In a Book Club Far Away(77)

“It’s your turn, Mommy,” Carmela said. “Daddy wants to take you on there.” She pointed to a kid’s train roller coaster that turned corners at lightning speed so that adults disembarked nauseated.

Sophie eyed Jasper. “That ride isn’t meant for anyone who’s had a baby.”

“C’mon, don’t be a fraidy-cat,” Jasper challenged.

“Come with us, Adelaide.”

Adelaide laughed. “Heck no! I haven’t had a baby, and it makes me want to wet my pants. You guys go. I’ll watch the girls.”

With that, Jasper pulled Sophie away, faux kicking and screaming, and got in line with the next group. With the twins, Adelaide watched the two get seated.

From behind, the music tent played a seventies disco song. The roller coaster began, and the screeching noise of the wheels was drowned out by the music, and soon, the crowd around them began to sing. The twins, who’d climbed up on the metal barrier, belted along, and Adelaide found herself humming to the music.

And for the first time in a long time, she was at peace.

She didn’t know what brought it on. Perhaps it was the knowledge that everything was all right at this moment. That Matt would be home soon. That she was watching a friend scream her head off on a roller coaster, that she was eating fair food, and was tapping her foot along to disco.

Perhaps this was enough, this peace. That even if she never became a mother, her life could be just as fulfilled and content as this moment, with a family that cared for her, with a body that was healthy enough to be out enjoying this night, with these little girls she loved like her own, and, yes, with the book club that she’d given life to.

She pocketed this feeling and promised herself to hold on to it as long as she could. Because her instincts also told her that trouble was brewing.





CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

Sophie




Sophie ended up needing to go to the bathroom after the kiddie roller coaster, and she left her girls with Adelaide and Jasper at the game tent. Walking swiftly, she crossed the park to the fair’s only set of restrooms. The sun had set, and the music was in full swing. The dinner crowd had arrived, and she was starving.

There was a line for the ladies’ room that snaked outside the little building. She followed it to the last person, an older woman who shifted from one foot to the other. “Damn.”

“You’re telling me,” the woman said.

Sophie crossed her arms and looked up at the sky. She counted the stars, then sang along with the NSYNC song being blasted over the loudspeakers, all in the name of distraction. She should have known better than to have waited too long—it was a lesson she’d tried to impart to her girls. The moment one was desperate enough was exactly the time there would be a long line.

She heard a couple arguing. She turned to see a man and a woman behind a tent, mostly shrouded in darkness.

“We can’t do this here,” he said. “My wife’s literally in the bathroom, and she’ll be out any second.”

“You can’t just walk away. What about me?” The woman’s voice was shrill.

“You knew this was temporary.…”

Sophie couldn’t hear the rest of the man’s words, though he continued to speak. His profile and build were familiar, though she couldn’t place where. He was holding the woman—shorter by a head, with a ponytail—by both shoulders. His tone was pleading.

Curious in the same way she frantically paged through the black moment in books, Sophie wandered to the space, her conversation with Adelaide earlier replaying itself in her head. What she was witnessing was none of Sophie’s business, but she was drawn to it.

And with every step, the man’s profile became clearer.

The man was Logan.

Please, God, no.

Sophie had put on a poker face for Adelaide earlier, but yes, Sophie had heard the rumors, too. That Logan was back early because he and another soldier had been inappropriate; adultery was suspected, though nothing could be proved. Even Jasper couldn’t confirm it despite her inquiry. And she knew better than to push.

Sometimes, it was better not to know.

Because right now, seeing Logan with this woman, touching her, looking into her eyes, Sophie realized that the rumors were true. If the two had just been friends, wouldn’t they be conversing out in the open like everyone else? Would they be in a heated argument?

Sophie stepped on a soda can, and the noise drew the two people apart.

Shit.

There was no way out of this but through. Sophie pressed her lips together in what she hoped was a smile. “Hi. Logan?”

“Yeah?” he frowned.

She approached them, leaving the bright spotlight of the tents. “I’m Sophie Walden. From the neighborhood. My husband is Jasper Clemens.”

The woman backed away. “I’ve gotta go.” She turned without another word.

Logan’s face broke into a smile, though it didn’t quite make it to his eyes. “Oh, hey, it’s nice to see you again.”

“Yeah, welcome home.” She crossed her arms. Her curiosity had flipped to protectiveness.

“Thanks.” He mimicked her stance. “Regina should be back soon. And that was… someone I worked with.”

She assessed him, though red flags waved in front of her eyes. Bullshit—that woman wasn’t just a coworker. And Sophie was going to tell him that she knew. That she’d seen enough! And how could he be such a lying jerk?