kick ideas around with. And believe it or not, he’s pretty good on the advice front.”
“I can see that.”
“He comes to visit a couple times a year for a week or two. We put him to work at the office, and he loves it.”
The office. Sophie couldn’t seem to stop the little twinge of jealousy. He’d chosen that business over her. Still, maybe it was time to put it in the past.
“How is the business going?”
“Really well. It’s grown steadily every year, and last year profits were up 11 percent over the year before.”
Business ownership was now something they had in common. And knowing the challenges of a new start-up, she couldn’t help but be a little proud of him. “That’s impressive. You still enjoy it?” Sophie drove around another large puddle. They hadn’t passed a single car.
“I do. And I think you’ll enjoy running your own business.”
“Hope so. What’s your role in the business, exactly?”
“I used to do a little of everything. But we’ve acquired more help recently, and each team member is more specialized now. I mostly do tandem skydiving. And the last couple years I’ve been working on some safety innovations off the clock.”
“Sounds interesting.” Aiden hadn’t done particularly well in school. She knew he sometimes felt stupid as he struggled through some of his classes, but he was anything but. Aiden was an out-of-the-box thinker. It didn’t surprise her that he was tinkering with gizmos and gadgets.
Something hit the side of the car. She hoped this hadn’t been a terrible mistake. They were far enough into the drive that it made no sense to turn back now.
“Have you heard from Jenna and Grant?” he asked after a tense moment passed.
“They arrived safely and are attending a beach party tonight.” She frowned at the inclement weather. “Must be nice, huh?”
“In a couple days you’ll never know there was a storm but for the cleanup. The two of you still seem close.”
“She’s my baby sister.”
He went quiet as Sophie navigated something in the road, which turned out to be part of a beach umbrella.
“So a bookshop . . . Tell me how that came about. I remember you being something of a bookworm back in the day.”
“Reading’s always been my favorite pastime. I can’t imagine anything better than talking about books all day long.”
She didn’t mention the months she and her mom had spent planning the shop she’d one day own. Too personal. Opening this shop felt like a sacred assignment. One she had to get right. And this storm wasn’t helping matters.
“You made such good grades. I always thought you’d go to college. You dreamed about getting into Duke.”
“How do you know I didn’t go to college?”
He was quiet so long, she glanced over.
He cleared his throat. “I looked you up once on Facebook.”
Her heart squeezed uncomfortably. “You did, huh?”
“Moment of weakness. I thought for sure you’d get in to Duke.”
“I did.”
She thought she’d said it too quietly to be heard, but his head whipped around. “You got in? And you didn’t go?”
“Someone had to stay home and care for my mom.” Duke had been close enough she could’ve come home weekends. But with her dad gone, she needed to be a full-time caregiver.
“Oh, Sophie.” His tone was weighted with compassion.
Her eyes stung with tears at the unexpected empathy, and she was glad it was almost dark outside. “It all worked out. I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing. Four years of college would’ve been a waste for me.”
Silence hung in the air for a long moment.
“Well,” he said finally, “you’ve always put your whole heart into everything you do. I have no doubt you’ll run the best bookshop around.”
His words warmed a place deep inside. Reminded her how much he’d always believed in her. “Thanks.”
They went quiet as the wind picked up. It buffeted the car, and Sophie had to fight to stay on the road. She’d be glad when this drive was over and they were safe at home again.
Or would she? Then there would be hours of quiet—and darkness. How would they occupy themselves until the storm passed? She didn’t even want to think about that right now. One thing at a time.
The storm only seemed to worsen as she drove. She took two detours due to flooding. She ran over something she hadn’t seen in the road, something big and solid. The loud thump made her grimace. How had she missed that? She slowed down.
Surprisingly, Aiden said nothing.
Several minutes later she