Leonie Knight - Suddenly Single Sophie

To disguise his discomfort he unlocked the door, and the heaviness of Sophie’s mood lifted.

‘There you go,’ he said, stepping aside. ‘Furniture’s basic, but you should have everything you need. I’ve left some supplies that I hope will keep you going until you have a chance to go shopping. There’s a deli—you probably saw it as we turned in from the main road …’

He still stood on the threshold, but Sophie had waltzed in and in two short minutes claimed the place as her own. She’d opened the kitchen blind and exclaimed at the quaintness of the small private garden on her back doorstep. She’d sat on the couch and plumped the cushions before smelling the small spray of freesias he’d put in a sauce bottle on the tiny gate-leg table in the corner.

‘Did you do this?’ she exclaimed as she opened the cupboards and then the fridge.

Youth and happiness, untarnished by life’s encumbrances, glowed on her face. The mood was contagious and Will wanted the moment to go on for ever.

‘I guessed what you might need. Don’t worry about throwing things away. Just give the non-perishables back to me if they’re unwanted.’

‘No. Everything’s perfect. I love it.’

She was back in the doorway, reaching out for his hand again, but this time like an excited child. ‘What are you standing outside for? Come in. The least I can do is make coffee.’

Damn, he had a meeting with a builder.

‘No. I have to go. I—’

Her expression changed. Was it disappointment?

‘Oh, of course. You’re a busy man and you must have commitments on the weekends.’ Her eyes were questioning. He was sorry how quickly Sophie’s mood had changed. ‘I’m sorry to have taken up so much of your precious leisure time. I’m sure your family …’

What leisure time? What family?

Lately nearly all Will’s time away from the clinic had been consumed by his efforts to get his pet project off the ground. Any sort of social life was out of the question and he had no family demanding his attention. Will’s heart clenched shut at the memory of the family he’d once had.

The family he’d lost, the family he’d failed … the family he’d destroyed.

And now … The residents of the Springs had infiltrated his life to become his kin. He’d long been aware that the older generation who had known his grandparents kept a watchful eye on him. And the young—the children of his adopted extended family—were the driving force behind his desire to do everything he could to give them the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Could he ever repay his family?

He’d long ago realised the neighbourhood he’d been brought up in was the only place he felt truly at home. He’d be asking too much to expect Sophie to understand, her background being so different from his.

‘No need to worry about family commitments. I’m unattached—no rug rats keeping me awake at night.’ He feigned cheerfulness to disguise his loneliness.

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