Sophie couldn’t hide her confusion. She triedspeaking but her tongue was frozen in surprise; she didn’t evenknow where to start.
“It’s obvious to anyone with eyes that you’reinto each other. Pippa will come around.” Freya headed into thebathroom and pulled out Sophie’s makeup bag. Seeing the open doorconnecting to Asher’s bedroom, she turned and looked meaningfullyat Sophie, “Naughty girl, are you sneaking through here atnight?”
Sophie snagged the makeup bag and dress outof Freya’s hands. “I like you, Freya. For now,” she shot her ateasing death-glare. “Now get out so I can change.”
Feeling boosted in her confidence, thanks toFreya’s sparkling demeanor, Sophie was deliriously happy, despiteYvette’s little visit earlier. By the time she got back downstairs,Pippa had moved on from the window and stood at the foot of thestairs, waiting for Sophie with a beer.
“Happy birthday! Surprise!” Pippa beamedeasily, much more her normal, thoughtful self now that her weddingwasn’t the focus of the evening. “I figured you’d argue if we toldyou we were throwing you a party, or that you’d be uneasy by us allsneaking around then shouting surprise at you. So, you get what I’mcalling asubtlesurprise party.”
Accepting the beer and adding a hug, Sophiesmiled gratefully at her friend. “Thanks. I was hoping no onenoticed it was my birthday. But I’m glad now.”
Heading out to the deck, aglow in the duskylight with twinkling Christmas lights and candles, they joined theothers. Sitting around the outdoor table with her friends… andfamily, Sophie felt fantastically at home. Thing was, she didn’tgive a shit about the inheritance she gained control of today. But,out of pure respect for her kind, good-hearted mother, she wouldn’tlet a penny of it go to the one person who was the polar oppositeofthis.
She wasn’t allowed to help with dishes.Instead, she relaxed, visiting with Pippa, Freya, and Denise, whohad shoved the boys in to handle the dishes tonight. “Thanks for agreat dinner, Denise. You’ll have to give me the recipe. Pippa canattest that my cooking has come a long way since our firstapartment in LA.”
Snorting so hard she bumped her own elbowsoff the table, Pippa chuckled, “That’s a fact. Boxed macaroni andcheese shouldn’t be that crunchy.”
“Yeah, you’re one to talk. Who screws upfrozen pizza?” Sophie mischievously knocked her bare toes into herfriend’s shin under the table.
Denise rolled her eyes. “You’re bothexcellent cooks. At least, you are now. Perhaps you could teachAsher a thing or two, but I’ve never even seen him try.”
Testing the waters, Freya took the final sipof her beer that had warmed over the course of dinner beforecommenting. “Or maybe he’ll find himself a pretty little wife thatenjoys cooking for him.”
Pippa and Denise sighed wistfully. Sophietried to play along. She felt an unfamiliar pulling sensation deepin her chest. A yearning she couldn’t suppress. Certainly, not tobecome a pretty little wife that cooked for her husband, butsomething along the lines of maybe being his pretty little wife.With more equitable sharing of tasks.
Leaning forward, Denise conspired, “I thinkhe’s ready to settle down. Now we just need to give him a littlepush in the right direction. Have anyone in mind?”
Freya mused over the thought, respondingdryly, “I’ll keep an eye out.”
Considering, Pippa didn’t seem to be comingup with anything. “What makes you think he’s ready to settledown?”
Denise’s eyebrows pulled together, her lipspursed in deep consideration, “Things he’s said. Just the other daywe were talking, and he mentioned that when he gets married, he’drather just have a small ceremony here at the house.”
Nodding enthusiastically, Pippa ran with thetopic, “He did turn down Irene’s come-on at Ahab’s. Maybe he’salready seeing someone. Lincoln seems to think so.”
Denise shook her head, “I don’t think he hadanyone in mind, I mean, he hasn’t left the house except for errandsand appointments. If he is seeing anyone, he sure isn’t showing hermuch of a good time.”
Gulping the last of her own tepid beer,Sophie hid behind the glass to mask her blushing reaction. Hecertainly was showing his girlfriend a very, very good time. Whoneeded restaurants and flowers when one had late-night make-outs,dressing rooms, and morning coffee?
Just to irritate Sophie, or so it seemed,Freya leaned into the whispering hens and added, “No, I think he’sfound one. When he’s sitting alone, sometimes he gets this dopeygrin on his face like he’s thinking about something sweet.”
“Dessert,” a deep, rumbling voice behind herannounced. Chills ran up her spine as Asher approached behind her.Setting a pair of scrumptious pies on the table with a mass ofcandles, a rapidly melting twenty-seven of them, glowing bright.Mostly slanted, but all still lit.
Sliding in the seat next to her, Asherreached under the table to subtly take her hand under the cover ofthe tablecloth. From across the table, Pippa led anenthusiastically offkey round ofHappy Birthday. Sophiecouldn’t remember the last time she’d had such a normalbirthday.
Feeling like the little kid she’d been lasttime she was presented with so many gifts, Sophie tore into thestack of presents. Lincoln and Grady went in on a collection ofnice wines set in a stylish repurposed wooden wine rack. Denise andPaul gave her some fragrant nature-scented candles and vases with agift card to the Sutherland’s Hardware for when she moved into herown place–with a note ensuring there was no rush, she was welcometo stay in their home as long as she liked.
Pippa had gone solo on her gift and found hera set of quirky Pottery Barn dishes that Sophie had been droolingover for months, with a simple note on the card,If I get thedishes, at least you get a cute new set.
The package from Freya was huge. Sophie toreback the paper, revealing a gorgeous a hand-painted mountainsunrise. “Is this yours?” She knew Freya was a talented artist, buthad no idea her work was so vivid, stimulating yet tranquil.
Freya rolled her eyes. “It’s yours. And you’dbetter like it. I haven’t slept in days trying to get that done foryou. I was going to give you an old one I had laying around, butwhen I discovered how much I actually liked you, I had to make yousomething unique. Something that was purely you.”
Sophie stared at the painting, feeling shecould walk right into the glowing sun rising over the Cascades, awell-traveled trail weaving through the foreground. She hadn’tknown Freya long, but her new friend had certainly captured exactlywhat would call to her.
Allowing her to first get lost exploring thepainting, Asher waited before handing her an adorable packagewrapped in a paper map, tied with a blue utility rope. A pinkflashlight, a handy multipurpose tool, and a gift card to Sporty’s,the outdoor shop she’d seen in town. “I thought you’d need somehiking boots, but you ought to pick those out yourself. Have youever been camping?”
She shook her head, in awe at the thoughtfulgift. She’d never been camping but had always wanted to. Despiteher mother’s doting, the woman hated camping. Probably somethingabout being a single mom with a young child living in the city.
