Chapter 14

Sophie

I nibbled on my breakfast to avoid working Monday morning. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to dive back in to Hopper’s finances, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave the kitchen table. I secretly hoped Andrew would make an appearance. My eyes kept flickering to the kitchen’s entrance, squinting down the dark hallway to try and catch a glimpse of Andrew on his way to his office.

He didn’t show up, but after a while, I was no longer alone. Liam slipped silently into the kitchen from the back room. I didn’t notice him at first. He moved so quietly that when I saw him, I almost jumped out of my seat.

“I’m sorry, Miss Sophie,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

I laughed. “It’s okay. I’m easily startled.”

Liam smiled kindly and continued his work in the kitchen. He wiped down the counters and then set to work brewing a pot of coffee. I watched him for a few minutes, wondering how someone his age never seemed to tire.

“Why don’t you sit for a minute?” I asked. “Join me for a bite of breakfast.”

“Oh, I shouldn’t,” Liam said. “There’s a lot of work to do.”

“I insist,” I said firmly. “I’ve barely had the chance to talk with you since I got here.”

“I don’t know,” Liam said nervously. He glanced into the hallway, clearly thinking about how Andrew would react.

“If Andrew has a problem with it,” I said. “You can blame it on me.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Liam said, smiling. “I’m not afraid of Mr. Andrew.”

“Then, sit,” I said. I pushed out a chair with my foot and raised my eyebrows.

Liam laughed at my persistence and sighed. He slowly walked over to join me, sinking onto the chair as if he’d never sat down before in his life.

“Thank you,” I said with a nod. “I’ve been dying for company all morning.”

“Are you lonely here?” Liam asked with a frown.

I shook my head. “No. Andrew was a gracious host the last couple of days.”

I smiled to myself, remembering our motorcycle ride and talk by the lake. When I first met Andrew, I hated him instantly. Now, just a week later, I found myself inexplicably drawn to him.

“I’m glad,” Liam said.

“I was surprised,” I admitted. “I really thought he would keep hiding from me until I left.”

“Me too,” Liam said. “Mr. Andrew isn’t always the most sociable person.”

“What was his father like?” I asked curiously. “I never met Mr. Hopper, but my father talked about him for years.”

“Mr. Hopper was a fine man,” Liam said. He smiled sadly, remembering his late boss. “In all the years I worked for him, I never once heard him say a negative thing to anyone. He was kind and generous to a fault. Forgiving. Loyal.”

“Wow,” I said. “Sounds like he was a saint.”

“In so many ways, he was,” Liam said. “I truly loved working for him.”

“I’m sure.” I smiled, but it quickly faded from my lips. It didn’t make sense. If George was so wonderful, where did Andrew get his distant attitude?

“It was terrible when he died,” Liam said. He shook his head and looked down at the table. “I still miss him.”

“I’m sorry.” I reached across the table to squeeze Liam’s hand. He smiled at me gratefully, tears brimming in his eyes. “I’m sure you cared about him very much.”

“He was like a brother to me,” Liam said. “After so many years of working for him, we became family. Mr. Hopper never treated me like a servant. He always asked me to do things. He never demanded. It’s so rare for someone in his position to act that way. I was blessed.”

“And his wife?” I asked cautiously. “Was she the same?”

“Oh, yes,” Liam said. “She was kind, but stern. Emily had a classic, salt of the earth attitude. She didn’t take much from anyone, but she would do anything for the people she loved. I’ve never met such a devoted mother in all my life. Andrew was her entire world.”

“When did she pass away?” I asked.

“Years ago.” Liam sighed. “It was sudden. It shook Mr. Hopper and Mr. Andrew horribly. I always wondered if that was what caused their—”

Liam’s eyes widened, and he suddenly stopped talking. He looked horrified with himself. I frowned and glanced behind me, expecting to see Andrew, but he wasn’t there. Liam and I were still alone in the kitchen.

“What is it?” I asked. “Are you okay?”

“I shouldn’t share such personal things,” Liam said quickly. “My apologies, Miss Sophie, but it really isn’t my place.”

“I understand,” I said. “It’s okay, Liam.”

“Maybe I should get back to work,” Liam said, half rising from his chair.

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” I said with a laugh. “We can talk about something else. Tell me about you, about your family.”

Liam smiled and regaled me with stories about his sisters. He had four, two had already passed away, and two more lived out of town. His eyes lit up when he spoke of his nieces and nephews. He even pulled out his wallet to show me the pictures he carried with him. I could tell Liam didn’t get many chances to talk about himself. It was nice to visit with him, and soon, the morning had almost passed us by completely.

“What are you two doing in here?” a voice asked from behind me.

I jumped and spun around in my chair. Andrew had finally made his appearance. I smiled when I saw him, my eyes immediately locking on his. No matter how many times I saw them, I was still amazed by that one blue and one green iris.

“Just visiting,” I said simply. “I was eating breakfast and insisted Liam take a break to chat with me.”

“It’s almost eleven o’clock,” Andrew said sharply. “You both have work to do.”

“You’re right,” Liam said. “I apologize, Mr. Andrew.”

“It’s my fault,” I said. “I was lonely for some company, and I trapped Liam. Really, he was my prisoner this whole time.”

“Don’t be silly, Miss Sophie,” Liam said. “I enjoyed every minute of our chat.”

I smiled at him warmly, but the smile fell quickly from my face when I saw the anger in Andrew’s eyes. He wasn’t at all amused by my friendship with Liam. He glared at Liam sharply until the old man hurried out of the room to continue his daily tasks.

“It really was my fault,” I said. “I got him talking, and once we started, it was hard to stop.”

“You have work to do, too,” Andrew said.

He didn’t bother looking at me again before disappearing back down the hallway. I watched him go, my forehead furrowed, and my stomach tied in a knot. What just happened?

When I was sure Andrew was safely back in his office, I cleared my dishes and hurried back upstairs. My office was far away and cold, but I forced myself to focus on work. I slid into my chair and pushed myself up to my desk. My nose stayed buried in papers for what felt like hours as I did my best to keep my mind occupied.

The last thing I needed was to let myself dwell on Andrew’s foul mood. My curiosity was already too strong where Andrew was concerned. I couldn’t keep myself from wondering about his childhood, his parents, his interests, his hobbies. Everything about him pulled me in deeper, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to detach myself.

“May I come in?”

I jerked my head up quickly. I was so absorbed with work that I hadn’t heard the door creak open. Andrew was standing in the doorway, watching me with a slight frown on his face.

“Of course.” I nodded and gestured for him to sit down across from me.

“How’s your day going?” he asked as he lowered himself onto a chair.

“Good,” I said. “I’m getting through everything quickly.”

“I’m sure you are,” Andrew said. “Listen, I’m sorry about this morning. I shouldn’t have behaved that way toward you and Liam.”

“It’s okay,” I said, though we both knew it wasn’t.

“I have a hard time distancing myself from work,” Andrew said. “When I’m in the zone, all I can see are numbers and bottom lines. So, when I saw you and Liam talking, I snapped into boss mode without thinking.”

“I understand,” I said. “You were right. I’m here to do a job, and I should be doing it.”

“You should also enjoy yourself when you can,” Andrew said kindly.

I suddenly saw what Liam must have seen in Andrew’s father. The kindness that radiated off Andrew’s face was genuine and warm. It was impossible to miss, and from everything Liam said, he learned it at his father’s side.

“I’m actually enjoying myself much more than I imagined,” I said.

“I think I might be able to up your enjoyment even more,” Andrew said slowly.

“Oh?” I raised my eyebrows and sat back in my chair.

“I have to go on this archeological dig,” Andrew said. “It’s overseas. Somewhere obscure in Africa. I’m not totally sure where. But I was thinking you might want to join me.”

“Join you?” I asked blankly. “Like, go with you? On the dig?”

Andrew laughed. “Yes, if that’s something you’d be interested in, I mean.”

“Are you kidding?” I laughed. “I would love that.”

“Excellent,” Andrew said. He clapped his hands together enthusiastically. “I’ll make all the arrangements then.”

“Okay.”

Andrew pushed himself to his feet while I continued to stare at him with a blank expression. I couldn’t believe this was happening. Just this morning, he was angry and dismissive. Now, he was apologizing and asking me to join him overseas. My brain couldn’t keep up.

“What will I be doing?” I asked just before Andrew reached the door. “I mean, should I bring any documents along or maybe the laptop?”

“No.” Andrew shook his head. “The financial side of things can wait until we get back. You’ll just come with me as an assistant. You’ve never seen a dig before, right?”

“Never,” I said.

“You’ll love it.” Andrew grinned and let himself out of the office, pulling the door softly closed behind him.

I couldn’t focus on work again for the rest of the day. I spent hours just sitting in my office, staring at the closed door and wondering what just happened.

So many things about Andrew were becoming clear. I understood that his childhood was far different from mine. He was forced into an industry he wasn’t even sure he liked. The way he spoke about Hopper Antiquities almost made me sad. Andrew never had the chance to venture out and explore other opportunities. He had one destiny, one path to follow.

I was beginning to understand his anger and self-induced solitude. I knew that, deep down, he was a kind-hearted and sweet man. But there were still so many things I couldn’t wrap my head around.

As I sat at my desk that evening, I wondered how the trip would go. I couldn’t believe that finally, after all these years, I was going to watch while a team of archeologists uncovered lost treasure. It was a dream come true, and it was all happening because of Andrew.

Every ounce of animosity I’d felt toward Andrew was suddenly gone. I no longer thought of myself as his indentured servant. I felt lucky to work for him, lucky to have met him. Not only was he a much different man than I first thought, but for the first time in my life, I was going to spend time somewhere other than Augusta, Maine, and it was all because of him.