“Ican’t believe you’re here.” Sophia threw her arms around Lily and squeezed. When she drew back, she gave her sister another bright smile. “What took you so long? Get lost on the way?”
Lily shook her head and bent down to pick up her bag. “Amy wanted to look at a few things in town. She’s got that meeting with a potential divorce lawyer.”
Sophia stepped to the side and ushered Lily in. “Your poor stepmother. How is Amy doing?”
Lily set down her bag and glanced around, and Sophia followed her gaze, taking in two windows overlooking the backyard, the TV mounted to the wall, a comfortable-looking leather couch set, and the open-floor kitchen with modern appliances. Then Lily set her back down by the wall and lowered herself onto the couch.
“Honestly? I’m not sure. I keep telling her that she can trust me and she can tell me anything, but I feel like she still doesn’t.”
Sophia swung the door to the apartment shut with a click. “You can’t really blame her, though. Based on what you told me about your dad, he sounds like a piece of work.”
And it made her all the more grateful for her own father. No matter their differences, Sophia knew her father had her back.
Lily grimaced. “He is, but it can’t be healthy for her to bottle it all up. I don’t know how to help her.”
Sophia stepped into the kitchen and rummaged through the cupboards. “Have you thought about suggesting a shrink? Our dad took us to one when we were younger because he wanted to be sure we didn’t have any lingering issues because of our mom. I can try to get you the name and number.”
Lily set her purse down on the couch and stretched her legs out in front of her. “Let me ask Amy first. It’s a very sensitive topic.”
Sophia swung the refrigerator door open, took out the bottle of wine, and grinned. “I knew I had that somewhere. Red wine?”
Lily smiled and stood up. “Yes, please. Merlot, if you’ve got any. Is there anything I can help with?”
Sophia waved her comment away. “No, you’re my guest. Now, sit down and tell me how things are going with Ben.”
Lily blushed. “Things with Ben are different. You know, with Lance, I always wondered if I just had unrealistic expectations of him. Lance always made me feel like, by wanting him to be there and be supportive, it was too much to ask for. Ben isn’t like that at all. Sometimes, I still can’t believe my luck.”
Sophia took out two large glasses and poured them both a generous amount. “You deserve to be happy, sis. I’m glad Ben is treating you the way you deserve to be treated.”
Lily’s smile turned soft. “Thank you. So, how are things going with you? How’s work? And thanks again for letting me stay here, by the way. I tried to convince Amy to join me, but she insisted on staying in the hotel.”
After rummaging through a few more of the cupboards, Sophia opened up a bag of chips and poured it into a bowl. “Don’t worry about it all. I like having you here, and hopefully,Amy will feel more comfortable as time goes on. I know it’s a lot to take in, and starting over isn’t easy.”
“That’s true.”
Sophia carried over the tray with the wine bottle, the glasses, and the bowl of chips in the center. After setting it down on the coffee table, she took a seat opposite Lily and tucked her legs underneath her.
“I’m good. Work keeps me busy, but I’m still not sure Nora’s Delights is the right fit for me.”
Lily eyed Sophia over the rim of her glass. “I thought you liked it there.”
“I do, but I’m not sure if I can see myself there long-term,” Sophia replied after a quick sip of her drink. “You know, I used to try to convince Ian to drink wine with me so I could pretend he was my sister.”
Lily burst into laughter. “I bet he didn’t enjoy that.”
“He enjoyed the wine, but every time I tried to get him to do something girly with me, like nails or hair, he’d run away,” Sophia confessed with a rueful smile. “I really wanted him to be a girl when I was younger. I even begged my dad to exchange him.”
Lily took a long sip of her drink. “I’m the opposite. I think I wanted Sylvie to be a bit more like our brother, Lucas. She was a little too feminine and clingy for me when we were younger, but I definitely appreciate her a lot more now.”
Sophia nodded and pulled the blanket over her legs. “Sibling relationships are like that.”
Lily snorted. “Yeah, like when you’re younger, you can’t stand to be around each other, but when you’re older, you realize you’d give them a kidney if you had to.”
Sophia chuckled. “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.”
Lily’s eyes glowed when she looked over at her half-sister. “I’m really glad we’re getting to do this, and I’m glad Amy is feeling comfortable enough to be out and about.”
“I told you we’d have fun. So, how’s it going at the spa, by the way? Grandma Jen mentioned you’ve been getting a lot more clients. Some people are even talking about you here in Provincetown.”
