He frowned at her and shook his head no then he pulled out of the spot and headed towards the road. “Too much competition for the mirror with Doug in the mornings.”
Sophie burst out laughing.
“You have a great laugh,” Jagger told her.
“Ally is the boss’s daughter and only eighteen. She is a great girl though. I do enjoy her company. She has made the last few weeks bearable if you want to know the truth.”
“You’ve been having a tough time with your mom.”
He didn’t look at Sophie but shook his head yes.
“She has a way with my mom that I don’t have even though we’ve been close for years.”
Something Sophie didn’t know. Ally had met Jagger’s mother. She had been to his house.
“Does she come there often?” Sophie asked.
“When she’s not home, she’s at my house,” Jagger explained. “I can’t often go out because of Mom so Ally and Doug both come over or sometimes it’s just one of them.”
Sophie nodded but remained quiet. She wasn’t sure how she felt about her eighteen-year-old daughter spending so much time with Jagger Crosby.
“We’re just friends Sophie. She’s in love with Brian.”
She glanced at Jagger. His eyes remained on the road. He turned into her neighborhood. Still a few roads away from where she and Josh lived. Winding through the streets, in the summer, the tree limbs met in the middle covered thickly with leaves offering shade to walkers and cars parked on the road. She loved the older neighborhood. Sophie glanced out her window watching the houses pass by her.
“Ally is mature for her age,” she stated.
“She is. She is kind and considerate. Sometimes, she talks to my mom. I like that about her. It makes my mom happy. Sometimes, it’s the only thing that makes her happy.”
Sophie gazed at Jagger for a moment.
/> “If she were older I’d snap her up in a heartbeat,” he teased Sophie. She laughed a short, sweet sound.
“She gave up school to watch me go through this.”
He nodded. “She needed to be here, Sophie.”
“She did.”
Sophie was beginning to understand more each day what it meant to her daughter. To get her a glass of water. To take some of the burden off Josh. To feel a little less helpless.
Jagger stopped the truck in the drive. “Thanks, Jagger.”
“You’re welcome. Anytime,” he added.
“Thanksgiving plans?” She asked.
“I’ll be with Mom and the caregiver. I’m picking up one of the prepared meals from the grocery store. I just have to warm it up.”
“That will easy for you but nice. I’ve heard good things about them.”
“Have a nice, day with your family. Josh told me that you’re spending the day with them.”
“I am. We’ll be at my parents. His parents will come over. My brother and his family. Heath and Hannah. My grandson, Joshua.”
“Sounds really nice.”
She patted his arm. “I’d better let you get back to the office.”