Wildflowers and Wide Receivers

18. Jonah

Chapter 18

Jonah

W atching Sophie with Vivi is like the sweetest torture. It’s been two days, and Vivi has essentially become Sophie’s shadow. I get it; she’s new, but I genuinely think she likes her. Other than Camille, Lexi, and maybe Kelli, to a certain extent, she hasn’t connected with anyone else this way. Not even her teachers.

Of course, over the past two years, I’ve thought about what it would be like if I ever brought someone home to meet Vivi, but I never expected it to be like this. I thought it would be awkward or hard, but Sophie’s slipped right in like she’s always been here. Only, I can’t decide if this is a good thing, or if I am allowing Vivi to set herself up to be hurt.

Do I want Sophie in our lives? Without a doubt. Wanting her has never been the problem. Where I’m concerned is that Sophie might not want us in return. We are a package deal. An insta family, and that might not be what she had in mind when she thought about having a family of her own. Do I think we’re worth it? Absolutely. I just have to make sure Sophie thinks so too before I let all of this go any further. I can’t have Vivi losing someone else she loves. Is that inevitable? Yes. But not yet.

Not today.

Mostly, today was another repeat of yesterday.

This morning, I left Vivi with Sophie and went to the store to buy us groceries and glue for the rest of the week. After I got back, we went to the beach, built sandcastles, and then came in for lunch. In the afternoon, some clouds rolled in, so we skipped the water and went back out to do some wildflower hunting. Vivi chased the seagulls away for me, and once, when Vivi wasn’t looking, I reached over and gently grasped Sophie’s hand. She seemed surprised at first, but then her fingers wrapped around mine.

For dinner, I grilled some steaks. Afterward, we started a puzzle, and now Vivi and I are out taking Molly for a walk.

“Maybe we should buy our own house here, what do you think?” I ask her. Molly’s grown a lot over the past month and along with her size, so has her energy. She pulls on the leash and Vivi jerks forward. I’m already thinking we might need to have someone come to the house to train her.

“Really?” she asks, excitement evident in her tone.

I look up and down Reid’s street. Each house is similar sized, and while some are lower to the ground, most are on stilts. I can’t imagine owning a home here and it not being on stilts. With storm surge and who knows what else, it seems like flooding could be a real possibility.

“Why not? We like it here. I think we’ll come more often if we have our own place.”

“Will it be on the beach?” she asks, with hopeful big blue eyes, and then she jerks again as Molly is pulling her toward a mailbox to sniff. This particular mailbox is shaped like a wooden pelican. I don’t hate it.

“Probably not.” I internally laugh at what that would cost and what we cannot afford. I mean, I could swing it, but I don’t want to add that extra pressure on us should my career suddenly end. Also, I’d have to consider renting it out and I don’t want to do that. I want this to be another home for just us. “We can look, but if it’s not, it’ll still be walkable. You know the island is small.”

“Can I help you pick it out?” Molly has decided there’s nothing interesting at the mailbox and has moved along the road’s edge to the neighbor’s yard. These roads are sandy, gravelly, and I imagine in the summer scorching hot.

“Of course. That’s why we’re talking about it. It’s not my house. It’ll be our house.”

She takes a moment to think about this.

“Do you think Ms. Sophie will come stay with us at the new house?”

Wouldn’t that be another dream come true? If Sophie and I actually turn into a thing, maybe she’ll want to pick the house out with us. I certainly won’t be able to decorate it. I would let her and Vivi do whatever they want.

“I suppose we could ask her when the time is right.”

“I think you should take her on a date.”

Her statement catches me off guard, and my brows rise as I look down at her.

“What do you know about dates?”

She smiles up at me, while swinging my hand which is wrapped around her free one. When we’re outside like this, I always make sure she’s holding my hand and on the inside of me. Away from the road. Safety first.

“That’s what grown-ups do. They go out and have dinner together.”

That’s what her parents were doing, out having dinner. I wonder if she’s associating the two. I hope not. There will come a day when I do go out to dinner with someone, hopefully Sophie, and I don’t want her to live in fear that I won’t come home.

“Well, I’ll have you know I already asked her and she said no.”

A frown drops onto her face, as she tries to understand. I can see how in the mind of a seven-year-old, who thinks her uncle is awesome, that it doesn’t make sense that someone would say no to me.

“Why?” She looks at me curiously. She also looks offended, and I have to try hard not to grin at her reaction.

“At the time she had a boyfriend,” I tell her.

“No, she doesn’t,” Vivi declares like it’s a fact, not picking up that I said, “had,” as in past tense.

“Why do you say that?” I ask her, curious about what she knows and I don’t. Molly starts circling, letting us know she’s about to be finished, and I’m glad. I’m ready to get back inside.

“I heard her at the baby shower, she was talking to Ms. Lexi.”

Oh, to have been a fly on the wall at this shower. Ex-boyfriends, recitals, and bones, they seemed to have talked about it all.

“What did she say?” I ask, probing her for more details.

“Ms. Lexi asked her about some guy named Isaac and she said, ‘There is no more Isaac.’ That’s the guy, right?”

“Yeah, that was his name.”

No more Isaac. I know Sophie told me this, but it feels really good to hear it confirmed, without worry that there will be a relapse. She said it was over, and I feel pretty strongly that she’s telling me the truth.

“So you don’t want to ask her again?” She looks up at me like she’s confused.

“You like Ms. Sophie that much?” I ask, my heart thumping at her answer, even though I already know it.

“Yes. And she’s so pretty.”

“She is pretty.” So pretty I find it hard not to stare at her. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good,” she says. “Do you think she’ll make cupcakes with me?”

I bend down to take care of Molly’s business and tell her, “I’ll make cupcakes with you.”

“I know, but she said she likes to bake, and I don’t know who she bakes for. Maybe she would think it would be fun to bake with me.”

My sweet girl. She’s worried that Sophie doesn’t have any friends to bake with. If it wasn’t so sweet, I would laugh.

“I’m not sure. You should ask her, then.”

We haven’t even made it to the garage yet before Vivi takes off running through the door.

“Ms. Sophie! Where are you?” Vivi yells.

“I’m right here,” she calls out.

“Hold up there, Wildflower. You have to give Molly her treat first, then you can go play. We can’t forget our responsibilities.”

“Oh, yeah,” she says, running toward the direction of the kitchen where we have the snacks on the counter. Molly follows and sits nicely when Vivi tells her to. After that, we both find Sophie in the living room in her chair with her legs curled under her. She’s looking at her phone, and my heart trips in my chest as she smiles at us. I still can’t believe that she’s here.

I take a seat on the couch and Vivi moves to stand in front of Sophie. Sophie lays down her phone to give her full attention.

“Do you want to make cupcakes?” Vivi asks, practically jumping up and down with excitement.

Sophie looks surprised at the question, but then she looks at me to make sure it’s okay, and I nod.

“Sure!” she says, returning Vivi’s enthusiasm. “You know I love them.”

Sophie climbs out of the chair, and as the two of them make their way into the kitchen, Vivi says, “Uncle Jonah can watch.”

Sophie looks over her shoulder, and her eyes collide with mine. She gives me a small smile, and my heart thumps hard.

“First, we have to make sure Ms. Camille has everything we need,” Sophie says as they enter the kitchen.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Jonah got it all yesterday at the store.”

“Did he now?” She looks at me again as I make my way over to the island and take a seat to watch them.

“Well, I think my version of cupcakes might be different from yours. Mine come from a box.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. Everything needed in one place.”

I watch as she moves around the kitchen, finding all of the ingredients needed to go with my box cupcakes: eggs, milk, oil, spray oil, and the can of icing.

“Ms. Sophie, what flavor is your favorite?” Vivi asks, looking up at her with such fondness that half of me feels moved, but the other half of me hears alarm bells going off.

Sophie looks at the box and then goes back to Vivi. “I’m thinking strawberry cupcakes are my favorite.”

“Mine too!” Vivi grins.

The Vivi from March when she first met Sophie differs from the Vivi she is today. Yes, she’s seen Sophie a few times, but certainly those few interactions can’t be what’s causing this change in her. Is it the dog? Is it that more time has passed and life is moving forward? I don’t know, but seeing more of this side come out of her over the past couple of days makes my soul sigh in relief. I promised John to take care of her, and I really am doing my best.

Sophie turns on the oven, Vivi drags over a chair so she can stand on it, and I watch as they follow the instructions to mix this batter. Grabbing my phone, I tell them to smile. Vivi holds up the mixing spatula, and Sophie wraps her arm around her. Staring at the two of them through the screen as I take the picture, I know without a doubt that I want this—her. I just need to figure out a way to make it happen.

They keep stirring, and my emotions stir with them.

“Do you think it’s done?” Sophie asks her.

“Uncle Jonah, you should taste it,” she says to me. Then she looks at Sophie. “He never lets me taste the batter. He says raw eggs are bad for little girls.” And then for the first time, I watch Vivi roll her eyes.

“Well, that was mean,” I tell her as I get up and walk around the island. “I don’t roll my eyes at you.”

She says nothing but looks at Sophie to see her reaction.

“Your uncle loves you, and he’s not wrong. Sometimes those eggs can make you sick.”

“None of my friends have ever gotten sick,” she counters.

“Not that you know of,” Sophie says, backing me up. “And maybe keep the eye rolling for just your room so he can’t see you. You can roll your eyes a hundred times there, and he’ll never know. A girl’s room is her safe place.” She winks at Vivi.

That was actually great advice. As she gets older, gestures will happen, and words will want to be said, but if she’s in her room, then that’s her neutral zone.

Sophie sticks her finger into the batter and then tastes it.

“How does it taste?” I ask.

“You should try it,” Sophie says to me at the same time as Vivi says, “It has to be delicious.”

So I do. Taking one from Sophie’s playbook, I grab Sophie’s hand, stick that same finger back in the batter, and then bring it to my mouth to suck it off.

Sophie gasps as our eyes lock, and Vivi squeals.

“Uncle Jonah, you’re supposed to use your own finger!”

“Maybe, but Ms. Sophie’s tastes so much better than mine.” I grin.

And then just to prove a point, I dip her finger back into the batter and bring it to Sophie’s mouth. She opens instantly, then wraps her lips around her finger and slowly pulls it out.

“Definitely better on you,” I tell her.