Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
I t wasn't long after the butterscotch cookies came out of the oven when there was another knock on the door. Derek was still at Sophie's, finishing up his second mug of tea and third butterscotch cookie. There was another cookie sheet in the oven, and the house smelled of butter, dough, and sugar. Sophie had begun to wonder if Derek ever wanted to go back to his cabin. She'd begun to wonder if she even wanted him to leave. Ever.
"Who's that?" Derek asked, jumping at the sound of the knock.
Sophie brushed flour from her princess pajama pants. "I don't know."
Derek got up, his eyes darkening. "People just come by like this? All the time?"
"Isn't that what you did?" Sophie winked and disappeared into the foyer. She could feel Derek's head spinning.
He can leave whenever he wants, Sophie reminded herself. I've warmed him up and stuffed him with desserts. There's no reason he can't walk back to the cabin.
I'm not keeping him hostage!
On cue, a terrific cold blast of wind crashed into the house.
This time, Sophie peered through the side window to see who was at the door. Cindy.
Sophie's heart pounded. Cindy knew she was home; she couldn't hide away. But opening the door for Cindy meant revealing the fact that Derek Brownlee was casually drinking tea on her sofa. Handsome Derek Brownlee had just "stopped by."
Cindy wouldn't let her hear the end of it.
Just then, Cindy knocked again and hollered through the door. "Sophie, I'm freezing. Open up, or I'll let myself in!"
Sophie sighed and unlocked the door. Cindy burst in, bringing with her another draft of cold air. "I knew you were here," Cindy said with a big smile. "I saw the light on in the kitchen. And that smell! Are you baking? Butterscotch?"
Cindy hurried into the kitchen to assess the new creations. Sophie tiptoed behind her. It felt as though a storm had entered her house.
"They look insane, Soph," Cindy said, removing her gloves and taking a butterscotch cookie. She took a bite and closed her eyes. With her mouth still full, she said, "You've outdone yourself. Honestly. Are you bringing them to Mom and Dad's for Christmas Day? Because I'm officially requesting them right now."
Suddenly, Derek appeared in the doorway between the living room and kitchen. Cindy nearly leaped with shock.
"Oh! I didn't realize you had company," Cindy said. Her voice wavered as she clapped her hands free of crumbs and smiled at him.
Sophie could read Cindy's expression like a book. She was thinking: I can't believe you kept this from me! I thought we were sisters and best friends!
"Sophie saved me today," Derek explained easily. "I was on a long walk and lost track of time. When I saw the Culinary Tastings sticker on the mailbox, I came up to the door like a big hungry dog."
Cindy laughed and played with a curl that had fallen from her messy bun. She looked exhausted, presumably because she'd been up with sick kids all weekend.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Cindy said, her voice sweeter than it had been when she'd thought Sophie was the only one there.
"Not at all," Derek said. "But I wonder if you could clear up a mystery for me."
Cindy's smile widened. This time, Sophie read her expression to mean, This man is full of surprises.
"Do you notice anything wrong with Sophie's place?" Derek asked.
Sophie watched Cindy's eyes trace the familiar kitchen, the paintings she'd made, the photographs she'd either taken or posed for. How many times had Cindy been in her kitchen? Thousands? Millions? She'd helped Jeremy and Sophie move in when they'd first gotten the place. They'd ordered pizza and sat on the floor in the living room with light beer as sunlight cascaded through the windows.
That was a long time ago.
"I don't think so?" Cindy offered, her voice bright.
"It stood out to me right away," Derek said.
"Why are you giving me away like this?" Sophie asked, punching Derek's arm lightly.
Cindy watched the whole thing.
"I give up," she said finally, shrugging her shoulders. "What's wrong with Sophie's house?"
Derek extended his arms out on either side. "She forgot to decorate for Christmas!"
Cindy's jaw dropped. She whirled around and glared at Sophie. "The Christmas Fairy forgot to decorate her own Fairy House for Christmas?"
Sophie rolled her eyes. Apparently, the sound guys had told Cindy her nickname: The Christmas Fairy.
"I've been slammed with work," Sophie reminded.
"This won't do," Cindy said. "Not for another second."
Cindy whirled around and stormed down the hallway toward the attic.
"Come on," Sophie cried after Cindy. "Don't make this a big deal."
"Call Mom and Dad!" Cindy called over her shoulder. "We need help!"
Sophie shifted her weight from foot to foot and looked at Derek. "I can't believe you told on me."
"I can't believe she didn't notice!"
"She has mom-brain," Sophie replied. "I can get away with a lot."
Cindy returned with a big box of Christmas decorations. Their mother's handwriting labeled the box as: wreaths, angels, cross-stitch, ornaments. It was one of the boxes Sophie had taken with her when she'd moved the rest of her stuff out of her parents' place and into this one.
"There's way more where that came from," Cindy said as she shoved the box into Derek's arms and disappeared.
Derek laughed and peered into the box.
Sophie groaned again.
"You sound stressed," Derek offered. "I figured this kind of thing would make you happy."
"It does," Sophie said, hanging her head. "Well, I normally really enjoy this process. Picking out the Christmas tree. Playing Christmas music. Stringing lights. Figuring out where I want all the decorations to go."
"You have your own process," Derek said.
"Have you called Mom and Dad yet?" Cindy asked as she hauled another box from the attic. "Maybe Vic can bring the kids over, and we can all have dinner after."
A soft smile played across Sophie's lips. Cindy returned to the attic to fetch more boxes.
"Is this how it is in your family?" Derek asked with another laugh.
"We love hard," Sophie explained. "We don't let one another off the hook."
Derek was thoughtful.
"But you can leave whenever you want," Sophie offered. "Seriously. It's about to get chaotic in here. The kids are ages two and three and wild. And my mom and dad will probably sing all the Christmas songs at the top of their lungs. Even if they forget the words, they make up their own."
Sophie felt suddenly breathless. She reached for her phone. "Maybe I can call you a taxi? There's, like, one in town. The driver is usually busy with his family, or he's had one too many beers with lunch, but sometimes he's available."
Who was I kidding? Steve was never available to drive the taxi! I hadn't seen it on the road in months!
"No," Derek affirmed. "I want to stay. If I'm allowed?"
Sophie's heart melted. Slowly, she returned her gaze to his and studied him. From the attic door came the sound of Cindy having a fake meltdown about the number of boxes. "We're going to need a bigger boat!" she cried, quoting Jaws .
"Does that reference work in this context?" Derek asked, smiling wider.
"It doesn't matter," Sophie said. "We're fast and loose with our references."
The air between them shimmered.
Sophie thought, I want to kiss him . And she stared for too long at his thick, supple lips, the sharp cut of his jawline, his cheekbones. It should have been illegal to look like him.
"Why don't we go out and get a Christmas tree?" Derek said suddenly. "Isn't there a farm just down the road? We can walk, if it isn't too cold for you."
"Too cold for me? I'm a native Upstate New Yorker," Sophie shot back. "I can handle anything."
After another demand from Cindy, Sophie called her parents to invite them to her house for a "decorating party." Cindy called through the speaker to explain, "She completely forgot to decorate for Christmas. I'm worried!"
Sophie rolled her eyes as her mother said, "We're on our way."
Cindy called Vic to tell him to bring the kids over. Sophie felt the storm of her family life coming closer and closer.
But instead of waiting for it, she hurried upstairs to put on jeans and a sweater and add a touch of makeup to her face. With her hair pulled out of its messy bun, her dark blond curls cascaded beautifully down her shoulders. She tried to see herself through Derek's eyes but instead got preoccupied with how beautiful most actresses he'd worked with were. She'd never gotten around to googling Georgia. She was sure she'd been gorgeous.
Live in the moment, Sophie Masters.
Walk down the street with this handsome Hollywood director and pick out a Christmas tree.
Don't think about the moment he'll leave Willow Creek.
Don't think about the future.
Sophie hurried downstairs to find Derek bundled up and ready to go. Cindy had already taken control of the Bluetooth speaker and was removing artwork from the walls to replace it with Christmas-themed ones.
"Be safe out there," Cindy instructed.
"Love you!" Sophie called as they hurried into the bright chill.
Sophie and Derek didn't talk until they reached the sidewalk. Sophie was surprised at how frighteningly chilly her face felt, but she couldn't complain. She'd just told him how strong she was because of her Upstate New York roots.
"It must get pretty cold in Indiana?" Sophie asked, remembering his own childhood.
"Freezing," Derek agreed. "But nothing as bad as this. Or maybe I've just forgotten."
"You don't go back there?"
"Not around the holidays," Derek said. "And I haven't been back since my mother died a couple of years ago."
Sophie furrowed her brow. "I'm sorry for your loss." So much loss.
"She was in a lot of pain," Derek said.
"But still." Sophie trailed off and shoved her hands into her pockets. She was thirty-four years old, and she suddenly felt just how impermanent everything she loved was. Fear invaded her heart.
Derek looped his arm through hers and pulled her closer as they walked. Sophie's heart pattered.
"I haven't had a new friend in a long time," Derek said finally.
Sophie raised her chin. Friends. It had to be good enough for her. "Me neither." She swallowed.
"And I haven't had a Christmas tree in three years," Derek added.
"We'll find a great one," Sophie said. "Maybe later this week, we can come back and find one for your cabin."
Derek waved his hand. "Nah."
Sophie punched him again in the shoulder. "You'll fall in love with mine," she said softly. "Just you wait."
Once in the Christmas tree farm, Sophie and Derek lost each other for a moment, wandering through aisles and aisles of pine. Christmas music sprinkled from speakers at the end of every aisle, and bright blue lights were strung from tree to tree. It was gray and cloudy overhead, and Sophie had the sensation of being tucked under a big gray blanket.
Sophie found Derek in front of a beautiful and symmetrical tree. He spread his arms out in front of it and announced, "I think this is the one."
Sophie fought the urge to touch his hand. "You have a good instinct for this."
"I'm a director," he explained. "Aesthetics are my whole game."
Sophie tried to pay for the Christmas tree herself, but Derek insisted on buying it. "Please," he said. "I gave you such a hard time when we first met. Let me make it up to you."
Sophie's heart pumped. What could she do but agree? The sixteen-year-old who sold it to them couldn't care less about the shimmering attraction between them. He yawned as he helped them tighten the tree on a little cart they could wheel back to Sophie's house.
"Normally, people have cars," the sixteen-year-old said.
Sophie blushed.
"But isn't it nice to walk around in the snow?" Derek asked kindly.
"Whatever," the teenager said.
Sophie and Derek had a good laugh about him as they walked back to Sophie's. They talked briefly about how they'd been as teenagers. Sophie left out the part that she'd met Jeremy back then; that she'd fallen head over heels in a way that still made her weak at the knees. Derek talked about how moody he'd been; how he'd been so sure he'd leave Indiana for California "any day."
"You were right," Sophie offered.
"I was. But I didn't have to be such a snot about it," Derek said.
"Maybe the kid at the Christmas tree farm has big plans, too," Sophie joked.
"Right? Maybe he'll be directing his very own Christmas film in a few years," Derek said, rolling his eyes.
Sophie squeezed his arm. "I told you before. I love Christmas rom-coms."
Derek sighed. "And I'm coming around to them. Sort of."
"Sort of is better than nothing."
By the time Sophie and Derek got back to Sophie's, her parents, Vic, and the kids were there, and everything had fallen into chaos.
It was clear that Cindy had warned Joe and Mary ahead of time about Derek. Mary was overly warm, and Joe clapped Derek on the shoulder and asked him what sports teams he liked. Sophie was pretty sure Derek was anti-sports, but he played along.
Still, she could see full-on family time was draining for him.
"Why don't you set up the tree in the living room?" she suggested to Derek, searching through a box for the Christmas tree stand and the basin that held its water.
Derek agreed and disappeared into the next room, leaving Sophie with her parents in the kitchen. Mary wore a strange expression; Joe seemed willing to pretend everything was right as rain. Meanwhile, the Bluetooth speaker played "Jingle Bell Rock," and the kids ran around in circles beneath their feet.
"We're almost done with the foyer and dining room," Cindy announced as she returned to the kitchen. "As soon as Derek gets the tree set up, we can decorate it together. As a family." She smiled and picked Annie up, propping her on her hip.
"Let me take a picture!" Mary cried. "It isn't every day we're all together."
We're all together all the time , Sophie thought with a smile.
Sophie picked Peter up and wandered to the living room to watch Derek prop up the Christmas tree. He was so buried in the task that he didn't feel her presence. His hands were capable; the Christmas tree was already rock-solid and positioned in exactly the right place.
"You're a natural," Sophie declared.
Derek laughed and twisted around to look at her. Sophie's heart seized.
Suddenly, there was another knock on the door.
From the kitchen came her father's voice. "Oh. Shoot."
Sophie turned to look at his face. It was drained of color.
Mary gaped at him. "What did you do?"
Joe wrung his hands and hurried to the foyer. Sophie followed him with Peter in her arms.
"What did you do, Joe?" Mary cried from the kitchen.
But already, Joe opened the door to reveal a final party guest.
It was Jeremy.
He was holding a bouquet. He'd styled his hair with gel, too. Was it the gel that Sophie used to buy for him at the drugstore?
Sophie felt as though she might faint. Just in case, she put Peter down, and he scampered away to find his sister.
Sophie's eyes filled with tears.
"Hey, Jer!" Joe said. His voice was overly bright. "I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding."
Sophie's heart pumped.
"What do you mean?" Jeremy asked. He, too, pretended everything was right as rain.
"It's just that, well. We're almost done here, and..." Joe stuttered.
But suddenly, Derek was in the foyer. He grabbed his coat from the coatrack. His eyes were difficult to read. "Don't leave on my account," he said.
Sophie reached out to touch Derek's back. His eyes met hers. "I'd better be getting back," he told her. His expression was difficult to read.
"Please, don't go! We just got started," Sophie said. She made her tone light and playful. What she really wanted to do was throw her arms around him.
"It's getting late," Derek said. "I have a lot to prepare for tomorrow." He met Joe's gaze.
Joe looked as though he'd made an enormous mess.
"Good night, Masters family!" Derek called.
And then, he slipped past Jeremy on the porch, hurried to the sidewalk, and strode out of sight.