Chapter 39
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Essie hadn’t slept much. Not really. Not after the drama that had unfolded last night.
She’d drifted off sometime after midnight, only to wake every hour with the same tightness in her chest, the same image flashing through her mind: Sophie alone, angry, humiliated, and spiraling.
At least that’s how Essie pictured the poor girl.
Essie stretched out a hand toward Frank and realized he wasn’t there. She got out of bed, pulled on her robe, and went to find him.
He sat at the kitchen table with a full cup of coffee that looked barely touched, his phone in front of him, probably rereading the text thread Sophie had sent late last night. The house felt hushed in that early-morning way that usually soothed Essie. Today, it only amplified her thoughts.
Essie went to get herself a cup of coffee, thankful Frank had already made a pot. “Anything new? Have you heard from her?”
“No.” He sighed out the word, the perfect sound for how she felt.
“She must be devastated,” Essie said quietly, leaning back on the counter and hugging her mug with both hands. The warmth felt good.
Frank exhaled slowly. “She walked in on it, Essie. Another woman with Ryan in the condo I pay for.” The intensity of his voice had increased on the last few words.
Essie closed her eyes. Even knowing the details, as they’d both seen the photos Charlie had sent, didn’t soften the blow. Charlie had positioned himself on the roof of a nearby parking garage, which had given him a perfect shot through the side of the ocean-front condo.
They’d seen photos of Ryan and the other woman, a brunette. Then more pics of Sophie coming in and the confrontation that followed. Charlie had kept an eye on the other woman, snapping more shots as she’d left the building.
“Charlie said Sophie didn’t stay,” Essie murmured. “She left within minutes.”
“Can you blame her?” Frank asked.
“No,” Essie said immediately. “But she shouldn’t have been the one to leave. It’s her place. And I worry about where she went. About what state her head is in right now.”
Frank finally put his phone down and took a sip of his coffee. “I know. I’ve been thinking about that, too.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the weight of last night bearing down on them. Sophie had been so sure. So defiant. So convinced, it seemed, at least behind the scenes, that Ryan was her champion, her protector, her ticket to something bigger.
And now there were photographs for them and a confrontation for her. Undeniable truth that he was none of those things. That he’d been using her.
“I want to call her,” Essie said, voice trembling despite her effort to keep it steady. “I want to tell her I love her no matter what. That she can come here if she needs to. That we’ll help her pick up the pieces.”
“I know,” Frank said gently. “So do I.”
“But?” Essie asked, already sensing it.
Frank rubbed his palm over the table. “But she left Chad’s furious.
She burned bridges. And there’s been no indication that she’s going to drop the lawsuits.
If we call her now, how do we explain that we know what happened?
If I tell her I hired a private investigator to watch Ryan, that will only make things worse. I know her.”
Essie winced at the thought that this could get worse. “You think she could push us away harder.”
“Exactly.”
Essie pressed her lips together, fighting tears. “But if we don’t call her…”
“She’s an adult, Essie. She’s made some bad decisions,” Frank said quietly. “I love my daughter. You know that. But this is one of those moments where she’s going to have to do some serious thinking and make some adult decisions. It’s about time.”
Essie left her coffee cup behind and walked to the window, pressing her fingertips lightly against the sliding glass door.
The world beyond the house looked unchanged.
Bright and sunny, the welcoming blue of the Gulf nearly matching the color of the sky.
It was an ordinary day in a way that felt almost cruel.
She loved Sophie. Truly. But loving a grown stepdaughter was a different kind of love. One that required patience, restraint, and constant awareness of when to step forward and when to stay back.
She hadn’t raised Sophie like she had her own daughter, Liliana. Essie hadn’t kissed Sophie’s scraped knees or braided her hair or stayed up with her through teenage heartbreaks. Albie had been tougher, but Liliana was very much her mother’s child.
Whatever childhood memories Sophie had, they only featured Frank and Sophie’s late mother, Stacia. A woman Essie still felt very much in the shadow of sometimes.
She’d been so careful not to step too far into a role that wasn’t hers by history, to make it plain she had no desire to replace Stacia. Despite that, Sophie had made the conscious choice to hate Essie.
“I wish I knew what I could have done differently with Sophie,” Essie said softly. “I know you’ve said none of this is my fault, but you can’t deny things could have gone differently.”
“That’s not on you.” Frank joined her at the window, close but not crowding her. “Nothing you did, outside of marrying me, caused this. And if that’s the case, the blame ultimately belongs to me.”
Essie leaned into him. “Do you think marrying me was a mistake?”
He stiffened for just a moment, maybe from the weight of the question.
He took her by the shoulders and turned her gently, so she had to look at him.
“No. Never. Don’t ever think that.” His voice was firm and full of certainty.
“But Sophie’s been hurting a long time. Long before you came into her life.
Honestly, it really started after Stacia died. She never got over losing her mother.”
Essie nodded, though her eyes burned at his reassurance. “I want to help her, Frank. I truly do. And I think I could, if she’d just let me in. But I don’t want to make things worse by trying when I know she won’t welcome what she’ll see as an intrusion.”
He pulled her in close. “You’re allowed to care. You’re allowed to worry. But you have to know you’re not required to fix it.”
“That might be the hardest part,” Essie said quietly. “Watching someone you care about fall apart and feeling helpless because you know trying to help will probably make things worse.”
Frank exhaled, a sound that seemed weighted with years of fatherhood and one very new marriage. “I could call her. I could say I heard things didn’t go well at Chad’s. Might be enough to get her talking. Even if she won’t talk, I might find a way in.”
“That’s worth a shot,” Essie admitted. “I don’t want her pain to turn into more resentment toward either of us.”
She pulled back slightly, her gaze drifting out the window again. How could the day just go on like nothing was wrong when everything was falling apart? She exhaled and asked God for strength and answers and for Sophie to have a change of heart.
“Daughters are a lot of work, aren’t they?” Frank sighed. “Work that Stacia used to do, although now I’m questioning if I shouldn’t have stepped in a little more.”
“You should definitely call Sophie.” Essie’s shoulders relaxed a fraction as a new idea came to her. “And I’m going to call Liliana.”
He tipped his head. “Why Liliana?”
She nodded. “She’s got perspective. She’s about Sophie’s age and she also lost a parent. If anyone can help me understand what Sophie might be feeling without my own biases muddying the water, it’s her.”
Frank squeezed her hand. “That sounds like a very wise plan.”
Essie reached for her phone, steadying herself before unlocking it. “I just need someone to talk this through with. I might reach out to the Queen Bees, too.”
“I think that’s a great idea. They seem like a smart bunch. I like those women.”
“Thanks.”
He kissed her temple. “Always.”
Essie went back to the bedroom. She sat on the bed and tapped Liliana’s name, hoping the advice she needed was only a call away.
Liliana picked up on the second ring. “Hi, Mom.”
Relief washed through Essie at the sound of her daughter’s voice. “Hi, sweetheart. Do you have a minute?”
“For you? Always,” Liliana said. “What’s going on? You sound tired. Let me guess—this is Sophie-related, isn’t it?”
Essie leaned back against the headboard and stared up at the ceiling. “Yes.”
Liliana exhaled softly, already clearly understanding there was no quick answer here. “Okay. Tell me what’s going on.”
Essie filled her in carefully, choosing her words the way she always did when talking about Sophie, so she wasn’t adding to the drama.
Essie told her about Sophie’s visit to see Chad, then the abrupt trip home and the big confrontation in Miami with Ryan and his cheating.
And finally the question that had been gnawing at her since dawn.
“What should I do?” Essie finally asked. “I don’t want her to feel abandoned. But I don’t want to push when she’s not ready to hear from us. Especially from me. I know a lot of this is grief. She still misses her mother and then I come along…”
Liliana was quiet for a few seconds. “Mom,” she said gently. “This is hard because there isn’t a great answer. But you’re doing one important thing right. You’re respecting that Sophie’s an adult.”
Essie closed her eyes. “It doesn’t feel very loving.”
“Sometimes it is, though,” Liliana said. “Not swooping in to fix everything is its own kind of love. Tough love, I guess. Sometimes you have to let someone live with the consequences long enough to actually understand them.”
Essie swallowed. “You think we should wait.”
“I think you should follow Frank’s lead on any direct contact,” Liliana replied. “He’s her dad. And I think you should just be you. Be a soft place to land if and when she decides that’s what she wants.”
Essie nodded slowly, even though Liliana couldn’t see it. “What if she never is?”
“She will be,” Liliana said, her voice full of confidence. “She’s got to be hurting too much not to want to change something. But it has to come from her.”
Essie’s chest ached. Inactivity was never her thing. “You really believe that?”
“I do,” Liliana said. “Sophie has to figure this out for herself. I know you care about her and you’re worried for her.
Keep praying for her but understand you can’t walk this path for her.
Nobody could have done that for me, either, after losing Dad.
Although I obviously dealt with my grief differently. ”
Essie let out a shaky breath. “You always did have more wisdom than I give you credit for.”
Liliana laughed softly. “You raised me, Mom. Some of it had to stick.”
Essie smiled despite what she was feeling. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”
“Anytime,” Liliana said. “And Mom? You’re doing amazingly with this, all things considered.”
“Thanks.”
When the call ended, Essie sat for a moment longer, phone resting in her lap. In the other room, she could hear Frank talking to Sophie. Didn’t sound like it was going all that great, but like Liliana had said, Sophie had to figure this out.
Essie got up. She and Frank should get outside. Walk the beach. Let themselves enjoy the day. The worry was still there, of course, but it no longer felt like something that was going to break her.
Sophie would have to find her own way through this.
All Essie and Frank could do was be ready when she did.