My heart swells knowing that my presence is all it takes to make Sofie feel safe and secure. “Yes, and Aunt Ellie’s going to be here, too. We’ll fix dinner for your mom and we’ll all eat together. How does that sound?”
“Can we have spaghetti?” Sofie asks excitedly.
I chuckle. “Yes, you can help Aunt Ellie and me plan the menu.”
“I want chocolate milk too.”
I shake my head in amazement as to how resilient this kid is. She doesn’t seem at all concerned about why her mom’s been missing all this time, and I hope she doesn’t ask.
~*~
A five-year-old asks a lot of questions. I’ve been answering questions all week about Mommy. Some I can answer and some I cannot.
“What’s her name?” Victoria.
“Does she have a puppy?” I don’t know, but we’ll ask her on Saturday.
“Where does she live?” Trinity.
I pulled up a map on the iPad and showed Sofie where that town is in relation to Paradise Springs. Turns out it’s about a forty-minute drive away.
“Does she like macaroni and cheese?” I don’t know.
But macaroni and cheese has been added to the menu, just in case her mom likes it.
“Can we watch Frozen with her?” Yes.
I think Vicki should experience watching this film a million times, so why not start now?
Surprisingly, the questions about why her mom left and why she hasn’t visited until now have not come up. I’m sure these tough questions will come up eventually, but I’m going to let Vicki answer them.
Bright and early Saturday morning, Sofie is up and ready to meet her mom. I slowly crack open an eye, and the clock on my nightstand reads 5:30 AM.
Sofie bounces on my bed. “Daddy! Time to get up. Mommy’s coming over today.”
Groaning, I roll over and give my daughter a stink eye. She just giggles.
“What do you want for breakfast?” I say as I yawn and get out of bed.
“Pancakes!”
Of course she doesn’t want something simple like cereal today. I plaster on a smile and say, “Pancakes it is.”
After breakfast we “clean” the house. This involves picking up the living room and Sofie’s room, both of which have clothes and toys scattered about. Sofie grumbles about doing it, but when I tell her that Mommy will want to see her room, the grumbling magically disappears.
Ellie comes over for lunch and we start on dinner preparations. With all the fuss both females are making, you’d think we were preparing for a visit from the Queen of England. Sofie has a meltdown when she learns that we don’t have chocolate milk. I make an emergency run to the grocery store to get some.
Five o’clock finally comes. I’m exhausted and cranky because of all the drama over the food. Did we make enough spaghetti? What if Mommy doesn’t like green beans? Should we fix a salad? Let’s try a fancier recipe for the mac and cheese . . . The list goes on and on as we all fret over the meal. At least we can’t change the menu again at this point.
Vicki arrives fashionably late. At least that’s what I tell Sofie. Twenty minutes may not seem much to Vicki, but it is to a five-year-old.
“Sorry I’m late! There was an accident on the highway, and we were stopped for forever,” Vicki says in explanation. I usher her in while Sofie hides behind me and Ellie hovers in the living room. I sequestered Frankie in the laundry room because I remembered my ex-wife doesn’t like dogs. We don’t need Vicki to reject Sofie’s pet on her first visit.
Vicki smiles at Sofie as I pull my daughter out from behind my legs. Sofie’s chewing on her finger, which she does when she’s nervous. Vicki bends down and extends her hand. “I’m your mom and I’m so excited to meet you.” There’s an awkward few seconds while Sofie looks Vicki over from head to toe, but she finally extends her hand and they shake. My daughter then looks up at me for guidance.
“Shall we sit in the living room until dinner’s ready?” I ask.
Ellie comes forward and shakes Vicki’s hand. “Nice to see you again, Vicki.” Even though she says the right words, they don’t come out in a very friendly tone.
Vicki ignores it. “Nice to see you too, Ellie.”
Ellie, me, and Sofie sit on the couch while Vicki takes the loveseat. Sofie snuggles into my side and continues to chew on her finger. What are we going to talk about?
Thankfully, Vicki keeps the conversation going. “I like this smaller house. It’s very cozy. And you’ve decorated it so well.”
I point to my sister. “Ellie works at a refurbished furniture store and I got everything there.”
“Oh? I should go there. What’s the name of the store?”
“Twice Again,” Ellie replies in a cold voice.
Silence. The conversation lags as we all look uncomfortably at each other. Sofie finally saves the day.
“Wanna see my room? I have an Elsa and Olaf blanket,” she says excitedly.
“That would be wonderful!” Vicki says as she hops to her feet. She extends her hand and Sofie takes it, leading her mother down the hall. Mother and daughter chat about Sofie’s room as they walk ahead of us.
“Well, that was awkward,” Ellie says under her breath as we follow them.
The bedroom tour goes well. Ellie disappears to check on dinner while I linger at the doorway. Sofie shows her mom the Frozen bedspread, her toys, her books, and even some of her dresses. Once Sofie gets going, she’s unstoppable. Vicki oohs and aahs over everything and truly seems interested. Although she’s playing the mom role well, I wonder whether the immature, selfish Vicki will reappear. A twinge of guilt hits at even thinking those thoughts.
It’s a relief when Ellie calls us to eat. Sofie’s warmed up to her mom now and is the one handling all the conversation, excitedly telling Vicki about the menu. I give Vicki credit; she says all the right things. It gives me optimism that Vicki’s desire to see her daughter is genuine and that she’s in this for the long haul.
“I love this mac and cheese. Where’d you get the recipe?” Vicki directs the question to Ellie and me.
“The internet,” Ellie replies curtly.
Trying to smooth things over, I say, “Sofie wanted it to be extra special.”
Vicki smiles and turns to Sofie. “This whole meal is extra special.”
Sofie beams. “Do you like the chocolate milk?”
Vicki picks up her still full glass of milk and chugs some down. I can tell by her expression that milk isn’t her favorite beverage. “I never have chocolate milk, so this is a rare treat.”
My ex-wife is really trying, and I appreciate the effort. She’s winning Sofie over completely, and even me to some extent. Ellie is going to be more difficult to come around.
“We’re having chocolate ice cream with sprinkles for dessert!” Sofie adds.
“I can’t wait,” her mom says.
The visit ends after we’ve stuffed ourselves and cleared the dishes.
“This has been wonderful, but I need to get home,” Vicki says after her offer to help load the dishwasher was turned down. Ellie insists on cleaning the kitchen and shoos us out.
Sofie and I walk Vicki to the front door. She bends down, and Sofie hugs her this time rather than a handshake. “Can you come back next weekend? We can have chocolate milk again!” Sofie says excitedly.
Vicki looks up at me for guidance. “I’ll talk to Mommy and we’ll plan something that works with all our schedules,” I reply.
Returning her daughter’s hug, Vicki says, “I can’t wait to see you again, Sofie.” She then puts on her coat and mouths “thank you” to me.
Once Vicki is gone, Sofie grabs my hand and dances beside me. “Mommy is nice! Can she move in with us?”
My eyes widen at the suggestion, but I expected questions like this would arise. “Mommy has her own house in another town.”
Sofie looks crestfallen.
“But she can come visit again. Maybe we can go to the park next time if it’s warm enough.”
Sofie nods and skips off to the kitchen, asking Ellie for more chocolate milk.
I hope the subject of Mommy moving in doesn’t come up again, but somehow, I expect it will. Rae’s pretty face pops into my head. Isn’t it ironic that the person I’d actually love to have over for dinner tonight is Rae, and yet I can’t do so until after May 23?
Chapter Twenty-One
Raelynn
THE SPRING SCHOOL FUNDRAISER IS only a few weeks away, and our little planning committee is meeting today. I thought we had plenty of time to plan this event, but where did February go? The blustery weather reminds me of the saying “March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb.” Today is definitely lion weather.
A few weeks ago, I called for help from Twice Again when fundraiser donations started pouring in and we had nowhere to house them and no idea how to price them. Margaret wisely appointed Ellie and Riley to assist Cassie and me, realizing that the task was going to take a large chunk of time. They’re both already sitting at a booth at Sacred Grounds when we arrive. I’m excited for this chance to get to know them both better.
“It’s freezing out there! Where’s spring?” I complain as Cassie and I plop down in the booth across from Ellie and Riley. We’re both wearing our winter parkas, with gloves and scarves.
“Tell me about it. My daffodils are under a foot of snow,” Cassie adds.
“Yet we had sixty-degree temperatures a week ago,” Riley says, confusion over the fickle weather on her face.
Ellie bellows out a laugh. “Welcome to Colorado!” We all join in the laughter.
After we retrieve our coffee orders from the serving bar, the informal planning committee meeting begins.
“All the donations have been cleaned and are ready to display on the silent auction tables,” Ellie says.
“We received fifty donated items, and Margaret donated another ten items from the store, so we have a good selection. The grand prize is from Twice Again—an old-fashioned rocking chair like the ones they have at the Hitching Post restaurant,” Riley reads from a list on her laptop.
The group ‘oohs’ over the grand prize.
“Did we get good stuff or just junk?” Cassie asks.
Riley and Ellie exchange a look. “Some of each. But, as you know, one person’s junk is another person’s treasure,” Riley says with a smirk.
“Let’s hope we have lots of treasure seekers at the auction,” I say, and everyone nods.
“Did you set minimum bids on everything yet?” Cassie asks the antiques experts.
“Most things. Ellie and I are conferring with Margaret on a couple items we weren’t sure about, but we’ll have those done next week,” Riley says, still referring to her laptop.
“Where did you learn so much about antiques?” I’ve been curious about Riley’s background since she helped me select the crock for Mom.
She shrugs. “My grandmother raised me, and everything in her house was an antique.”
My eyes widen. I’m sure there’s a lot more to that story but Riley quickly changes the subject. “Are we setting up the night before? Ellie and I will need to pack everything and move it to the school gymnasium.” They’re storing everything at Twice Again until the auction.
“I’ll recruit some parents to help,” I say.
“Preferably parents with big muscles,” Cassie says while showing off her biceps.
“I’ll ask Noah to help,” Ellie adds with a wink directed at me. Cassie volunteers her current boyfriend to help as well, although at the rate she goes through boyfriends, he might not be around in two weeks.
I draw up a schedule for setting up the silent auction and then a schedule for who’s going to work at the tables. Someone will be at the tables at all times during the bidding session to answer questions and encourage bids. Once the bidding closes, Cassie and I will announce the winners. Ellie and Riley will process payments for the auctioned off items. Margaret has graciously offered her credit card payment equipment for those who want to pay that way.
Once all the details are hashed out, we chat and enjoy refills on our coffee. Cassie orders a plate of scones, which we all hungrily tear into. The warm cinnamon and raisin pastries are delicious.
“How’s Noah and the ex-wife?” Cassie says. We’ve been too busy with school to talk lately.
I shrug. “He’s been spending a lot of time with her, helping Sofie get to know her mother.” I try not to let disappointment leak through my voice. While I’m happy for Sofie, this new arrangement puts a damper my nightly calls with Noah. Seems like Noah’s consumed by meetups with Victoria so she and Sofie have time together. Noah always accompanies his daughter since she isn’t completely comfortable with her mom yet—and he reluctantly admitted that he isn’t fully comfortable with his ex-wife yet either.
“Vicki’s been a little demanding, and Noah bends to her every whim. He’s scared she’ll petition the court for partial custody, so he’s trying not to rock the boat,” Ellie explains.
I nod in understanding, even though I wish he wasn’t so amendable to every one of his ex-wife’s demands.
“Is he considering getting back together with her? Wouldn’t that make things a lot simpler for everyone?” Riley asks.
An awkward silence greets her words. Riley doesn’t know about my relationship with Noah and Sofie, so she doesn’t realize how she stuck her foot in her mouth. She looks around the table at our surprised looks. “Hey, I’m just saying. My experience with men is they always take the easy way out.”
Would Noah do that? Get back together with his ex-wife?
Ellie vigorously shakes her head. “Noah has no desire to rekindle a relationship with Vicki. He just wants Sofie to be happy.”
After the meeting breaks up, Riley’s words stick with me all night, running around in my head, creating seeds of doubt. Would Noah get back together with his ex-wife? Is my relationship with Noah over before it even gets started?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Noah
THIS IS SOFIE’S FIRST TIME to stay overnight at her mother’s house. The mother and daughter have had several weeks to get to know each other, with Vicki coming to Paradise Springs for all those visits. Last weekend Vicki took Sofie to the park by herself, and everything went well even though Sofie begged me to go along. I politely declined despite Sofie’s pouty face.
I knew it was inevitable that Vicki would want Sofie to visit at her house, but I’m not ready for it. Worry knots in my stomach, and I feel like my daughter’s moving out rather than just going away for one night.
Yesterday I notified the school that Vicki will be picking up Sofie today after school. The plan is for Sofie to stay with Vicki tonight and then tomorrow until around noon, when I’ll come pick her up. Since tomorrow’s Saturday, neither Vicki nor I need to work. I’m glad that Vicki’s roommate is gone for the weekend; one less person for Sofie to adjust to.
Sofie and I eat breakfast together like we always do. She seems extra fidgety, but I chalk that up to excitement.
“Do you have everything in your bag?” I ask while Sofie and I examine the contents of the bag together. We had to move to a larger suitcase when it became evident that three stuffed animals and two dolls must accompany Sofie on this trip.
My daughter runs over to her bookcase and pulls out three books. “Can I take these too?” Frankie tracks her every move as if she knows that her favorite person is going somewhere.
I chuckle. “Yes, sweet pea, you can take those stories.” I cram them in the already overloaded pink suitcase. You’d think Sofie was packing for a week rather than one night.
“Show Mommy your bag before you unpack so she knows everything that needs to come back home with you.” Although I can’t imagine Vicki has any kid supplies at her house to get things confused with.
Sofie nods, then flits off to find another pair of socks to take along. “I need these!” she squeals when I try to talk her out of bringing a third pair of fuzzy pink socks, so I give in and th
e socks go into the suitcase.
I grab her coat and school backpack and head out to the car. Groaning dramatically, I lift the suitcase and put it into the trunk. “Do you have rocks in here?” I tease. Sofie giggles.
On the drive to school, Sofie chatters about the overnight adventure. “Mommy said she got me a new bed,” Sofie tells me for the twentieth time. “And it’s got an Elsa blanket!” Even though she has a Frozen comforter at home featuring Elsa, Anna, and Olaf, I guess she can’t get enough of the Disney characters.
When I drop Sofie off at school, I reiterate with Rae that Vicki is picking up Sofie this afternoon. “I’ll watch for her,” Rae says with a thumbs up as she stores Sofie’s suitcase in a locker. My worry makes me sound like a mother hen, but I don’t care.
The day flies by with several client meetings, and by the time I get home it’s dinnertime. Frankie greets me at the front door, sniffs my legs, and gives me a confused look. “Sofie went to visit her mom,” I say lamely. Frankie lifts her doggie eyebrows, then turns around and trots to her poufy bed in the mudroom. Apparently, I’m too boring.
After five minutes, the quiet house seems far too empty and too quiet without Sofie chattering a mile a minute about what she wants to eat. I fill a glass with water and the clock in the kitchen starts to annoy me. Tick tock, tick tock. When did it start ticking so loudly?
All week I told myself that tonight will be “Noah time.” I can watch anything I want on TV, I can eat anything I want, and I can go to bed as late as I want because I won’t have a five-year-old to wake me up at 6:00 a.m.
After only an hour, I’m bored stiff, so I order a pizza just to interact with the delivery kid.
“It’s cold for March, isn’t it?” I say as the teenage delivery guy hands me the pizza box. He looks at me quizzically at my lame attempt to strike up a conversation with anyone, even a stranger half my age. After I give him a big tip, he says, “Thanks, man!” and sprints down the front porch to his car as if he can’t wait to leave.
When I wander back into the kitchen, the silence is overwhelming. Tick tock, tick tock. I quickly backtrack and eat in front of the TV, watching a show about dragonflies that I’m sure Sofie would love. Did you know there are over 5,000 known species of dragonflies? I’ll make sure to tell Sofie that tomorrow.
A Time for Faith Page 12