Page 20 of Journey To Sunrise

“I rest my case,” I said, keeping a straight face. “So how is Drake? I remember you had a lot of dreams built up about him. You and your sisters thought he could walk on water.”

She scowled at me. “You know he was special. Think about all the money he sent to us. It wasn’t his fault that he was forced to leave Tennessee and join the military when he was eighteen. He was framed. He did more for me and my sisters than anybody could have ever asked.”

“That’s what I mean. You had him up on a pedestal. What was it like when he came home? Did he live up to your expectations?”

A dreamy expression crossed Chloe’s face, then it tightened and I knew she was thinking about her shitty parents who were both now in prison.

“Concentrate on Drake, Chloe.”

She blew out a breath.

“I fucking hate my parents.”

“There’s a lot of that going around. But you and your siblings are something else. Knowing where you came from, the mountain you had to climb, makes it all the more amazing.”

“Drake fell in love with a kindergarten teacher. It took him less than a week to sweep her off her feet. That’s how Trenda tells it. Evie says that Karen swept Drake off his feet.”

I snorted. “Does it really matter who does the sweeping?”

“I’m just glad that Drake is getting his happily-ever-after. As long as the baby is okay. The doctors say that if she stays on bed rest, everything should be fine.”

“They’re planning the wedding for six weeks after she gives birth, right?”

“They were planning it for her eighth month. Can you believe that Drake thought that would be romantic?! Karen was having a fit. She says that is the only good thing that is coming out of the forced bedrest. Now she won’t have to wear a maternity wedding dress.”

I chuckled softly. I was happy to note that Chloe’s pulse had slowed and her breathing was back to normal.

“The ice cream’s melted,” I observed.

She looked down at the bowls filled with liquid vanilla cream.

“Did the soda settle your stomach? Can you eat a little something?”

“I’ll try.” She picked up the sandwich and opened it up. She grimaced and pulled out the tomato. This time I laughed. If she was still a picky wench, there was definitely hope. But I knew we were still deep in the woods, and this would be a long road.

After depositing the offending vegetable on the plate, she took a small bite and chewed slowly.

“Quit putting me under a microscope and eat your damn sandwich,” she scowled at me.

Grinning, I picked up her discarded tomato and added it to my club sandwich and took a healthy bite. It was good, and I had finished half of mine by the time she had finished three small bites.

“More Seven-Up?”

She took the proffered glass and drank. “I don’t think I’m going to be able to finish much more than this. What’s more, I can’t deal with the cake,” she said on a yawn. “I’m tired. Let’s choose rooms.”

“Chloe, how many hours a day have you been sleeping?”

“I don’t know, maybe two naps a day.”

“How many hours total?”

“It depends, maybe sixteen.”

Just another sign of depression. “Can you try not to take a nap?” I coaxed.

I watched her eyes droop. “I’m really tired,” she said quietly. “Did you pack my sweats?”

“Shit, I left the bags in the truck. I’ll be back in a minute. Will you be all right while I’m gone?”