Bookshop by the Sea - Denise Hunter Page 0,17
sound of his retreating footsteps. She wasn’t disappointed he’d fled to his room. She’d practically told him it was what she expected after all.
But as she settled back on the sofa with her laptop, she couldn’t help feeling a little lonely, even with Pippa curled up in the crook of her knees.
What was wrong with her? It had been years since she’d had the luxury of spare time and privacy. She was just feeling claustrophobic with the windows all boarded up.
She went back to Seth’s document, making corrections. Once she finished she’d curl up with the new Kristin Hannah novel she’d snagged from her inventory.
She hadn’t gotten far on the document when a text came in from Jenna. She’d sent pictures of two strappy dresses, asking which one she should wear to tonight’s beach party. Sophie chose the red one and also offered her opinion on shoes, then returned to the document.
A while later her dad texted her for intel on Seth. She suggested that Dad should give her brother space but had a feeling he’d ignore her advice. Lately his patience had worn thin—he was tired of waiting for Seth to forgive him—and he too often put Sophie in the middle.
She was finally finishing up the document when Granny May called.
“What in the world are you doing?” Granny said by way of greeting.
Sophie sighed. The family grapevine was alive and well. “I see you’ve been talking to Seth.”
“How could you let that man stay there, Sophia Rose? Is he there right now? Put him on the phone.”
“He’s upstairs and I’m not putting him on the phone.”
“You should throw him out in the storm, is what you should do.”
“Whatever happened to ‘forgive, and you will be forgiven’?”
Her grandma sputtered. “Well, a serpent changes his skin, not his fangs.”
“Granny, he’s not a serpent. He was an eighteen-year-old boy who made a decision to leave.”
“He made a selfish decision that broke your tender little heart.”
Sophie couldn’t argue with that. And she couldn’t fault her grandmother for feeling resentful. She’d been the one who picked up the pieces as Sophie mourned him.
“Just remember. He may look like an angel, but he’s got the devil’s own charm. Don’t you fall for it this time around.”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “The storm will pass and he’ll be gone tomorrow. Until then we’ll keep to our corners. All right? You don’t have to worry about me. I’m a big girl.”
“I can’t help it. You’ve had way too much put on you, and I blame myself.”
“It’s not your fault Mama was sick, Granny, and you did everything you could to help. You were wonderful emotional support.” Granny’s health had kept her from being her daughter’s primary caregiver, and she was forever apologizing for it. “I don’t know how I can thank you for always being there for me.”
“Hmmm. Funny you should mention that . . .”
Sophie sighed. “Why do I feel like I’ve been set up?”
“‘Set up’ is exactly the right way to put it. I told my friend to give her grandson your phone number and—”
“Granny—”
“—he should be calling soon. He’s a resident here at Dr. Wald’s office, and he graduated at the top of his class from Stanford.”
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
“He’s a pediatrician, sweetheart.”
“I’m sure he’s lovely, but I want to focus on getting my bookshop off the ground right now, Granny.”
“Nonsense, you’ve always been a good multitasker. He’s a man of faith, and he’s quite the looker too. I stalked him on Facebook. You should do the same. Look him up. It’ll give you something else to focus on while that snake tries to slither his way back into your heart.”
“He’s not—” Sophie rubbed her eyes. Her grandma was a force, and sometimes it was easier to give in than fight. “All right. Fine. I’ll look him up.”
“That’s my girl. His name is Joshua Stevens, with a v. Sophie Stevens, doesn’t that have a nice ring to it?”
“Granny, you are getting way ahead of—”
“I have to go. Just keep your phone on. You don’t want to miss his call. And I’ll be checking in on you too.”
“Oh, jeez—maybe he could start with a text or something.”
Nothing but silence was on the other end.
“Granny?”
Great. Her grandmother had already hung up.
Sophie set down her phone, emotionally wrung out from the conversation. She gave her head a shake, then went back to her laptop, waking up the screen. Just as she opened an email to her brother, the lights flickered off.
chapter eight
A beep sounded from somewhere in