in his mind, knowing he needed to respond to her.
How about we let him know that I’ll come by once a week to work on the yard? That way, he can still see me, but it won’t be as much as it was.
Sophia: I hate to ask you to do that. You’ve already done so much for us.
Ryker reflected back over the time he’d spent with Sophia and Bryson. It was true that he’d done a lot for them, but what she didn’t realize was that both of them had done a lot for him too. But how could he explain that without going into all the details of his past?
You’re not asking me for anything. I’m offering. I enjoy spending time with both of you, so don’t think it’s a hardship for me to come to your place. It really, really isn’t.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sophia stared down at the words on the screen of her phone. Was it possible that someone else’s message had somehow come through on her phone?
She had a hard time believing that Ryker actually enjoyed spending time with her and Bryson. Her own family didn’t even seem to enjoy doing that, especially with Bryson. It was like it was just too much work for them to try and understand his issues.
But then there was Ryker…not just willing to understand and work with Bryson’s issues, but actually enjoying spending time with them…him. Him. Sophia had to remember that this was about Bryson. Not her.
It was so very tempting to take Ryker up on his offer. Maybe one day a week would be better than nothing. And it would get Bryson used to Ryker only being around periodically.
As for her, it would probably be better if she didn’t see Ryker at all. Since she was already experiencing feelings for him, it wouldn’t help if she continued to spend time with him.
But this couldn’t be about her. She just had to be strong enough to not let any of her emotions get the better of her.
If you’re sure that would work for you, I think Bryson would be thrilled.
Ryker: It would work fine for me. How about I come by Saturday afternoon?
That would work.
Ryker: See you then. Probably around 4:30 or 5.
We’ll be here.
Once the conversation was finished, Sophia lowered her phone into her lap and wrapped her hands around it. She pulled her legs up to rest on the arm of the rocker recliner she had settled in after Bryson had fallen asleep.
She hadn’t turned on any lights in the room though twilight was descending on the town. The days were getting longer, but sometimes it was hard to tell since gray clouds hung low over the town.
It was at this time of day that she wished she had something to do to keep her mind busy. Being alone with her thoughts wasn’t necessarily a good thing. She needed to find more to do in the evenings once Bryson had gone to sleep.
She’d filled pages of her journal. She’d spent time reading her Bible and devotional books, trying to find her spiritual focus again after it had been warped over the past five years. She’d also read a lot of fiction, but she needed to find more to do.
Nana had told her that she could decorate the house however she wanted, but she wasn’t sure how to do that. From things Nana said, it seemed that she viewed the house as Sophia’s now, but Sophia was reluctant to view it that way herself. She was sure that if—or when—that officially happened, the rest of the family would say she wasn’t entitled to it.
And maybe they weren’t wrong. She didn’t know if she really was entitled to it.
But whose fault was it that she and Nana were close?
Nana had said on more than one occasion she felt like Sophia had been more like a child than a grandchild to her. They definitely shared a relationship that none of the others in the family understood.
Her parents didn’t comment on it—at least not within her hearing—and she thought it was because they accepted their role in the closeness that had developed between Sophia and Nana. But Chloe and Natalie—especially Natalie—had gone on and on about it when Nana had told Sophia to move into the house after they’d come back from Texas.
Initially, they’d tried to live with her parents, but there had been just no room, and the noisiness had set both her and Bryson on edge. Nana’s offer of the house