Her head whipped up, and she met his gaze. Before speaking, she glanced around, glad there were no other people around.Imagining all the seats full of people made her shiver. It was so weird that so many people lived here in this place he called a town.
“Do—um, do you expect me to…do you?—”
He shook his head. “No. I don’t expect anything from you. We’ll go back to the room, and you will sleep on one bed, and I’ll sleep in the other. You owe me nothing.”
Her mouth fell open as shock hit. “Wait. You expect me to sleep in the bed.”
He nodded. “Of course. Where else would you sleep?”
“Women keep to the foot of the bed. We aren’t allowed?—”
He held up his hand. “You don’t have to live by their rules. You can sleep in a bed, and it will be okay.”
“Do I get a pillow?”
He nodded. “Yes. You can even use two pillows if you like.”
Q had no idea what the hell this woman had been through. He wished she would talk to the cops, but he wouldn’t force her to do anything she didn’t want to. She had escaped. Maybe that was enough. In foreign countries, they weren’t able to close down all the cults they ran into. He wished it was different here. But he didn’t know where Flora had come from. The men in her community could be well-armed. He couldn’t go searching for them with the little information he had.
Maybe with some time and space she would be willing to talk to the police. No question, she was brave. She seemed to be dealing with everything okay so far.
They finished their meal and headed back to the hotel. Flora was quiet, but it was expected. She’d been through a lot. Hopefully, she would sleep and not be up around the room.
When she’d first run into his camp, he’d not known what to think. After a bit, he’d thought she was pulling his leg with her overly innocent act, but then he’d realized she really hadn’t ever lived in civilization. She’d asked way too many questions aboutthe store, the restaurant, everything. It really was like she didn’t know what things were. He hoped he could help her, but he really had no idea what to do with her.
5
The next morning, Flora woke feeling relaxed. She stretched, marveling at how good sleeping in a bed felt. That was probably the best night’s sleep she’d ever had. She sat up and saw Q sitting at the desk.
He glanced over and smiled. “You’re awake. After you use the restroom and get dressed, we’ll head out. I’ve been looking for shelters where you can stay, and I think I found a few that will do.”
“Oh. What is a shelter?”
“It’s a place you can stay where you’ll have a bed to sleep in while you get back on your feet.”
She didn’t want to be separated from Q, but he wasn’t her family. Her stomach twisted. Maybe she shouldn’t have run. Would it have been that bad to stay and be married off to Jebediah? That was the man’s name her father had wanted her to be with.
A shiver slid through her as she thought of the way he’d looked at her, his beady eyes narrowing as he’d licked his lips. Being close to him had made her feel weird. It wasn’t just that he was older, like around sixty, but she had nothing in common with him. At least she’d only seen Anne, his previous wife, withbruises a few times. It wasn’t like Donald’s wife. That woman always had bruises.
They stopped for breakfast before heading out. While they were eating, she decided that she liked the jeans. They felt good on her legs and kept her warm. The T-shirt was okay, but the weather was cold, and she wished she had long sleeves. The jacket he’d bought for her felt good, but she didn’t want to wear it while they ate. The shoes were heaven. She was so used to her feet hurting from stepping on rocks and limbs that the shoes felt like a treat.
They drove for a few hours then stopped at a gas station. She went in with him and used the restroom, which was weird. There were four stalls, which was the most she’d ever seen before. The place had so many different drinks and so much food wrapped in packages it was overwhelming. Half the stuff she didn’t even know what it was. She picked up an apple because it was familiar.
She took note of how much Q paid for the food and gas. Money wasn’t something she’d ever really handled. Q seemed to have no issue spending money on her. Everything was different, and she wasn’t sure she liked it.
At one point in the drive, she drifted off and woke to cars driving around them so fast she gasped and jerked away from the door. Then she looked at the buildings in the distance and gasped again.
“What is that?” She pointed to the buildings in the distance.
“That’s downtown San Diego.”
“Oh my, how many people?”
He chuckled. “The city has about one point five million people.”
She shook her head. “This must be the center of the world.”
“Hardly. This area isn’t the biggest population center in California.”
