Page 16 of Waves of Time

“You heard about what happened?” Hilary asked.

Shawna nodded. “Gossip gets around this family fast. It sounds like she’s just ashamed that she fell for a knock-off chandelier. You know how Sam is. She’s so successful in her career and not used to being wrong.”

Hilary grimaced, wondering if it was better to just go up to Sam and apologize. But what was the apology for, exactly? She’d pointed out Sam’s mistake. Shouldn’t Sam be grateful?

“Hello, hello!” Sophie, Hilary’s cousin, stepped out onto the back porch carrying an apple pie. Hot on her heels was Patrick, her boyfriend, who just happened to be Samantha’s new boyfriend’s brother. The complications of Sophie and Patrick’s relationship were difficult for Hilary to fully comprehend. For years, Sophie had been a secret drug addict, a life she’d fallen into due to living with her aggressive and cruel husband. While addicted, she’d met another addict, Patrick, with whom she’d begun an exhilarating affair. At the Solstice Party over the summer, the secret of their affair had come to the surface— and Sophie’s husband had left the island. Since then, Sophie and Patrick had gone to rehab, cleaned themselves up, and begun a real relationship.

“Sophie, hi!” Sam’s face transformed as she greeted her, then Patrick. “Derek’s on his way,” she said, speaking of her boyfriend.

“He better be,” Patrick joked. “I told him to quit work over an hour ago.”

“You know how he gets,” Sam said.

“Hilary!” Sophie’s smile widened as she placed the apple pie on the table. “I heard a rumor you were just out in San Francisco. How was it?”

As soon as Sophie paid any attention to Samantha, Sam turned on her heel and returned to speak to Charlie, as though Hilary wasn’t there at all. It was Pettiness 101.

“It was fantastic,” Hilary said as Sophie sat beside her, pouring herself a glass of lemonade.

“I adore that city,” Sophie said. “I haven’t been in years. My ex and I went there for our honeymoon, if you can believe it. We got into a huge fight in Golden Gate Park.” Sophie wrinkled her nose at the memory. “The only thing I would change about that vacation is the man I spent it with.”

“I’m glad you still found a way to like the city, despite that,” Hilary said. “And who knows? Maybe you can drag Patrick out there to experience it again.”

Sophie’s gazed shifted across the porch, where Derek, who’d finally arrived, chatted with his brother, Patrick. There was an enormous amount of love reflected in her eyes.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you, actually,” Sophie said. “As you know, I just lost about one hundred and ninety pounds in the form of a husband who made my life miserable.”

Hilary laughed. “Thank goodness.”

“But that means my house feels sort-of strange, you know? Because he was a control freak, he made so many of the decorating decisions, and it’s never really felt like mine.”

Hilary’s ears began to ring. “Oh. I think I know where this is going!”

“I know you work for clients all over the world, and I know you’re super busy.”

“Not too busy for you, Sophie,” Hilary said. “My favorite thing in the world is helping people. I love creating spaces that make them feel like their most authentic selves, you know? I remember trying to do that with both Charlie and Samantha when we were teenagers. I don’t know if they appreciated it that much.” Hilary laughed, remembering how Samantha had screamed at her to “get out of her room” after Hilary had made a few decorating choices without asking. Hilary had done it out of love— but she’d only been thirteen at the time. The choices had probably been all over the place. (Still, there hadn’t been a silly chandelier.)

“Thank you,” Sophie said. “I can’t wait!”

Hilary nodded toward Patrick. “Will he be moving in any time soon?”

“Not this year,” Sophie said. “During your first year of sobriety, it’s important not to make any rash decisions. I mean, I love Patrick, and I want to spend my life with him. But having my own space to deal with my addictions feels important.”

As Sophie said this, Samantha passed by and stalled.

“I learned all this from Sam, of course,” Sophie said, eyeing her with a smile.

“It can be easy to lean too heavily on another person during that first year,” Samantha said. “Which I feel is only natural. People need people. But you and Patrick seem very supportive of one another, even as you stick to the ‘rules’ of sobriety.”

Hilary tried to smile at Sam, hoping to translate how much she respected her work as an addictions’ counselor, but Sam wouldn’t meet her eye.

“Hilary just told me she would help me redesign my house!” Sophie told Sam brightly. “I can’t wait to make it my own.”

At this, Sam finally forced her eyes to Hilary’s. Hilary struggled to make sense of her expression.Was she angry? Annoyed?But before she could come to any conclusion, several white spots appeared on the outskirts of her vision, and her eyes twitched around, trying to get rid of them.

“Are you okay?” Sam asked, her tone dark.

“What? Oh, yeah. I think I have allergies,” Hilary lied.

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