Page 35 of Someday

“Well, you should come visit me at the lodge gift shop...it’s become quite frou-frou.” She laughs and I join her, glancing around at the rest of the booth.

“I like everything I see here, and I wouldn’t consider myself frou-frou, so it must be just right.”

“April’s gonna be so bummed she missed seeing you. She had to work today.”

“I was just gonna ask if she was still here…please tell her I look forward to seeing her.”

“You should come out with us sometime…get a drink at The Dancing Emu or The Gnarly Vine…”

“I’d like that. I’dreallylike that.”

“Well, here. Take this. It has my number at work, where I spend way too much time, and I’ll write my cell number on the back.” She jots down her number and hands it to me.

“Okay,” I say, nodding.

I tuck her card in my purse and we say goodbye.

I almost can’t believe how well the day is going. Besides breaking down once in the shower this morning, I’ve held it together. I look at every booth and talk to more people than I’ve talked to in years.

Somehow, I end up in front of Bethany Christian without even realizing I’d come that far down Heritage Lane, and Pastor Fryer holds his arms in the sky when he sees me.

“It’s an answer to prayer,” he says.

I want to turn and run, but he catches me in a hug first.

“I’m so glad you’ve come home,” he says. “It’s wonderful to see you.”

“Thank you. It’s good to see you too.”

And it is, Pastor Fryer was always good to me and my parents. I doubt he ever had a clue about the kind of problems he created.

“This must be such a hard time of year for you,” he starts.

I look around, trying to find an escape and there are too many people here for the fried chicken and peanut brittle the church is selling to make a run for it.

“Losing your mom around the Fourth and now with the loss of your dad,” he says. “Your parents were such great saints. There was not a Sunday the church doors were open that they weren’t here. Your dad continued to come every week even after your mom…such a charismatic man. He never met a stranger, did he?” He laughs and I take a step back, my stomach roiling.

I start shaking and he’s still talking about the way my dad donated so many thousands to the church. My fingers pinch each other, faster and faster, my skin crawling. I turn and start running, hearing him call my name, and I can’t see, the tears are falling too fast.

My foot catches on a curb and I start to fall, but hands grip me before I faceplant.

I know without looking that it’s Theo’s hands on me.

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

LET’S SKIP THIS DAY

THEO

I’m throwing something away when I see Sofie running away from Bethany Christian.

I was hoping to avoid her today. Nothing good can come out of me seeing her on the anniversary of the day she left me. I’d do well to turn around and run myself, in the opposite direction.

Her hair is what caught my attention first, but it’s the agony on her face that has me rushing toward her. I catch her before she falls and slowly turn her to face me.

Tears are streaking down her face, and she clutches me, putting her hands on my waist and sinking into my chest. I hold her for a moment, needing her as an anchor myself when she’s touching me like this.

I frown when I feel her trembling and pull back just enough to look at her face.

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