Page 112 of The ABCs of You & Me

I don’t expect to walk into a family hug. Or to see Sophie’s tear-stained face and red eyes look up at me. I don’t know what else to do other than join in. Nancy and Karl both back away slowly, leaving Sophie for me to hold.

No one says anything while I stand there with her, swaying gently. When she releases a long shuddering breath, I loosen my grip a little so she’s able to pull back.

“You’re crying,” she says, raising her hands to wipe my cheeks.

“So are you.” I smile sadly at her.

“Why are you crying?” she asks, her forehead pinching in concern.

“Because you are.” I shrug. “This isn’t on purpose.” I laugh, gesturing to my face. “This is very much an involuntary response to your sadness.”

Sophie wraps her arms around me and buries her head in my chest.

“I love you, sunshine.”

A little gasp draws my attention to where Nancy and Karl are standing at the counter, looking busy. But I don’t miss the way Nancy wipes her eyes or the way Karl is trying and failing to hide his smile. Nancy notices me and shrugs.

“She loved you before she knew what being in love meant,” Nancy says quietly.

She hasn’t said it to me yet. I don’t need the words. I see it when she looks at me. Feel it when she touches me, and I know in my bones she’ll say it when she trusts her feelings more.

“She came home when she was what? Six?” Karl looks at Nancy for confirmation, and she nods. “She came home from your house and asked how old you had to be to get married.”

“Karl said forty and then asked her why.”

“And she looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘When I’m forty, I’m going to marry Foster because I like his face.’”

“I did not,” Sophie shrieks, pulling back. “No way in hell I said I liked his face when I was six.”

Nancy bursts out laughing. “Oh, sweetie, you talked about Foster’s face for a solid year.”

“A whole year, eh?” I tease. “What happened after a year?”

“Oh, she thought boys were gross for a bit, and then she learned to keep some thoughts upstairs.” Nancy laughs, tapping her head. “And now here she is all these years later, clearly still liking your face and trying new food left right and center. I’ve spent her whole life trying to get her to do that and then you walk in, and within a month she’s an adventurous eater.”

“Okay, let’s move on, shall we?” Sophie grumbles. “Seeing as how I’m an‘adventurous eater’now, we are taste testers today for recipes.”

“This is the best day ever,” I say in awe when I see all the things Nancy is plating up—muffins, scones, bread. Of course it’s not the best day ever, since Sophie locked that up already.

“I need to put the finishing touches on some of the hot dishes. You take these out to the dining room and start. But you’re going to be asked questions, so make sure you’re paying attention while you eat.”

Sophie groans. “I guess that’s a small price to pay.”

“The tomato, basil, and asiago scone was probably my favorite,” I tell Nancy while she writes down notes. “It’s a nice break from all the sweet you usually get at breakfast. I think I’d end up doing a whipped mascarpone or ricotta and some crispy prosciutto with it.”

Nancy’s head snaps up. “That’s a really good idea. I have some fresh ricotta at home. I’m kicking myself for not bringing it.”

“My favorite will always be the maple walnut scone,” Sophie says, pressing her finger onto the crumbs left on her plate before licking them off. She catches me staring and offers me a tiny smirk. Is it weird to want to be someone’s plate? Asking for a friend.

“That always surprises me,” Karl says around a bite of cranberry orange scone. “You hate walnuts, and yet you’ll gobble ’em up in that scone.”

“It’s a mystery.” She shrugs. “I’ve had several labs reach out to see if they’d be able to study me.”

“Okay, what about the hash and eggs?” Nancy asks, scooping some on each of our plates.

Sweet potatoes, greens, bacon, onions topped with perfectly baked eggs. I watch as the yolk spills through the hash, my mouth filling with drool in anticipation.

“Oh god,” I moan followed by the sound of Sophie choking.

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