Hope from Daffodils by Karen Coulters

Author:Karen Coulters [Coulters, Karen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Howland Press
Published: 2019-03-22T19:18:31+00:00

Chapter 23

Morning came slowly for Sophie, who tossed and turned as Daisy kneaded the bed. Daisy seemed as restless as she was. Sophie didn’t want puffy circles under her eyes for the photo shoot, but the more she didn’t want them, the more she kept herself from falling asleep. Thank goodness Brady was a professional and could touch up the photos to remove her imperfections, she thought as the time slowly ticked by.

Darkness filled the room as the sun waited to announce that morning had arrived. Still resting her eyes, she reached for the alarm on her phone, ending its final interruption of her slumber. The familiar sound of tires on the gravel drive gave her comfort. Emily had arrived, and the smell of bread and confections would soon be wafting through the air.

Daisy bounded off the bed in search of breakfast. Sophie gathered her robe from the foot of the bed, wrapped it around herself to remove the chill from her skin, and slid on her slippers. As she walked past the nursery, she popped her head inside. The freshly painted and papered walls made the room come to life. She instinctively gave herself a hug and envisioned a bright side of her future. After yesterday, with Brady, she’d dared to dream of this giving, kind man in her life and looked forward to spending her day with him.

Sophie grabbed her owl cup from the cabinet and placed it in the Keurig. She pushed the button, then waited as the mesmerizing, tranquil sound of drips filled her cup.

Emily popped her head in. “Good morning, sunshine. I saw your light was on. What’s got you up so early?”

“Brady is going to do a photo shoot with me. I want to make myself photo ready, which is near impossible. I look like death. See these dark circles? There’s not enough makeup in the world to cover this mess.”

“You, partner, are beautiful in every way,” Emily said. “I wish I had your skin. And your hair. And your height. And your—”

“Enough already,” Sophie said with a bashful glance. “Besides, you’re just saying that. But thank you. Do you want a cup?”

“No, thanks. I have too much to get done today.”

“I thought you were all done for this weekend’s client. I was hoping you could relax a bit. You’ve been out straight.”

“Umm, I just want to get some prep done and experiment with a few things. I’m thinking cupcakes today.”

“Yummy, I love cupcakes. Save one for me, will you?”

“Sure thing. Now go make yourself gorgeous, and I’ll leave you alone. Maybe later today, you can show me some of the shots, if Brady is willing to share them before they’re perfect.”

“If I tell him you’ve made cupcakes, it might just be enough to persuade him.” Sophie picked up her cup. “Time to go get pretty. See you later, partner.” Daisy led the way back up the stairs.

The sun was just beginning to peek through the darkness as Sophie stepped out of the shower. The warmth of the water eased her aching muscles.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.