of them to post on Facebook. But by the time they were done with their visit her ankle was starting to hurt.
“I think I’d better get back on board and ice up,” she finally said.
“Want me to carry you?” Trevor offered.
“I think you’ve got enough to carry,” she said, pointing to the extra bags. They might have gotten a little carried away with the shopping.
“Thanks for helping us out,” Sierra said to him as they left the store.
“Happy to.”
Sierra smiled as they started to walk along the riverbank. “This has been a good day.”
Her sister’s words were music to Sophie’s ears. “Yes, it has,” she agreed. But boy, was she ready to put her foot up.
“I’ll second that,” said Trevor. “Or should I say third it?”
They strolled along the bank past trees decorated with white lights perched in their branches like shimmering fairies. On the water several river cruise ships were lined up, all uniquely decorated with strings of lights and wreaths. People walked past them, bundled up in coats, hats and scarves, all chatting and laughing. It felt a little like being inside a travel brochure come to life.
Their own ship, clad in lights, was glimmering in the late-afternoon dark, and Sophie could see lights on in the dining room and staterooms, which made it look like one long, elegant houseboat. In a way it was—a festive escape and home away from home for holiday travelers. As they walked up the gangplank, members of the crew were on hand to greet them with trays of hot chocolate.
“I could get used to this,” Sophie said as the sisters made their way to their stateroom, Trevor by their side.
“Me, too,” said Sierra.
She looked happy and relaxed. The day had been a success.
“You gonna have room in your luggage for all this stuff?” Trevor asked once they were inside and he’d set the sisters’ bags on their bed.
“Oh, yes,” Sophie assured him. “We each brought extra luggage just for our goodies.” She looked at the collection of bags, filled with scarves, candleholders, ornaments and nutcrackers. “I am going to enjoy displaying that nutcracker and making my friends jealous.”
“They’re going to be jealous when they see all those selfies you took with Trevor,” Sierra said after he left.
“He is gorgeous, isn’t he?”
“He’s more than that. He’s really sweet. If you’re smart, you’ll give up on Rudy and pay attention to Trevor. Anyway, Rudy’s not interested.”
“Maybe he doesn’t realize that I’m interested,” Sophie said, ducking into the bathroom to wash down another ibuprofen. “Maybe he just thinks I’m being friendly.”
“And maybe he’s too busy looking at Catherine to see you. If he does at all he probably sees you as a kid,” Sierra said as Sophie came back out to get the ice bucket.
“Well, he shouldn’t. I’d make a great trophy wife.”
Sierra gave a snort. “Yes, just what every woman aspires to be. Honestly, you don’t need to marry a doctor. All you need is good insurance and someone who doesn’t mind driving you to the emergency room every other week and keeping you off WebMD.”
“Ha ha,” Sophie said.
There was nothing wrong with being practical when looking for a life partner, she thought as she went to fetch ice for her ankle. A doctor would understand her health concerns.
She returned just as Sierra’s phone pinged with a text from her husband. “Finally,” Sierra said, and Sophie could hear the relief in her voice. But reading his message stole her smile. She dropped onto the side of the bed, staring at her phone screen. “‘Glad you’re having a good time,’” she read to Sophie. “No ‘I miss you’ or ‘Wish I was there.’ I could fall off the ship and he wouldn’t care.”
Very underwhelming. “At least he texted,” Sophie said. It was better than nothing. But not much.
“Only because he got tired of me blowing up his phone. He doesn’t even miss me.”
“You shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Sophie told her. “Maybe he was so busy working...” Right. Even Sophie wouldn’t buy that.
“What husband doesn’t tell his wife he misses her or say he loves her?”
Okay, yes, Sierra should jump.
The pain in her sister’s eyes was heartbreaking. Sophie set aside the ice bucket and sat next to Sierra and put an arm around her shoulders.
“He doesn’t deserve you,” she said.
“I shouldn’t have gone.” Sierra pressed her lips tightly together. It wasn’t enough to keep the tears from spilling.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have stayed,” Sophie said softly. Sierra didn’t owe forever to a man who didn’t deserve it.