All she knew was that she went to sleep most nights, wondering if she had done the right thing.
Near the end of her shift, when Sophia was knee-deep in flour and cake batter, her phone rang again. She waited till the end of her shift a few minutes later to duck into the locker and sit on the bench there.
Her heart soared when she saw Zac’s name on the screen.
“Hi, sweetheart; sorry I missed your call.”
“I know your shift just ended, but I wanted to hear your voice.”
Sophia placed the phone between her neck and shoulders. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I had a great day today. We built this house for this family who lost everything in a fire, including their grandparents. It was amazing, Mom. You should’ve seen the looks on their faces when we brought them in.”
Sophia smiled. “I’m really proud of you, Zac.”
“It’s hard work, and most days, I’m exhausted, but when I see the impact it has on their lives, I know it’s worth it.” She heard the smile in his voice, and the enthusiasm, and it made some of the knots in her stomach unfurl. “Honestly, I can’t even imagine what I’d be doing if I’d pursued a career in architecture.”
Sophia switched the phone to her other ear and stood up. “You don’t regret walking away from it all?”
“Sometimes, I wonder what it would’ve been like if I’d stayed, but Provincetown just didn’t fit anymore, you know? Plus, I think I would’ve eventually wanted to move to the city or something. I don’t know.”
“You could’ve been a big city architect,” Sophia teased, pausing to wrench the locker door open. “I’m glad you’re happy, sweetheart. I really am. I just wish you’d come and visit.”
Zac sighed. “I know I haven’t visited in a couple of years, but I was getting settled and established. You know how it is when you get a new job.”
Sophia was folding her apron when she answered. “Yeah, I know.”
“Have you dazzled everyone with your sense of humor yet? I bet you have them in stitches most nights.”
“I’m a pastry chef, honey, not a stand-up comedian.”
“You’re hilarious, Mom,” Zac told her, another smile in his voice. “I don’t know why you don’t want people at work to know.”
“Things are different now.” Sophia set her apron down in the middle of her locker, pausing to finger the fabric. “It’s not like it was at my old job.”
“You work too hard. You need to live a little. What’s the expression, kick up your heels or something?”
Sophia choked back a laugh. “Just how old do you think I am?”
“My point stands either way. You need to go easier on yourself. You did a great job, and you deserve to be happy.”
Sophia sniffed. “Are you just telling me that to make me feel better about you not coming back?”
“A little, but also because I know you’re too hard on yourself, and you don’t need to be. Zoe and I turned out great.”
Sophia swallowed. “I’m glad you think so, sweetheart.”
A short while later, after he’d hung up, Sophia scrolled through her contacts and stopped at her daughter’s name. She wanted to call her, to apologize and make things right again, but she didn’t know where to start.
All she knew was that she was harder on Zoe because she saw too much of herself in her.
The last thing she wanted was for Zoe to end up like her, right back where she started in her forties, too afraid to take risks and with no idea what to do next with her life.
Eventually, Sophia tucked her phone back into her pocket, took out her purse, and left for the night. On the drive back home, she couldn’t help but picture the kind of life she thought she’d have by now.
It didn’t involve going home to a quiet apartment and an empty fridge.
Chapter Two
