They all plot against me. I do not want to be babied. I want to go back to work.But in the midst of Sophie's tempestuous thoughts, she remembered how awful she felt just walking in from Mr. Riley's truck.You are not as strong as you'd like to think, Sophie. You had better do as you're told.
She came out of her own reflections to hear Tory speaking. She was sharing something that had happened at school that day, and when Sophie saw the comical look on her face, she laughed and gasped.
"Are you hurt?" The child wished to know.
"My side," Sophie explained. "But only if I laugh."
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Gladys had joined them and told Sophie this was normal.
"It will pull for quite some time. You may need to take it very easy, even after the doctor says you can be up and around."
For the first time Sophie only nodded. It was beginning to look like she would be laid up for several days. A moment later, when Gladys asked the Riley children to come to supper on Friday night and bring their father, she knew it was true. It would be sometime next week before she could return to work.
***
"Well, Alec, hello," his mother said into the telephone with surprise. "Is everything all right?"
"Do I really call so seldom that I panic you with the sound of my voice?"
His mother laughed. "I'm just surprised. Are you calling about spring break?"
"Yes. Did you get my letter about April 6?"
"Yes. It said the kids are done that day."
"Right, we'll leave right after school and try to put in several hundred miles. It will make a long second day, but we'll be into Naples the afternoon of Palm Sunday."
"That sounds fine. I'm already baking some of the kids' favorite cookies."
"I figured as much. Listen, Mom, what I really called about was to ask you if Sophie could come down with us."
"Of course, Alec," she answered without hesitation. "I was going to ask you if Craig might like to sleep in the bungalow this year, but it would be perfect for Sophie." She stopped speaking then, and Alec knew what was coming. "Is there something you want to tell us, Al?"
She heard his sigh.
"I'd like there to be, Mom, but right now, no, there isn't. I haven't even asked Sophie yet, so I'm not even sure she'll come. But if she does, you can bet she'll think I'm asking her along to work."
"But you'd rather she didn't."
"Right. It was only two weeks ago that she was in the hospital, and I think she needs the rest."
"But it's not just that, is it?"
"No," he admitted softly. "I'd like to get to know her better, but I haven't figured out how to go about it."
"I take it she has no knowledge of your interest."
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"None whatsoever."
"And the children?"
"Just Rita."
"How does she feel about it?"
Alec chuckled. "She tried to be subtle, but she basically asked me straight out why I wasn't dating Sophie."
Kay joined his laughter. "You've never experienced that before, have you?"
"What's that?"
"I mean, when you courted Vanessa there were no children around. Now you have six eyes watching your every move."
Alec had never thought of that before and didn't know if he wanted to laugh or groan. If he ever did get Sophie to see that he was interested in her, he'd have all three of his children observing every detail. It was something more to pray about.
He and his mother talked of the store his folks owned and operated, the weather, his father's back, and general things for another 20 minutes. Alec, who had been talking in the bedroom, was tired enough to go to bed, but resisted. He rose from the chair and dug in his closet for his shoes. It was still very snowy out, but the roads were dry and he was in need of a run- hopefully one that would clear his head and help him to carry on patiently until he knew without a doubt that he could talk to Sophie about what was happening in his heart.
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"Florida?"
"That's right. We'll drop as far down into Illinois as we can on Friday, then drive all day on Saturday. We'll arrive at my folks' sometime on Palm Sunday."
"And you want me to work in your parents' home?"
"No," Alec said and could have kicked himself for doing this without the kids. "We go to my parents' place for spring break every year, and this year we'd like you to come with us. It's a vacation." Tempted to remind her that she was not completely back on her feet, Alec thought better of it. He had learned two things about Sophie in the last weeks: She did not like her schedule altered, and she did not like to be sick.
"How much is cost?"
"There isn't any. We stay with my folks and eat their food. Mom bakes for weeks before we come. They even have a bungalow in the back of their house that she's got all ready for you to stay in."
"But there must be cost."
"No, Sophie, not any more than if just the four of us were going." Well, this was almost true. They would need an extra motel room for the nights down and back, but he wasn't about to mention this. "My parents are looking forward to meeting you," he added.
She looked very suspicious and uncertain. It sounded wonderful. Indeed, it sounded too good to be true. It wasn't that she didn't trust Mr. Riley, but surely she would be expected to work.
"You will not want work?"
"Just the everyday things, and we all pitch in with that."
"Everyday things," she repeated.
"You know, the dishes and setting the table, laundry, and stuff."
Sophie nodded and thought for a moment. "Is long way?"
"Yes. Here," Alec rose from the kitchen table and went for the
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atlas. He opened it to the pages that showed the U.S. map and pointed.
"The route we take is about 100 miles longer than the most direct one, but the highways are excellent and the roads are less traveled. From Wisconsin we drop down into Illinois, then down to Missouri. We angle into Tennessee; it can get a little hairy around Nashville. Then we go down to Alabama and finally into Florida. Naples is way down here below Ft. Myers."
"Is far," Sophie breathed as her dark eyes studied the trail his finger had traced.
"Yes. About 1500 to 1600 miles."
"You stop and sleep?"
"Yes, two nights. You and the girls will share a room, and Craig and I will bunk together."
Sophie was aware of the fact that she hadn't said she would go, and her look said as much to her employer.
"The kids really want you to go, Sophie." Alec sat back down at the table. "I asked them even before I called my folks, and they thought it was a great idea. I'm not telling you that to pressure you, but I think sometimes you try to stay too distant."
"I do not want to push in," Sophie admitted. "I am not their mother, and I do not wish to interference."
"Interfere," Alec corrected, "and you're not. I would tell you if it was a problem."
Sophie nodded. This she could believe. Mr. Riley was very good about coming to her over the different matters that arose, and he was always direct and kind.
"Will you come?"
"Yes," Sophie said, her eyes now back on the map. "But if you change your head, you must-"
"I'll tell you." Alec cut her off, glad she wasn't looking at him.Change his mind? Not a chance.He sat studying her lovely profile, still amazed at the way she had been here for months and he had never seen her. She'd been right under his nose. His mother would have said, "If she was a snake, she'd have bit you." Well, he had been bitten all right, but this was no snake.
"The road looks like snake."
"What?" Alec nearly shouted at her, thinking he'd said something out loud.
"I said road looks like snake. All curvy."
"Oh, yeah." Alec was so relieved he chuckled softly. Sophie looked at him, trying to understand the joke, but he didn't share the reason for his nervous laugh.
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"What do you take to wear?" she now
asked.
"Lots of shorts and T-shirts. Swimsuit, towel, thongs for your feet. A straw hat if you have it."
"It will be hot," she stated.
"It's hard to say. It could rain quite a bit. But no matter what, it will be warmer than Wisconsin, so dress accordingly."
Sophie nodded. Now was the time.
"When I work for Mr. Markham at Tony's, I would talk to him."
Alec had no idea where this came from, so he waited.
"I was his employee."
"Okay," Alec finally managed.
"When we needed supplies, say napkin or cloth for table, I would say."
Alec needed less than a heartbeat to understand. "And we need some things?"
"Yes. Children have holes in some clothes, and Craig is grow very fast."
Alec nodded, and then realized she was blushing.
"Is there more?"
Sophie nodded but didn't look at him. Again Alec understood.
"I need things, too?"
Sophie nodded swiftly and stood. "I should need to do laundry now," she mumbled and shot into the laundry room as if the seat of her jeans was on fire. Alec only smiled-a smile of love and tenderness. He could well imagine his own embarrassment if he'd had to tell Sophie that she needed to buy new underclothing. Someday, Lord willing, they would have a relationship where such things were right and good, but not now.
However, Alec's thoughts led him to wonder if Sophie had any such needs of her own. He knew that this was one area he could not approach without embarrassing her to death. Suddenly, it came to him.Rita-she is just the one.Alec decided then and there to shop with Craig and ask Sophie to shop with the girls. When the girls went, he could send some extra money with Rita. Alec's mind ran with the different ways to handle this. When he finally rose he was certain he had a foolproof plan.
***
Four days later the plan was put into action. It proved to be a dismal failure. It was Saturday, and Rita
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and Tory came home from shopping all day with Sophie. They were flushed with the
success of their purchases, but Rita was shaking her head over the time with Sophie.
"Didn't she shop?" Alec wished to know.
"Oh, she shopped all right," Rita told him when they were alone. "For Craig, for Tory, and even for me, but not for herself. She wouldn't take even a fraction of the money you sent for her, and what she did take she spent on the rest of us. She just kept saying, 'Your father is kind enough to include me on this trip. He does not need to buy clothes, too. He will start to think I'm more of a burden than a help.' I'm sorry, Dad."
"No, Rita, it's not your fault. I'll just have to take care of it."
She was instantly intrigued. "What will you do?"
Alec couldn't miss the romantic glint in her eye.
"I'll probably take her shopping."
"Oh, Dad, she'll die," Rita objected. Then she got a mischievous look in her eye. "On second thought, no she won't. She'll just refuse to go."
Alec's brows rose, and Rita knew that she had inadvertently challenged him. She knew she wouldn't be anywhere around, but right now Rita knew she would give her eyeteeth to witness her father's next move.
***
Monday morning Sophie was attacking the kitchen floor when Alec came home. She had a cassette in the player and didn't hear him until he deliberately opened the kitchen door again and slammed it-this time in order to warn her. She looked up from where she was kneeling in the middle of the large expanse of vinyl. Alec had stopped by the counter.
"The floor is dry there. You can walk," Sophie told him, but he didn't move.
"How long before you can be ready to go to the mall?"
Sophie looked surprised, but told him 15 minutes.
"Great. I'll be in my office. Come for me when you're ready." With that he walked through the kitchen. Sophie stared after him for a moment before she pushed to her feet. It was odd, but she was used to doing as she was told, no questions asked.
Twenty minutes had actually passed before Sophie appeared in the doorway of Alec's office, and in that time all he had done was pray. He desperately wanted to help this woman God had placed in their home, but he didn't want to steamroll over her. If that's what it took, however, he knew he would do it. With a final
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plea for wisdom, Alec rose from the desk and Sophie followed him to the truck. They were several blocks from the house before Sophie said a word.
"We are shopping?"
"Yes. I need you to get some things."
Sophie nodded, and Alec wondered when it would be the right time to tell her for whom she was shopping. They found a parking place quite near the door, so they were halfway down the mall when he realized he was running out of time to break the news to Sophie.
"I sent some money with Rita on Saturday, but she said you didn't shop for yourself."
"No," Sophie told him, suddenly feeling rather bad over the way she had shunned his generosity.
"Did you not need anything?"
Sophie didn't answer, and Alec came to a sudden halt. She stopped as well and looked up at him. She was taller than average, almost 5'8", but with Mr. Riley at 6'2", she still had to tip her head back to see his face.
"Sophie," he now asked pointedly, "are you in need of some things?"
"Maybe a few, but-"
She was not given a chance to finish. Alec took her arm and started her toward the large department store at which they had stopped. He dropped his hand after just a few steps, but Sophie stayed at his side. She showed every sign of cooperating until Alec moved purposely through the store and stopped before the lingerie department. Sophie's eyes widened, and she turned with every intention of bolting, but Alec's hand tookher armandbrought her back to his side. Sophie stood, poker-stiff, arms at her side, eyes straight ahead, thinking she would die.
"You're going to start in this department," Alec said softly, bending to catch her ear. "I'm going to take a walk and check on you later. Get whatever you need."
Sophie's head was shaking in denial, so Alec moved closer.
"You need things and we're starting in this section. Now here are some bills," he pressed them into her palm and closed her fingers around them. "I want you to get what you need, and I'll leave you to do it if you'll tell me now that youwilltake care of it."
Sophie couldn't speak. She was dying right on the spot, and no words would come.
"Do you understand what I want, Sophie?"
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She was silent.
"Answer me, Sophia." When he should have been out of patience, his voice turned into a caress, and she finally looked at him.
"Do you understand what I want you to do?" he asked again, his eyes tender.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Good. I'll check on you in a while, and if I don't find you, I'll assume you're still busy in here. When you're through, go to that bench down the way and wait for me."
Sophie managed to nod, and Alec took off. For the space of many heartbeats she could not move an inch. Her lips had gone utterly dry, and her