One More Moment

by Samantha Chase

  With a final look at the ocean, she collected her things. She’d gotten it down to a science—towel rolled and put in her backpack, sunglasses on, flip-flops in her hand, and board under her arm. It only weighed ten pounds, but it was awkward as hell to maneuver: the board was close to seven feet long and she was barely five foot three, but she was stronger than she looked. Most people tended to underestimate her—in just about every way—based on her size. What they didn’t know was that she had enough determination to do whatever she put her mind to and was willing to do the work to get it done.

  Athletics came easy to her and at times, her size worked to her advantage. Where surfing was concerned, however, she had been encouraged to get a larger board until she gained some skills. That wasn’t happening nearly as fast as she’d hoped, and by now Sophie was seriously hoping that she could trade out for a smaller board.

  “Soon,” she said, making her way back to the parking lot. “I just need to practice a little more.”

  Or a lot, she corrected.

  Walking across the lot, Sophie smiled at fellow beach-goers and said a word of thanks to the kind gentleman holding the door open for her at the surf shop. Renting her board made a lot more sense than going out and buying one outright—especially if she came to the conclusion that surfing wasn’t her thing.

  “How’d it go today, Soph?” Randy, the owner of the surf shop, asked. He was in his mid-thirties and had the look of the perpetual surfer—tanned with shaggy hair, puka-shell necklace included.

  “I think I’m getting better,” she said optimistically. “But that last wave knocked the wind out of me and the board hit me pretty hard as I flipped.” Absently, she rubbed her hip. “No doubt I’ll have a nice bruise to show for it by lunchtime.”

  “It goes with the territory,” he said, taking the board from her and giving her a receipt. “Do you want to try a different board tomorrow? Maybe something a little lighter?”

  “You said this was the size I should be using, since I’m a beginner,” she reminded him. “And besides, I think I’m getting used to it. I need to work on my confidence and maybe my concentration.”

  He grinned at her. “You should have taken more than one lesson. And while I can appreciate your enthusiasm, it never hurts to get a little help with your technique.”

  Placing the receipt in her bag, she smiled. “I’ll think about it. Right now I’ve got to go and get ready for my job interview.”

  His blue eyes widened. “Hey, that’s great! Did you finally opt to go with an agency?”

  “I did,” she said, with just a touch of sadness. “They’re sending me today to meet with my first client company. It’s not exactly what I had planned, but…I’m sure it’s going to be great.”

  It was important to stay optimistic.

  Over the past several weeks, she’d shared a little about her job search with pretty much anyone who would listen in hopes of getting some recommendations. She’d begun to lose hope until she’d been talking to a couple of older ladies on the beach and they’d shared with her a lead on a potential position. That morning she had signed on with an agency and had mentioned the job opportunity to her new boss and after a bit of negotiations, Sophie had managed to secure the position—even though there were others who had seniority over her.

  “Fingers crossed,” she said cheerily, walking toward the door. “If you don’t see me tomorrow, that means I’m starting a new job!”

  “Good luck, Soph! I’m sure you’re going to do great!”

  “Thanks, Ran!”

  Pulling her keys out, she was in her car and on her way home in no time. Her studio apartment was only a mile from the beach, but traffic was already congesting the roads. It was nearing nine o’clock when she walked through her front door. Tossing her backpack on the sofa, Sophie immediately went to the refrigerator and poured herself a glass of orange juice. She was about to take a shower when her cellphone rang.

  Taking the phone from her pack, she smiled and sighed at the same time.

  “Hey, Nana,” she said, kicking off her flip-flops. “How are you this morning?”

  “Oh, you know me. Can’t complain. How’s California treating you? Ready to come home yet?”

  They had this conversation several times a week since Sophie moved away. “Nope. I’m enjoying the beach and the sunshine. I think I can see myself living here permanently.”

  “Now, Soph, you know California is one of the most expensive places in the country to live. Why would you put all that extra stress on yourself, especially when you know the cost of living is so much more reasonable here in Kansas.”

  “Not everything is about being cost-effective, Nana. Sometimes you have to leave your comfort zone to find what makes you happy. And worrying about the cost of living does not make me happy.”

  “I’m sure it won’t—if you keep living there, the stress of it will make you downright miserable.”

  I walked right into that one, she thought.

  “I don’t think I’ll be worrying for too much longer.”

  “Oh?”

  “I have a job interview today!” she said excitedly.

  “I bet it won’t pay well,” Nana mumbled. “I bet that agency you signed up with will take a percentage of your paycheck now too.”

  There was only a slight hesitation before Sophie responded. “Umm…no. They don’t take a percentage of my pay. I got the referral from some people I met and was able to get assigned to it! Isn’t that great?”

  Nana snorted softly.

  “Oh, stop,” she chided. “I think it’s going to be perfect. It’s exactly what I was looking for—practically as if the job was created just for me!”

  “Probably a scam.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

  For her entire life, Nana had been her biggest champion—always telling Sophie there wasn’t anything she couldn’t do. She was the only parent Sophie had ever known, and Sophie knew that right now, Nana was lashing out like this because she missed her.

  At least, she hoped that was why.

  A weary sigh came over the phone before Nana spoke again. “I worry about you, that’s all. This whole thing—you moving away in a show of defiance, well…it’s hard for me. I thought you’d go there and see that California wasn’t for you and just come home.”

  Resting her head against the sofa cushion, Sophie let out her own sigh. “We’ve been over this. You know why I needed to do this.”

  “I know, I know. And…I hope you find what you’re looking for, sweetheart. But I hate that you felt the need to do it so far away from me.”

  For a moment, her heart hurt. “It was time for a change. I couldn’t stay there knowing—”

  “I know,” Nana quickly said, and Sophie was thankful they weren’t going into details again. She couldn’t handle that right now. Not when she needed to focus on positive things.

  “I went surfing again this morning,” she said, abruptly changing the subject.

  “And? How did you do?” Nana asked, with her first hint of encouragement.

  “Still not getting far, but I’m having fun!”

  “That’s my girl.” She paused. “Tell me about this job you’re interviewing for. Is it really what you’re looking for, or are you settling because you need to find a job? Because if you’re going to settle, you know I can help you out financially until you find the right one.”

  It would be easy to accept the financial help. And right now, with her bank account balance dwindling, a little padding wouldn’t hurt. But she swore to herself that she’d make it on her own no matter what. She wasn’t broke, and today’s meeting was a done deal. They were going to be her first clients, and once she proved herself to the agency, no doubt she’d get a few more assignments.

  “I’m fine, Nana. I promise. I have a good feeling about today.” For the next
several minutes she talked about the position and all it would entail and could barely contain her excitement. By the time she was done explaining, Sophie was almost breathless. “So now I have to shower and find something to wear and do something with my hair so I don’t look crazy—”

  “Your hair is beautiful. If you use one of those silver clips I gave you, it will be perfect.” Nana was silent for a moment before adding, “You’re perfect. And don’t you ever forget it.”

  And just like that, Sophie relaxed.

  To most people, she might come off as being confident, but sometimes she needed a few words of encouragement from the one person who loved her.

  “Thanks, Nana.”

  “Go and show these people why they are lucky to have you! And promise you’ll call me later and tell me all about it.”

  Smiling, Sophie replied, “I will.”

  Placing the phone on the cushion next to her, she wondered why life wasn’t always as simple as it used to be. There was a time when she never would have considered leaving her hometown. She knew everyone, and everyone knew her. Life was uncomplicated.

  Until it wasn’t.

  Secrets had a way of ruining everything.

  “So not the time to be thinking about this,” she murmured, forcing herself to stand up and grab another glass of juice.

  One of the reasons Sophie had hopped in her car and driven a thousand-plus miles for a change of scenery was to help her forget. The other was to start over—as someone nobody knew, and people could choose to either love her or hate her for herself, not because of her family history.

  So far, it had been working.

  Sometimes, however, her mind was her own worst enemy.

  “Not now and not today,” she stated firmly, drinking her juice and walking determinedly toward the bathroom. “I have to kick butt on this interview, so only happy thoughts!” With that, she turned on her shower and then immediately reached over and turned on her iPod, cranking up some of her most motivating music.

  Under the spray, she sang—badly—at the top of her lungs while she washed her hair. One song led to another and by the time she shut the water off, she’d gone through at least a half dozen of them. Clearing her throat, she realized she may have been a little overzealous in her singing.

  “Not smart, Soph. Definitely not smart.”

  Opting to listen to the rest of the playlist, she went about carefully applying her makeup before starting the lengthy process of drying her hair. How many times had she considered cutting her long tresses, only to back out at the last minute? It was a love-hate relationship, basically—she loved how it looked when it was styled and behaving but hated it every time she had to dry and style it.

  Studying her reflection as she combed through the wet tangles, she said, “Clearly, I have issues.”

  Issues or not, she finished getting herself ready—hair, makeup, and kickass outfit with a jade-green pencil skirt that matched her eyes and a white blouse. It was simple but crisp and professional, and when she walked out her front door a little later, she felt like she could take on the world!

  * * *

  Two days later, Christian came home early and went searching for his mother, stopping in the doorway to the guestroom. “You’re leaving?”

  Eliza looked up from her suitcase and gave him a small smile. “We had planned to stay another couple of days, but Uncle William called to tell your aunt that Gina is having early contractions.”

  “Wait—isn’t she only like six months along?”

  “Exactly. That’s why your aunt is so frantic about getting home. William tried to assure her that he had everything under control and he’d call her if they were going to admit Gina to the hospital, but”—she let out a soft laugh—“you know how your aunt is about her grandchildren. She’s been there for the birth of each and every one of them. All six.”

  “You don’t think Gina’s going to deliver the baby this soon, do you?”

  His mother moved around the room collecting her things. “I doubt it. But Monica wants to be there to help Mac and Gina with whatever they need. No doubt they’ll need a hand taking care of their son. He’s only three and if Gina has to go on bedrest, or if the baby does come prematurely, someone will need to be with her full-time.” She sighed. “That’s the sort of thing grandmothers do.”

  Christian wanted to roll his eyes at the longing he heard in his mother’s voice. There was no doubt that his cousins were procreating like wild and it was putting a lot of pressure on the rest of the Montgomerys, but normally his mother wasn’t so obvious about it.

  “You know Megan and Alex will be pregnant before you know it,” he said optimistically, even pasting a smile on his face for good measure.

  She waved him off and resumed her packing. “I hope you’re right, but that still leaves me hopelessly behind. This baby will make her seventh grandchild. And your Aunt Janice and Uncle Robert are coming up right behind them. And what have I got?” she asked, but Christian had a feeling she wasn’t exactly speaking directly to him.

  “Mom…”

  “Sure, your sister and Alex are anxious to start a family, but what about you and your brother, huh?” Still not looking at him, she tossed the last of her items into her suitcase. “Neither of you will even consider settling down, so I’ll have to be content to be Great-Aunt Eliza, watching everyone else have grandchildren while I’m forced to play with—with—Snickerdoodle!”

  “Snickerdoodle?”

  Snapping her suitcase shut, she spun to face him. “The dog I’m going to have to get—one of those yappy little things that I can fit in my purse and carry around like a baby. That is my future, Christian.”

  With a soft laugh of his own, he stepped into the room and wrapped his arms around his mother, hugging her close. “Let’s not go there just yet,” he said with amusement. “For all you know, Megan will have twins or something.”

  “You know she’s not pregnant yet, right?” Eliza asked flatly.

  Nodding, he said, “I know. But I’m hopeful.”

  “Twins don’t even run in our family. Alex’s either.”

  “And you know this…how?”

  “I was a little inquisitive when I met his parents,” she murmured. “Not one set of twins on either side. So you see, I don’t have a choice but to put all of my hopes and dreams in Snickerdoodle.”

  He kissed the top of her head and took a step back. “Maybe you can run this whole speech by Carter before you go getting a dog carrier, huh? For all you know, this may be the exact thing he needs to light a fire under him to pick a girl.”

  Swatting him away, Eliza breezed out of the room as she called out to see if his aunt was done packing.

  Feeling more than a little exhausted, he sat on the corner of the guest bed and relaxed. While he had to admit that this visit was a little more like a whirlwind than the relaxing exchange they usually enjoyed, he was still sorry to see his mom leaving so soon.

  Rising from the bed, he walked out of the room and down the hall, where he found his mother and aunt straightening up the second guest room.

  “You know you don’t have to do that, right?” he asked, leaning against the doorjamb. “I have a cleaning service that comes in once a week. They’ll take care of all this.”

  “Nonsense,” Aunt Monica replied, putting the last of her things into her suitcase. “I couldn’t leave without cleaning up a bit. It’s bad manners.”

  This time he did roll his eyes, but he laughed too. “Did you talk to the people in human resources? Do they know you’re both leaving?”

  “I did,” his mother responded. “And we hired a corporate health aide today, so things are right on track. Your people have access to all of the training materials we created and they know where to reach me if they have any questions.”

  He wanted to feel relieved, or at least a little excited, bu
t his mother’s voice was a little…stilted.

  “Are you happy with this new hire?”

  Both women shrugged and murmured “yes” and “sure,” but neither sounded overly enthused.

  “Okay, out with it. What’s wrong with this person? Are they not fully qualified? Do you think we need to keep interviewing?”

  “No, no, no,” his mother said, waving him off. “It’s nothing like that.”

  “Then what’s the problem?”

  Aunt Monica took the lead on this one. “Honestly, we found the perfect person, but—”

  “But what?”

  “She didn’t show up for our first meeting,” Eliza replied. “She called and there was a perfectly good explanation, but…”

  He waited her out for another minute.

  “Monica and I had hoped to have the time to get to know her a little bit more, that’s all. It’s not a big deal or anything, but it was something we had both wanted to do. Then our schedules were filled with calls for some of the other Montgomery offices and working with your human resources team, so we didn’t have time to reschedule.”

  Christian knew this was his mother’s baby and had to ask.

  “Okay, well… I get why Aunt Monica is leaving, but why don’t you stay, Mom? You just got here and I’m sure there’s more you can do. Maybe you reschedule the appointment and have the time to get to know her more.” Although for the life of him he had no idea why this was even an issue, but whatever. “And on top of that, I’d like for you stay for a little longer.”

  And just like that, his mother’s face transformed from neutral to positively beaming. She stepped forward and when she was standing in front of him, she cupped his cheek. “That is quite possibly the nicest thing you’ve said to me in a long time.”

  Damn. And it really wasn’t all that nice, he thought.

  “I’m just saying that you don’t have to go,” he clarified. “I know I haven’t been home as much as I had hoped, but I promise to make the time so we can have our meals together if you stay—breakfast out on the deck, I’ll take you to lunch, and then we’ll come home and make dinner together. What do you say?”