“You know what it’s like to lose someone, don’t you?” Sophia swallowed and wrapped both arms around Teddy, drawing himin for a hug. “It really sucks, Teddy. Losing someone is really hard.”
Silence settled over the room and her heart.
She released Teddy, sighed, and flipped onto her back. She was staring at the same ceiling and noticed the chipped parts of the paint when her phone rang. With a frown, she brought it up to her face and blinked. As soon as she recognized Zac’s name, she sat up and tucked her hair behind her ears.
Zac’s familiar face filled her screen, looking better rested and tanned. “Hey, Mom. Did I catch you at a bad time?”
“You can call me anytime, honey,” Sophia replied, bringing the phone closer to her face and studying him. He looked much better than he did when they last spoke, and some of the gauntness in his eyes was disappearing. “How are you, sweetheart?”
“Better,” Zac replied with a lift of his chin. He fixed his green eyes, a mirror of her own, on her, and his expression turned sympathetic. “How are you doing? You ready for tomorrow?”
Sophia sighed. “I’m never ready, but I get through it anyway.”
After years of practice, she thought she’d get better at finding ways to honor her mother on the anniversary of her death. Unfortunately, each year on the day before the anniversary, Sophia found herself in bed, drowning her sorrows in ice cream and wine and by flipping through photo albums she’d studied backward and forward.
She knew every last inch of the photo album, had memorized all the details of her mother’s face, and committed to memory everything she knew.
Yet, Sophia still felt like she wasn’t able to capture her mom’s essence.
Nor would she ever since she hadn’t even known her.
“You do,” Zac agreed with a small smile. “You’re the strongest woman I know. I’m sorry I can’t be there with you. There’s a blockade right now.”
Sophia sunk lower against the mattress and frowned. “Is it safe to be there right now?”
Zac waved her comment away. “Yeah, you know there are a lot of blockades. We manage anyway. So, what’s new with you, Mom? Anything interesting?”
“Nora is retiring, and Valerie is going to be taking over as manager.”
Zac pulled a face. “I’m sorry. I know the two of you don’t get along. Might be time to start trying to get on her good side so she doesn’t make your life a living hell.”
“She’s already started,” Sophia joked with a shake of her head. “I don’t even know why she has such an issue with me.”
“Because she knows you’re a better pastry chef than her,” Zac responded. “Come on, you can’t tell me you don’t know that.”
“Of course, she knows that.” Zoe appeared in the doorway to Sophia’s room, dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with her hair braided to one side. “Even though Mom won’t admit it, deep down, I’m sure she knows what a badass she is.”
Sophia propped her phone down on the nightstand and scrambled out of bed. “Thank you, honey. What are you doing here?”
Zoe pulled her mom in for a hug and lingered. “I thought I could spend the night with you if that’s okay. We could catch up, maybe watch a movie. I’m due for some mother-daughter bonding time.”
“Stop stealing my ideas,” Zac complained, his voice filling the room. “I was going to keep Mom company.”
Zoe released Sophia and stuck her tongue out at her brother. “You snooze, you lose, Zacy.”
“I hate that nickname,” Zac grumbled darkly. “You use it on purpose just to annoy me. Admit it.”
“It’s not a secret,” Zoe replied cheerfully. She set her backpack down and wandered out into the kitchen. “At this point, annoying you is a part of my routine. I can’tnotdo it.”
Sophia snatched her phone off the nightstand, stuffed her feet into a pair of slippers, and hurried after her daughter. Zoe was opening and closing cupboards. Then she set down a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a few packs of chips. While she rummaged through the refrigerator, she and Zac traded insults and jabs, making Sophia feel as if nothing had changed. Like they were all still living under the same roof.
When Zoe’s face re-emerged, she was sniffing the containers of food. “Mom, no offense, but when was the last time you cleaned your fridge?”
Sophia paused and ran a hand over her face. “A few weeks ago, why?”
“A friend of mine started this cleaning service. I’m going to call him and ask for a favor. He owes me one.” Zoe set down several containers on the counter and began to dump the contents into the bin. As soon as she was done, she took the trash out and returned to wash her hands. In silence, she led Sophia to the couch, and the two of them settled in to watch a movie.
A short while later, Zac’s video call was disconnected.
