Sweet on Sophie ( (A Red Maple Falls Novel, #11)

by Theresa Paolo

  The girl’s smile fully bloomed.

  “We’re registering her tomorrow.” Drake wrapped his arm around the girl’s shoulder and bent down to her level. “Her name’s Charlotte.”

  “What a pretty name. Well Charlotte, it has been so very nice to meet you.”

  Sophie straightened and so did Drake.

  He smiled, and the natural charm the man radiated poured out of him in heart stuttering waves. “Wide ruled then?”

  “At her age, they’re still learning, so more space is better. You’ll probably also need pencils, crayons, scissors, glue, colored pencils, a ruler, a bag to put it all in, folders.” She stopped when Drake’s head looked like it might explode. “Sorry. It’s probably overwhelming. I make the list every year. I kind of have it memorized. You know what…” She reached into her bag and pulled out her overstuffed planner. She balanced the spiral book on her arm and flipped through the pages. “Here it is!” She grabbed the piece of paper and handed it to Drake. “My supply list that I sent out to all my students.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely. Like I said, I have the list up here.” She tapped her head.

  “Thank you.”

  Sensing awkward silence, Sophie lifted her hand to wave. Her gaze landed on Drake, who scratched his head before looking up the aisle. “Do you happen to know where to find safety scissors?”

  The teacher in Sophie kicked into full gear. She shoved away the awkward disappointment that followed around her whenever Drake was near and did what she did best. She took charge.

  “You better go grab a basket from up front. We have some shopping to do.”

  Chapter 3

  After tucking Charlotte in for the night, Drake sat at the kitchen table and poured himself a small glass of whiskey. He wasn’t much of a drinker, other than at social events, but he needed to take the edge off. Ever since Laura’s diagnosis, he’d been filled with regret for cutting her off and moving out of Boston. He had abandoned her when she needed him most, so why would she entrust her daughter with him? And why wouldn’t she have told him? Even a mention, like hey when I die, I’m going to make you the legal guardian to my child. Instead, she had said nothing.

  He took a swig of the amber liquid, relishing in the burn as it made its way down his throat to his stomach. He closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair, praying for a moment of silence in his mind. Everything he had planned for life now had drastically changed. There’d be no trip to Bermuda when he finally took some time off. There’d be no buying a Harley and riding across country or getting a hot tub. He had to feed, clothe, nurture, and protect a child. He needed to start saving for her college tuition and what about her wedding?

  His future didn’t matter anymore. Not when it was his job to get Charlotte to adulthood, unscathed and well-equipped to handle life on her own. He slammed the rest of the whiskey and put the bottle back. A little help to take the edge off was all he needed. Besides, he had to get Charlotte to school tomorrow then see a long list of patients. He needed to be functioning at full capacity.

  With a flick of his hand, he flipped the light switch off and headed to bed. A soft, muffled cry caught his attention, and he paused outside what was now Charlotte’s bedroom. Maybe it was his imagination. He pressed his ear to the door to make sure. The cries were slightly louder and definitely not a figment of his own doing.

  He eased the door open and peered inside. Charlotte was wrapped up like a burrito, hugging her doll. Her eyes were pinched shut as if she were asleep, but Drake knew it didn’t require that much effort to keep eyes closed. Then a single tear slipped from her lid and cascaded down her cheek.

  She had stopped crying when she had stopped talking, not making as much as a peep since Laura’s funeral. How many times had she been crying in secret?

  Pain ripped at his chest, tearing his heart into pieces. He failed Laura, and he wasn’t about to fail Charlotte, too. He sat down on the bed beside her, resting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay,” he said, even though he knew it wasn’t. The girl had just lost her mother, the woman who loved her unconditionally, and the only security Charlotte knew.

  He kicked up his legs and adjusted his large frame beside her much smaller one. Crossing his feet at the ankle, he leaned against the headboard. “You know when your mom was your age, she was scared of the dark.”

  Charlotte sniffled, eyes opening and slowly rising to meet his. Sorrow cut through her delicate features, and he couldn’t help but think that someone so young and so innocent shouldn’t know heartache of this magnitude. It wasn’t fair, and he hated that there was nothing he could do.

  “I used to leave my door open a crack,” he continued. “Because I knew that if she got too scared, she’d come to me. I kept a nightlight in my room and one in the hallway so she’d be able to find me, and she always did.”

  He promised her then that he’d always protect her. Is that why she had finally called him? Did she think after her diagnosis that he’d be able to protect her? He tried. He really did. He spent his nights calling her doctors to get updates, driving to Boston whenever she had a big appointment and rescheduling his own patients, but it hadn’t been enough. In the end, he couldn’t protect her.

  “I’ll leave my door open a crack for you too, okay? So, if you ever get scared, you can come find me, and I’ll keep you safe. I promise. And I can get a few nightlights if you want.”

  He felt her head move and looked down to see the end of a nod.

  “I’ll get them first thing tomorrow.” He mentally added to the list of things he needed to do.

  Charlotte sniffled again, and he rested his hand on her back, rubbing small circles of comfort. “I’ll tell you what. Tomorrow is a big day and you need your rest. You go to sleep, and I’ll stay right here, so you have nothing to worry about. Promise.”

  Her brown eyes locked on his as if she needed to hear him say it again. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  She cuddled her doll tighter and shifted closer to him until her head pressed against his thigh. He wrapped her in his arm and held her, hoping it was enough to keep whatever monsters plaguing her at bay.

  ***

  It had been a while since Drake had registered for classes, but it was the first time he was registering someone else. He never thought he’d have kids of his own. With his career taking up so much of his time, kids always seemed like an impossibility, but now, here he was, standing in front of Red Maple Falls Elementary school, hand in hand with a six-year-old. A six-year-old who was now in every sense of the word his.

  He had thirty minutes to get to the office before his first appointment of the day. He already had Kristen call and bump all his appointments an hour. He couldn’t be late. Charlotte gripped his hand, and though she still hadn’t spoken, her grip told him she trusted him, and for now, that was enough.

  They moved toward the front door. Her turquoise skirt looked like a Halloween costume, but he wasn’t going to tell her that, and he definitely wasn’t going to tell her the orange sweater with the big emoji face on it, didn’t match. She had her own style, and he could appreciate that. It reminded him of her mother. Jules had always marched to her own beat, and Charlotte was following in her footsteps.

  Inside the large brick structure, little kids whirled by him and Drake stopped and glanced up and down the long hallway. In the five years he’d lived in the small town, he’d never been inside the elementary school. “Left or right?” he said out loud, knowing even if Charlotte knew, she wouldn’t tell him.

  She looked at him, her brown hair falling away from her big brown eyes, and shrugged. A sprout of heat unfurled in his heart. It wasn’t words, but it was something. Any communication he could get, he took as a win.

  A single file line of kids marched toward him, led by a bouncy blonde. “Hoot hoot!” She bellowed as she spun, arm in the air. Hidden behind a mask of feathers, Drake immediately recognized Sophie’s sky-blue eyes.

  A big smile tilted Sophie’s li
ps, and she flopped her arms like a bird. The kids all hooted as they trailed her.

  Her eyes widened beneath the feathers when she spotted Drake. He gave a friendly wave, and she immediately dropped the mask.

  “Drake, hi,” she said. Red spotted her cheeks but instantly vanished as she held her hand up to the line of kids behind her. “Let’s all practice our quiet voices as I help Dr. Stevens.”

  “I’m guessing you’re looking for the main office,” she said.

  “Exactly.”

  “To your right, two doors down.”

  “I knew it was right,” he said to Charlotte.

  Sophie turned back to him and bent down to Charlotte. “Hi sweetie. Are you excited for your first day?” Charlotte hid behind his arm, but that didn’t deter Sophie. “It’s a little scary, right?”

  Charlotte nodded.

  “You know what it also is? It’s a lot of fun. You’ll get to meet other kids your age, and we’ll do so many fun projects.”

  Charlotte’s grasp on his hand loosened, and she stepped around him to stand in front of Sophie.

  He knew Sophie was a teacher, but seeing her in action… it was obvious she had a way with kids. She didn’t skip a beat in communicating with kids, and because of that they warmed to her easily.

  “Everyone, this is Charlotte. She’s new here. Can we give her a big warm owl welcome?” Sophie asked and all the kids started hooting away.

  Drake expected Charlotte to run behind him, but she seemed to embrace the enthusiastic reception, even offering the class a shy wave.

  “I need to get these kids to class,” Sophie said, then bent down to Charlotte again. “You’re going to do great.” Sophie straightened and with a smile fell back to the front of the line of students. “Wings up! And flap!” Ten pairs of arms flapped after her, and Drake laughed as they passed.

  He looked at his watch and hurried Charlotte to the main office. Time was ticking down, and he refused to be late for the first time in five years. Not even a New Hampshire snowstorm could keep him from seeing his patients on time.

  He greeted the woman at the front desk, but didn’t have to introduce himself. Meredith Lancaster was one of his patients. He, however, introduced Charlotte. Charlotte didn’t say anything just dropped her head and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.

  “She’s shy,” he said.

  “She’s new. I’m sure she’ll be chatting away in no time.” Drake wished that were true, but he was afraid to hope. He’d been disappointed too many times in his life to believe in hope. But for Charlotte’s sake, he didn’t really have a choice. If she didn’t start to speak soon, he would have to take her to see someone because there was no way he’d be seeing her off to senior prom with nothing more than a wave.

  The thought stopped him in his tracks. Senior prom. God. That was twelve years away. The reality of the situation slammed into him like a speeding car hitting a brick wall.

  He knew Charlotte wasn’t with him temporarily, obviously, but when he actually thought ahead to the future, years ahead, he couldn’t ignore the panic that filled him. He pushed it aside. He couldn’t worry about that now. The only thing he had to worry about this moment was getting her registered and in class, so he could get to the office and do what he did best—take care of the people of Red Maple Falls.

  “She is all set,” Meredith said. “I can take her from here, Dr. Stevens.”

  He kneeled down to Charlotte’s height and smiled. “You have everything you need, right?” he asked, even though he checked Sophie’s list ten times after she helped them gather everything at Country Times. He also packed her a bag lunch of peanut butter and jelly and an apple. He wanted to make sure she had protein and at least one serving of fruit to get her through the day.

  She didn’t say anything, just nodded, but he was getting used to the nods. He was grateful for the little bit of communication.

  “I’ll be back at the end of the day to get you.” He had made sure to keep an hour free so he could run and pick her up before heading to the office for another couple hours. He figured she could sit in the office with Kristen and do her schoolwork. If she had schoolwork… Did first graders have homework?

  He had so much to learn, and he would. He stood up and nodded to Meredith as if he forgot his own voice. “Thank you, Meredith. I will see you at your three-month checkup next month.” Meredith had high blood pressure and with the medication she was on, he liked to do routine bloodwork to make sure her medication wasn’t affecting her liver.

  “I’ll be there.”

  “Okay then. I guess I’m out of here.” He had no idea why he was having such a hard time leaving. He had patients to get to, but he slowly backed out of the office. He was about to head out when Charlotte ripped her hand from Meredith and ran after him, flinging her little body around his middle.

  An unexpected touch of emotion burned his throat, and he wrapped her in a reassuring embrace. She squeezed him tight, and he bent down, lifting her into his arms. “I’ll miss you, too,” he said, and with a smile from both of them, he put her down and headed out with his heart a little fuller.

  Chapter 4

  After a long first day at school, Sophie headed to the Happy Apple to meet up with her friends. Just walking into the door of the town staple brought a smile to her face. It was more than the apple décor and the buxom redhead who owned the place and made the best dishes or her husband who brought a warm welcome to everyone who walked through the door. This little gem of a restaurant, the heart of their small town, was the place Sophie came every Wednesday night to be with her friends. She had so many great conversations at the table by the window and even more laughs. And not just a chuckle, but belly aching laughs that kept her reeling long after she said her goodbyes.

  The movies always showed a small-town girl needing to escape the nosey confines of her childhood home, and Sophie could never relate. She loved walking down the street and knowing every person she passed, loved the way the town came together to help others, loved that she taught in the same school she went to, and she wouldn’t change it for the world. The only complaint she had about the place where she was born and raised was the serious lack of available men.

  Her phone sounded with a new text, and she glanced at the screen to see Ellie’s name pop up on the screen. She tapped into the message from her sister and smiled at the picture of Ellie holding a wine glass in front of an old truck advertising a winery.

  She was away for the weekend for work, but was enjoying herself. Sophie texted a quick reply back and headed into the Happy Apple.

  She spotted Kristen at their usual table, and she walked over. Kristen’s brown hair was down, coming to rest just below her shoulders. The bags that used to underline her eyes were barely visible now. A smile tilted her lips and a glow of happiness brightened her features. Sophie had wondered if Kristen would ever recover from losing her husband, but then destiny brought Jax Marshall into her life. Little by little, Sophie watched her friend be reborn, rising from the ashes and blossoming.

  Before Sophie could take her seat, the door opened, and Sarah strolled in; her long legs were covered in a pair of skinny jeans, and a black blazer pulled over a white t-shirt. Sophie and Kristen ran over to her and gave her a big hug. They hadn’t seen her in over a month since she left for the Philippines for Cooper, her fiancé’s, book signing tour and for a visit to her family.

  “How was your trip?” Sophie asked as she wrapped Sarah in a hug.

  “So good,” Sarah said. “I’m happy to be home, though. I missed you guys.”

  “We missed you, too,” Kristen said.

  They took their seats and Sophie placed her bag on the back of her chair before turning to Sarah. “Tell us everything.”

  Sarah laughed and filled them in on her family as well as all the stops for Cooper’s tour. “My family loves Cooper. Think he’s some bigwig celebrity.”

  “I’m sure you knock him back into place,” Sophie said.

  “Someo
ne has to.” Sarah laughed.

  “I have to say I really like his new daddy blog. I already told two of my student’s fathers about it.”

  “He’ll be thrilled to hear that. He needed another outlet since he’s not traveling as much as he once was. Though, Tommy is getting the travel bug. He’s already planning a trip to Australia for next summer.”

  Kristen laughed. “I’m sure Cooper is encouraging him.”

  “Oh, you know it. I swear he’s already planning trips for when Tommy is a teenager.”

  Terry, the buxom redhead who owned the Happy Apple and was the designated grandmother for everyone in the town, came over to the table.

  “Sweetie, it is so good to see you’re smiling face,” she said to Sarah.

  “It’s good to see you too, Terry. How are you?”

  “My feet are killing me, and Walt is testing my patience, but other than that, fabulous.”

  “You love him,” Sophie said. Terry cracked on her husband all the time, but the way they looked at each other when they thought no one was looking made Sophie hope that one day she’d find a love like theirs.

  “Of course, I love the ogre. Now what are we eating today? The usuals?”

  Terry never let people order what they wanted, always insisting they didn’t want their first choice, and she knew better. But since Sophie, Sarah and Kristen ordered the same thing every Wednesday evening, Terry didn’t argue.

  “The usual,” Sophie said.

  “You got it.” Terry spun on her too high heel and headed to the kitchen. “What are you doing to my kitchen?” her voice echoed through the restaurant.

  “Your kitchen! How long until you realize it’s our kitchen, you crazy woman!”

  “When you learn how to cook.”

  Sophie stifled a laugh as she listened to the banter. Walt stormed out of the kitchen with drinks in hand and an angry scowl on his weathered face.