“Okay, Mom. Talk to you later.”
As soon as the line went dead, Sophia let the phone fall into her purse and released the steering wheel. She glanced at her reflection in the rearview mirror, taking in the tightness around her eyes and lack of color around her cheeks, and frowned. Then she pushed her blonde hair out of her eyes and ran a hand over her neck.
Beside her, Teddy had his head stuck out the window and was panting heavily.
She gathered her hair into a bun on top of her head, leaving a few wisps of hair to frame her face, and nodded.
With a sigh, she pushed the car door open and stumbled out. Once Teddy jumped out after her, she slammed the door shut and stood up straighter. Then she reached into the backseat and gathered the plastic bags. On her way up the cobblestoned path, Teddy weaved in and out of her feet, nose pressed to the ground and tail wagging back and forth.
On the front porch, she paused, set the bags down, and patted her pockets. She fished out the keys, shoved them in thelock, and turned. When the front door wouldn’t budge, a furrow appeared between her brows, and she glanced around. Sophia took the key out, examined it, and tried again. A short while later, she pressed her face to the glass and peered inside.
Except she knew it was pointless because her father was gone for a few days and was probably already in the city with his relatives.
Sophia glanced over her shoulders at the empty street and sighed.
Teddy pressed his face against her knee and whimpered.
After a brief hesitation, she picked up her purse, rummaged through it, and took out her phone. Darren answered on the fourth ring, sounding breathless and distracted. When they hung up, she gathered her plastic bags to one side and sat down at the top of the stairs.
Darren’s familiar truck pulled up onto her street, and she found herself thinking of the first time she’d laid eyes on him, pulling up to a house at the end of the street, his shirt clinging to his sweaty, muscular body, and his dark hair plastered to his forehead. She’d been sitting on the front porch then, too, waiting for Ian and her dad to come back out for lunch.
Sophia still remembered how it felt when Darren had looked over his shoulders at her and smiled, and her whole world had come to a grinding halt.
Darren’s car ambled to a stop next to the curb, and he emerged a few seconds later in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that clung to his form. Sophia tried not to stare too hard as he paused to pat Teddy, who happily handed him a stick. Once Darren reached her, Sophia swallowed past the lump in her throat and rose to her feet.
Darren took the key from her outstretched hand. “Did you guys change the locks recently?”
“Ian had us change a lot of things after we installed the security system,” Sophia replied with a shake of her head. “You know how my brother gets.”
Darren nodded and examined the key. “He’s just being cautious.”
“He’s being overprotective,” Sophia mumbled, mostly to herself.
Wordlessly, Darren tried the key again, and when it wouldn’t budge, he got down on his knees and peered at the lock. She handed him a pin from her purse, and he used it to pry the front door open with a creak. Once inside, he helped her carry the groceries to the counter and cast a quick look around.
“This place looks exactly the same.”
Sophia began to take the food out of the bags. “Some things don’t change. Speaking of, would you mind taking a look at the sink in the bathroom downstairs and the one in the kitchen? I’ve been telling my dad for weeks to get a plumber, but he’s been putting it off.”
Teddy darted past them and into her old room.
Darren chuckled. “This feels just like old times. Want me to fire up the grill while I’m here?”
Sophia blushed and turned her back on him. “No, I’ve just got a busy week at work, so I don’t have time to get a plumber.”
“What are exes for? Although, at this point, it does feel more like we’re still married.”
Sophia spun around and caught the amused look on Darren’s face before he disappeared into the guest bathroom. She heard him open the water and mutter to himself. When he reappeared, he stepped into the kitchen and ducked underneath the sink. He pulled out the toolbox, paused to take off his shirt, and used it to mop the sweat off of his face.
Her mouth turned dry, and she suddenly couldn’t remember what she was meant to be doing. It wasn’t until Darren turnedhis back on her and went into the bathroom that she snapped out of it and realized she had drool pooling in the corners of her mouth. With a frown, Sophia cupped her hands underneath the kitchen faucet and splashed cold water on her face.
Darren’s comment hadn’t meant anything.
It couldn’t.
Halfway through fixing the bathroom, Darren’s phone rang, and his muffled voice reached her. She was putting away the cartons of milk when he came back out, snatched his shirt off the counter, and put it back on.
“I just got called into work. Sorry, Soph. I’ll pass by later to finish up here, okay?”
