His muscles tensed, but before he could break her hold, her mouth found his ear and she whispered, "I'm sorry, Ted. I'm so sorry."

The entreaty in her voice left no doubt that she wasn't making a move on him as he'd first thought. She was apologizing for the past. The fact that she immediately released him confirmed it. She didn't even look at him again. She rolled over and buried herself in the blankets as if she couldn't bear to look.

Ted wasn't sure how to react. The way she'd clung to him had nearly taken his legs out from under him-had flooded his system with so much testosterone he couldn't think straight.

He forgave her, didn't he? Of course he did. Or he wouldn't be helping her. But it wasn't what he wanted to say that held him fast; it was what he wanted to do. The desire to feel her under him once again-to claim her mouth and her body as he had many times before-was so powerful he felt himself go hard in an instant.

But what about Eve?

"d.a.m.n it!" He tore down the stairs before temptation could get him in such a chokehold he no longer cared about his integrity.

Ted seemed eager to avoid her after that. Although it made Sophia sad to find the friendship that had started between them suddenly gone, she was also relieved. It wasn't easy to maintain a friendship when she wanted more. Maybe she could've done it with someone else, but not Ted, and their new boundaries helped keep her hopes and thoughts in check. She hadn't been trying to steal him from Eve when she'd clung to him long enough to apologize. She'd just wanted him to finally understand that she was sincerely sorry. Now that she'd said her piece, he could go on with his life, and she could, too-hopefully without the regret that had eaten at her for so long.

"Do you think Ted's mad at us?" Alexa asked Sophia one morning while they were having breakfast. Fortunately, she was doing better in school. Connie seemed to have lost interest in fighting with her, Royce was walking her to cla.s.s almost every day, and the other kids didn't want to take her on when she had Royce's support. But this proved she was disappointed that Ted no longer paid her much attention.

Sophia added some brown sugar to her oatmeal. "No. He's busy trying to get his book done."

"He's always busy. I wish he had more time."

"I do, too," Sophia said, but she was just playing along. Deep down she believed they couldn't be hurt if they were careful not to get too close to him. They had to remember that they were merely putting in time in Whiskey Creek. They wouldn't be staying much longer, especially now that she was beginning to work through the worst of her financial problems. Thanks to Skip's many debts, she would have to file for bankruptcy as soon as she could afford it, but she was doing a "deed in lieu of foreclosure" on the house so it would be out of her hands soon. The Ferraris were already gone. She and Alexa had driven by one day after school to check on the house and found that someone had broken the side door on the garage and taken both cars. Sophia hoped it was the repo company and not someone else, but that was out of her hands, too.

She still had her Mercedes-but she was pretty sure that was only because the repossession people couldn't find it. The lienholder had been calling her more and more frequently, so she knew they were stepping up their search. No doubt someone in town would eventually point the repo man in the right direction, and then she'd no longer have transportation.

Knowing she was living on borrowed time, she held her breath every day she came out of the house to take Alexa to school, fearing this would be the morning her vehicle would be gone, but so far, so good.

Besides that one nagging worry, she was beginning to feel as if she was pulling her life together-and it was Ted who'd made that possible. What he'd done for her, and was still doing, made her love him even more. But she knew that if she was really thinking of him and not herself, she'd stay out of his personal life as much as possible.

So she cooked and cleaned and ran Ted's errands with very little oversight or direction for the next two and a half weeks. During that time, he didn't ask her to do any clerical work. Maybe Eve was taking care of it for him. Sophia didn't know because she hadn't heard a word from Eve other than the few polite exchanges that occurred if they happened to b.u.mp into each other. Sophia hated that their friendship had stalled, but she couldn't blame that on Eve. Sophia hadn't called her, either. She couldn't bring herself to pretend they weren't in love with the same man.

Cheyenne had checked in a few times, which was nice. But Cheyenne was Eve and Ted's friend, and Sophia knew they wouldn't appreciate her joining the group, so she kept their conversations cordial but distant.

As the days pa.s.sed, Ted and Eve seemed to be getting closer and closer. Eve came over quite often in the evenings. Occasionally Sophia would see her pa.s.sing by a window, or she'd go out to run an errand and find Eve's car parked next to her own. Sometimes Ted went over to Eve's place instead; at least that was where Sophia a.s.sumed he went when he left at night.

It wasn't until Thanksgiving that he trudged out to the guesthouse to talk to her about something besides a menu choice, a grocery run or to ask where she'd put his shirt.

She'd managed to keep her phone service so he usually texted her if he needed anything. Because he hadn't visited since the night he'd invited them over to watch a movie, Sophia was surprised by the knock at the door and was obliged to answer it herself. Alexa wasn't up yet. She had the week off school and was sleeping in.

"Morning," he said when Sophia swung open the door.

He looked better than ever, but she tried not to notice. She'd just rolled out of bed and hadn't had a chance to put on any makeup. "Morning." She shaded her eyes from the sunlight streaming in around him. "I'm sorry, was I supposed to do something for you that I forgot? I thought you told me I have the day off."

"Relax. Of course you have the day off. It's Thanksgiving. I didn't come because...I needed something. I was just wondering what you had planned for today, if...if you had somewhere to go for dinner."

"Of course. We're going to Alexa's grandparents'," she said, but really it was only Alexa who'd be joining them. Sophia's relationship with the DeBussis had grown so strained that she didn't want to be around them. She'd spent a lot of time with Alexa since she'd been out of school, so she didn't begrudge her former in-laws Thanksgiving afternoon. But she preferred to stay home alone rather than sit at their table feeling unwanted and unaccepted. "And you're going to your mother's?"

"To Eve's parents' and then my mom's."

"Just a sec." She went into the kitchen and got one of the pumpkin cheesecake strudels she'd baked. It was a new recipe she hadn't tried before, but it looked and smelled delicious. "I was going to bring this over, but since you're here..."

His eyebrows jerked up. "This is really...nice, but not necessary. I didn't expect it."

"I thought you could take it to your mom's. I was making one for me and Lex, anyway-to share with the DeBussis-and decided I might as well make one for my boss. And his girlfriend," she added to fill the uncomfortable silence.

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

She nodded and was about to shut the door, but he didn't get off her stoop.

"Sophia?"

"Yes?"

"There is another reason I came over."

The concern in his voice worried her. Had he proposed to Eve? Would her job end sooner than she'd expected? "I hope it's not that you're letting me go."

"No, nothing like that."

She started digging at her cuticles again, which was stupid because they'd just about healed. "Then what?"

He shifted to his other foot. "I heard...some clanking noises a few minutes ago. So I looked out the window to see what was going on and-"

"My car!" She tried to slip past him, but he cut her off.

"It's too late. I tried to stop them. Asked if I could make up a few payments, thinking you could always pay me later, but...he wouldn't agree. I knew you wouldn't be able to keep such an expensive car for much longer anyway."

She'd known she'd lose the car-so why did this make her feel sick? "I wonder how they found it."

"I asked. They said they stopped by the police station."

"And Chief Stacy told them."

"He's a p.r.i.c.k. We already know that."

She drew a deep breath. There was no reason to get upset. She'd worked things out so far; she'd get through this latest setback. But did it have to happen on Thanksgiving?

"Thanks for letting me know," she said.

He nodded. "So...can I give you and Lex a ride over to the DeBussis? Would that help?"

"It's okay," she said. "I'll have them pick us up. No need for us to impose on a holiday."

"I don't mind."

But Eve probably would, and she didn't want him to know she wasn't really going to the DuBussis'. "Really. We're fine," she said and closed the door.

"Who was that?" Lex asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes as she stumbled into the hallway.

"Ted."

"What'd he want?"

"You're going to have to ask your grandma to pick you up."

"You can't take me anymore?"

Sophia drew a deep breath. "The car's gone."

"Oh, no. That means you'll be here all day and you won't be able to go anywhere." She sighed as she used her fingers to comb through her tangled hair. "I won't go to Grandma and Grandpa's. I'd rather stay with you."

"Are you kidding? It's been weeks since you've seen them. And your uncle and cousins will be there. Go have fun. I'll be fine. I can spend the time catching up on my sleep."

She rolled her eyes. "That sounds about as much fun as saying, 'I'll spend the time throwing up with the flu.'"

Sophia laughed in spite of her repossessed car. "Sleep sounds wonderful to most adults. You'll understand when you grow up. Besides, I don't have a turkey to bake or anything else to feed you for dinner. What will you eat if you stay here?"

"I'll eat whatever you eat."

Now that her Mercedes was gone, Sophia had no idea what that would be. Although she hadn't told Alexa this, she'd been thinking about going to Sacramento to visit her mother. She figured that if she could marshal the resolve, they'd eat the special Thanksgiving feast prepared by the cafeteria-or she'd go out and bring something in, if her mother had a special request. And if it went well, if she felt encouraged, maybe she'd start taking Alexa over for regular visits. Skip hadn't been willing to expose his daughter to Elaine, but now...things were different.

It all depended on how her mother behaved. Sophia couldn't take Alexa back there if Elaine insisted on acting inappropriately, as she so often did since succ.u.mbing to her disease. "I'd rather you went, really."

Still unconvinced, Alexa shuffled over and gave Sophia a hug. "Are you sure you won't come with me?"

She'd rather stick a fork in her eye. "I'll have a better time here, promise."

"Okay...I'll call Grandma."

Sharon said she'd come, but asked if Alexa could stay the night. Because the cousins were also staying, and Sophia felt Alexa needed a night to just forget and have fun, she agreed. By two o'clock her daughter and Ted were both gone and Sophia had the whole place to herself.

She called her mother, hoping for a small glimmer of recognition-anything that might connect her with the positive memories she had of her childhood. But Elaine was so drugged she barely said anything. When she did talk it was to claim that she had spiders and snakes in her bed.

At her mother's insistence, Sophia spoke to a nurse, just so she could convince Elaine that she'd done all she could to make sure there were no spiders or snakes-but she already knew there wouldn't be. Her mother had been having the same delusion for years.

25.

When Ted ran home to get something he'd forgotten for Thanksgiving dinner and found a box of cold cereal sitting on his dining room table next to a bowl and a spoon, he knew something was up. He hadn't had cold cereal that morning-or any morning the previous week. And he certainly hadn't eaten it by candlelight. Yet the candle that Sophia had bought for his romantic dinner with Eve several weeks ago was on the table, as if whoever had eaten that cereal had tried to add a little celebration to it.

He walked over and turned the box toward him. Golden Crisp-recently opened.

The candle smelled as if it had just been extinguished and the wax was still warm. He doubted a burglar would break in to eat Sophia's favorite cereal over candlelight on Thanksgiving afternoon, which meant she'd probably done it. But why? Why wasn't she at the DeBussis'?

He heard the murmur of a female voice coming from the direction of the kitchen. Sophia was in the house, all right. She was talking to someone. Alexa? Their plans must've fallen through. Or maybe, like him, they'd forgotten something-some ingredient they knew he wouldn't mind their taking from his pantry-and somehow come back for it. He'd returned for a bottle of wine-a Napa Valley pinot grigio that was his mother's favorite, which he brought to Thanksgiving every year. He couldn't believe he'd driven off without it this morning, but he'd been distracted by the repossession of Sophia's car and trying to make sure he wouldn't be late when he picked up Eve. Then there was his dilemma over the pumpkin dessert Sophia had given him. He knew his mother wouldn't even try it, not if she guessed-and she would-that Sophia had baked it, so he couldn't take it to dinner. He couldn't leave it in the house where she might find it, either, or share it with Eve's family. So he'd eaten what he could in his car, dumped the rest in the garbage behind the liquor store and put the pan in his trunk before he reached his girlfriend's.

At least that dessert had been good-one of the best he'd ever tried. As far as he was concerned, his mother had lost out because of her att.i.tude. Already, he regretted disposing of what he couldn't eat and wished he'd figured out a way to save it for later.

"h.e.l.lo?" he called.

There was no answer, but as he headed down the stairs, he recognized Sophia's voice. She wasn't talking to Alexa. And she wasn't in the kitchen. She was sitting on the steps leading down to his wine cellar, talking on her cell phone. If Alexa was around, she didn't seem to be in his house.

He was pretty sure Sophia hadn't heard him call out and didn't know he was there. He was about to make her aware of his presence, to ask where Alexa was and why they both weren't at Thanksgiving dinner, when he heard the tears in her voice. She was trying to talk to her mother, but whatever was being said on the other end of the line was upsetting her. She kept saying, "Mom, listen to me. The nurses checked your bed." And then, "It's Sophia. Your daughter, remember? Sophia?"

Finally, she grew so frustrated she hung up and sat staring at the bottle of wine she had clasped in her other hand. "Hey, what's going on?"

She was so startled when he spoke that she nearly dropped the wine as she twisted around to face him. Then she scrambled to her feet. "Ted! I'm sorry! I-I didn't expect you back until late tonight."

Her face went so red he could tell she was mortified to be caught crying on the steps of his wine cellar. "It's no problem. But why aren't you at your in-laws'?"

"Oh...I-I decided not to go at the last minute."

Was that true? Or had she not been invited? Eve had once told him how badly the DeBussis treated her. He hadn't thought too much about that earlier-relationships within a family could go back and forth, and some did, quite often-but Eve's words stood out in his mind now. "And Alexa?"

"Sharon picked her up an hour ago."

"So you're here alone."

"Yeah." She smiled as if she didn't have tears in her eyes. "It's a nice break. I-I'm grateful for the solitude. As a mother, you never get much time to yourself."

She was trying too hard to sell it. He played along, but Thanksgiving generally wasn't a time people wanted to be alone. "It's always nice to have some peace and quiet," he said.

"Exactly." She lifted the wine bottle. "I was going to pay you for this. I-I wasn't just going to take it. I hope you know that."

He trusted her. Since he'd started having her pay for his groceries with a credit card, he often found the receipts with two or three bucks and some change on his kitchen counter for whatever little thing she'd picked up for herself or Alexa. "Either way, it's fine. You're welcome to whatever food I have. I've told you that before."

"I appreciate it, but I don't want to take advantage. And...just so you know, I don't usually come into your house when you're gone. I merely wanted-" she lifted the wine again "-to get this."

He didn't mention the Golden Crisp on his dining room table. "It's no problem, like I said."

"Thanks." With a smile that was obviously intended to mask what she was really feeling, she hurried down the stairs to return the wine bottle to the rack.

"I thought you wanted that," he said when she walked back up.

"Oh, no. Not really. I was just...thinking about it. But I've changed my mind."

"Because I came home?"

"No, because I'd rather save my money."

"Consider it a Thanksgiving gift-a trade for that great dessert you gave me."

"You liked it?"