Sophia let go of a long sigh and decided not to call her out on it. Instead, she gave the excuse “He has to be potty trained before they will accept him.”
“That’s easy enough.” Opal shrugged. “YouTube some tutorials and go get him one of those tiny toilets.”
“I’d rather he decide when he’s ready. So far there’s no interest.” Sophia tucked her left thumb underneath her ring finger and couldn’t contain the cringe at finding it bare. It was a habit she had formed right after Ty slid the flashy engagement ring onto her finger. Touching the back of the ring had always offered comfort and a reminder of promises. She was still struggling to grasp that the wedding ring—and the promises—no longer belonged to her.
“I’m sure you want to help Collin along. The preschool would be a great opportunity for him to interact with children his age. And it would allow you to get a job.” Josie smiled but seemed uncertain. She wasn’t nearly as good at meddling as Opal.
Sophia narrowed her eyes at both women, wondering what their game was. “I have alimony and child support and a nice severance package. I don’t need a job.”
Ty’s PR team had been quick to get most of his dirt swept under the rug, and the lawyers even quicker to finalize the divorce. Sophia had only been required to sign nondisclosures about the abuse allegations that prevented her from ever speaking about it publicly, and that was fine by her. She agreed after they added a clause that Ty had to undergo anger management counseling and could have only supervised visits with Collin.
“That’s hogwash. Never has your strong backbone stood for someone else taking care of you and—”
Before Opal could carry on her rant, Josie piped in. “But a job would be a great reason to get out of the house and be around adults. Plus, you’re too talented not to be out there doing something with yourself.”
Sophia had recently endured not only the demise of her marriage, but also the demise of her career. When Southeastern Public Relations had to choose between a replaceable consultant and their star athlete, the decision to let Sophia go was more than easy.
“Really? Southeastern seemed to think I’m nothing more than a grunt worker who somehow deserved to be beaten up by her famous husband for catching him in bed with another woman.” Sophia growled and slammed her glass down, sending a fountain of pale-yellow liquid sloshing onto the table. That didn’t release enough of her pent-up anger, so she added stomping her feet against the sandy deck and another growl.
Sophia’s intuition had always been spot-on. She was an ace at using that skill for the betterment of others and keeping the firm’s clients out of hot water. Herself, not so much. It didn’t do her a darn bit of good when it came to the bronze-haired Adonis with his lustrous skin tone and that aw-shucks smile. Ty Prescott’s stunning facade had fooled her right along with the masses. Months had passed since Ty had completely removed his mask while taking a part of her soul with it, yet she was still dealing with the wreckage. She was so mad at herself for allowing it to happen in the first place. The worst part was that she’d failed not only herself but also her son.
“Then why are you allowing their opinion such power if you don’t believe it to be true?” Opal asked, knowing exactly what button to push. “You sure have been acting like you believe it.”
For months, Sophia had allowed circumstances to dictate her self-worth. The only days she had any hope of turning things around were the days she could make her baby smile, and that wasn’t nearly as often as it needed to be. A saying her grandmother shared once flickered through her thoughts as she pounded her fists against the arms of her Adirondack chair. “Never underestimate the power of a good ole hissy fit.”
The haze of despondency cleared momentarily as Sophia had herself one glorified conniption. “I’m not a nobody! I have just as much talent as that giant schmuck running around a dumb field with a ball! I want to slap that smirk off his lips! I want to show him he didn’t break me!”
Opal nodded exuberantly. “This is good!”
“What?” Sophia snapped back, hot tears cascading down her flushed face. She caught Josie echoing her question on a much more subdued whisper.
“You’re alive!” Opal fist-pumped and jumped up and down. “She’s alive! Hallelujah!” She turned back to Sophia and shook her by the shoulders. “For a hot minute I thought you’d turned into a robot.” Opal giggled, followed by Josie snickering, and that had Sophia snorting. And it escalated to an outlandish round of laughter.
And that was Opal for you. Always twisting and turning a touchy situation until she could figure out how to defuse the tension. It was one of the reasons Sophia loved her so much—and also the reason she wanted to pinch Opal’s little button nose half the time.
“Y’all, I’m sorry . . . I’m just having a hard time getting my act together.” Sophia shook her head. “I never thought I’d let a man manipulate me or lay a hand on me out of anger.”
Josie moved over and knelt in front of Sophia’s chair. “I sure wish you had confided in us about what was really going on.”
“I was embarrassed. Still am.” Sophia watched Opal join Josie in front of the chair, their wall of support causing a heaviness to press against her chest. Clearing her throat, she whispered, “It didn’t happen that many times, but it was enough to leave a lasting effect. Made me doubt my strength and character. I hate being weak.”
“One time is way too many times.” Opal squeezed Sophia’s knee. “But who says you’re weak?”
The question had Sophia coming up short, so she only responded with a halfhearted shrug.
“You are the owner of your self-esteem. Don’t let circumstance dictate it. Show Ty and everyone else you’re still that crazy-smart, fiercely driven woman who lets no one and nothing get the best of her.”
Josie bobbed her head in agreement. “Opal’s right. You’ve achieved everything you’ve ever set your mind to. You are the former reigning Miss Sunset Cove, you were the captain of the cheerleading squad, valedictorian of your graduating class, you formed Beach Preserve Coalition for your senior project when the rest of us only took the time to write a research paper—”
“Oh! I love that charity.” Opal’s face lit with admiration, mirroring Josie’s. “Girl, you got the entire town and my daddy, the senator, on board with keeping our beach a litter-free, healthy environment.”
They were doing what the Sand Queens did best: lifting one another up when life tried beating them down by redirecting the focus to all of the good and positives.
Sophia’s tears of anger transformed into tears of appreciation as she leaned forward and hugged both wonderful friends God had blessed her with for as long as she could remember. Even though she was a year ahead of them in age and school grade, their bond had always been ironclad.
After the three women hugged it out and resettled in their own chairs, Sophia finally asked, “What was all that talk about a mystery neighbor?”
“There’s no mys—”
“I think a vampire moved in last night.” Opal was quick to cut Josie off, but Sophia dismissed it when she processed what the silly woman had just spouted off.