CHAPTER TWENTY
Mother seemed composed when she came back downstairs. I helped Rick load the bags into her car, and I sat in front with her, while Rick sat in the back. The ride took an hour in moderately heavy traffic. We didn’t talk much on the way there. What little was said didn’t concern anything of consequence.
She dropped us by the entrance to Delta. “Have a safe trip,” she said, “and don’t forget to call when you arrive.”
“I won’t,” I promised giving her a kiss on the cheek.
She glanced over at Rick as he stacked our bags on the curb. “You watch her. Make sure she doesn’t get into trouble and comes home soon.” I felt like a child who was being given over to the care of her babysitter.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Phelps,” Rick said. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”
We didn’t talk much on the
