“Good, girl. I’m going to miss you though.”
I pull her into my arms. “I have a feeling we’ll see a lot of each other. Before you know it, you’ll be living in my mama’s house.”
“I’m not leaving Cali.”
Oh, well this will be an issue because Rhett won’t leave South Carolina. I don’t tell her this though. If they’re going to date, they’ll have to figure it out for themselves.
“Are you busy the next couple of days?” I ask her.
“Besides work, not really.”
“Do you think your parents will give you a couple of days off? I’d like to drive over and see Sofia before I go.”
“It’s what, like six hours from here?” Kellie asks, even though she’s looking it up on her phone. “Yeah, I’ll go. Let me text my mom. When do you want to leave?”
“Now. She has to work, but I figure we can sightsee and meet up with her for drinks.”
“Go pack. We’re taking your car.”
It’s always risky, traveling hours to another person’s house without them knowing it, but I didn’t want to risk Sofia telling me not to come because that’s exactly what she’d do.
Kellie and I made excellent time getting to Phoenix. We found a hotel not far from Sofia’s house, and when I called her this morning, she told me she was off at noon and would call me, so I could tell her all about my date.
In hindsight, Kellie and I should’ve waited until today to drive over because now we’re aimlessly wasting time.
“I say we just go over there and surprise her. It’s hotter than Hades out here and the AC in our room is on the fritz.”
True, we went on the cheap side when it came to finding a room, but showing up unannounced, more so than we already are, will upset my friend. But I give in.
“Okay, but I’m telling Sofia this was your idea.”
Kellie brushes me off. “She’ll be fine once we get some tequila into her.”
As sad as it is to say, I’m really looking forward to a night of drinking. Sofia has a pool and I can easily picture the three of us sitting by it with a drink in our hand, gossiping like we used to back in college. Okay, college wasn’t that long ago, but still.
Kellie and I enter the subdivision where Sofia lives. My GPS is telling me to turn right, left, drive straight and turn again. When we finally pull into the driveway, I inhale deeply, trying to calm my nerves. Now that I’m here, I’m second-guessing myself. I’m a horrible friend.
“Someone’s looking out the window.” Kellie points, but by the time I look, the blinds are closed.
“Well, we can’t sit here. Let’s go say hi to her mom.”
We make our way to the front door. The landscape here is cacti and other native to the desert plants, and the yard is concrete. No grass.
Kellie rings the doorbell while my heart has jumped out of my chest and is currently running back to my car and speeding down the road. “I think we’re making—”
The opening of the door cuts off my words. Sofia’s mother stands there, keeping the wooden structure close to her body.
“May I help you?”
“Ms. Tucker, do you remember us? We met in Idaho when you came to visit Sofia? I’m Eleanora and this is Kellie.”
The woman, with her blonde ponytail and dark makeup apprises us while we stand there. I smile every few seconds, waiting for her to say something. I’m trying not to stare, but her blue eyes, they’re vibrant like Quinn’s and I find myself missing him.
“Is there something you need?”
“We came to surprise Sofia,” Kellie tells her. “I live in Los Angeles and Eleanora is about to head back to South Carolina, but she wanted to say goodbye to Sofia first.”
Ms. Tucker’s eyes go from Kellie to mine. “You’re the one lying to your parents?”