That was the question of the hour. “We had words Monday night, and he left on Tuesday. He left me a note saying he thought we needed some space.”

“Has he called since then?”

“Nope. Nor has he texted. I don’t know what I expected. We go back a long way. We were high school sweethearts, and it ended when he left town, left me behind for a job opportunity in Charleston.” Sophie sighed. “I was crazy to let myself fall for him again.”

“He seemed really into you, though. The way his eyes devoured you . . . I’d give my right arm for a man who looked at me like that.”

“I do think he cares. He just has some issues. What am I saying? I have plenty of issues of my own.” Was it too early in their friendship to expound on that? Haley had already owned up to a rocky relationship with her dad. Might as well return the favor.

“You met Jenna on Tuesday,” Sophie said. “But I also have a twin brother. I think I mentioned our mother passed away recently, but I didn’t tell you she was chronically ill or that my father abandoned us when things got bad.”

Haley winced. “I’m so sorry. What did you do?”

“I basically became the parent.” Sophie told her about her caretaking and her difficulty shifting from the parental role as her siblings became adults. She told her about all the favors, the heirloom necklace, and how glib Jenna had been about losing it.

“It’s like you’re a mother at the empty-nest stage.”

“Exactly. This week I broke down and told Seth things needed to change.”

“Good for you. How did he handle it?”

“Surprisingly well. He texted yesterday just to see how my day was going and didn’t ask for a single favor.” Sophie’s smile slipped at the next thought. “I think Jenna might be upset with me, though. She texted me saying she’d had no luck finding the necklace, and it was short and to the point. I need to call her.”

“Sounds like you’re just putting some boundaries in place. That’s perfectly healthy. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about—my mother is a therapist.” She gave a facetious smile. “I’ve been on the receiving end of much advice.”

“Lucky you. People don’t always respond well to boundaries, though. I’ve always been close to Jenna and Seth, and I don’t want that to change.”

“She’ll come around. She knows you love her.”

Sophie drew her thumb through the condensation on her water glass. “This is what Aiden and I argued about Monday night. I’d agreed to do yet another favor for Jenna and disregarded him in the process. He said some things, then I said some things . . . It got out of hand, and poof, he was gone.”