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He’s no sooner left when Eleanor returns. “I saw Rod on his way out for food. He won’t be gone long. We need to get you out of here.”
I gesture at our suitcases waiting beside the door. “We’re ready.”
“Good. Here.” She hands me five prepaid credit cards like the one she gave me yesterday. “There’s a few hundred dollars on each. That’s the best I could do on short notice. If you spend wisely, it should be enough to give you a solid head start.”
I place the cards in my wallet. “You’re very generous. Thank you, Eleanor.”
She hands me a Colorado driver’s license with my name on it.
I give her a quizzical look. “What’s this for?”
“For this.” She hands me a car key and opens the door to reveal a silver Honda Civic parked in front of our room. “The title is in the glove box. The license is a fake, so don’t get pulled and don’t get in a wreck. When you land at your final destination, you’ll need to register the vehicle with the state and get a car insurance policy. None of this is legal, and I’ll probably get fired, but it’s the best I can do. You’ll be safer traveling by car than public transportation.”
I throw my arms around her. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“You can thank me by staying safe.” Pushing away from me, she presses a business card into my hand. “Rick Harvey is the attorney working on your trust. Call him when you get settled. He should have everything set up within a few days.” She inhales an unsteady breath. “All right. Time to hit the road.”
We each grab a suitcase and wheel them out to the trunk of the car. I open the back door to reveal a new car seat for Conrad. His old one is with Rod in the Suburban. “I don’t believe this,” I say as I buckle Conrad into the seat. “How’d you do all this in an hour?”
“I pulled mega strings. Now get going.” When I hesitate a fraction of a second, she adds, “It’s not too late for you to change your mind and stay in the program.”
“No way. I’m scared to death, but this is something I have to do. For myself, and for my son.”
Hugging Eleanor one last time, I get in the car, start the engine, and turn left out of the parking lot. I have no idea which way is east. I just want to get as far away as possible before Rod returns.
FIVE
WILL
I’m burning toast again on Friday when my sister barges in unannounced.
“There you are!” Ashton says, dropping her purse onto the counter. “I’ve been calling you. Why aren’t you answering your phone?”
“I turned it off.”
Before Ashton can interrogate me, the girls rush over from the breakfast table to greet our visitor. Sophie hugs my sister’s legs while Caroline announces, “Dad burned the toast again.”
Ashton looks down at the blackened toast in my hands. “I see that.”
I drop the toast in the garbage can. “Add cooking to the list of survival skills a single parent must learn.”
“Where’s your nanny?” Ashton asks.
“She quit,” I say, and Caroline chimes in, “Because you made her quit.”
I give my sister a look, pleading with her not to ask questions. “Nannies are too much trouble anyway. They’re always asking for days off and staring at their phones. We’re gonna try things on our own for a change. Right, girls?”
Sophie nods, her curls dancing around on her head. Ellie’s hairstylist shorn her long crazy waves into springy corkscrews.
Ashton smiles down at her. “Look at you. You cut your hair.”
Sophie smooths her hair back. “I look like a boy.”
Ashton kneels in front of her. “With your pretty face, you could never look like a boy.” She spins Sophie around as she inspects the haircut. “It’s spunky, just like you.”
Caroline glares at me, an evil glint in her eyes. “Daddy got the brush caught in Sophie’s hair. He had to cut it out with the scissors. Miss Ellie took Sophie to the hair salon after school yesterday so a stylist could fix it.”
Ashton’s slate-blue eyes go wide, but before she can respond, Caroline begins begging for blueberry pancakes. “Puh-lease, Aunt Ashton. Will you make them for us?”
