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Ellie rolled her eyes at her friend. “Of course I’m fine. I just went to take Asher a cup of coffee. Is there a reason you felt the need to sound like a fishwife in your own house?”
Sofia’s eyes narrowed then she made a face. “Sorry. I’m used to Matt working up there, and he usually has headphones on, so I end up yelling.” Matt was Josh’s son, who’d been half-heartedly taking classes at the local community college until he met Sofia. In the space of an afternoon, she’d introduced him to what she did for a living, and he’d fallen in love. While Ellie preferred to be in front of the cameras, both Matt and Sofia adored the business of making movie trailers and marketing promos for studios around the world. Now he was a junior at UCLA, studying filmmaking, editing, and business. He planned to join Sofia as an associate in her company when he graduated. And when he visited for the holidays, he often helped her in her upstairs studio.
“Because walking up the stairs is too hard?” she countered as she made her way back to the kitchen. She needed another cup of coffee.
“Once I’m done with work for the day, I don’t set foot upstairs,” Sofia said.
“It’s a rule in our house,” Josh said, emerging from the ground-floor bedroom he and Sofia shared. “If she goes up, she doesn’t come back down for hours. She had enough of working her ass off when she lived in LA.” He paused as he passed the woman in question and dropped a kiss on her lips. Ellie smiled and looked away, giving them privacy. Sofia’s ex-husband had ridden his wife’s coattails almost all the way through their marriage—every success their business had was due to her hard work. And every challenge she carried on her own. He was, in short, the exact opposite of Josh. Josh was her partner in every sense of the word. And he loved nothing more than to remind and assure Sofia that she no longer needed to sacrifice herself, her friendships, her time, or him to run her business. She wasn’t alone on this ride called life anymore, and he made sure she slowed down enough to enjoy it.
“That’s fair,” Ellie said when Josh stepped away. “And I take back my earlier snark. Feel free to bellow at me like a banshee when I’m upstairs. Or you could text. Just an alternative to consider,” she added with a smile and a wink.
It was Sofia’s turn to roll her eyes. “Screaming like a banshee is way more fun. Now, what time are you going to be home?” she asked Josh.
He paused in filling a to-go cup with coffee. “I can’t tell if you want me home early or if that question was a subtle hint to stay out late,” he replied with a smile. Then turning back to his task, he countered, “How about this, what time do you want me home?” He snapped the lid on his cup as he waited for her answer.
Sofia’s gaze bounced to her, but Ellie shrugged. Sofia wouldn’t let her get away withnotbaring her soul, but good god, she hoped her confession didn’t drag out all day.
“The usual time,” Sofia said. Josh nodded then stalked toward Sofia. After dropping another kiss on her lips, he headed to the coat closet.
“I’ll start my truck and while it’s warming, I’ll scrape Ash’s,” he said, donning his jacket. “Not sure what time he’s planning on leaving, but have him text me and let me know he made it home.”
His comment made Ellie smile. She liked that the family looked out for one another.
“Will do, and you drive safe, too,” Sofia replied.
“I’ll text you when I get to the office,” he confirmed before striding out to the garage through the mudroom. As a renowned architect and builder, Josh had a lovely office in town. A truly beautiful place to work. But no matter how inspiring it was, she suspected his decision to work in town had more to do with her presence in his house than with any need to be at the office.
When the door closed behind Josh, she and Sofia debated what to have for breakfast before agreeing on an easy meal. She gathered the ingredients for pancakes while Sofia started cooking bacon. Sofia might be an amazing cook, but when it came to breakfast foods, bacon was about the only edible item Ellie trusted her with.
She’d just poured the first pancakes onto the griddle when Asher came down. He’d only had the cup of coffee she’d brought him earlier. But with the way he made a beeline for his coat and boots, there was no mistaking his intention to leave.
She offered him breakfast, but not surprisingly, he declined. As he shoved his feet into his boots, he reminded her that Ernie would call Sofia or Josh later with an update on towing her car. With little left to say, she considered giving him a hug. After all, she hugged all the Warwick men she knew. And yet something held her back. Feeling his arms around her would be awkward. No, that was a lie. Feeling his arms around her would be the exact opposite of awkward. In fact, she might be tempted to lay her head on his chest and stay there. Whichwouldbe awkward. For everyone.
Smiling at the ridiculous thought, she took another tack. Rising up on her toes, she brushed a quick kiss over his cheek. “Thank you,” she said.
He blinked at her then his gaze stilled. A heartbeat later, he nodded and stepped back. “Call if you need anything. Either of you,” he directed. And then he and his duffel bag were gone.
They heard the rumble of his truck as it warmed up in the driveway. Then a minute later, he drove away. Less than a minute after that, Sofia turned and caught her attention.
“Can we finish cooking first?” Ellie asked in response to Sofia’s unasked question.
Sofia hesitated then nodded. “But don’t think you’re going to get away with staying mum any longer than that. Throwing your clothes into your car and taking off into a snowstorm arenotthe actions of the Eleanora Cavanaugh I know. Especially the clothes part.”
Ellie inhaled. “I agree.”
Sofia studied her then nodded. “Let’s get some food in us, and then you can tell me everything.”
She’d managed a short reprieve while they cooked. But now that they were seated at the table, Ellie knew her time was up. And, in a funny coincidence, the pancakes and bacon—her favorite breakfast meal—no longer appealed. She knew better than to push her plate away, though. Sofia would have a field day with that.
“Whatever it is, Ellie, we’ll figure it out. You know we will,” she said, her voice soft but sure.
Her confident certainty seeped into Ellie’s soul. And broke her. Tears stung her eyes, and she looked away as she tried, and failed, to blink them back. Staring out at the vast white landscape, she struggled to find her words. Unfazed by the freezing temperatures, a brave bird swooped over the lake. And in the distance, Ellie heard what she thought might be a snowmobile.
“I think I might be going crazy.” Her biggest fear whispered from her body, coming together in words she’d never spoken. Not out loud.
Sofia set her coffee down then covered Ellie’s hand with her own.
Ellie cleared her throat. “I knowcrazyisn’t a word we’re supposed to use anymore when talking about mental health. But that’s…that’s how it feels.” She paused, and Sofia didn’t fill in the silence. After a beat, she added another confession. “It’s terrifying, Sof.I’mterrified.”
