Page 85 of Love in Tandem
Sophia cleared her throat and stared at the lump buried beneath a quilt covered in blue seashells and yellow starfish. “I don’t want to put my nose where it doesn’t belong, but I am your sister, and as your sister, I think one of my job requirements is to put my nose where it doesn’t belong.”
The lump—formerly known as Charlotte—didn’t budge. Sophia didn’t think the lump had budged in close to a week. How long could a human being survive in the form of an immobile lump? She leaned against the doorframe and took a sip of her hot chocolate. “What happened between you and Zach?”
“Nothing,” a muffled voice responded.
The lump speaks! Cradling her mug, Sophia moved to the edge of the bed and perched next to the lump. “Then how come you’ve been acting like you’re the one dying instead of Mom?”
“That’s not funny.”
“I’m not trying to be funny,” Sophia insisted. All right, maybe she was trying to be a little bit funny. Cracking bad jokes seemed to be the only frayed thread that had kept her from unraveling ever since she’d rushed down to North Carolina. Ever since she’d refused to hear anything her parents had to say until she could see them face to face. Ever since she’d left Charlotte a panicked voice mail to meet her in North Carolina as soon as possible, knowing she wouldn’t be able to handle anything her parents had to say without her sister beside her. Only to discover . . .
“Mom’s pregnant.” No matter how many times Sophia whispered the words out loud, she still couldn’t completely grasp the idea that their mother—their going-gray, post-cancer, so-sick-she-could-have-died-five-years-ago, never-imagined-she-and-dad-were-still-having-sex-at-their-age mother—was pregnant.
No wonder her parents had been acting strange. They weren’t thinking about divorce or death. They were thinking about another baby. A baby they thought they were going to lose last week, which was what Dad had been trying to call her about. Thankfully the scare that had sent Mom into the hospital turned out to be a false alarm. But the doctors still warned that the pregnancy was extremely high risk due to her age and health history. She’d need to take it easy.
Sophia set her mug on the white wicker table next to the bed, then dropped her hand onto the quilt tugged over Charlotte’s shoulder. “What happened out there, Charlotte? I know this can’t be about Mom. She looks amazing. She’s glowing. You’re the only one around here that looks miserable.”
Charlotte met Sophia’s gaze with puffy eyes and a reddened nose. “I’m just tired,” she said, yanking the covers back over her head.
“Oh no you don’t.” Sophia jerked the blanket down. “You’re not going back into a coma until you tell me what’s going on with you and Zach, because I know that’s what this is about. Mom’s okay. Your music program is okay. Or at least still alive. I know not getting that two hundred fifty thousand dollars was a big blow, but thanks to Ben’s donation and his company’s new grant, you’re better off than you have been in years. So stop trying to hide, and tell me what’s going on.”
Charlotte tugged the blanket. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Sophia tugged it right back. “Yeah well, I tried that whole avoid-painful-conversations approach, and guess what—it didn’t work. So we’re going to talk about it. Are you in love with Zach?”
Charlotte scrambled for the blankets, but Sophia was quicker. She yanked everything off the bed and flung the quilt and sheets into the corner of the bedroom, leaving Charlotte covered in nothing but striped pajama pants and a gray V-necked shirt. Charlotte huffed out a breath, then collapsed back onto the bed as she folded her arms and glared at the ceiling.
“Did something happen on the trip? Did he hurt you?”
A little flicker of emotion flared in Charlotte’s eyes. She shook her head side to side.
“Well, then, what is it? What’s the problem? I can’t stand seeing you like this. Do you want me to get some ice cream? Scrounge up those Beach Party movies you love? What?”
Good grief, being the encouraging cheerleader was exhausting. Sophia didn’t know how Charlotte had done it for so many years. With what little moves she remembered from her two years of tap dance in early grade school, Sophia began dancing. “Is this helping?” she asked, toe-and-heel clicking side to side at the bottom of the bed. “Are you feeling better yet?”
The doorbell rang, saving her sister from answering. Not that Charlotte would have said anything. The girl hadn’t cracked a joke in days.
Sophia planted her hands on her hips. She’d never seen Charlotte like this. Not even after her broken engagement with Ben.
So far Mom kept saying to let her rest. Hadn’t she rested enough by now?
The doorbell rang again. Sophia glanced to the hallway. She should probably go answer it, though she had no idea who in the world would be ringing their bell at a sea cottage in North Carolina.
She thought about returning the wadded pile of blankets to Charlotte, then shook her head. Let Charlotte get them herself. Sophia jogged down the stairs and flung open the front door, not sure who she expected to see.
But certainly not expecting to see him.
A FEW DAYS LATER
Zach used his forearm to wipe off the perspiration building along his forehead, then readjusted his backpack over his shoulders. Another mile, then he’d take a break. Maybe. Part of him preferred to keep moving. Taking breaks gave a man too much time to think.
One of the reasons he’d risen long before the sun this morning was so he wouldn’t have to stay in his bed and pretend to sleep when all he could do was think.
So far everything at Pinehaven Resort exceeded his expectations. He loved the owner. He loved the pay. He loved the job. Six days a week he’d be in charge of escorting guests along sections of the Lost Coast Trail, maintaining the resort’s hiking and kayaking equipment, and offering wilderness tips, training, or directions to those who preferred to venture off on their own.
Zach couldn’t have found a job better suited to his skills. He knew that. Anyone who knew him knew that. The whole world probably knew that. And yet he couldn’t stop thinking this whole thing had been a mistake.
Boarding the plane to fly out here, mistake. Saying goodbye to Charlotte outside a swanky hotel in Baton Rouge, mistake. Not that he’d had much of a choice. He’d pretty much been forced to say goodbye, since she had to run to catch her flight to North Carolina the following morning.
