Bookshop by the Sea by Denise Hunter

Author:Denise Hunter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2021-04-13T00:00:00+00:00

chapter twenty-three

Sophie was touching up the paint in the back room when someone entered the store. Aiden had stepped out a few minutes ago to pick up supplies from the hardware store.

“Forget something?” she called.

“Sophie?”

She frowned at the unexpected voice. “Dad?”

“It’s me.”

She set down her brush, gathered her crutches, and hobbled into the front room. Sure enough, there was her father, hands in his pockets, scanning the room appreciatively.

“Dad . . . Is everything okay?”

His face fell when he saw her crutches. “Honey, what happened to you?”

She gave a self-deprecating smile. “I fell off a ladder. It’s just a sprain. Is everything all right back home?” Surely if something had happened to Seth or Jenna she would’ve been the first to hear.

“Sure, sure. I wanted to see how you were doing, so I decided to drive over and find out for myself.”

“Dad, it’s a three-hour drive. And aren’t you supposed to be at work right now?”

“I’m on midnights this week.” He paced the room, inspecting the paint job. “This place is really coming along. When’s your grand opening?”

“Tuesday, Lord willing.”

“Next Tuesday?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“How are you getting anything done on those crutches?”

“Thankfully, I have help.” She avoided mentioning Aiden since her dad had snubbed him at the wedding. “Let me give you the grand tour.”

She showed him from room to room, explaining which genres would go where. She told him about Nathaniel Quinn’s book signing, but not being a reader, he didn’t recognize the author’s name.

“And this will be the children’s room.” She pointed toward the large window seat. “I’m planning to make a cozy reading spot there, but that’ll have to wait a few weeks.” Or maybe longer. Sophie had gotten an estimate from the auto mechanic this morning. The repairs on her Tahoe would eat a big hole in her meager savings.

“It’s coming along real nice, sweetheart,” Dad said when the tour was finished. “You have an extra brush? I have a little time before I have to get back on the road.”

Warmth surged through her at the offer. “That’d be great, Dad. There’s an extra brush in that bag.”

He retrieved it and she led him down the hall. “If you could touch up around the doorways that would be helpful. It’s hard to manage on crutches.”

“We can catch up while we work.”

She sank onto the floor nearby and resumed painting.

They made small talk for a while, sticking to safer topics like work and Jenna’s honeymoon, their brushstrokes a backdrop for their conversation. She knew she should say something about Aiden being here, but instead she hoped her dad would be gone before Aiden returned.

She was happy to have her father here, and not because of the work he was doing. It felt good to have him stepping up to the plate. Since he’d left the family, it felt as if he’d abdicated his role as parent. And even though Sophie was all grown up now, she still needed her dad.

Conversation flowed fluidly for an hour or so, and talk soon returned to her renovation.

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