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

by Theresa Paolo

  “I’m doing well,” he said.

  “I have two boys,” she said with a smile. “I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed, and it’s okay. You’ll stumble probably more than you want, but in the end, everything will be okay.”

  “How do you know?”

  Her lips curved slightly at the edges. “Because I’ve been to hell and back, and somehow, everything is okay. It’s more than okay. It’s good. Really good.”

  “It’s comforting to hear that, so thank you.”

  “I’m here anytime you need to chat.”

  He was so used to taking problems on all his own, but this was a murky gray area of unfamiliarity, and Kristen seemed to navigate the waters of parenting with experienced skill.

  “I do have one question, and please let me know if I’m being too forward, but I know you brought Travis to therapy after the fire. Did it help?”

  He had done as much as he could for Kristen after a house fire claimed all her belongings and her husband’s life. And he remembered letting her leave work for an hour here and there to bring Travis to his appointments.

  “It really did. So much so that Travis still goes. He started off going weekly then moved to biweekly and now he just goes once a month. I think having someone to talk to about what he was feeling, especially during a time when it was hard for me to hear, really helped him.”

  “That’s the problem Charlotte stopped talking. I don’t even know if therapy can help, if she won’t speak. I just don’t know what to do. I’m having a hard time processing it myself and I used to deal with death every day when I worked at Mass General.”

  “Those people you lost weren’t your sister. It’s completely understandable. Here.” Kristen grabbed a sticky note and scribbled on it. “Here’s the number. Dr. Howard is great. You may want to talk to someone yourself, and he’s very insightful and open-minded. He helped me a lot at a time when I thought I was beyond help.”

  “Thanks. I’ll definitely give it some thought.”

  He took the sticky note and the clipboard with his next appointment and got back to work.

  ***

  Sophie helped her students gather all their belongings before walking them out to the bus and their parents. She waved as each one departed. Charlotte was the last of her class, and they stood in silence while they waited for Drake.

  Charlotte held the picture she drew today, and Sophie pointed to it. “That’s a beautiful drawing. Is that supposed to be your uncle?”

  Charlotte nodded.

  Sophie had thought it was Drake before she’d texted him the picture. She liked to give her student’s parents little updates throughout the day, even if one of them happened to be the worst date of her life. “He’s going to love it.”

  A tiny smile cracked at the corner of Charlotte’s mouth as she stared out toward the street.

  “Why don’t we sit down.” Sophie motioned to the bench set back from the sidewalk, and Charlotte followed.

  It wasn’t unusual for a parent to be late, and Sophie always allotted herself extra time at the end of the day just in case. The only thing she had on her agenda was to stop by her sister’s store. Ellie had been at Brimfield all weekend, searching for deals and new antiques to stock her shelves. Even though Sophie wasn’t obsessed with vintage jewelry and depression glass like Ellie, she still appreciated the finds and enjoyed how excited Ellie got when showing her.

  Charlotte reached into her backpack and pulled out a doll. It was small, made entirely of cloth and had yellow yarn for hair.

  “Isn’t she pretty?” Sophie said. “Does she have a name?”

  Charlotte nodded.

  “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

  Charlotte didn’t nod this time, but she didn’t shake her head either.

  “Let me see if I can guess.” Sophie tapped a finger against her chin. “Rebecca?”

  This time Charlotte shook her head as she adjusted the doll’s blue dress.

  “Okay, not Rebecca. How about Kelly? No, that’s not it. Suzi? Rachel? Jenny?”

  Charlotte shook her head at each guess.

  “I’ll figure this out, eventually.” Sophie looked at the doll and tilted her head as if the doll would somehow tell her.

  Charlotte let out a tiny gasp of excitement, and Sophie’s attention swung to the entrance of the parking lot. A blue BMW raced toward the school and slowed as it turned into the lot. The car came to a stop at the curb and Drake jumped out.

  “I am so sorry!” he said as he hurried around the car. “My last patient had a list of ailments they needed to discuss and time got away from me.”

  Charlotte’s earlier excitement had faded and her lips had turned downward. Drake kneeled in front of her. “I’m sorry, kid. I won’t let it happen again. Promise. What about we go get some ice cream to make up for it?”

  Her smile bloomed wide, and she jumped up from the bench. Drake laughed, and Sophie tried to ignore how warm and joyous the sound was.

  Drake straightened and met her eyes. “Thank you for sitting with her.”

  “It’s my job,” she said, brushing off the gratitude.

  “Job or not, I appreciate it. I’m sure you have somewhere to be. A boyfriend to get home to.”

  Sophie’s eyebrow arched at the odd statement. “No.”

  “Oh,” he said as if he were surprised, which only confused her more. His eyes dropped, and he rested a hand on Charlotte’s shoulder. “You ready?”

  Charlotte glanced up at him and nodded.

  “Thank you again,” he said as he helped Charlotte into the car. “I promise you it won’t happen again.” Sophie laughed, and this time his eyebrow raised. “Why is that funny?”

  “If you only knew how many times I’ve heard that before.”

  “Let me guess, rookie mistake?”

  Her lip quirked at the corner. “Maybe.”

  He shut the door and turned to her. “I’m not one to be late. It’s not in my nature.”

  “I thought being late was in every doctor’s nature.”

  “I’m not most doctors.”

  “That maybe so, but life is messy. Can you really make such a bold prediction?” She once foolishly thought she’d be Mrs. Drake Stevens when he’d asked her out. It was easy to believe something, but reality was always there to swoop in.

  “I think I can.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that then.”

  He leaned against the car and crossed his arms over the blue dress shirt that fit him to perfection. Not even a wrinkle in the material after a day in the office. “Do you want to make it interesting?” His smile could light up stadiums at night, bright white and filled with charm.

  “And how do you propose we do that?”

  “A wager.”

  “I’m not making bets with my student’s parent. I’m assuming there are rules against that somewhere.”

  “No one needs to know.”

  Were they flirting? Was that what was happening here? No, couldn’t be. She just wounded his ego was all. “Do you always dodge the rules?”

  He laughed, his eyes squinting slightly, revealing well-earned lines around his eyes. “No, actually I’m a stickler for rules. Have to be as a doctor. But I also have my pride.”

  “Oh!” Sophie’s head fell back, and she looked up at the blue sky. “I knew it was an ego thing.” She brought her eyes back to his, not expecting the intensity of his gaze to knock her back a step. She cleared her throat in an attempt to get her bearings. “Let’s give it a month.”

  “A month of not being late?” He pshed, his lips vibrating against each other. “Piece of cake.”

  “We’ll see.”

  She went to walk away when she saw his hand raise. “What are the stakes?”

  “No stakes. Just the chance to repair your pride.”

  “And what about you?”

  “The satisfaction in seeing your ego bruised a little.”

  “Ouch. And here I thought you were sweet and inno
cent.”

  She shrugged. “You never really know a person, do you?” She bit her tongue before she made a comment about how he could have known her, if he would have given her half the attention that night that he was now.

  “I guess not.” He glanced at Charlotte, who was watching them with hawk eyes. “I need to get her that ice cream I promised.”

  “I’d add an extra scoop for making her wait.”

  He smiled and opened the driver’s side door before stopping. “And thank you. For the picture. I didn’t realize how badly I needed to know that she was okay until you sent that, and everything seemed to be right in the world again.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  He got in the car, and she gave a wave as the car pulled away. Once out of sight, she let her head fall forward. What the hell was she doing? Ego or not, she was definitely flirting, and she enjoyed it a little too much. No more. She couldn’t set herself up for disappointment. She and Drake had their chance, and they just weren’t meant to be. He was her student’s parent and nothing more. All she had to do was keep her distance.

  She headed toward the school when her eyes landed on the yellow yarn of Charlotte’s doll. She scooped the doll up and looked toward the street. Maybe they would notice and come back. She waited a second and nothing.

  She went to send Drake a text but stopped herself. She knew where he lived, and she’d be passing there on her way home from her sister’s, anyway. She’d do it for her other students without question.

  She didn’t even have to see him. She’d drop it on the doorstep and send a text. Then Charlotte would have her doll, and Sophie could go home to another night of binge-watching TV.

  Chapter 6

  “You like him,” Ellie said, brushing her strawberry blonde hair off her shoulder. She’d been dying her hair since they were in high school. It was her way of becoming her own person and not just a twin. She wanted people to see her for her, though Sophie didn’t think she needed hair dye to do so. They were polar opposites, and being twins was about the only thing they had in common. Anyone who knew them, knew this. Heck, after one meeting, people knew this.

  “I don’t like him,” Sophie argued.

  Ellie shot her a look. A look that needed no accompanying words. The accusation was as clear as could be.

  “I don’t. Must I remind you of that disastrous date?”

  “Oh, please don’t. You harped over that for months. I got my fill then and am still recovering. Thank you very much.”

  “Then I don’t need to explain to you why I don’t like him and why I can’t.”

  “Don’t and can’t are two totally different things.”

  Sophie picked up a vintage tea cup and admired the gold detailing. “This is pretty.”

  “Changing the subject, are we?”

  “Yes, and I’m hoping you’ll go along with it, especially because I know how bad you want to talk about this.” Sophie held the cup up and smiled.

  “It’s not worth much, but it was so pretty I couldn’t leave it behind.” She pointed to the floral design. “This is hand painted, and the detail is exquisite.”

  “Why do I have a feeling this is going to wind up in your own personal collection?”

  Ellie swiped the teacup from Sophie’s hand and hugged it to her chest. “I’ll give it a good home.”

  “You’re going to run out of space one day.”

  “Then I’ll just have to borrow shelf space at your house.”

  “That is never going to happen.” Unlike Ellie, Sophie hated clutter. It made her itchy. She preferred simple and sophisticated over Ellie’s chaotic disorder.

  “Then I’ll just have to buy a bigger house.”

  “You can barely afford the one you live in now.”

  “You’re usually the eternal optimist. What crawled up your butt?”

  “Sorry,” Sophie said. “I’m feeling a little overwhelmed, and you know how I get.”

  “When you don’t have all the answers in neatly stacked boxes.”

  “Something like that.”

  “Would a certain doctor have anything to do with it?”

  “No,” Sophie said. Though thoughts of him had been pushing out the important thoughts she needed to have. “It’s the fundraiser and all the planning I need to do.”

  “You love to plan. I swear it’s in your blood, and you must’ve sucked it all out of the womb and left none for me. Rather selfish, if I must say.”

  Ellie was a free spirit who liked to leave certain things up to fate, while Sophie preferred an Excel sheet and a color-coded system. “It’s just that Bev and Joan want me to come up with something new and exciting, and I wouldn’t exactly consider myself exciting.”

  “Your classroom theme this year involves hooting and owls, I’d say you can do exciting. Stop overthinking it and just let the ideas develop naturally. I’m sure if you just cleared your head and stopped putting all this unnecessary pressure on yourself, the ideas will just start flowing.”

  “Maybe you’re right.”

  “I’m sorry. What was that? Did you just say I was right? Quick!” Ellie swung her gaze to the window. “Check to see if pigs are flying!”

  “Shut up.” Sophie swatted the air and rolled her eyes at Ellie. “I can admit when you’re right and not be childish about it.” Sophie picked up a cameo with an intricate, carved bust of a woman set in a brown stone and framed by tarnished gold. “This is pretty.” She held it up for Ellie to see.

  “Isn’t it? I already called Sarah about it. I think she can really transform this into something beautiful.”

  “Maybe something Bex will wear on the red carpet,” Sophie said, referring to Red Maple Falls’ newest resident, Bex Shepard, a Hollywood actress who had fallen in love with one of their very own. She had just finished construction on her and Chase’s house, and she’d permanently made the move from LA to their small town.

  Never in Sophie’s wildest dreams would she have imagined Hollywood royalty moving to town, but Bex wasn’t what the tabloids made her out to be. She was kind and down to earth. And she was able to appreciate everything their quaint little town had to offer.

  Sophie continued to look at the new pieces Ellie hadn’t cataloged or shelved yet, noting the pieces that she found particularly pretty or interesting. Her hope was the mindless browsing of antiques would help clear her head and a great idea would spark to life in her brain, but unfortunately, she still had nothing.

  “I should bring Charlotte her doll before she misses it too much.” Sophie grabbed her bag and adjusted it on her shoulder.

  Ellie glanced up from the tea cup she was admiring. “We still on tomorrow for facemasks and Netflix?”

  Sophie nodded. She’d never miss a sister date night. It was one of her favorite times of the week. “Of course. I have a new drink recipe I want to try out.”

  “As long as you don’t mind me crashing, I’ll be your taste tester.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  Sophie knew no matter how old they were, their sister sleepovers would never end. Growing up they shared a room because they liked to be together, which was fine by their parents since their little brother had his own space to destroy.

  “Have you heard from Ryan?” Sophie asked, realizing she hadn’t heard from their brother in well over a month, which was not like him. Though, he was probably sick of her asking for the money back that he’d borrowed from her with the promise he’d pay her back in a week. It had been months… many, many months.

  Ellie sighed. “I talked to him yesterday.”

  Call it twintuition or whatever, but Ellie didn’t need to say another word. “How much did he ask to borrow this time?” Sophie asked.

  “Thirteen hundred.”

  “I hope you didn’t give it to him.”

  Ellie shrugged. “I did.

  “El, why would you do that? You know he hasn’t paid me back the two grand I lent him last year.”

  “I know, but he’s our baby broth
er. What was I supposed to do?”

  “You say no! He might be our brother, but he’s not a baby anymore. He’s a grown adult, and he needs to figure things out on his own. We can’t keep bailing him out. He’ll never learn.”

  “I told him this was the last time.”

  “Is it, though?”

  “Yes,” Ellie said defiantly. “You’re right. If we keep helping him out, the cycle will just continue. It has to stop.”

  Sophie loved her brother, and the last thing she wanted was to see him struggling, but he consistently made bad choices. And she whole heartedly believed it was because he was the baby. They’d coddled him even now.

  Granted, he was only twenty-four, but by that age Sophie was a full-time teacher with a master’s degree. The only thing Ryan had was an endless supply of excuses.

  “Where is he now?” Sophie asked. Unlike Cooper Hayes, who made a living out of traveling the world, Ryan drifted from one state to the next with no ambition.

  “Arizona on his way to California.”

  “What’s in California?”

  “I don’t know. By the time I went to ask, he was rushing me off the phone.”

  “You’d already said yes to the money by then.”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Let’s hope whatever he has going on in California will get him the thirty-five hundred dollars he now owes us.”

  Not that Sophie thought that he’d ever pay the money back. At this point, she considered it as good as gone. A real shame because she could have used that money to help fund her fundraiser or to even donate books to the library. Now she needed to rely solely on the people of the town, and they always came through. She just needed to figure out how to rally the troops.

  Chapter 7

  He was a doctor, for crying out loud. How hard could it be to come up with an arts and crafts project that helped describe Charlotte best? Apparently, it was damn near impossible. He wasn’t artsy or crafty unless he was stitching up some flapping skin. It’s not like Charlotte was much help, since she hadn’t uttered a single word of assistance when she handed him the paper from her backpack a half hour ago.