Page 60 of Between the Lines

It rang twice before he answered. “Hey,” he said, his voice warm and immediately familiar, the faint echo telling her he was probably in a hotel room. “How are you, sweetheart?”

“I’m all right, I guess,” Essie said. “Do you have a minute?”

“Of course I do. What’s going on?”

She kept her voice steady as she explained how things had been going with Sophie. How she thought she’d had a breakthrough, but then how Sophie had gone to the beach instead of church. Then how they’d come home to find Sophie’s things were gone. Essie did her best not to make things sound more dramatic than they were, but she didn’t soften it, either.

Frank was quiet for a moment. “She didn’t say anything to you?”

“No,” Essie said. “I asked her to come with us this morning. She said she was going to the beach. Those were the last words I had with her.”

Essie’s gaze drifted to the carrier on the bed, where Mira slept so peacefully, one little fist curled near her cheek. The little girl made a soft sound in her sleep, then settled again, utterly unaware of anything else that was going on. As it should be.

Essie watched the slow, steady rise and fall of her chest and felt some of the stress from Sophie loosen just a fraction.

Frank sighed. “I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. I should be there.”

“You’re doing what needs to be done. But I don’t know if this means she’s gone for good or if she just needed space,” Essie said. “And she didn’t leave a note. I don’t want Liliana thinking she and the kids are the reason Sophie bolted. She knew they were coming. I told her that when she showed up.”

“You did the right thing calling me,” Frank said. His voice was calm, but Essie could hear the worry underneath it. “She’s a grown woman and capable of making her own decisions. Obviously, they aren’t usually good ones.”

“True. But I keep thinking I should have said something different,” Essie admitted. “Or said more. Or maybe less. I don’t know.”

“This isn’t on you,” he said gently. “You can’t force her to do anything, Essie. You’ve been kind. You’ve been patient. You’ve shown her who you really are. It might just be that she’s realized how wrong she’s been about you and couldn’t face you again until she figured out what to do with that information.”

“Maybe.” Essie nodded, even though he couldn’t see her. “Let’s hope that’s it. Anyway, I should get back to Liliana and the kids. I just wanted you to know what was going on. In case she reaches out to you.”

“If she does, I’ll tell you,” Frank said. “And when I get home, we’ll figure out the next steps together.”

She watched Mira sleep and let that reassurance sink in. “Okay,” she said softly. “It was good to hear your voice. Tell Chad I said hello. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” he said. “And I miss you like crazy. Give the kids a hug for me.”

“I will,” she said.

After they hung up, Essie stayed where she was for another moment, phone resting in her lap, eyes still on Mira. What a precious child.

But Sophie was no less precious just because she was grown. She was still Frank’s daughter. The hurt Sophie was dealing with had to feel insurmountable to drive her this way.

Sophie might think being alone was the right move, but Essie didn’t. She wished Sophie would let them help her. That she’d acknowledge her grief and let them in. In Essie’s mind, it would be so much easier if those walls would just come down.

Was it pride keeping them in place?

Essie had no idea. Just like she had no idea what Sophie was running from. Or toward. All Essie could hope was that she was safe.

And that she would eventually come back.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Maude had lost track of time in the particular way that only really happened when she was on the beach. She’d read, she’d napped, she’d swam in the Gulf, she’d stretched out on her towel to dry off and get some sun. It had been a glorious day and one she felt like she’d needed.

She loved her brother, but even when he was gone all day, she was still very much aware that she was no longer the only resident of her home.

This day out had been good for her mind, body, and soul. A kind of reset that nothing really managed to do the way time in nature did.

The sun had shifted from intense and high to softer and slanted, the light more warming than glaring. Her towel was rumpled next to her, the edges full of sand, and her flipflops were somewhere on the other side of her chair. Besides being in and out of the water, she’d walked the shoreline twice, read quite a few chapters of her book club book, and done some thinking. Mostly about Ollie and how fantastic he was.

It had been an utterly indulgent day, but she really ought to get home. She wanted to shower before she figured out what to make for dinner. She was thinking something easy like chicken and rice.