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My gaze darted around the empty kitchen. “Is it family dinner night?”
“Not officially, but we all sit down to dinner when we can.” Ellie searched my face and then lowered her voice. “Are you asking if Sophie will be here?”
“No.” I took a step back.
“She said she was dropping off the leftover pastries from the bakery on her way home.”
I shoved my hands in my pockets, rocking back on my heels. “That’s nice that you get those, and they don’t go to waste.”
Ellie watched me, her gaze steady, like she could see right through me.
Why was I still talking? I hitched a thumb over my shoulder. “I should get going. Call me when Kendall’s ready to go home.”
“Will do, and Mark?”
I turned back to where she stood in the doorway, her lips tipped up in amusement. “I’ll take care of her.”
I assumed she meant Kendall and not Sophie. She had no idea that my mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Sophie and our conversation earlier this morning. “I appreciate it.”
When I backed out of the driveway, a car was waiting to turn into the driveway. Was it Sophie? I saw a flash of red and large black sunglasses.
I looked in the rearview mirror but didn’t see the woman get out. Even if it was Sophie, I wasn’t ready to see her or talk to her about what she’d revealed this morning. Because if what she said was true, then I’d screwed up big time.
I wasn’t patient. I hadn’t taken the time to understand what Sophie was saying. I was rash and immature. But then, we were teenagers.
I spent the rest of the evening cleaning every spare surface and emptying every last moving box. I made plans for what I wanted to do with each room, the furniture I still needed to buy, and the bookshelves and cabinets I could build. I enjoyed working with my hands.
If this was going to be our home, then I wanted to make it mine. I’d originally planned on renovating the kitchen in a few years. It was the practical decision. Melanie might come back and insist we move back to Indiana.
At dinnertime, Ellie texted to let me know that they were eating dinner and would be watching a movie afterward.
I was in an empty house. My daughter had plans for the evening. What was I doing sitting at home? I could use it to reconnect with my friends from high school. So far, I’d only seen Sophie and her family and hung out with Colton once.
From what Sophie had said during our early morning conversations, Max’s Bar & Grill was the hangout spot. I sent a text to Colton to see if he was free and willing to meet me there. When he responded that he was already there, I quickly showered, grabbed my keys, and headed out.
It already felt weird to have this freedom to do whatever I wanted. I didn’t exactly have freedom in the military, but having a child was a different kind of responsibility, and I couldn’t just leave her at home for longer than a few hours.
I found a spot and walked the few blocks to the bar. It was busy tonight, with families eating outside at the various restaurants, enjoying ice cream cones, and shopping. I pulled open the heavy wooden door and headed straight for the bar, where I knew I’d find Colton.
He sat next to a blonde, most likely his fiancée, Remi.
“Hey,” I said as I sat next to him.
“Glad you could get out. Haven’t seen you much since that one night.”
“I like to stay in with Kendall.”
“Don’t blame you. You remember Remi?”
“I do.” I nodded a greeting at her.
She reached her hand around Colton and squeezed my hand. “It’s so good to see you.”
What I remembered about her from our first meeting was that she was bubbly and full of energy. She was the opposite of Colton, who was serious and tended to lean toward the grumpy side.
“Where’s Kendall tonight?” Remi asked me.
“She’s with Ellie’s son, Drew. They’re having a family night at her dad’s.”
