A sound from the stairs drew her attention. Aiden descended, dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a white T-shirt, his dark hair still slightly damp. He’d always filled out his clothes quite nicely, and that ability had only improved since he’d been gone.

She dropped her gaze to the laptop’s screen.

“It’s breezing up out there,” he said.

“Storm’s over us now. Hopefully it won’t get any worse.”

When he stopped at the bottom of the steps, Pippa hopped from the couch and trotted over, tail swishing.

“Hey, pretty girl.” He ruffled the dog’s fur, taking a minute to mock fight. The dog ate up his attention, hunching down and yapping playfully.

“I don’t know about you,” Aiden said a moment later, “but I’m getting hungry. Fortunately you stocked up on groceries. Why don’t I fix us some grilled cheese sandwiches?”

She closed the laptop. “I can do it.”

“No need. Let me. I’m running out of things to do.”

Had he texted his girlfriend about the delay? Did he tell her where he was and who he was with? Was she upset he was hunkering down for a storm with his ex-girlfriend?

Whatever transpired between the couple was none of her business.

“Sure,” Sophie said. “Sounds good.”

She frowned as Pippa followed him into the kitchen, right on his heels. One would think the dog would sense the friction between them and take her mama’s side.

Sophie went back to editing the document, only vaguely aware of a pan clanking, the sucking sound of the refrigerator opening, and Aiden’s voice crooning to Pippa.

Soon a quiet sizzle sounded, and she drew in the scent of the butter browning in the skillet. Her stomach gave a hard growl. Breakfast had been hours ago, and she hadn’t eaten much.

She got a few pages edited before Aiden called her into the kitchen. He’d brought out the fruit left over from breakfast and added a bag of SunChips to the island.

“Bon appétit,” he said after offering a quick prayer.

His easy prayers made her think his spiritual walk had progressed in the last seven years. While he’d attended church with his dad, he’d never taken spiritual things very seriously.

“Do you attend church in Charleston?” she asked.

“Yeah, I do. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering.”

“It’s a large church that one of my customers invited me to. They have a lot of programs, very mission minded.”

“That’s great.”

“I guess you’ll have to find someplace to attend now that you’re moving here.”

“That won’t be hard. The options are pretty limited. The town mayor invited me to hers, and I’ve visited a couple times. I think I’ll probably make it my new church home.”