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Would Cole show?

Of course, by the time Pastor Smith started his lesson, Sophie would know whether or not he’d come, so maybe she could focus. Until then, though, she was a bundle of nerves.

She told herself not to get her hopes up. Cole had never said he would attend.

He never said he wouldn’t, either, she countered, determined she was going to think positively. Wasn’t that why she’d taken extra time in choosing what she was going to wear today? She’d ended up in a comfy red dress decorated with a cute penguin with a Christmas scarf around its neck, paired with black tights and boots, and a pair of dangly Christmas wreath earrings that would be great for decorating later.

“What’s up with looking behind you?” Isabelle turned to try to see what Sophie was looking at. “Expecting someone?”

Sophie’s face heated. She needed to stop checking. If he arrived, he’d find her. Any of the ushers could direct him toward where she and her family always sat.

“Isn’t that just the sweetest?” she asked, ignoring her sister’s question as she gestured toward the front of the church.

“Holy, holy, holy,” one of the church’s little cuties sang from where he stood near the front podium, singing and waving his hand along with his song.

Despite being on edge with wondering if Cole would show, Sophie smiled. She adored watching the toddler’s love of singing.

“Precious,” Isabelle agreed, smiling, too.

Once her sister was occupied with watching the child, Sophie’s mind went back to Cole. Maybe he would visit. She hoped so. If not, she’d invite him again. She’d text him another invite that afternoon, let him know she’d missed seeing him.

“Sophie?”

Knowing she was antsy and had almost turned to look over her shoulder again, Sophie nodded at her sister and told herself to settle down. “Sorry. Just thinking abo

ut what I’m planning to do this afternoon.”

Isabelle seemed to accept her answer, then turned to listen to something their mother was saying. Thank you, Mom.

Sophie’s thoughts went right back to Cole.

As she often did, she’d thought about him a lot the night before while she’d been working on her quilt and talking to the cat watching her from her window ledge. Stitches hadn’t offered up any ideas on how she could make Cole’s Christmas better when he truly didn’t seem to see the holiday as anything more than another workday. Still, she’d appreciated what a good listener he’d been. Lately, the cat had been keeping her company nightly, even if from the other side of a glass barrier. She only wished that Cole was as constant of a presence in her life.

The more she got to know Cole, the more she wanted to make every day better in his world—and to include him in her world.

When it was time for services to start, Sophie let out the breath she’d been holding.

Cole wasn’t coming.

Had she really thought he would? That he’d walk into church and sit beside her and listen to Sarah’s dad talk about the most amazing and loving God who was the reason why Sophie believed in ultimate goodness?

Part of her had believed he would.

Because she felt this crazy connection to Cole, and whether he wanted to admit it or not, she was certain that he felt it too. The way he’d looked at her when she’d invited him...

It was likely the journal that made her feel so close to him: the fact that she’d read it and gotten that inner look at such raw emotions combined with her knowledge that her father had suffered a similar torment. Whatever, she just knew the connection between them existed and that it seemed as fragile as a butterfly’s wing and yet as powerful as a raging river.

It was both.

The only positive to his not showing up was that she didn’t have to explain her invitation to Isabelle, who’d been suspicious all morning, commenting on Sophie taking much longer in the bathroom than she typically did while getting ready.

It was no wonder her sister thought something was up since Sophie had spent ages doing her hair and make-up.

Too bad her efforts to dress up had been wasted. Because she’d wanted to dress up for Cole and see that spark of male appreciation flare in his pale blue eyes.

Sophie bit into her lower lip and reminded herself that she only wanted to be friends with Cole.

Except she was in church so she really shouldn’t lie to herself that way.