in the first place to see Grace set a plate in front of me .
“Aww, you’re feeding me now. You’re like a proper adult! A real mama. You’ll make a great mama, you know that, Grace?”
She smiles, brushing my hair off my face.
“Are you going to be fine here, tonight? Maybe I should stay over?”
“Nah.” I wave her off. “Luke already wants to kill me assassination style, and if I keep you overnight too, I don’t think I’ll see the light of day.”
Gracie laughs at my comment.
“Mm-hmm, that’s hilarious, wild one. We’ll see who’ll be laughing in a bit.”
“Fine.” She bites her lip. “Go to bed and I’ll check in on you tomorrow morning.”
“Sounds good.” I give her thumbs up and with a last kiss on my forehead, they head out.
Well, I don’t want to go to sleep yet. What should I do? Oh, I should call my brother and tell him he’s an idiot! Yep, I totally should.
He was being a very big butt to me today but man, he makes the best grilled cheese EVER! And now I’m hungry again.
Oh, scratch the call, I should go see if they make a better grilled cheese here! Now that will rub it in his face. Yep!
My mind made up, I look for my shoes but can’t find them anywhere. Where did Grace put my shoes? Oh, screw it, Julie says walking barefoot is good for you.
Grilled cheese, here I come.