As she stood in his dust, the pickup truck flying down the road, she regretted asking him to leave her here. Checking the time on her phone, she gulped. It was nearly six pm, and she'd left Barker with her mother. Deciding not to call her right now, to save her the inevitable explanation of how she ended up standing by the side of a road in the middle of nowhere, she called her Nana. She had an old farm house in Monroe, with the most stunning views, where she and her Grampy had spent their whole lives. Nana answered on the first ring, and as usual, didn't ask any questions. Unlike her mother, Nana believed in privacy and giving people a chance to explain themselves. Her own mother had her own very distinct brand of interrogation, refined over time. She sent her mother a quick message to
