Sisters by Choice Read online

  “Late Saturday.”

  “And you’re already at the warehouse?”

  “Business first. CK Industries is about to be back up and running. First staff and inventory, then the world. I’m off to try to find the house I rented. I move in the end of this week. Between now and then, I’m staying at the inn. Have dinner with me Wednesday? It’s supposed to be some special menu.”

  “Sure. I’m free. I doubt Mom’s doing anything.”

  “Then let’s meet at the inn at six and take it from there.”

  “We’ll see you then.”

  “Looking forward to it.”

  Heather hung up. Sophie was moving her successful business to the island. Running the business meant hiring people. Heather was going to ask if she could get a job shipping stock or something. If she withdrew from the spring quarter at community college, she could get her fees back. Hopefully, Sophie would have some part-time work so Heather didn’t have to give up her breakfast shift at the inn’s dining room. The tips were great, and she would need them to help replenish her savings account. Plus, hanging out with Sophie was always fun. Sophie saw the world as a welcoming place with a lot of opportunity. Heather wanted to be like her one day.

  Study, she told herself, returning her attention to her computer. Then the car, then dinner later this week with Sophie. And if she had an extra five minutes in there somewhere, she was going to close her eyes and imagine what her life would be like if she ever got away.

  Chapter Three

  While the Blackberry Island Inn restaurant offered breakfast and lunch, it didn’t serve dinner...except on alternate Wednesdays when the doors were opened for a traditional fried chicken supper. Sophie had been told by the nice lady at the front desk, and two women who had come by to “take a look” at the warehouse, that it was a do-not-miss event.

  After confirming that Amber and Heather could make it, Sophie had made reservations for three. The restaurant didn’t have a liquor license, so she’d swung by one of the local tasting rooms to pick up a bottle of chardonnay and returned to the inn in time to meet Heather and Amber in the main reception area.

  Sophie saw Heather first. The twenty-year-old held the front door open for her mother. Sophie had heard about Amber’s car accident, but hadn’t expected her to be using a cane or walking so slowly.

  Other than that, Amber looked much as she always did. A little rumpled, with a disapproving expression. Her hair was a medium brown, nearly the same shade as Kristine’s, but without the pretty highlights. Heather was taller than all of them, with hazel eyes, instead of the brown the cousins shared. Sophie always figured Heather had inherited the color from her father—a rodeo cowboy who, according to Amber, had seduced her into a one-night stand that had left her pregnant and with a ruined life.

  On second thought, maybe she should have only invited Heather to dinner.

  The wishful thinking made her smile as she hurried forward to greet them.

  “You’re back!” Heather hugged her close. “I’m so excited to see you and hear about the business. I can’t wait to see the warehouse you rented. It’s so exciting.”

  Amber’s hug was less enthusiastic. “I can’t believe how far the parking is from the front door. I should have made my doctor give me a handicapped sign so we could have parked closer.”

  “Mom, I let you off at the front door, then went and parked.”

  “Where I had to stand by myself, waiting for you.” Amber rolled her eyes.

  “You’re here now,” Sophie said, touching Amber’s arm, knowing the best way to handle her was to defuse the situation as quickly as possible. “Thanks for joining me for dinner. Shall we go get our seats?”

  Amber set a snail’s pace that made Sophie instantly antsy. She distracted herself by linking arms with Heather.

  “How’s school? Do you still have forty-seven jobs?”

  “I took my last final yesterday. I should be able to see my grades anytime now. I only have three jobs.”

  “You’re such a hard worker,” Sophie said. “You’ve been working since you were what, twelve? You must have a lot of money saved. Good for you.”

  Heather looked at her mother then away. Sophie felt an instant uptick in the tension between mother and daughter and wondered how she’d managed to step in it during the first three minutes of the conversation.

  “The warehouse is huge,” she said, hoping to change the topic to something more neutral. Normally, she wasn’t bothered by the emotions of those around her but lately she was more sensitive to what everyone was feeling and that was a serious drag.

  “It’s nearly double the square footage of what I had before. There’s less office space, but that’s okay. I don’t need that many employees and if necessary I guess we could easily frame in a few offices. I’ll have to see.”

  “Because you’re too successful?” Amber asked, her tone more annoyed than playful. “Poor Sophie, overwhelmed by how glorious it all is.”

  “Mom! She had to move because her business burned down,” Heather said. “We’re glad she’s back but it’s not as if she moved by choice.”

  “I’m okay,” Sophie said brightly. “Or I will be. It is a little hard, dealing with everything. A lot of work.”

  They reached the restaurant and were quickly shown to a table with a view of the water. A sailboat caught the wind as it headed toward the setting sun on the horizon. The hostess handed them a slim piece of paper.

  “The menu is fairly simple,” she said, waving at Heather. “You can order two, three or four pieces of chicken, along with two sides each. There’s a choice of cobbler for dessert. Your server will be by shortly to take your order and open the wine.” She smiled. “Heather, iced tea for you?”

  “Just water’s fine, Molly.”

  “A friend of yours?” Sophie asked, thinking they looked to be about the same age.

  “I waitress here in the morning. They’re always busy and the tips are great.”

  Sophie wrinkled her nose. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you worked here. I could have picked a different restaurant. You must be tired of their food.”

  “I know I am,” Amber said with a sigh. “The same thing, every morning for breakfast.”

  Heather visibly stiffened. “I didn’t know you felt that way, Mom. I always get the special, whatever it is. I’ll stop bringing you breakfast after my shift.”

  “There’s no need to do that,” Amber told her. “I can make do.”

  Heather’s expression was unreadable. She turned to Sophie. “Believe me, the chicken dinner is a real treat. I’ve only had it once before and it was delicious.”

  “When did you have dinner here?” Amber asked sharply. “I didn’t know that. I never get to go anywhere.”

  “You’re here now,” Sophie said quickly as she waved the menu. “Yummy. All the sides look delicious.”

  “I can’t believe they only have cobbler for dessert.” Amber sighed. “I wanted pie.”

  They were rescued by the server’s appearance. She opened the wine and poured two glasses, then brought water for Heather and biscuits for the table.

  Sophie ordered salad, mac and cheese and two pieces of chicken. Heather did the same, replacing the salad with baked beans. Amber got the four-piece dinner, which seemed like a lot but Sophie figured she would take it home for the next day.

  “How are things at the warehouse?” Heather asked. “Is it ready to go or do you have to order things like shelves and desks and stuff?”

  “It was a totally blank canvas. I’m trying to see this as an opportunity to customize stocking and shipping the way I want.”

  An upbeat attempt to minimize the truth of feeling overwhelmed, Sophie thought.

  “Oh, I hired a guy to run the warehouse. His name is Bear and he has a fantastic résumé. He’s a little gruff, but I think we’ll get along. He’s al
ready gotten me a proposal for the shipping area. And I ordered a forklift.”

  “Do you need a license to drive a forklift?” Heather asked with a laugh. “I think I’d like to learn how to do that. Will there be a job fair?”

  “Because you need another job?” Sophie asked, her voice teasing. “When would you find the time?”

  “I’m looking to consolidate my employment portfolio.”

  “You don’t need to go to a job fair,” Amber told her. “Just tell her what you want to do.” She thought for a second. “I think I’d like to answer the phone. That sounds easy enough. Yes, that’s what I want.” She stared at Sophie. “Is that a problem?”

  “Mom!”

  “What? Sophie doesn’t care, do you?” Amber’s gaze locked with hers.

  Sophie felt the beginnings of a headache. Being away had allowed her to forget how draining Amber could be. “I will need to hire a receptionist, so sure. What about you, Heather? What’s your dream job?”

  “I don’t have any office experience. Maybe something in the warehouse or shipping. But I’m happy to go to the job fair.”

  “I’ll let you know when I’m ready to start hiring. I’m hoping to be there in the next few days.”

  By Monday for sure, she thought. Product would be piling up by then. She’d already lost too much—she wasn’t going to lose her business, too.

  * * *

  One amazing chicken dinner later, Sophie said goodbye to Amber and Heather and started for her room. After setting the three-quarter-full wine bottle on her dresser, she looked around at the pretty space and knew she couldn’t possibly spend the rest of the evening trapped here. She grabbed her car keys and the bottle of wine and headed out.

  On her way to her car, she quickly texted Kristine.

  Can I stop by?

  Of course. I’d love some company.

  Sophie drove the short distance to her cousin’s place and parked in front.

  The two-story house looked more comfortable than elegant. Every window was brightly lit and even from the street Sophie could hear the boys yelling as they raced from room to room. She could see a couple of bikes leaning against the porch railing and two SUVs in the driveway.

  Kristine and Sophie were the same age. They’d grown up in the same small town, had gone to the same schools and yet their lives couldn’t be more different. Kristine had married right out of high school. She was a stay-at-home mom who baked cookies and drove her kids to soccer practice. Sophie had never wanted any of that. Yet, as she walked up to the front door, she found herself wondering if maybe Kristine had been the one to get it right.

  “Hey, you,” Kristine said, opening the door and hugging her. “What’s going on?”

  Sophie held up the bottle of wine. “It’s slightly used but still good.”

  “I’m not going to say no to a glass of wine with you. Come on in. Ignore the shrieking. Apparently, they didn’t burn off enough energy at school. We’ll sneak downstairs because if they find out you’re here, we’ll never get a minute alone. Generally, they quiet down about this time, but until that happens, pretend the noise is the soft warbling of Puget Sound cranes.”

  “Do cranes warble?”

  Kristine laughed. “Maybe. I’m not sure.”

  They went into the finished basement. Kristine pointed to a well-worn sofa. As Sophie took a seat, Kristine got two wineglasses out of a built-in cabinet and joined her.

  “So, what’s up?” Kristine asked. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m good. Getting settled. I had dinner with Amber and Heather tonight.”

  Kristine winced. “On purpose?” She slapped her hand over her mouth. “I can’t believe I said that and I can’t even blame the wine. It’s just Amber is...”

  “Who she’s always been,” Sophie said glumly. “She is very much a cautionary tale. But she seemed worse than usual. And there was definite tension between her and Heather. Is something going on?”

  Kristine picked up her wine. “I can guess. Amber’s car was totaled in her recent car accident. Yesterday she came by and showed me her new ride. It’s a nice, late-model Subaru that had to cost way more than what she got for her insurance payout.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “I doubt she makes enough to qualify for a very big car loan, which means she had to come up with the balance herself. You don’t actually think she has savings, do you? She had to get the money from somewhere and I’d say Heather is the most likely victim.”

  Sophie sagged against the back of the sofa. She shifted, then pulled out a small model car from between the cushions.

  “Poor Heather,” she murmured. “Why does she stay?”

  “How can she leave? Amber would never forgive her if she tried. Plus, she’s only twenty. Amber is her mom—however badly she behaves—and we all know Amber raised Heather to take care of her. I’m sure Heather feels trapped and you know Amber never lets her get her savings built up before she ‘needs’ it for something.” Kristine made air quotes. “If there was something between mother and daughter, my guess is Heather is pissed. As she should be.”

  “Family drama. I’d forgotten this part of being home.”

  “You love us,” Kristine told her. “Now, what’s really happening at the warehouse? Are you doing okay? You’ve got to be overwhelmed. You’re basically starting from scratch.”

  “I know. I try not to think about the big picture.” She put down her glass and turned the toy car over in her hand. “I still can’t believe no one came with me. Not one employee wanted to move up here.”

  “That’s because they have no idea how great it is. They’re picturing some hick backwater instead of our cool, beautiful island.”

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “Seriously? That’s your story?”

  “Okay, it’s small, but Seattle is less than an hour away. It’s a thousand times better than LA. West Coast people are snobs.”

  Sophie grinned. “Is this where I remind you we live on the West Coast?”

  Kristine’s eyes widened. “Oops. I’m not good at talking trash.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  Kristine waved away the comment. “Regardless, I stand by what I said. It’s fear of small towns. I’m sure there’s a word for it.”

  Even if there was, Sophie wasn’t sure it mattered. She couldn’t help thinking that the fact that not a single employee had been willing to move was a message, and one she should listen to, if only she could figure it out.

  Later, she promised herself, only to have her thoughts interrupted by a loud shriek of “Aunt Sophie’s here?” followed by the sound of feet thundering down the stairs. Kristine’s three boys burst into the basement and flew over to the sofa. JJ and Tommy attacked from either side while Grant threw himself onto her lap.

  She felt a little squished, but laughed as she hugged and tickled and felt skinny arms wrapped around her shoulders and neck.

  Technically, she wasn’t their aunt, but since she and Kristine were cousins, and they’d been raised practically as sisters, making her the “aunt” made things easy for everyone.

  “Hey, guys,” she said when the boys were relatively calm. “What’s going on?”

  “I got an A on my spelling test,” Grant told her.

  “Dad’s taking us camping for spring break,” JJ offered. “We’re staying in a cabin. Mom doesn’t want to come with us.”

  “Three stinky boys in a small cabin?” Kristine wrinkled her nose. “I’ll miss you all so much.”

  Tommy leaned against his mother. “We don’t stink, Mom. You have a sensitive nose.”

  “That I do.”

  Sophie looked at the brown-haired, brown-eyed boys. They looked enough alike that no one would have to guess they were brothers. If they were the same age, they could probably pass for triplets. And each and every on
e of them looked very much like their father.

  “Jaxsen has some strong DNA,” she said, pushing JJ’s hair out of his eyes.

  JJ sprang to his feet. “Dad, Aunt Sophie’s talking about sperm.”

  Jaxsen sauntered down the stairs—looking as he always did, like an athletic man in his prime. He grinned at them. “Sophie’s a wild one.” He nodded. “Kids look good on you, Soph. You should find yourself a man and settle down.”

  “Oh, please. I’m a fantastic aunt, but that’s as far as it goes.”

  “It’s great to have you back in town.”

  She nodded, thinking that she’d known Jaxsen nearly as long as she could remember. He’d been a couple of years ahead of her and Kristine in school. In high school he’d been the handsome, charming football player, with girls lined up around the block. Sophie had lost her virginity to him in the back of his car one summer night. The experience had lasted all of two minutes and had so grossed her out that she’d not only never told a soul, she’d also avoided boys and dating for another three years. She looked at her cousin. Kristine was happy—no doubt Jaxsen had improved with age and experience.

  “What’s so funny?” Kristine asked, pushing Tommy to his feet.

  “Just remembering when we were young.”

  “You were young?” Grant asked, sliding to the floor where his brother pulled him up. “Like in the olden days?”

  “Very funny.” Kristine pointed to the stairs. “Say good-night, boys.”

  “Good night, boys,” JJ yelled as he led the charge up the stairs.

  “I don’t know how you do it,” Sophie told her. “They’re exhausting.”

  “So’s running a business empire.”

  “Yes, but my little empire can be left alone for the night and isn’t counting the days until it’s old enough to drive.”

  Kristine threw herself back on the sofa and groaned. “JJ told you he was doing that?”

  “He thinks I should buy him a car for his sixteenth birthday.”

  Her cousin shot back up into a sitting position and stared at her, wide-eyed. “Tell me he didn’t say that. He couldn’t have! I’m sorry. I will so have a talk with him.”