Chapter 25
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sophie
As Jamie's truck rumbled to a stop in the driveway, I took in the house in front of me. The two-story stone house is the picture of timeless charm. It’s neat and tidy with a small covered front porch adorned with large potted plants on either side of the steps.
“Jamie, this is amazing,” I said as we stepped out of the truck.
“It’s a classic.”
I took in the lush grass flanking the sidewalk as we made our way to the porch. Along the front of the house, well-manicured shrubs were interspersed with bursts of color from blooming flowers. Their welcome aroma on the breeze created an inviting atmosphere.
“Did you plant those or were they already here?”
“They were here, but way overgrown. I had to trim everything back and clean it all up.” He unlocked the front door and turned the knob. “Ready to see it?” he asked, a boyish grin spreading across his face.
I nodded, returning his smile.
“Lead the way, Mr. Flipper.”
I followed him inside and was struck by the transformation.
I’ve seen the before pictures and he’s shown me some renovations in progress, but seeing it in person is a different experience.
The entryway opened up to a spacious living room, bathed in natural light from large windows. The hardwood floors gleamed, a far cry from the worn carpet I'd seen in Jamie's early renovation videos.
“Wow,” I breathed, running my hand along the smooth surface of a nearby wall. “Jamie, this is incredible.”
He beamed with pride, leading me farther into the house.
“Wait until you see the kitchen.”
The heart of the home didn’t disappoint. Sleek countertops complemented the newly painted cabinets, creating a modern yet timeless feel. I could picture a family gathering here, laughing and cooking together.
“You did all this yourself?” I asked, amazed at the transformation.
Jamie nodded, leaning against the island.
“Well, Ed helped, but yeah, I did most of it.”
Having helped Rob with the couple houses we flipped, I couldn’t help but be impressed.
As we continued our tour, he detailed what he’d done in each room. Mostly he refinished the floors and painted. But that alone has made a huge difference.
I gasped as we stepped inside the primary bathroom.
“Oh wow! This looks amazing Jamie.”
“This and the kitchen took the most time.”
The room had last been renovated in the nineties and boasted all the elements of that decade. He’d replaced the built- in beige jetted tub and burgundy tile surround with a spacious shower unit.
“How did you remove all that tile?”
“A hammer, chisel, and lots of patience.”
“Did you have to replace the cabinet?”
“No, I lucked out because it was solid and just needed a coat of paint to make it look brand new.” He gestured toward the round white sinks. “And it didn’t take much to adapt the holes from the old square sinks to accommodate those.”
“So what do you have left to do?”
As we made our way back downstairs, Jamie pointed out some places he wants to spackle again. But all the major work is done.
“Ed is going to help me finish painting this week,” he said. “Then it’ll be ready to list.”
“You've done an incredible job,” I reached out and squeezed his hand. “This place is going to make someone very happy.”
His eyes met mine and he lifted our joined hands and placed a kiss on my knuckles.
“I’m glad you like it.”
I took one last look around before heading back to his truck. We’d decided to eat lunch at a cute diner we passed on the way to the house. It didn’t take long to get there and before long, we were sitting across from each other in a cozy booth.
The hostess handed us each a menu before she left and we perused them in comfortable silence. There’s a whole section of grilled cheese, so I decided that’s what I’m going to have. I’ll stick with a plain sandwich instead of adding tomato, bacon, or any of the other topping options available.
“What’d you decide on?” I asked when Jamie set his menu down.
“Bacon cheddar burger. How about you?”
“Grilled cheese.”
“Nice.”
“Diner food is my favorite,” I said, even though I’m pretty sure I’ve already told him that at least ten times.
The waitress approached and we placed our orders. I added a side of gravy to dip my fries in. When she left, Jamie rested his forearms against the table and leaned forward.
“So how's your indie bookstore tour coming along?”
“My publicist is still working on it. I told her to be sure to include Worth Reading. That way, I’ll be in your neighborhood.”
I smiled and bobbed my eyebrows as I said that last sentence.
“You’ll have to let me know the date once you have it.” He smiled. “I’ll mark it on my calendar.”
“It’ll probably be late September or early October.” The waitress returned with our drinks and I took a sip of my Diet Coke. “She wanted to kick it off in Late August, but I’ll be in Sea Isle then.”
“You mentioned Sea Isle before. Do you go there every year?”
“Yeah, at this point it’s a family tradition. A bunch of us have been going since I was in college.”
“Do you stay in the same place each time?”
“We have a few spots we rotate between, but we're staying somewhere new this year because none of them were available.”
The waitress arrived with our food, momentarily pausing our conversation. My mouth watered as I looked at the perfectly toasted grilled cheese and shoestring fries on my plate.
“Don’t they usually let you book for the next year as you’re checking out?”
I popped a gravy-drenched fry into my mouth and nodded as I chewed.
“They do, but now that the kids are mostly grown, it’s more difficult to schedule that far out.”
“Sounds complicated.”
He took a big bite of his burger.
“You have no idea,” I groaned. “As the kids have gotten older, it's like herding cats. It was so much easier when they were younger and didn't have their own schedules to juggle.
“How many of you go?”
“This year it’s twenty-four.”
“Wow! Is it usually more or less?”
“That’s about average, but we’ve had as many as thirty-two. We were really packed in.”
“I’m not even sure I know that many people,” he said with a chuckle. “Are they all family?”
“Yeah.” I ticked everyone off on my fingers. “There’s the six of us, my parents, my brother and sister and their families, Rob’s sister and her daughter, and two of my cousins and their husbands.”
“That’s quite a crowd. No wonder it’s hard to coordinate.”
His voice was slightly less animated than it had been a sentence ago, but I figured he was just hungry since he started eating his burger with gusto.
“I'm thinking that going forward, I'll just have to book a week and whoever can make it, makes it. It's just too difficult to work around everyone's schedules, and the good houses get booked up so quickly.”
I told him about how Rob and I had discussed building our own beach house a few years ago. It would make it easier when planning our own trips, plus we’d be able to use it anytime we want. But then we separated and got divorced so that never came to fruition.
We finished lunch then got in the truck and headed back to Brooklyn. He didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk, so I followed his lead and rested my head back and just enjoyed the ride.
Jamie
The drive back from White Plains was too quiet, but I couldn't shake the four words that kept echoing through my head…the six of us.
Six.
That means Sophie, the four kids, and Rob.
Before heading to my house, we stopped to visit with Maggie and Ed. She sent us away with a plate of her famous fudge brownies. Since we’d had a late lunch, we decided to skip dinner and instead have a movie night with lots of popcorn, and a chocolatey dessert.
I know I’ll need to talk to her about her trip to Sea Isle, but I just want to enjoy tonight. So as she settled onto the couch in the living room, I handed her the remote.
“You pick a movie and I’ll make the popcorn.”
“Be sure to use lots of butter,” she said with a smile.
“Of course,” I said. “What would you like to drink?”
“Water is fine.”
I nodded and headed to the kitchen. After pulling the air popper out of the pantry, I filled it with kernels, set a bowl underneath, and plugged it in. While the machine worked its magic, I dropped butter in a bowl, and set it in the microwave to melt.
Once the popcorn finished popping, I poured the melted butter over it, making sure to shake the bowl halfway through the process.
“That smells yummy,” Sophie said as I joined her in the living room.
I placed two glasses of water on the coffee table then sat next to her on the couch and set the bowl between us.
“What did you decide?” I asked as I handed her a napkin.
“Have you ever seen Music & Lyrics ?”
“I don’t think so. Who’s in it?”
“Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore.” I shook my head and chewed the handful of popcorn I’d just shoved into my mouth. “I think you’ll like it,” she said as she hit play.
I watched as Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore worked on writing a pop song, in between his shows where he executed his signature hip pop dance move and sang some surprisingly-decent 80s tunes.
Sophie sang along, her voice soft and sweet. I enjoyed the movie, but that damned phrase kept nagging at me.
The six of us. The six of us. The six of us.
Before I knew it, the credits were rolling. Sophie turned to me, eyes bright.
“What did you think?”
“I liked it,” I said. “It was fun and the songs were great.”
Apparently, my attempt to add some enthusiasm to my voice wasn’t very successful.
Sophie’s smile faded. She muted the TV and shifted to fully face me.
“Jamie, what's wrong? You've been quiet since we left White Plains.”
I didn’t want to ruin the night by having this conversation, but now that she’s asked, I can’t not answer. I rubbed the back of my neck, searching for the right words.
“When you were talking about Sea Isle, you said 'the six of us.' And I realized that includes Rob.”
Sophie's expression softened with understanding, then hardened slightly.
“Jamie, we've had this conversation before.”
“I know and I’m sorry," I said quickly. “It's just...first the Blue-White game, now a family vacation. I get that you want things to be normal for the kids, but do you really need to do everything together?”
Sophie sighed, running a hand through her hair.
“Rob is the father of my children, Jamie, and now we’re just friends.”
“I know that,” I insisted, even as doubt gnawed at me. “And I like Rob, I do. He seems like a great guy. But…”
“But what?” Sophie challenged.
I set the now-empty bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and shifted slightly to better face her. This probably isn’t the best time to say the words that are on the tip of my tongue, but she needs to know.
“Sophie, I love you.” Her eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything, so I continued. “I wasn’t looking for this, but then I met you and…” I shook my head. “Well you know what happened.” She still didn’t speak, so I continued. “I'm trying,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper. “I really am, but I want to be honest with you. I've got my own baggage, my own hang-ups from past relationships. I know I shouldn’t project all that onto you, but the fact that Rob is still so embedded in your life sets off all kinds of alarms.”
I took a deep breath, hoping it would calm my pounding heart. It seemed to help so I took another. Sophie shifted her eyes toward the muted TV and I fought the urge to fill the palpable silence. I’ve already said enough.
After what seemed like forever, she looked at me again.
“Jamie, I love you too.” The fact that her mouth curved down as she said those words can’t be a good sign. “But my family, my kids, are my priority.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. Of course, her kids should be her priority. I knew that going into this. I respect that.
“I understand that,” I said slowly. “I do. I just can't help feeling like there's no room for me in this picture you're painting. What happens if this moves forward? You’ll spend all your vacations with Rob and the kids and I’ll be home?”
Sophie's expression softened slightly. She reached out, taking my hand in hers.
“I appreciate your honesty, Jamie. But you need to understand something. Rob will always be a part of my life. Not as my husband, not as my lover, but as the father of my children and as my friend. If that's a deal breaker for you, then maybe…”
The fact that she trailed off didn’t make the impact of her unspoken words less powerful. I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“I want you in my life, Sophie.”
“I want you in my life too, but I can't have you resenting me, every time Rob is in my presence.”
My chest hurt at the thought of losing Sophie. I’ve never felt this way about anyone, ever.
“I’ll work through this.”
She nodded, then stood abruptly.
“I think I should go.”
I scrambled off the couch.
“It’s late,” I said. “You can stay in the guest room if you want. But I don’t think you should drive home right now.”
She hesitated, then nodded slowly.
“Okay. But Jamie, we need to make a decision, because I can't keep having this same conversation with you.”