Let It Be Me (Triplets book 1)

Chapter 5

Something caught Ophelia's eye, and she jerked to the left to see what had caught her attention. It was Sullivan and Polly standing off to the side, watching her and Shay.

"Sullivan! How much did you hear?" Shay demanded as her gaze followed Ophelia's.

"Enough, but don't worry. I won't stop you, Shay. I think it's a good idea."

Shay took a deep breath and gave a tentative smile at Sullivan's words of encouragement. Then she turned her attention back towards Ophelia.  

"I can never picture you being foolish, Ophelia." Shay insisted.

Ophelia stood and motioned for Polly, who joined her on the porch.

"You would be surprised at how foolish I can be," Ophelia said as she gave her attention to Polly. Thinking that she was the ultimate fool to love someone who didn't love her in return.

"How long am I keeping Polly this time?" Ophelia asked Sullivan.

"A few days, I have to go to New York to promote a movie." He shoved his hands in his pockets as he watched her pet the dog.

"Well, Ophelia," Shay said, standing. "I know we love you, and we would all be lost without you, so please don't ever think of leaving us. I think we would all hire a search team to find you and bring you home if you went missing."

Ophelia smiled and fought back the tears. "Thank you, Shay. That's nice to hear."

"And you!" Shay turned to her brother and shoved a finger in his chest. "Why did you have to bring Giselle that gazelle with you? You almost single-handedly ruined Thanksgiving!"

"I second that!" Sawyer said, rounding the corner. "You're lucky that Momma started letting Ophelia cook. It's the only thing that saved us this year." Sawyer leaned against the porch railing.

Reyna could cook, but barely.

"You're supposed to be keeping an eye on gazel- I mean Giselle for me!" Sullivan insisted.

"Don't worry. Pops has it handled." Sawyer grinned at Sullivan's slip up. "You like the nickname? I thought it was appropriate the way she bounces around a room so full of energy, and who can avoid those big doe-like eyes?"

Sullivan took a deep breath as Shay laughed.

"Pops, uh? Why not Momma?" Shay giggled as she stepped off the porch. "That's one way to get rid of her!"

"What did I miss?" Sawyer asked as he looked from one to the other, picking up on the slight tension that remained. He was a sensitive soul despite his pretense of being shallow.

"Shay's running away from home, but she'll keep Ophelia in the loop in case of emergencies," Sullivan announced, and Shay let out a hiss.

"Ophelia really is the only one we can trust!" Shay shot back at Sullivan's revelation.

"Good for you, Shay!" Sawyer said. "It's about time."

Shay looked as if she was going to explode. "You haven't told us why you brought the gazelle with you, Sullivan," Shay returned to her earlier question. "Are you trying to get her to accept less money by getting her in your bed?"

It was a low question even for Shay, but Ophelia understood why she had done it. She was hurt at the cavalier way they were treating her news. Leaving was a big step for her, and it wasn't one she was doing for a lark.

Sullivan tilted his head, considering his sister and if he should respond. If he did respond, it wouldn't be nice. Her comment had been low.

"Is there anything I need to know about Polly?" Ophelia asked before Sullivan could say anything.

Sawyer was watching everyone like they were his entertainment for the afternoon. Dinner and a show.

"No," Sullivan said.

Ophelia's shoulder's dropped with relief when she saw that he had let the comment go. She would like to know what Giselle was doing there, but not at the expense of hurt feelings.

"Come on, Shay!" Sawyer motioned to her. "Let's go tell Momma your news before you lose the nerve. I'll go with you to give you some support."

Shay shot Sullivan a look and then joined her brother, linking her arm through his. Ophelia watched as they walked towards the house with their heads bent together in earnest conversation.

"Thank you," Sullivan said as Ophelia turned her attention back onto him. He had been watching her, not Shay and Sawyer.

"For what?" Ophelia asked as she focused on Polly, suddenly shy.

"For keeping me from saying something I would regret."

"You're welcome, and for the record, I'm sure Shay regrets what she said. You hurt her by treating her news so offhandedly. For her, it is a pretty big deal." Ophelia opened the door to let Polly into the cottage and hopefully end the awkward conversation with Sullivan.

"I'll go join her and Sawyer while they talk to Momma. I'll offer my support as well."

There was a heavy pause, and Sullivan looked as if he wanted to say more, so Ophelia remained silent as she closed the door, and her patience was rewarded.

"You always think the best of everyone, don't you?" Sullivan asked, sounding almost frustrated.

"Would you rather I try to think the worst?" Ophelia asked with a frown, confused by his outburst.

"How do you know what she said isn't true? That I'm not sleeping with Giselle to get her to lower her payday for the movie? Not everyone is as nice as you think they are?" He took a deep breath as if reining in his feelings.

"Giselle is beautiful, so you are probably are sleeping with her. You're not a monk." Ophelia thought of Giselle's long legs and beautiful mane of blond hair. I don't, however, think that you are doing it for financial gain. I don't believe you would have to go to such lengths because you're an honest person. She's also probably pleased to be working on one of your films, and she'd take whatever you offered. But just so I'm clear and for the record, are you trying to say that you're not a very nice person?" Ophelia's frown grew as she turned to look at him. It would be sad if he thought that about himself.

"I obviously hurt your feelings when I called you foolish earlier." His voice was gruff.

"I'm sure you didn't mean to, and how could you know it was a word I disliked so much?" She shrugged, brushing it off.

"I'm sorry I hurt you by using it. I was mad that you had hurt yourself." He crossed his arms in defense.

"So, you lashed out at me by calling me foolish?" Now she really was confused.

"Yes," was his only response.

Ophelia waited, but when he didn't expound anymore on his comment, she shook her head.

"I'll take good care of Polly for you," she said, wanting to end the conversation. "You had better join your mother and Shay before the conversation ends in tears."

Sullivan nodded, and with one last look that Ophelia couldn't decipher, he turned and left her.

It was the oddest conversation she had ever had with him. He had seemed almost awkward, which was not like him at all. Normally, he was very self-assured, and there was always a point to be made when he spoke.

Maybe the apology was the point, and he just wasn't that good at apologizing.

The thought amused Ophelia, and she gave a smile as she went into her little cottage. The rest of the afternoon was hers, and she was going to take a nap. Let the Richards work out their own problems for a change.