CHAPTER 14:
REFLECTIONS
Bella held a rigid posture. “I’ll go pay. I need to get out of here.”
Jamie rose. “No, I’ll pay this time. You and Liz can go to the park and I will meet you there.”
Liz nodded. “Come on, let’s go. It looks like you’re suffocating in here.”
Bella smiled without joy. Her felt chest tight. “Thanks, Jamie.”
Bella and Liz headed out towards the park, their strides aligned as they crossed the road. Dry, dead leaves crunched beneath her feet, and the clouds were slowly turning darker as if rain was imminent. The fresh smells of the trees and seawater did little to calm her nerves as she kept up pace with Liz once they reached the picnic areas. Jamie caught up.
The perching seagulls around them were fluttering, and the low wind rustling through the trees was sporadi
