Page 48 of Between the Lines

Essie kept it short and simple, the way she always did. Gratitude for the food, for family, for being together. There was no point in preaching a sermon. Mattie only had so much patience, after all. When she finished, she looked up and smiled. “All right. Dig in.”

Essie kept a subtle eye on Sophia, watching as she reached for the bread and served herself pasta like she belonged there as much as anyone.

It wasn’t exactly a breakthrough. Essie knew that. It was just dinner, but it was the most interaction Essie’d had with Sophie since Essie had married Frank. Even at the pool today, Sophie had kept to herself. She’d either sat in the cabana on her phone or slept in the sun on one of the loungers, earbuds in like a sign she wasn’t interested in being spoken to.

Essie could only pray this was the start of something new.

The clink of forks filled the space, along with Mattie’s immediate commentary on the food.

“Grandma,” he announced. “I love spaghettis. This is my favorite meal in the whole world.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Essie said, barely suppressing a smile. Yesterday, his favorite had been mac and cheese.

Liliana laughed and reached for her water, then went to work chopping up some spaghetti in a small bowl for Mira. Once that was done, Liliana twirled a bit of pasta onto her fork. She ate it, then glanced at Sophie. “My mom mentioned you’ve got your own channel,” she said. “On TikTok. She said you’re popular.”

Essie kept her eyes on her plate, curious, but trying not to be obvious about it. She knew very well that Liliana knew exactly what Sophie was up to on TikTok. Liliana was the one who’d alerted Essie to Sophie’s little rants.

Although, her latest posts were much simpler these days. Like the shoes she was wearing that day or what kind of coffee she’d ordered from Starbucks. She’d even done one about the book she was reading, which had come as a surprise to Essie, who’d never imagined the young woman read for pleasure.

Unless that had just been done for the camera, to seem intellectual. Nothing would surprise Essie in that regard.

Sophie’s shoulders tightened, then eased. “Yeah. I’m trying to be super consistent. That’s really what builds followers. But it’s been hard lately.”

“I imagine it’s a lot of work,” Liliana said. “People act like it’s just turning on a camera, but I’m sure it’s more than that.”

“It so is,” Sophie said, suddenly more engaged. “It’s filming and editing and figuring out what to say. And then deciding how you should say it. What angles look best. If the light was right.” She pushed a strand of spaghetti around her plate. “Sometimes it feels like shouting into the void.”

Essie noticed Sophie hadn’t eaten much yet. Essie didn’t comment. Maybe Sophie didn’t have an appetite, but after a day at the pool, playing with the kids, Essie was starving.

Liliana nodded. “I’ve seen how rough the comments can be. Even when people think they’re being helpful.”

“They’re so often not,” Sophie said quietly. “Most of the time they’re just commenting to get a reaction.”

Mattie dropped his fork on the floor. “Uh-oh.” He stared down at the lost utensil.

Before Essie or Liliana could move, Sophie reached down and picked it up. She slid her chair back just enough to get up and took the utensil into the kitchen. She rinsed the fork at the sink, then returned and set it beside his plate.

“Here,” she said, already cutting the spaghetti into smaller pieces as she stood next to him. “It’s easier like this.”

Mattie watched her with open admiration. “You’re good at that.”

Sophie paused, then gave a small shrug. “It’s not hard. I’ve done it for my niece and nephew.”

She nudged the plate back toward him and waited until he’d managed a bite before sitting again. Essie noticed she ate a few bites herself after that, like helping had unlocked something in her.

Liliana spoke to her son. “Mattie, what do you say?”

Mattie had sauce on his face as he smiled at Sophie. “Thanks, Aunt Sophie.”

Sophie blinked, slightly wide-eyed. “You’re, uh, welcome.”

Liliana let the moment pass, then said, “Do you have any idea what you want to do next? I mean, longer term.”

Sophie looked up, startled, then shook her head. “No. Not really.”

Essie thought that answer rang true. Sophie definitely seemed adrift at the moment. The breakup with Ryan and his awful betrayal couldn’t be helping.

“I used to think I did,” Sophie said. “And then everything kind of…fell apart.” She stared at the table. “Now I’m just trying to get through the day without making things worse.”