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“He gave you a new listing too, didn’t he?” The accusatory tone was still there.
Caroline shot her a disapproving look, which Tessa ignored.
Sophie took a breath. “He did give me a listing to work with him. He said it was because I’ve been working so hard, and he wanted to reward that.”
Tessa laughed bitterly. “Right. Okay.” She stood. “I’m off to bed.” She left without another word and shut her bedroom door behind her.
Sophie glanced at Caroline, who shrugged. “She’s been in a weird mood all night. Don’t let it bother you. I told her that too, that Julia just couldn’t go. It’s a white lie. I’m glad you had a good time. I’m off to bed too. See you in the morning.”
“Goodnight.” Sophie took off her dress carefully and climbed into her favorite soft pajamas. She fell asleep a few minutes after her head hit the pillow. She was too tired to worry about Tessa and her moods. She had to be up early as she was only working a half day before heading home for Thanksgiving. She was looking forward to it. It would be a nice break for a few days.
Sophie felt caught up in the holiday spirit as she walked toward the train Wednesday afternoon. The streets were crowded with others leaving early and heading out for the holiday weekend. The air was cold, and she could see her breath as she walked. Tiny snowflakes began to fall just as Sophie reached the entrance to the train station. She got a window seat and watched the snow fall and the intensity grow over the next two hours.
It had mostly stopped though by the time the train pulled into the Hudson station and her father was there to pick her up. He was waiting by his tan Volvo station wagon, wearing his favorite flannel shirt and his thick winter jacket. He pulled her in for a tight hug when she reached him.
“Hope you’re hungry, your mother is making meatballs and sauce,” he said as they climbed into the car. Sophie expected that—it was their traditional night before Thanksgiving meal. And her mother made the best tomato sauce. She’d showed Sophie several times how she did it and Sophie attempted to make it once, but she overdid the oregano and it just tasted wrong. It was much easier to buy a jar of Rao’s sauce.
Her father disappeared into the den to watch TV when they got inside and after giving her mother a welcome hug, Sophie asked what she could do to help.
“Right now, everything is done. The sauce is simmering. I just took the meatballs out of the oven and they’re soaking in the sauce now. The pasta should be ready in a few minutes. You could open this bottle of wine. I’m ready for a glass.”
She handed Sophie a bottle of Josh Cabernet. Sophie smiled, as she’d brought a bottle of Josh too. She and her mother shared similar tastes in wine. She also brought a bottle of Flowers, the pinor noir that had been Aunt Penny’s favorite and that she’d tasted when Max brought it over that first night. It seemed like ages ago.
Thinking about Max also reminded her that he was taking Tessa to the comedy club tonight. She wondered how that was going to go. Tessa had never seemed interested in Max before. But she was also single now. Sophie poured herself a generous glass of wine and one for her mother as well. She took a sip and tried not to think about Max with Tessa.
“So, what’s new and exciting with you, Mom?”
“Let’s see, your Aunt Paula needs a knee replacement. Oh, and your father and I booked a cruise. We’re going on a Viking Mississippi River cruise next month with Ginny and Tom.” Ginny and Tom lived a few doors down and Ginny was her mother’s best friend.
“That sounds fun!”
“Why don’t you go call your father. I just need to drain the pasta, and we can eat.”
Over dinner, Sophie’s father asked how the job was going.
“Really well actually. I’ve made a couple of sales now. One of them was a huge sale, with my roommate Caroline. It was her listing, my client. And it went so well that Emily gave me the listing to sell her condo. So, I’ve been busy.”
“That’s great, honey!” her father said. He seemed pleased for her.
Her mother still seemed somewhat skeptical about it all. “You haven’t closed yet on these sales though? They could still fall apart?”
Sophie reached for her glass of wine and took a sip. “They could. Hopefully they won’t.”
“Well, congratulations. That will be good news, as long as they pan out,” her mother said.
“Right. Oh, I went to a gala last night at the Met. It was so incredible.”
Her mother looked surprised. “You went to an event at the Met? Who did you go with?”
“My boss had an extra ticket last minute so I went with him.”
Her father frowned. “You’re not dating your boss?”
“No! It was just a work thing. Really good networking. My clients, Emily and her husband Jim were there, and I met some of his co-workers.”
“Were any of them single?” Her mother asked.
Sophie shook her head. “I don’t think so. They were with their wives mostly.”
