rtment complex on the edge of a neig

storage boxes, and years of neglect had left the entire complex looking tired. Paint peel

ing point was pr

curious glances. Even dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, she looked oddly ou

earby and kil

, neither of

just picked her up from, Cody stared at the apa

ide," he said. "But the apart

esit

e trouble a

he sentence n

live. It would strain his budget, and he'd probably have

ould finish

k it's

he me

was cramped, worn down, and clearly short on money, yet somehow she felt more comfort

assuming she was trying

t warmed h

ilence, he clea

u see A

anced

d

odded

n his face was d

came for her. She'd practically glowed the entire drive over, like som

en a single ke

phot

tuffed

th

for all those years, it w

r what he'd wit

n't exactly known

dy asked quietly,

dered the

eems h

the most honest an

ce and didn't

e stopped outside one

re h

ock c

ght spilled into the hallway along

the kitchen, wiping h

hort the mome

econds, she s

ousn

ed to pass through

e came out soft

ance, she a

o need for

her looked so much like she had at th

daughter, Rue quietly

er biologi

surprisingly young. There was a natural elega

eyes gave away th

been c

bly a

e'd raised for years c

e a sma

H

g seemed to snap R

course.

aside and hurried to f

n, swee

fraid saying it too loudly would scare Ru

s hung i

ell on them, Rita turn

there and bring the

arrying a large

Gyle Bl

s fa

uilt a successful business from the ground up befor

seemed to matte

saw her, his e

ue

ly looked away and rubbed

he said gruffly.

them to the

fore her was unexp

es, vegetables, soup-the kind of dinner t

financially, it was obvi

ously asked about her l

enough, but her resp

s. She wasn't intereste

d and changed the subje

on filling Rue's pl

s fairly certain she'd been

ta led her do

s Ariana

ed open

everythi

t of uncertaint

ng you don't like,

added, "Whate

clearly wo

was

ntire room wou

d about making her newly ret

inside and l

ly large, but this was easily t

covered in deco

niture

e products and cosmetics. The closet was packed with fa

ied nearly every

bedding

the master bedroom look

en simpler; a bed,

as abo

g estate, she'd been wearing an old dres

s fairly certain it

the sheets with fresh ones, Rue s

ent, her ph

D made her e

Ste

answ

ion came i

lly grown a bac

through the speaker loudly eno

really think anyone can protect you no

om wen

a f

pression

g continued

I'll have the hospital stop covering Zach's treatment. And as for