Miss, Do I Know You?

10 - Friday, October 16

"Who's Casper?"

"The ghost."

I laughed. "Last time I saw her, she wasn't Martin but, um, I don't even remember how to pronounce that correctly. I don't know anymore. But I'm pretty sure she's in a relationship with—"

"Mr. Harris? Yeah, I know. Maybe she's divorced?"

I shook my head, my voice tinged with doubt. "I don't think she's lived long enough. But whatever. I've decided not to care."

"Ignorance is bliss, isn't it?"

The weight crushing me for weeks had lifted like a morning fog, leaving me feeling lighter. Sophia's expression spoke volumes, her face etched with lines of astonishment and contemplation. Her brows were furrowed in deep thought, her gaze lost in the intricate dance of her musings.

But as she peered out of the window, her eyes narrowed, and a veil of bewilderment shrouded her features. "Wait, isn't that Martin's car?"

I shuddered. "Don't joke like that. I'm scared of her enough as it is."

"I'm not joking."

To make sure her words were just a feeble attempt to rattle me further, my lip tucked between my teeth as I followed her stare. And as it fell upon the vehicle parked in front of the coffee shop, my form wilted into the chair, my shoulders hunched over, and my eyes lowered to the tabletop as if I could sink so deep into the dark wood grains that I'd vanish into the ether.

"I wish for a million dollars." I sighed. "And world peace."

"What?"

"What what? Every time I mention her, she appears, and it's seriously starting to creep me out. We're not even in Darby!"

"Stop whining. This is fun," she said with a laugh. "Looks like she's on a date."

As I sat up, my eyes locked on the figure emerging from the car's passenger side. His tall silhouette and elegant attire promised a familiar face even before his features came into clear view.

"Yeah, there was quite a lot of gossip involving those two when he got divorced years ago. It's been like four or five years, so unless she's a cheater, she's not married. Not to him."

"Gossip?"

"Some say she's the reason he got divorced. But I'm not saying any of this is true. I'm not one for spreading rumors."

I was about to prod further when the sweet harmony of the door chime prompted me to fall silent. Alex's voice drifted in as she chatted on the phone, the principal trailing obediently behind. Without even a cursory glance around, she sauntered to the counter, the chunky heels of her boots thumping against the floorboards.

"Just another twenty minutes or so," she said after hanging up the phone.

"We can wait here then." He paused to take in the surroundings, not noticing us tucked away in the corner. "It's a nice spot. You've been here before?"

"Just a few times with Ella, but that was ages ago."

His curiosity tinged with a playful tone. "Y'all don't hang out anymore?"

"She calls me like once a month in the middle of the night and gets upset when I turn her down. As if I have nothing better to do than drop everything and come running to keep her company."

He laughed at her words. "Let's give her a reality check and have her babysit Jack for a day or two."

"You should've suggested that three years ago. Might have been a good laugh, if nothing else."