Page 7 of Perfect Enough

I nodded. “Five or so. But if that happens, it would be great.”

She placed her hand over mine. “You’ll get it.”

“I’m glad you have such confidence in me, Mom,” I said with a laugh.

She shrugged. “I know you can do anything you set your mind to, Josh. I hope you know how proud your father and I are of you.”

Drawing my hand out from under hers, I grasped it and gave it a slight squeeze. “That means a lot to me.”

The rest of the evening was spent visiting with the family for a few more hours, before Bryson lifted a sleeping Greg and they said their goodbyes. I had asked my mom to keep my news to herself. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, or do the same to the rest of the family.

With leftovers and my loaves of bread in a bag, I kissed my parents good night and headed to my truck. I climbed in, set the bag on the passenger seat, and started the truck, ignoring the lonely feeling that slowly built the closer I got to home.

After showering and lying in bed, I grabbed my phone and re-read the text from yesterday.

Who was this person, and what had happened to their father?

I’d just started to doze off when my phone beeped, and I jerked back awake. I sat up and read the text.

Unknown: Why do men keep breaking my heart, Daddy? Why? Is it so bad that I want to find the kind of love I’ve always dreamed of—the kind I thought you and Momma had? Maybe it doesn’t exist.

I stared at the text until my eyes became strained and blurry before I finally fell asleep.

Chapter Two

SOPHIA

“Hi, Soph!”

Glancing up to see my best friend, Chloe Anderson, standing in my office doorway, I leaned back in my chair.

“Nothing good ever comes after the words ‘Hi, Soph.’”

She rolled her eyes. “Nonsense. How is your day starting?”

I lifted a brow. “If you want something, Chloe, just ask so we don’t have to do this dance.”

Plopping down into the chair in my office, she batted her lashes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Let’s just save each other both some grief and wasted time. Out with it.”

She sighed. “Fine. Your mother called me.”

“Oh no,” I said, my shoulders deflating as I dropped my head to the desk. I thought about lifting it to hit the desk a few more times but didn’t have the energy.

“It’s notthatbad. Well…it’s not as bad as the last time she called me.”

I lifted my head. “The time she tried to talk you into telling me we were going to a new restaurant, only to have her ambush me with a guy she knew from work?”

Chloe shrank back in her chair. “Yeah, that wasn’t fun telling her no to that game plan.”

My head fell back to the desk. “What is it this time?”

“She…well…she sort of, in a roundabout way…”

When her voice trailed off, I saw her reading a piece of paper.

“What? Shewhat, Chloe?” I demanded.

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