Carissa threw back her head, tossing her hair from her face, and narrowed her eyes at Sophia.
“I’m so sorry.” Sophia had her hand to her chest to calm the rapid beat of her heart.
The girl before her said nothing. Her double-layered tank tops and jeans, which had seen better days, radiated her youth. Her eyes were heavily lined and hid behind the long, straight hair that fell well past her shoulders.
Sophia straightened. “Carissa, right? I’m Sophia. Sophia Burkhalter. My grandmother is Katie.” She smiled, but the sneer on Carissa’s face made it difficult. “It’s nice to meet you,” she continued, but Carissa walked past her, down the stairs, and out the front door.
The silence made her feel as though she didn’t belong.
She found David in the hallway fixing a piece of molding that, much like Carissa’s jeans, had seen better days. She watched as he put the piece of wood against the wall and tapped it into place with a finishing nail and hammer. She’d forgotten how handy he was.
They had bought a house on Cherry Street two years before she left. It needed major repairs, and they put two years of blood, sweat, and tears into it. Together they had picked out paint, flooring, window covers, and lighting fixtures. It was going to be the home they would share forever.
Then she found out what he’d been hiding from her.
She signed the house over to him and walked away from the life they had built. For ten years, she’d been unable to forgive him. She still didn’t know if she could.
“You look nice,” he said, lifting his head once the molding was secure.
“Thank you.” Daring herself, she took a step closer to him as he stood and wiped his hands his jeans. “I’ve been instructed that you’ll be driving me around today.”
“What a coincidence. That’s what I was told, too.”
“I can just give you a list…”
“No.” He set the hammer on the table in the hallway. “You’re here, and we’re going to give them one hell of a party. Let me wash my hands, and we’ll get going.”
Sophia nodded and went to tell her grandmother she was leaving.
When she entered the kitchen, Millie and Katie scuttled back from the doorway.
Sophia opened the cupboard, took down a glass, and filled it at the sink. She purposely looked out the window to divert her attention from her scheming grandmother and her friend.
Their planning and matchmaking had once filled Sophia’s life with joy. She’d fallen in love with David Kendal then, and that’s what the two women wanted now. But there were too many obstacles. She had a life and a career far away from Kansas City, and David had his daughter.
Carissa sat on the front steps, her iPod still in her hand and her head bobbing to the music that played in her ears. Sophia hurried to the car before the teenager noticed them, but just as she shut her door, Carissa’s head shot up.
“Hey, did you still want a ride?” David yelled from his side of the car.
Carissa pulled the earphones from her ears and glared at her father, much as she had at Sophia earlier. “I want to meet Emily at the mall.”
“C’mon, I’ll give you a ride.”
She didn’t move.
Sophia rested her hands in her lap and bit her lip.
“Can I sit up front?” Carissa slowly walked across the grass.
“Sophie is already sitting there,” he pointed out. “Lots of room in the back. How will you get home from the mall?”
The teen yanked open the rear door on David’s side of the car and flopped into the backseat.
“Do you care?”
Sophia noticed him watching her in the mirror as he backed out of the driveway. She wanted desperately to ask him about Carissa, but she kept her hands in her lap, her eyes forward, and her mouth shut.
When David stopped the car at the curb in front of the mall, Carissa was quick to jump out, but so did he. He closed the door.
“I am not pleased with your behavior,” he scolded in a hushed tone, but Sophia heard him.
“Why is she here?”
“She’s Katie’s granddaughter. You will treat her with the same respect you show to Miss Katie.”
“I don’t like her.”
“You don’t know her.”
“I don’t care.” Carissa turned up the volume on her iPod.
He tugged at her earphones. Her eyes widened as they dropped to the ground.
“I will not have it, Carissa. I will not have you treat Sophia like this. You straighten up, or things are going to get tough.”
She replaced the earphones without another word.
He opened his car door. “I’ll pick you up in three hours.”
“Fine.”
He sat back down behind the wheel as they watched his daughter trudge through the doors of the mall. He puffed out a breath and raked his fingers through his hair.
“Well, that couldn’t have been more awkward.” He pulled away from the curb, gripping the steering wheel like he wanted to strangle it.
Sophia bit her lip. “I really didn’t mean to cause any problems. Why don’t you go by the rental car place, and I’ll get a car. This is ridiculous.”
“Forget it. She’s bound to throw more than one temper tantrum in the two weeks you’re here. She’s a teenager. She’ll be fine. She’s really a good kid.”
The words didn’t fit the girl she’d met, but then again, she seemed to have a personal vendetta against Sophia, and who would blame her?
“Why are you living at my grandmother’s house?”
“We’re having a house built. It was your grandmother’s idea for us to stay there while it was being built. It’s helped us out a lot.”
“A house for the two of you?” The question sounded dumb. Why not for the two of them? Heat prickled up her neck.
“Yep. It was fun picking everything out together. It reminded me of our house.”
An ache erupted in her chest, and she had to look out the side window.
“When did you sell it?” Her voice carried a raw edge.
“As soon as you signed over your half of it.” He slid his glance toward her. “You didn’t know?”
She shook her head.
David guided the car through an intersection.
“It was ours. I felt lonely there without you.”
“I assumed you would stay there with your daughter and her mother.” The words, hidden in her soul for so many years, were free, and they were bitter.
“I think you assumed a lot of things.” She could hear the anger surface in his tone.
“You have no idea—”
“You made sure of it.” He pulled into the parking lot and shut off the engine, but he didn’t move and neither did she. “I have no idea what was going through your head. All I knew is my daughter needed me. And I needed you, and you were gone. I never thought you were a selfish person, but I tell you what, my mind changed when I came home, your closet was empty, and your ring was in the sink.” He scrubbed his hands over his face and let out a breath before opening his door and stepping out.
Sophia followed him. She didn’t want to fight with him.
She wanted to have a nice party for her grandmother and Millie, and that’s what she was going to do. She’d let that keep her focused, and she’d try to forget about the pain David Kendal had caused her—and the pain she had obviously caused him.
David opened the door to the bakery, and Sophia slid by, murmuring a thank-you. She stopped abruptly. Surrounded by wedding cakes of every shape, size, and color, she tightened her hands into fists. Why should it matter that she was with the man she’d once vowed to love and marry—and be surrounded by wedding cakes? It meant nothing. But the thumping of her heart told her otherwise. Their appointment with the owner of the bakery should have been for their wedding and not for her grandmother’s birthday.
Two difficult hours later, they emerged from the bakery, having tasted every flavor offered and chosen three perfect cakes for Katie and Mil
lie. Sophia had been surprised when David told her they had invited two hundred people.
“Carissa addressed all the invitations herself,” he reminded her as they climbed into the car.
The same petulant teen she’d met this morning? “That was nice.”
“She loves Millie, and she adores Katie.”
“They’re wonderful women.”
David sat for a moment before putting the key in the ignition.
“Why don’t we get some lunch?”
“Are you kidding me?” She choked out a laugh. “You can’t be hungry. We ate cake for two hours.”
“I could do with some real food. And from the look of you, you could too.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” The smile disappeared from her face as anger balled in her stomach.
“You’ve changed a lot. That’s all. You look run-down.”
“Thanks so much.” She dropped her clenched hands into her lap.
“Sophie, I just mean…ah hell, I don’t know, but I think you need rest. I think the next two weeks will be good for you.”
She didn’t say anything else as he pulled out of the parking lot. After all, wasn’t that what Pablo had told her when he had encouraged her to go home to be with her family? But would he have told her that if he’d known she’d be spending her days and nights with David?
CHAPTER THREE
Sophia sat in a restaurant, across from the man she was once to marry, and wondered how things might have been different between them. Had she not left, she’d never have moved to Seattle, and she’d never have toured with Pablo DiAngelo. That had been the highlight of her life—or so she’d thought. However, as she drifted into her mid-thirties, she wondered what she’d lost that day she packed her things and drove out of Kansas City forever. Beyond the pain of losing David, guilt still plagued her. She’d walked out on her grandmother as well. She’d intended to return, but the longer she stayed away, the longer she was in Rome, Paris, or London, the easier it was to let time pass.
She watched the riverboats move down the Missouri river. David had often held her close as the lights of the city disappeared before them. In fact, he’d proposed to her on one of those boats. After three years of urging from him, Millie, and her grandmother, she’d accepted.
She wondered if they would still have lived in their house. Would they live there alone? Would they have filled the house with children they’d adopted? Would the symphony have kept her happy, or would she have taught?
Sophia desperately wanted to ask about Carissa—and her mother. There was hardly anthing she knew about it. All she knew was a small girl showed up and he followed, right out the door. So little had been said, but it was obvious by his reaction to the girl he’d known her. The thought still pained her. How could she ever think of marrying someone who would hide something as important as a child from her?
“Sophie.”
She looked at him, realizing he’d been speaking.
“I was asking if you’d like some bread?”
She shook her head. “My head is still swimming from the sugar in the cakes.”
“Now that was fun,” he said, biting into the bread and raising a brow.
“I can’t believe it took that long. I can’t imagine if we were picking out a wedding cake…” She caught herself before more words tumbled from her mouth.
“Yeah, that would’ve taken even longer.”
“I’m sorry.” Warmth rose in her cheeks. “I didn’t mean to…”
“Sophie, I got over it a long time ago.”
The ringing of his cell phone was a welcome disturbance.
“Carissa? I’m having lunch with Sophie.” His eyebrows knit together, and he shook his head.
“I’ll come pick you up in twenty minutes. Will you be okay until then?” He waited for her reply. “I love you.”
Sophia felt the knot in her throat as she heard him say the words to his daughter. I love you. The burning sting of jealousy ran through her and then the ache of humiliation. How could she be jealous? It was the man’s daughter on the phone, not some lover that had replaced her.
She was the one who’d left and replaced him with a life and a career far away from him.
“I hope you don’t mind. I need to pick up Carissa at the mall. It seems her boyfriend has just been caught making out in the back of the food court with her so-called best friend. She’s a bit distraught.” He motioned to the server to bring their check. “I can call a cab for you so that you can finish your meal.”
Broken hearts happened to everyone, she realized. There was no age or sex bias. At Carissa’s age, she’d had friends to go to when her heart was broken, but Carissa’s heartache had been caused by her friend. Neither she nor Carissa had had a mother to run to. Would that have made it easier to cope with? A part of her wished the girl didn’t dislike her so much. Perhaps she could have been that shoulder to cry on.
“I’d rather go with you, if you don’t mind.”
He laid the money on the table and pushed back to help her with her chair. “I warn you, a seventeen-year-old with a broken heart isn’t pretty.”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine. We all recover.”
“Some of you do.” He was four steps ahead of her when he said it, but the words socked her right in the gut. She’d broken his heart, and he’d never recovered—and he thought she had.
Carissa sat alone outside the entrance of the mall. Sophia’s heart flipped in her chest when David ran from the car and scooped his daughter in his arms. Carissa curled into her father’s chest as he walked her back to the car.
Quietly, Sophia moved to the backseat and watched as David opened the door for Carissa. He gave Sophia a glance that said thank you, and she returned the gesture with a smile.
Carissa sobbed, screamed, and called the boy she’d caught in the lip lock with her best friend every name that didn’t include curses. Her restraint spoke volumes about her respect for David. Another pang squeezed Sophia’s chest.
A few blocks from home, Carissa finally turned to glare at Sophia. Her eye makeup had smeared, and her nose and cheeks were red.
“Why is she still here? Didn’t you get the cake?”
“We were having lunch when you called.” David’s voice was steady, but Sophia had to clamp her jaw shut.
“I don’t know why those two old ladies think you guys have to do all the planning together. They’d be better off if just you and I did it.” She crossed her arms and flopped against the seat. “She doesn’t care.” She jerked her head toward Sophia.
“I’m sorry. I don’t care about what?” The cute little girl who had driven her out of David’s life had turned into a miserable, obnoxious brat. And Sophia’s heart ached for her.
“You don’t care about the people you hurt.” She turned and drove her unforgiving stare into Sophia.
“Carissa, that’s enough.” David angled his glance at his daughter.
“No, Dad, she asked.”
“That’s right,” Sophia agreed, and then turned her attention back to Carissa. “And just who have I hurt?” The words tumbled out of her mouth, and she wished they hadn’t.
“Oh, you’re a genius, aren’t you?” Carissa bounced against the seat again. “You knew Miss Katie thought you’d given up on her. She was sad for a lot of years.”
“Carissa.” He was warning her, but she continued.
“My mom said you were a—”
“I said that’s enough!” David finished his daughter’s bashing of her. “You will not talk to each other like this.” The warning went both ways, making Sophia feel small.
He pulled into the driveway, and Carissa jumped from the car before David had put it in park. She slammed the door behind her and stomped toward the house, disappearing inside.
Sophia climbed from the car and slammed her door, too. David caught her by the arm.
“You’re not seventeen. Don’t act like this.”
“I know your daughter is hurting. That doe
sn’t mean she can attack me, and I have to take it.”
“No, you don’t.” He tightened his grip. “But you have to know her vision of you is clouded. Give her time.”
“By all means. I’m leaving in twelve days, and neither of you will have to worry about me.” She broke free of his grip and stormed into the house, tears stinging her eyes.
In the privacy of her room, Sophia’s head was spinning and her heart was pounding. If the rest of her stay at her grandmother’s was going to be like today, she’d rather go back to her empty apartment in Seattle and prepare for Pablo’s new venue. She closed her eyes and tried to steady her shaky breaths.
With Pablo in mind, she dug through her purse to find her phone. She dialed his number, but there was no answer. It was probably for the best. Her emotions were raw, and he’d pick up on that. The Italian curses would fly if he knew David and his daughter had upset her.
And she wasn’t ready to probe into why Carissa’s outburst had affected her so deeply. She opened her cello case and set up near the window. Straddling the instrument, she held the bow in her right hand and leaned into it.
The deep hum filled her ears as she pulled the bow across the strings. She closed her eyes and played through Pablo’s last concert.
Every note was a memory on her fingertips, played with precision and warmth.
When she played, she was in a bubble. There was only her, her cello, and the music they created together. The world around her was blocked out for that time. Music hypnotized her and set her free.
An hour passed and crept into a second. Every muscle in her body that had been tense was now liquid and soft. Even as she played the music that was so familiar to her, her mind wandered.
She thought of David and how they were before she left. They were one. They’d been in love, and love had been wonderful.
When he touched her, electricity sped through her veins. He was gentle and considerate, and he loved her as fully as she loved him. They were to wed and be partners in life—forever.
The beautiful image seemed so skewed. How could things have gone so badly? Why had David hidden his daughter from her?
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