It was close to six in the morning when she walked into the house. The sense of relief she felt was physically visible as she threw herself onto the sofa like a sack of potatoes.
“You are back so soon. I thought you would be returning tomorrow.” Her father’s voice shocked her into sitting upright.
He was sitting across from her, reading a newspaper and drinking coffee.
Birdie groaned and asked, “Why are you up, no sleep?”
Her adoptive father, Clayton Richards, chuckled at the sound of her groan.
“I could not sleep knowing what you were going to do in Spring View. You seem to be awfully exhausted. Why did you rush to come back?”
“I could not stand that city for one more second. Everything about it stinks like shit.”
Her father nodded his head in agreement. He may not have personal
