Sisters By Choice

“The food is for me. Why is your name on the container? Shouldn’t it be my name?”

Heather had wanted to tell her mother that it didn’t really matter whose name was where. Breakfast was being delivered, free and delicious. Was the name that important? But it wasn’t a fight worth taking on.

Heather set the take-out container in the basket on the front of her bike, then strapped on her helmet. She had a car, but for short trips, it was faster and cheaper to take her bike—not to mention good exercise. As she pedaled toward the house where she’d grown up, she planned out the rest of her day. She would be home by nine fifteen. That gave her nearly two hours to study for finals before she took her mother car-shopping.

Amber had been rear-ended three weeks ago at the island’s only stoplight. Her car had been totaled and Amber had sustained soft tissue injuries that had put her on disability. Heather felt bad about her mother’s pain and hoped she would heal quickly, only there was a tiny part of her—a wretched, mean-spirited, bad part of her—that wondered if Amber had been injured much at all. Because being on disability was a whole lot easier than going to work.

Heather rode the last half mile to the house telling herself not to cast judgment. It was her mother’s life—she shouldn’t get involved. Only being involved had always been her job and therein lay the problem.

She pulled up in front of the old rambler where she lived. The front yard was big, with a nice lawn and wide plant beds. Right now everything looked scraggly after the long winter, but there were already the first green shoots from the daffodils and tulip bulbs poking out of the dark soil. In a week or so the flowers would make their first appearance.

The house itself needed a coat of paint, not to mention an overhaul of the kitchen and bathrooms. But pretty much everything was functional and that was much more important than how things looked.

She locked up her bike on the rear porch and went in the back door.

“It’s me,” she called.

“Heather?” Her mother’s voice was weak. “Is that you?”

“Yes, Mom. Who else would it be?”

“You never know. Someone could break in and slit my throat. It’s happened before.”

“Not to you,” Heather said, going for cheerful because sarcasm never worked and she really needed to get to her studying as soon as possible. “I think we’re all pretty safe on the island.”

“Did you bring me breakfast? I’m in so much pain and I can’t take my pill until I eat.”

“I did.”

Heather popped the frittata onto a plate, then put it in the microwave for a quick heat. She poured coffee before carrying everything into the small, shabby living room where her mother lay on the sofa.

Amber made a feeble attempt to sit up, then squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered. Heather gently helped her raise herself so Heather could put pillows behind her back. Once Amber was comfortable, Heather handed her the plate and left the coffee within reach.

“I need to go study, Mom. I have my last final tomorrow.”

“But we’re still going car-shopping later this morning, aren’t we?”

“Yes, we are.”

Heather thought about the conversation she’d been putting off and knew she’d run out of time. Reluctantly, she sat in the club chair opposite the sofa.

“Mom, the insurance check was nine thousand dollars. You’re talking about wanting to get a late-model SUV. All the ones you’ve shown me are at least twenty thousand, even used. Are you going to take out a loan for the rest?”

Amber, a heavyset, dark-haired woman with brown eyes, put down her plate. “What are you saying?”

Amber was only thirty-eight, but she looked at least forty-five. She’d been pretty when she’d been young, but whatever good looks she’d had seemed to have faded, along with any ambition.

“Just there’s tax and the license fee, so a twenty-thousand-dollar car is going to end up being about twenty-three thousand. That’s a loan for what, fourteen thousand? You might want to put some savings toward the balance to bring down the loan amount.”

Tears filled Amber’s eyes. “Savings? I don’t have any savings. Barely a thousand dollars. I work at that hideous job where they pay me nothing. With all the expenses around here, there’s nothing left over.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. It’s not fair. That man hit me and totaled my car, but he gets off easy. I’m the one who’s going to have to pay for his carelessness. I wish they’d thrown him in jail. He deserves that. The police barely gave him a ticket. I doubt they would have if I hadn’t insisted.”

“Mom,” Heather said gently, ignoring the knot in her stomach. “The car?”

Her mother’s lower lip trembled. “I guess there isn’t going to be a car for me. I’ll have to take the bus. It’s only a mile from the bus stop to the house. Once my back heals, I should be able to manage that.”

“You really only have a thousand dollars in savings?”

Amber stared at her. “Would I lie about that?”

Heather was pretty confident she would, but she couldn’t be sure and with Amber’s accounts all online, there was no way to check. As for affording a payment...

Don’t, she told herself. Just don’t even try.

“Do you have any money?” her mother asked, her voice small. “Some you could loan me?”

And there it was. The thing Heather had been avoiding. The question she’d known was coming from the second she’d heard about the accident. Because the financial buck stopped with her. She was only twenty, but she’d been supporting the household since she was sixteen.

She thought about how she’d scrimped and saved hoping to, one day, have enough to finally escape. She wanted to take more than two classes each quarter at the local community college, she wanted to have one good job, not three or four part-time ones. And most of all—please, God—one day she absolutely did not want to have to be responsible for her mother.

“Loan?” she asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of her tone.

Amber jerked as if she’d been slapped. “Why would you say it like that? I’m your mother. I’ve taken care of you all your life. If I hadn’t gotten pregnant, I could have gone to college and made something of myself. I’m here for you all the time, Heather. You’re lucky to have me.”

Which may or may not be true, but at the end of the day, her mother never paid her back. No matter how many times she’d “borrowed” money.

“How much do you have?” her mother asked.

Heather wanted to lie. She desperately wanted to make up a smaller number so she could keep some of it for her future, but she couldn’t. She didn’t have the lying gene. She’d tried, but she always sounded funny and instantly confessed.

“Six thousand dollars.”

Amber’s eyes lit up. “That’s perfect. I’ll only have to borrow eight thousand. That’s a very doable loan payment.” She waved toward the bedrooms. “Study away, then we’ll go buy me a car. I’m so excited. I hope they still have the blue one. It’s so pretty and has really low miles.”

She wiggled in her seat as if her back pain had suddenly disappeared.

Heather walked to her room, trying not to be angry about the fact that her mother was going to clean out Heather’s savings while leaving her own intact. She’d just opened her computer to review her notes, when her phone rang. She glanced at the screen, then smiled.

“Hey, Sophie,” she said. “How’s it going?”

“Great. I am standing in my new warehouse. It’s not perfect, but I will make it work.”

Sophie, Amber and Kristine were cousins who had grown up together. Amber was a few years older. Heather remembered Sophie and Kristine babysitting her when she’d been little.

“I still can’t believe you leased a warehouse you’ve never seen,” Heather told her.

“I had to grab it while I could. The alternative would have been something on the mainland and I didn’t want that.”

“When did you get here?”

“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 already 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 one 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.