Eloise twists the stem of her wine glass between her fingers, watching the red wine rise to the sides and bleed back down. She heard the guys joking around while they cleaned up in the kitchen.
Anna is on the phone with her sister, excited about her coming for a visit soon.
Eloise pushed the sinking feeling away when she’ll see her father next. She long to see him and Mary.
“How do you like it here, Eloise?” Hermes’s question pulls her from her thoughts. He takes a seat next to her at the dinner table.
“It’s…” she took a deep breath, “all a little surreal. Don’t get me wrong—I’m incredibly thankful. It’s just that I went from my old life to prison to this.”
He nodded.
“I think I feel like I’m floating with no roots to hold me down. I’m not sure where I belong.”
“Well,” he rubbed his
