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“Reporters?” He looked puzzled
“If anybody knocks on the front door or rings the bell, don’t open it And if the phone rings, and it’s so up Entiendes?”
He nodded “You want coffee, señorita?”
“Not this , thanks But the rest of that wine is for you to take home and share with your wife”
Leaving him with a smile on his face, she went outside and climbed into her father’s Cadillac, which still reeked of histo do with the trouble he was in No woman who s that to a man
For the first few hway, she drove with the n to freshen the air But the sun was up by now, the dry su in like the blast from a furnace It was only a matter of time before Lauren had to close the s and turn on the air conditioner At least the darkly tinted glass offered so sun
By the tiry It ood breakfast, she reasoned If her father needed her at the hospital, she could be in for a long day Swinging the car around, she pulled up to the diner and went inside A trucker at a table was reading an open newspaper
TEXAS CONGRESSMAN TAKES DRUG MONEY The blaring headlines on the front page screa herself to look the other way, Lauren found an empty booth, where she ordered coffee and a cheese o It was Sky’s friend calling about the cleanup job By the tiiven the reed on a price One less worry, at least
She and her father had never had much of a relationship ButIf she stood by hiainst the world, maybe he would warhter, not just a tool to be used in his political schemes And when she moved out, as she still meant to, maybe it would at least be on friendly terive a damn about Garn Prescott It had taken this horrific event to make her realize how much she cared
Sky hadup fatherless Lauren had pretty much done the sas If nothing else, she owed her future children their grandfather
If only Sky would understand that she had to try
Leaving a couple of bills on the table, Lauren picked up her purse and walked out to the car The inside of the Cadillac was like an oven Sweating, she cranked up the AC and pulled out of the parking lot The dark-tinted s of the car softened the glare of the sun on the parched landscape Heat shimmered in waves above the road
She touched the brake pedal as a lizard dashed across the highway ahead of her wheels How could any living creature survive this heat, let alone set an unprotected foot on theblack asphalt? At least the hospital would be cool
Twenty minutes later she parked the car and walked into the hospital’s main lobby “He’s in Room 233,” the receptionist told her “The elevator’s just down that hallway Push the button for the second floor When you get out, just follow the signs”
Alone in the elevator, Laurencame to mind She could only proentle and forgiving