"Yes." Alec spoke with mock seriousness. "There are rules. First, you must not bake or cook that day."
"What if I enjoy doing these things?"
Alec shook his head sadly. "You're missing the point. Your birthday is a day for you to take off and enjoy yourself."
"You were off work on your last birthday?"
She had him there, and for a moment he didn't answer.
"The rules are different for men," he finally managed, and Sophie laughed.
"What are the rules about telling your date she may have dessert and then not giving it to her?"
"You're ready?"
Sophie nodded, and Alec pulled her around with him to walk in the opposite direction. They headed back to the food court in the mall and, in their dress clothes and Sophie's bare feet, ordered sticky buns and coffee. They talked until after 10:30, and Sophie couldn't have dreamed up a better end to the evening.
An hour later, when Alec made his way slowly upstairs for bed, Tory came into the hall. She was the only one to waken, and Alec hunkered down in front of her for a moment.
"Did you have a good time?" Her voice creaked a little with sleep.
"Yes, Tory. I held her hand," he whispered. "Is that okay?"
Tory smiled sleepily at him. "Yeah."
Alec stood now and, with a hand to the middle of her back, saw her back to bed. He didn't linger because he was tired and knew that the morning was going to come way too soon. Of course, it was going to be Sunday, and he could spend the day with Sophie
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And the kids.
Suddenly it wasn't at all hard to set his alarm.Trying to get comfortable, Alec shifted around under the covers until he had one arm stretched out across the bed.He could still feel Sophie's soft hand in his; it was a wonderful way to fall asleep.
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"Sophie's birthday is next week," Alec told the kids thenext morning.
"What day?" Tory asked.
"Sunday, the fifteenth."
"What'll we do?"
"I'm not sure," Alec told her. "Any suggestions?"
"The Dells," Craig said immediately. "Sophie's never been to the water slides."
"Yeah!" Tory was all for it, but Rita looked dubious.
"I don't know. We need to pick something Sophie would like."
"She will, Rita," Tory told her with conviction. "Sophie likes everything."
"It might not be such a bad idea," Alec put in, and Rita looked at him in surprise. "This next week and through the weekend it's supposed to be in the 90s, with the humidity just as high."
The kids all made faces. It was such a muggy summer, and the bugs had been dreadful.
"Let's just ask Sophie what she wants to do."
Everyone agreed with Rita, but it wasn't that easy. Sophie ate lunch with them after church, but she looked very embarrassed over being the center of attention. When asked what she wished to do, she answered them, but it was no help.
"I want to do what you want to do."
"But it's your birthday," Tory said. "You have to choose."
Her cheeks flushed, Sophie only shrugged and put her eyes down to her plate. Tory was ready to press her, but Alec came to the rescue.
"Sophie doesn't have to decide today. We'll just let it go for now."
Sophie's shoulders slumped with relief, but she didn't look up to thank him. She knew they didn't understand, and an explanation would be so difficult. She might have tried, but Alec stood up right then to help the girls with the dishes. He told Sophie not to help, and she found herself in the living room with Craig. She
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had only gone in to look at a book, but Craig was clearly following her. He wasn't too obvious, picking up a magazine and paging through it as if he had nothing on his mind, but after a moment Sophie looked up to find his eyes on her.
"What is it, Craig?"
"Why don't you want to do anything for your birthday?"
"I do, Craig, but it does not have to be out of ordinary. If I am with the family that I love, what we do is not important."
"What would you do in Czechoslovakia?"
"Something with music," Sophie answered without hesitation. Alec joined them now, sitting in a chair off to the side, but the two took little notice.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, my grandmother and I like music. We might go to a concert or an opera."
Craig made a face, and Sophie laughed.
"You see, Craig, it is much more fun for all of us if you decide. I will like anything."
"Even a water slide at the Dells?"
Sophie's eyes widened. "They have pool to swim in?"
"Uh-huh. Several, in fact."
She sat up a little straighter. "And we could swim for hours?"
"All day," he told her, forgetting her birthday was a Sunday.
Sophie sat back with contentment. She looked at Craig and then at Alec. "I have decided what I would like to do on my birthday."
"Is that right?" Alec was clearly amused by Craig's tactics.
"Yes," she said with conviction. "I will swim all day at Dells."
He turned to his son. "I hope you know you talked her into this."
"I didn't, Dad." He held his hands in the air, quite sure of his innocence. "You were here. She wants to."
He looked at Craig for a moment and then stood. He moved to sit next to Sophie on the couch, and Craig took his leave.
"It's your birthday," he began. "What doyouwant to do?"
"Just be with your family," Sophie said simply, but Alec was not satisfied.
"Why do I have the feeling that you're not telling me something?"
Sophie looked across the room for a long time. She could feel Alec's eyes on her profile, and she prayed that she would be able to say the words.
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"We cannot be too settled on this earth, Alec, because our home is heaven, but I was happy and at peace in Czech Republic. The Lord Christ was my God and He kept me. He also kept me in Chicago, but it was not a happy place to live. Middleton is not paradise, but every day here in Wisconsin is special. My birthday is just another day. If I can be here with your family, it does not matter where.
"You all have so much here, but you do not know. Every day is something to be thankful and praise, but the children all want more. I am sound so critical, but you ask what I want to do, and I tell you and you will not accept."
She now turned to look at him. Because he had sat in the middle of the sofa, their faces were very close. Sophie studied his eyes, and Alec studied hers right back.
"You don't sound critical, but you did make an honest observation. We are spoiled, and we don't even know it. We would like to see you delight in something on your special day, but if you just want to be with us, and the Dells really is acceptable, then that's what we'll do."
Sophie nodded and continued to study him.
"Are you angry?"
"No," Alec shook his head. "I was just thinking about what you said."
Sophie watched him in silence, but after a few minutes she spoke again.
"It is all choices and attitude. I have jobs I must do that are not my favorite. I do not love to clean the bathroom, so I can clean the bathroom with anger or I can be thankful that we have indoor plumbing and clean with peace. I have choice."
Alec did not look at her or respond. Her hands were in her lap, and he reached for one and held it on the sofa between them. Sophie wanted very much to ask again if he was angry, but kept silent. His thumb absentmindedly stroked the back of her hand, and Sophie waited. Still he was quiet.
"Hey, Dad," Tory called from the other room. Alec answered her, and when it was obvious she was headed their way, he let go of Sophie's hand. She put the hand back into her lap, feeling strangely rejected.
"Dad, I just remembered that I'm supposed to go to Anna Mickelson's birthday tomorrow. I don't have a card or anything."
"Meaning what?" Alec asked, but he already knew.
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bsp; She looked at him pleadingly. "Can we please run to the mall? I have a little money set aside, Dad, and I swear it won't take long."
Alec looked at her and then at Sophie. "Want to go with us?"
Sophie shook her head no and smiled a smile she did not feel. Alec, not noticing her disquiet, stood.
"All right, Tory, get your shoes. I'll see you later," he said to Sophie, and she watched him walk from the room. Questions raced through her mind, but no answers followed. Sophie was not happy with the direction of her thoughts, so she made herself stand. She had changed into shorts and tennis shoes before lunch, and was now thankful for the comfort. She still had quite a few things left to move from her apartment, and she might not have another day until the weekend. Reminding herself that it was her choice to be joyful, Sophie started up the stairs.
Over two hours later, after she had walked between the Rileys' and the Nickelberrys' houses six times, she collapsed in a chair. She was beat, but the job was done. All that was left was to clean the apartment, and that shouldn't take long. Sophie wondered absently if Alec would rent it out after that. If he was going to raise her salary, he may not have a choice.
Sophie had kept the last few minutes with Alec pushed carefully from her mind, but now it was time to think and pray.Maybe I will have to be careful with what I say to Alec. I don't want to be. I want to be me and have him listen and stay open.Sophie shared all of this with the Lord and felt better, but the deepest hurt was still trapped inside her. Was Alec ashamed that he had held her hand? Maybe he did not believe in public displays of affection. But that couldn't be true since he'd held her hand in the mall. Sophie's hand came to her mouth in pain and confusion. She hardly even knew how to pray. Her thoughts ran in all directions until she heard the sound of Gladys' voice.
"Sophie, are you down there?"
"Yes, Gladys."
"Would you like to come up and share something cold to drink?"
Sophie looked with dread at the piles of clothes and things around her, but told Gladys that she would be right up.
She forced herself not to think or look around. The piles would wait, and so would her heart pain. With a determined resolve, Sophie stood and put her perishables in the refrigerator. She then slipped into the bathroom to wash her face and hands. A
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few minutes later she was visiting with Gladys and cooling off over a glass of fresh lemonade; for the time being, she would put Alec from her mind.
***
"Where's Sophie?"
Rita looked up from her book and blinked at her father. "Sophie? Isn't she with you?"
"No," Alec frowned. "She stayed here."
Rita shook her head. "I've been on the phone with Kurt, and I haven't seen her at all. I just assumed she went with you guys."
Alec nodded almost casually, but he turned away before Rita could see his worried frown. They were all the way to the mall before he realized how abruptly their conversation had ended- or rather, hadn't ended. He had been taking some serious think time over what she said, but he hadn't explained that to Sophie. Vanessa would have understood, but then she'd been married to him for over 17 years.
Alec looked at his watch. Craig had seen Rick at the mall and gone home with him, but Alec didn't have to pick him up for two hours. Rita was deep in a book, and Tory was wrapping the stuffed Panda she'd found for Anna. Alec was almost certain that Sophie did not have her own phone. Even if she did, he didn't have the number. He wanted to drive down and go right to Sophie, but something made him hesitate. He decided he would stop first at Gladys'. He had a question to ask her, and then he would go around the house and see if Sophie was in.
***
"Would you like some more lemonade, dear?"
"I think water now, Gladys. Thank you."
"How are things going, Sophie?"
"Much better. Thank you for letting me stay for a time, Gladys."
"Take all the time you need, Sophie."
"Well, I will need to get an apartment, since I cannot go back to Rileys."
Gladys didn't ask, but Sophie said, "Alec Riley and I had a date on Saturday night." Sophie was a private person and hadn't planned to tell anyone that, but suddenly she was very glad she did.
Gladys smiled. "Alec Riley is a very blessed man."
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"What about me? Do you not think I am blessed?"
"Yes, I do, Sophie, but I don't know Alec like I know you. I just know that no man could want a more wonderful woman in his life than Sophie Velikonja."
Sophie blushed with the compliment. "It is not serious right now." Indeed, after that afternoon, she didn't know where she stood at all.
"It doesn't need to be," Gladys said, dismissing her words. "You're not children; you'll know how to handle it."
Sophie nodded, praying that this would be true. "This is very new for me, and it is odd at times with the children watching."
Gladys smiled sympathetically. "I can just imagine. It must be rather frustrating for Alec. When you're young you don't have to think about anyone but yourself and the woman you love. With kids in the picture, it's a whole new ball game."
Sophie was still taking in Gladys' terminology when the doorbell rang. Gladys went to answer it, and Sophie remained on the sofa that sat at the far end of the kitchen.
"Well, hello, Alec. Come in."
Alec stepped just inside the door so Gladys could shut out the heat.
"What can I do for you?"
"Sophie's birthday is next Sunday and the kids and I-" Alec cut off when Gladys' finger came to her lips.
"She's here," she said softly.
Alec nodded. "Then I'll talk to you later."
"That will be fine," Gladys' voice came back to normal. "Sophie's here. Come on in and have some lemonade with us."
Sophie, who didn't know about Alec's presence until he walked into the kitchen, did not have time to get off the couch or she would have stood up. Sitting felt rather awkward as Alec's sixfoot-plus frame sauntered into the room. She had yet to see him looking poorly. She'd seen him right after work, in a swimsuit, and in a tie and dress clothes. Sweaty or windblown, he always managed to be attractive. And today in navy tennis shorts and a white shirt, tanned and tall, he was devastating.
"Hi," he spoke directly to Sophie, his eyes intent on her face.
"Hello." Sophie's hand fluttered nervously for just an instant before she forced it into her lap. Alec sat next to her on the couch, and Gladys pressed a glass into his hands. The two older people began to talk, and Sophie sat quietly for most of it. She was attentive, but as soon as there was a break, she stood.
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"I have much to do," she explained, not able to look at Alec. "Thank you for lemonade, Gladys. I will see you later." Her last glance managed to encompass them both, so she didn't have to meet Alec's eyes.
Gladys said good-bye, but Alec was silent. The older woman watched him as his eyes tracked Sophie all the way to the door, his expression unreadable. After a moment he looked back to find his hostess' eyes on him.
"You didn't say good-bye, Alec."
He grinned. "As you might have guessed, I'll be heading down there in a few minutes. She can't get rid of me that easily."
"Do you think she wants to?"
Alec shrugged. "I don't know what to think, and she probably feels the same way about me." He shook his head in wonder. "I haven't done this courtship thing in more years than I'd like to mention."
"And is that what this is, Alec-courtship?"
"I know that Sophie doesn't realize the intensity of my feelings; I've worked very hard at that. But there are some people in my world-you included-who can tell by looking at me."
"I've known since that night at the hospital."
Alec's brows rose, but then he smiled. "She wasn't happy when I brought her here for recovery, but I think that's been forgiven."
"And today?"
The smile faded. "I'm still working on that."
Gladys was st
ill curious, but knew that she must leave them be. She asked Alec about what he'd started to tell her, andafter he'd explained their plans for the weekend, he stood.
"You can go down the stairs, Alec, but I don't suppose it's fair if Sophie's not expecting you."
"I don't mind going around, and I think you're right-she's entitled to her privacy."
With that he was gone, his step light, but his heart prayerful. He didn't think he was headed into a confrontation, but he knew they were off on the wrong foot. It was too early in the relationship for hurts and misunderstandings. His only prayer right now was that he hoped to make things right that very hour.
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Sophie hung HER winter clothes at the back of the closet and rubbed at her arm where a wool skirt had brushed. The very thought of wool on a day like today was unbearable. There was a fan overhead in her bedroom, and Sophie hit the switch. Even with the air-conditioning it was hot, and the swirling air felt wonderful.
Sophie was back out in the living room gathering more bags of clothes when Alec knocked at the door. Sophie was not really surprised, but neither did she feel ready to face him. He looked very serious as she let him in, and Sophie didn't know what to do when he only leaned against the door and looked at her.
"I think I owe you an apology," Alec said quietly.
Sophie felt better just hearing his voice. "Come and sit down, Alec." Sophie rushed ahead of him and cleared a path.
"Is this all your stuff from the apartment?"
"Yes. I do not remember getting all of it, but there it was."
"It's awfully hot out for a move."
"Yes, it was."
"What did you use, the van?"
Sophie blinked at him and shook her head. He was sitting on the end of the sofa now, and Sophie took the chair. She would have sat on the sofa as well, but suddenly feared his disapproval.
"Did you borrow Gladys' car?"
"No, I just walked."
"Why?"
"Rita had the van yesterday." Alec had worked and completely forgotten about this.
"Well, you didn't need to do it all in one day."
"I did not. I did today, too."
"In this heat? Why?"
"Because I had time." Sophie was feeling slightly exasperated.
"But you could have had the van." Alec was frowning at her.