“I warned you,” Opal mumbled, sending Sophia a pointed look in the rearview mirror.
Silence took over as Opal drove on, but Sophia could tell the redhead’s mind was already at work. She confirmed it after another mile down the road when a knowing smile lit her face. “That’s an easy fix. All you have to do is share a fluffy post on how great Carolina Pediatrics is and how you trust Dr. Sawyer to care for your son. Let the gossipers blow that up and you’ll be sitting pretty in Agnes’s office by the end of the week. No way can that turn into a negative.”
Sophia considered the suggestion, and it really wasn’t a bad idea. “I can probably do that,” she mumbled, already working on a hook for the post.
“Sophia, my truck is at the diner. Can you give me a ride over there?” Josie asked as Opal pulled back up at the attorney’s office.
“Sure.” The sun was quickly burning off the fog and upping the brightness factor by a million. Sophia squinted and rummaged around her bag for her keys and a pair of sunglasses.
“I have a few projects to work on, so I better head over to the store. I’ll catch you gals later,” Opal said, that ever-present smile somehow making her more radiant than normal.
They exchanged another round of heartfelt congratulations and hugs with Opal before parting ways.
As Sophia headed toward Driftwood Diner, she stole a quick peek at Josie before looking back to the road. “So, umm . . . our Opal is going to be a mommy. Wow.”
Josie snickered. “I can hardly believe it.”
“I know, right?” Sophia shook her head and grinned. “I just worry what she’ll try dressing the poor baby in.”
Josie laughed. “We’ll have to keep her in check with the wardrobe choices.”
Sophia rolled to a stop at a red light. She glanced at Josie as her curiosity got the better of her. “You and August aren’t ready to start a family?”
“Eventually, sure, but right now the camp and art projects are our babies. The camp has become so popular that August and Carter are working on adding a spring and fall session next year.” Josie reached over and squeezed Sophia’s arm. “I know what you’re getting at, and it’s sweet of you. We’re not even trying yet. And I am over the moon for Opal.”
Sophia drove on and smiled. Josie didn’t have a jealous bone in her body, but that didn’t stop Sophia from wanting to be certain her friend was okay about it. “I can’t wait to spoil her baby like she does Collin. Payback time.”
The plan was to drop Josie off and make her getaway, but Josie roped Sophia into having breakfast with her. Even though an appetite had been something lost to her, along with everything else in the past year, she managed picking around a plate of grits and eggs until Josie finished hers and had to leave.
The ride back to the condo was quiet with her mind whirling around Opal’s great news and Wes’s rejection. She managed to make it to her room and close the curtains before her phone began to ring. An unfamiliar number flashed across the screen.
“Hello?” she answered tentatively while slipping her feet out of the sensible heels.
“Babe.” The one word was all it took to cause her heart to skip a beat and her stomach to flutter.
She sat on the edge of the bed and clutched her stomach with her free hand, hating that he still had such a profound effect on her. “Ty?”
“Yeah, babe.” The deep timbre of his voice wove through the phone. “This is my new number. Be sure to save it, okay?”
Swallowing, she managed a frail “Okay.”
“Look, you already heard about the sh—er, crap that just went down. Only thing you need to know right now is that the mess is my idiot manager’s and the accountant’s fault. Not mine. But I’m working on getting it all sorted.” There was some shuffling in the background, sounding like he was busy doing something, as always. “So sit tight and in the meantime let your parents take care of you and Collin.”
That was supposed to be your job, as promised in your vows, she thought as her eyes began to sting.
“I’ll pay them back.”
Clearing her throat, she whispered, “Ty, I’m no longer your responsibility.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that I want you to be . . . I’ve been attending the anger management classes and counseling sessions. All for you.” He sighed heavily into the phone and muttered a few choice words. “Babe, I love you. Nothing’s changed that either.”
When Ty loved her, she couldn’t ask for a better husband. He practically worshiped her. But when he allowed his demons free, he was the worst.
Sophia needed to redirect her thoughts before his bogus sweetness reeled her in. The loneliness was unbearable, so it would be too easy to give in to it. She pictured her baby boy with the sadness in his eyes. “Collin misses you.”
Ty sighed again. “I miss you both. I’ll get out there soon. Promise.”
“Okay,” she muttered, knowing it was probably another empty promise.
Voices echoed in the background. “I’ll be there in a minute,” Ty called out. “Look, babe, I have to head to practice. Give little man a hug for me.”
As the phone disconnected, the tears freed right along with a guttural sob. Each time she heard from Ty, it was like taking a knife to her heart all over again. Even though she wouldn’t say it to him, she still loved her ex-husband and had no clue as to how to stop.
Ty was no longer allowed to physically hurt her, but Sophia still ached all over as if the last beating were still fresh on her bruised body. With trembling hands, she managed to shrug out of her jacket and pants before climbing into bed. Cocooned under the blanket, the world darkened and took with it the thread of strength she was holding on to. Ty was supposed to be her strength, her partner. There to lean on and provide comfort. Yet she was cowering in a bed that wasn’t their marriage bed, still trying to recover from the pain he’d carelessly inflicted. Alone and scared with nothing but ruined promises.
Sophia blinked back tears as the night of the team party during the last year of their marriage invaded her thoughts. . . .
Sophia felt like an outsider, invited only out of obligation. She took special care to dress in her trophy-wife uniform of formfitting cocktail dress and mile-high stilettos with enough flashy diamonds to blind someone, even going as far as having her hair and makeup professionally done. She should have fit in quite well with the glamorous evening, but as she navigated the thick crowd celebrating in a rather raucous manner, she could hardly suppress the urge to strip the shoes from her feet and make a run for it. Life had grown too loud, and her heart was homesick for the quieter life back home in Sunset Cove, South Carolina.
“Darling, you look gorgeous tonight. Simply fabulous. The indigo blue really is your color,” Ty’s mother complimented, scrutinizing Sophia head to toe. “It really sets off the teal in your eyes.”
“Thank you, Helen. It’s the team color.” Sophia tugged at the hem of the slinky dress, feeling anything but fabulous. She scanned the crowd and caught a glimpse of a tall blonde leading an obviously cooperative Ty out of the room. “Excuse me.”
Mrs. Prescott tried to distract Sophia, but she’d looked the other way for far too long. She managed to get away from the clingy woman and scooted through the crowd. Hands shaking, she pushed through the door and on down the hall. Giggles and groans floated her way from a side corridor. Her heart begged her to turn back and leave well enough alone, but Sophia knew it was time to face her husband’s infidelity head-on.