Perfect Enough

Chapter Twenty-Three – Sophia

Chapter Twenty-Three

SOPHIA

When I could no longer see Josh’s truck, I spun on my heel and entered his house. I put the food in the refrigerator and went to the guest bedroom. After packing my things, I sat on the bed. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths before taking out my phone and pulling up Kaylee’s number.

“Sophia, is everything okay?” Kaylee asked.

I fought to keep my voice steady and my emotions in check. “Yes, I’m sorry to call and bother you. I needed to tell you that I’m leaving Josh’s house and heading home.”

“What happened?” she asked.

“I’m not walking away from him, Kaylee; please know that. It’s just…he’s made it abundantly clear I am not wanted right now, and I can only take so much rejection.”

“I understand, but please know he doesn’t mean what he says. I know he cares for you so much, sweetheart. He’s never introduced us to a single girl he’s dated before.”

Smiling, I wiped the tear from my cheek. “I know he’s hurting. I’m hoping he just needs some space. I’ll check in with him tomorrow.”

“Sophia?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for being here for Josh…and for all of us. I’m sure it was hard being thrown into the family like you were. I see why Josh cares for you so much.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Thank you. Is there anything I can do for you? I know you’re set with food, but any errands you need me to run or maybe go by the house for anything?”

“You’re so sweet, but I think we’re good. I’ll be sure to let you know if we need anything. Be careful driving, sweetheart.”

Her kindness made my heart swell. The Shaws were amazing and kind, even in the face of the tragedy that happened to them all this past week.

“I will. Take care.”

Kaylee paused momentarily before saying, “We’ll talk soon, okay?”

I knew she was worried I was saying goodbye, as if this was the last time I would speak to her. That wasn’t the case at all…I hoped. “Yes, I’ll see you soon.”

Dropping my hands to my lap, I closed my eyes and whispered, “I hope I’m doing the right thing by leaving.”

After dropping my bag into the back seat of my car, I pulled up Chloe’s number.

“Hey, how are you doing?”

The sound of her voice caused the dam to burst, and my tears fell freely.

“Not good,” I said, then sobbed. “He told me to leave, Chloe. He doesn’t want me here.”

“Oh, Soph! That’s not how he feels. Remember how you were after your father died? You wouldn’t talk to me for days.”

I wiped my nose with my hand, then snarled my lip. “Gross,” I said as I swept my hand over my jeans.

“Gross?” Chloe asked.

“Nothing, I wiped snot on my jeans.”

“Okay, well, that’s okay. Sometimes, a little snot is good for the jeans.”

I laughed and sobbed at the same time. “Are you free today?”

“I’m always free for you. I’ll meet you at your place.”

“Okay, I’m leaving Josh’s house now.”

“Before you start driving, stop crying, okay?”

I nodded even though I knew she couldn’t see me. “See you soon, Chloe.”

An hour later, Chloe walked into my apartment with two brown bags.

“What’s in the bags?” I asked, opening the door for her to come in.

“All the supplies we need.”

Confused, I asked, “Supplies for what?”

Chloe set the bags on the kitchen counter. “I call it the tool kit for when a guy makes you cry.”

“You’ve had a guy make you cry?”

She paused reaching into the first bag to look at me. “I may be a free-loving woman, but I have fallen in love once or twice. Or at least, I thought I had. Remember Joe?”

“Joe! I forgot all about Joe.”

From the first bag, Chloe took out three different flavors of Ben vanilla was her go-to scent. It always reminded me of Christmas and such happy memories.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

She had a massive smile on her face. “Nothing at all! I signed the papers this morning, and the deal will be done in three weeks if everything clears at the title company. And—I got an offer on the house!”

Sinking into a chair, I stared at her. “Already?”

“Yes! And David agreed to go to Banff with me.”

Surprised, I asked, “David is going with you?”

Nodding, she replied, “Yes. He loves to travel, and he said he’d go with me on my first trip since I’ve never really traveled much.”

My brows shot up. My mother had always wanted to visit Banff, but my father hated to travel very far from home, unless of course it was for work. Not even when I was little. The only reason I ever went to Disney World was because I had a dance competition there.

“Mom, this is all happening so fast.”

Her smile faded. “I know, sweetheart, but I thought you were onboard. You said you wanted a change.”

“I do, it’s just…”

“What is it? Does this have anything to do with Josh? I have to admit, I was surprised to see you this morning. I figured you’d be with him still.”

I blinked rapidly to keep my emotions in check. “He, um…well, he didn’t want me there, and he made it very clear.”

My mother stood and made her way around the desk. Sitting on the surface, she took my hand and held it. “I remember when you didn’t want anyone around either, after your father passed. You locked yourself away for far too long. But in the end, you were glad Chloe forced you to get out of your apartment. Do you remember that?”

I nodded. “I remember. But I didn’t tell anyone to their face that I wanted them to leave, that they weren’t welcome. I promised his mother I wouldn’t let him push me away, but at the same time, I can’t let him treat me like a punching bag.”

“Was he that cruel?” she asked, her voice showing how surprised she was.

“He wasn’t exactly cruel, but he wasn’t the same man I’ve known the last couple of months.”

Her eyes shone with understanding. “Oh, Sophia. You have to know he’s hurting. Has he ever lost anyone in his life before?”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I don’t think so. Both sets of grandparents are— were …alive, but he isn’t close to his mother’s parents. I get the impression he’s hardly ever seen them. His grandfather was like his best friend. I was supposed to meet him last weekend. He wanted to introduce me to him before even introducing me to his parents.”

“Give him time, and don’t give up. I know it’s hard, and I don’t want you to let anyone treat you badly, but understand his grief is not letting him think clearly.”

I nodded.

“Why don’t you let Renee finish up this class and your tap class? Take the rest of the day off.”

Sighing, I stood, and my mother did the same. “I guess I need to start considering my living options in Hamilton. I don’t want to commute.”

“You wouldn’t stay with Josh?”

“I don’t know what will happen, if I’m being honest. I think it’s best to look for my own place, just in case.”

Pulling me into a hug, my mother held me in her arms, and I felt the sting of tears. “Don’t give up on the relationship, Sophia. If the boy wants space, then give it to him.”

Stepping back, I wiped my tears away. “I will. It’s just…the way he spoke to me yesterday. It was like he couldn’t stand that I was even there. I think I made him mad by denying him something.”

That piqued her curiosity. “What did you deny him?”

I’d told Chloe about Josh wanting to sleep together, and how I’d told him no. That it wasn’t the right moment, and also he’d been drinking. She’d agreed I’d done the right thing. Her words came back to me.

“If he can get upset by something like you saying no to sex, then maybe he isn’t the guy for you, Soph. You were only looking out for his feelings.”

“It was nothing bad; it wasn’t the right moment, and I might have hurt his feelings. I don’t know.”

She frowned. “Well, I’m sure he’s an emotional wreck, and I’m not excusing any bad behavior, but try to understand that I’m sure he didn’t mean anything he said.”

I forced myself to smile. “I know he didn’t.”

“Go and take some time to rest. I need to ensure all the parents know that classes will stop in two weeks. I’d like to have the time to go through things and decide what stays and what doesn’t. I’ve already told the soon-to-be owners that all the equipment will stay, but we need to decide on other things.”

“If you’d like, I can draft a letter. Just let me know the final date of classes. I can work on it from home.”

Mom kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you. I’m sure that will help occupy your mind a bit.”

“One can hope,” I said as I opened the door to her office and made my way out. Once in my office, I picked up my phone and saw I had one text from Chloe and nothing from Josh.

Dropping into the seat, I stared at my desk. My life as I’ve known it would be over in a few short weeks. My phone rang as I stared into space and picked it up to see Haven’s name.

“Haven, how are you?”

“Hi, Sophia. I saw you at the memorial the day before yesterday, but I didn’t want to bother you or the family.”

“Hey, Haven. I didn’t see you, I’m so sorry. You should have said hi.”

“I wanted to chat with you, since you mentioned wanting to head out with me and the dogs again. Are you free tomorrow?”

I didn’t have any classes scheduled until the afternoon. “I’m free in the morning.”

“Great! Would you like to join me on the bus? Maybe we could talk shop more and set up an official meeting with the suits.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

“That’s wonderful! You have my address, so just be there by seven in the morning, if that works for you.”

“Yes, that’s perfect. Also, Haven…do you know of a realtor? I have an apartment here in Stevensville, but if I’m going to be doing this with you, I think it’s best if I move to Hamilton.”

She paused for a moment. “Yes, of course. I guess I just assumed you’d be moving in with Josh.”

“I think it’s probably best I have my own place.”

“Do you want to rent or buy?”

“I’m open to both options…” I could afford to buy a small house with the money I’d get from my portion of the studio sale and what I’d saved up. Then again, if I was serious about going into the dog park business, I would need that money. “But maybe renting is the best way for me to go for now.”

“I’ll text you my friend Anna’s name and number. She’s amazing, and she’s the one who found the land for the dog park.”

“Great. Did you already purchase the land?”

“That’s the best part, the owner’s willing to lease with an option to buy. They’re super excited about the idea of the dog park. They’re one of my current clients.”

“That’s wonderful, Haven,” I said, smiling for what felt like the first time in ages. “I’ll let you go and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

The sound of a dog barking in the background made me laugh. When I saw Haven tomorrow, I’d need to ask her how many dogs she owned.

“Okay. See you tomorrow, seven sharp!”

“Seven sharp. Bye, Haven.”

“Talk soon.”

Pulling up Josh’s name, I sent him another text.

Me: Hi. I wanted to see how you were doing.

I waited for a few moments, and when I didn’t receive a reply, I tossed my phone to the desk. I grabbed one of the empty boxes my mother had picked up for me and went through my desk. Most of the stuff I could trash, but some of it was personal, and I would for sure want to bring it with me. After packing up one box, I closed my laptop, slipped it into my bag, and changed into sneakers.

Swinging by my mother’s office, I poked my head in to tell her I was leaving, but she wasn’t there. I texted her and told her I’d send the letter to her to proof before sending it to the parents.

Chloe was sitting on the steps of my apartment building when I pulled into the lot. She jumped up and flashed me a huge smile. I knew that smile—and nothing good ever came from it.

“Not tonight, Chloe. I’m still trying to get over last night and all the wine and vodka. You try teaching a bunch of six-year-olds with a hangover.”

“Girl, you have to come with me! I was invited to a party in Hamilton and don’t want to go alone.”

“What kind of party?”

Chloe followed me into my apartment. “Okay,” she started, and I wanted to groan. “I met this guy. His name is Decker, and I really like him. It’s his birthday. It’s a place in Hamilton called The Blue Moose. And I really don’t want to go alone because I’m not going to know anyone there.”

“Chloe, I have to put this letter together for my mother, and I’m just not in the mood to go to a bar.”

Her lower lip jutted out into the perfect pout while she batted her eyelashes at me. “Please do this for me, Soph. I swear, I’ll do anything you want!”

“Anything?”

“Anything!”

I looked at her through narrowed eyes. “Swear to it?”

Holding out her hand, she said, “I swear to it.”

We shook hands. “Fine, I’ll go.”

Chloe jumped. “Yes! Let’s go raid your closet and find some sexy dresses to wear!”

Before I could say anything, she grabbed my hand and pulled me to my bedroom closet.