Page 40 of Perfect Enough

Sophia nodded. “I will. Be careful driving back home.” She kissed her mother on the cheek, then gave David a smile. “Good night, David.”

“Feel better, Sophia,” he said. For a moment, I thought he was going to hug her or maybe give her a kiss on the cheek, but he seemed to change his mind at the last second.

Sophia turned to me. “Shall we?”

“Yes, of course.”

I took her hand in mine, and we made our way through the ballroom and out into the hall. Once there, Sophia picked up speed, and I thought she was going to break into a full-on run.

“Sophia?”

The sound of Karen’s voice behind us nearly had me crawling out of my own skin. I quickly turned a corner and pulled Sophia into a room and shut the door.

“Where are we?” Sophia asked, looking around.

“It’s an old coat closet. It’s been here for years. My cousins and I used to play in here the few times we came to the club for a wedding or what have you, when we were kids. They turned itinto a cleaning closet for a little while, but after that, it just sat empty.”

The muffled sound of a female’s voice drifted into the small room. It was dark, but there was light coming in from around the door.

“Sophia? Josh?”

Dropping her head to my chest, I felt Sophia’s muscles tighten yet again. She was holding her breath.

I rubbed my hand over her back, and she relaxed little by little.

We waited a few minutes, then she whispered, “Do you think she’s gone?”

“I sure hope she is. That woman is annoying as hell!”

Sophia giggled.

Turning her slightly so I could open the door, I peeked out. “Coast is clear.”

Sophia rushed out of the closet and started toward the exit, with me right behind her.

Once we stepped outside, I handed the valet my ticket. It was someone I didn’t know this time, and I gave him some cash as I said, “Move us up to the front, will you?”

He smiled and took off at a run.

I watched as Sophia kept glancing over her shoulder.

“Soph, is everything okay?”

She shook her head. “Those people who made that comment about my father? Those people…those are myfamily. My own family, whispering about me like I wasn’t even standing there. And Karen! Oh my God. If given the chance, I think she would have tried to have sex with you on the damn dance floor!”

Her words halted as the valet pulled up with my truck. I opened the door and held her hand as she climbed into the cab.

As I pulled away, she leaned back and sighed.

“I’m sorry you had a stressful evening. Maybe it was actually madeworseby me being there.”

“I should haven’t lied to my mother, and I know that. It’s just…I thought it would be easier for both of us if she assumed I was seeing someone. She wouldn’t be so worried about me, and she’d get off my back for a while. Stop trying to set me up with every young guy she meets. You probably think I’m a coward for not standing up to her.”

“I don’t think that at all.”

Sophia turned her head and stared out the window. I remained silent as we drove down the long drive and out of the country club.

The drive to my house was also a quiet one. I didn’t mind the silence. It was comfortable, if I was being honest with myself.