back anymore, Miller unleashed a scathing torrent of words onto her. “All this time, you’ve played all of us for fools, haven’t you? We’ve all just been pawns in your game, hey? I believed your act, you know; I thought you were really trying here and that you liked spending time on the ranch and liked the people here.”
“Just shut up, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sophie continued to hold her head in her hands, not looking up.
“Why are you here, Sophie? A spoiled city girl like you doesn’t want to spend the holidays on a ranch with family she’s not kept in touch with.”
“Don’t you dare judge me,” Sophie looked up suddenly and glared at him.
“Miller, it’s okay...” Philip tried to interject but Miller cut him off.
“No, Philip, it’s not okay. It’s not right that you and Kay show her such hospitality and she throws it in your face by getting high on Christmas day of all days. I mean, geez, she couldn’t even wait until my family and I had gone home!”
“You don’t know a damn thing about me!” Sophie suddenly screamed at him. “Just because you think you’re perfect, doesn’t give you the right to make assumptions about me. I was right in what I said the first day we met. You’re such an asshole!”
“Sophie, enough!” The anger in Kay’s controlled tone was unmistakable.
“No, let her rant! Let her get it all out in the open. Come on, let’s see the fireworks,” Miller taunted her. “I’d rather she was disrespectful to me than you or Philip.”
“Oh you self-righteous jerk,” Sophie’s eyes were slits as she addressed Miller. “It’s not enough that you already have a family of your own who adore you; you have to have my aunt and uncle’s adoration too. Well I’m the one related to them, not you!”
“Being related by blood doesn’t make you family. How many times had you been in contact with them before you came here?”
“What do you care? It’s obvious that you think I can’t compete with you – and you don’t want me to!” Sophie yelled in response. “Nobody’s worthy enough but you!”
“You know what? I’m going to hazard a guess that your parents sent you here to get some peace and quiet. I know I would if I were them!”
The look of abject hurt that passed over Sophie’s face made him pause in his tirade, but he didn’t regret what he’d said. After all, he was probably right. The sooner she learned to accept hard truths, the easier it would be for her to work on improving herself.
“Well actually, one of them is about to get a whole lot of permanent peace and quiet where I’m concerned.”
“Sophie, I think it’s best if you and your uncle and me have a private talk,” her aunt murmured soothingly, realization starting to dawn.
“There’s no point, you’ll know sooner or later, everybody will know sooner or later. So screw it, it might as well be sooner. Guess what festive news my mom shared with me today during our talk? My dad and her are getting divorced. And you know what? I’m glad. It’ll be an end to all these months of being in the middle of their bickering, enduring the constant snide remarks and arguments between them, and enduring being ignored because they were too focused on hating each other to see that all I wanted was for it to stop. And when I tried to get their attention, it just made things worse.” Within seconds the rage that had fueled her rant had dissipated, to be replaced with wrenching sobs as tears fell freely down her cheeks.
Horrified at the sight before him, Miller didn’t notice as his parents came up quietly behind him. “Son, it’s time we went home.” Joe put his hand on Miller’s shoulder before steering him gently away from the living room entrance and into the hallway. Stacy came to stand beside Kay, both of them looking on as Philip sat beside Sophie, holding her in a quiet embrace as she cried against his chest.
“Are you going to be okay here?” Stacy
“Just shut up, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sophie continued to hold her head in her hands, not looking up.
“Why are you here, Sophie? A spoiled city girl like you doesn’t want to spend the holidays on a ranch with family she’s not kept in touch with.”
“Don’t you dare judge me,” Sophie looked up suddenly and glared at him.
“Miller, it’s okay...” Philip tried to interject but Miller cut him off.
“No, Philip, it’s not okay. It’s not right that you and Kay show her such hospitality and she throws it in your face by getting high on Christmas day of all days. I mean, geez, she couldn’t even wait until my family and I had gone home!”
“You don’t know a damn thing about me!” Sophie suddenly screamed at him. “Just because you think you’re perfect, doesn’t give you the right to make assumptions about me. I was right in what I said the first day we met. You’re such an asshole!”
“Sophie, enough!” The anger in Kay’s controlled tone was unmistakable.
“No, let her rant! Let her get it all out in the open. Come on, let’s see the fireworks,” Miller taunted her. “I’d rather she was disrespectful to me than you or Philip.”
“Oh you self-righteous jerk,” Sophie’s eyes were slits as she addressed Miller. “It’s not enough that you already have a family of your own who adore you; you have to have my aunt and uncle’s adoration too. Well I’m the one related to them, not you!”
“Being related by blood doesn’t make you family. How many times had you been in contact with them before you came here?”
“What do you care? It’s obvious that you think I can’t compete with you – and you don’t want me to!” Sophie yelled in response. “Nobody’s worthy enough but you!”
“You know what? I’m going to hazard a guess that your parents sent you here to get some peace and quiet. I know I would if I were them!”
The look of abject hurt that passed over Sophie’s face made him pause in his tirade, but he didn’t regret what he’d said. After all, he was probably right. The sooner she learned to accept hard truths, the easier it would be for her to work on improving herself.
“Well actually, one of them is about to get a whole lot of permanent peace and quiet where I’m concerned.”
“Sophie, I think it’s best if you and your uncle and me have a private talk,” her aunt murmured soothingly, realization starting to dawn.
“There’s no point, you’ll know sooner or later, everybody will know sooner or later. So screw it, it might as well be sooner. Guess what festive news my mom shared with me today during our talk? My dad and her are getting divorced. And you know what? I’m glad. It’ll be an end to all these months of being in the middle of their bickering, enduring the constant snide remarks and arguments between them, and enduring being ignored because they were too focused on hating each other to see that all I wanted was for it to stop. And when I tried to get their attention, it just made things worse.” Within seconds the rage that had fueled her rant had dissipated, to be replaced with wrenching sobs as tears fell freely down her cheeks.
Horrified at the sight before him, Miller didn’t notice as his parents came up quietly behind him. “Son, it’s time we went home.” Joe put his hand on Miller’s shoulder before steering him gently away from the living room entrance and into the hallway. Stacy came to stand beside Kay, both of them looking on as Philip sat beside Sophie, holding her in a quiet embrace as she cried against his chest.
“Are you going to be okay here?” Stacy
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