“No, honey,” Rebecca denied. “I’m an ass. I only meant to warn you about Rachel. She may act like your friend, but she can’t be trusted.”
“How do you know?” Kara asked.
“I knew her from Serenity Mountain. She wasn’t a nice person to some of my friends. I don’t want to see you get hurt,” Rebecca said, smoothing Kara’s hair.
“She seemed nice,” Kara said quietly. “My therapist said to trust my gut. I’m trying to listen to what my body’s telling me. You went through the same thing as me. Maybe you’re not listening to yours. People can change. I know I have.”
“Fair point,” Rebecca conceded. “Why don’t you text Julio and tell him we’ll join them?”
“Really?” Kara asked, smiling. “I’m tired of staying inside this cabin all the time. There’s no one my age here anymore.”
“Yeah, it must be horrible staying with this horrible old woman,” Rebecca teased as she mimicked an old crone.
Kara laughed as she texted Julio.
Rebecca and I can come for dinner.
A second later, Julio texted back.
Great! Bring your appetite, Delaney made a chocolate fudge cake for dessert and chocolate chip cookies. Do you like to play board games?
Kara grinned as she texted Julio.
Oh, wow. I love chocolate cake. I only know a few games, but I like playing them.
Watch out for Rebecca. She likes to buy up all the properties and charge you triple rent. She’s a shark.
Kara giggled as she repeated the text to Rebecca, who huffed at Julio’s comment. “Tell him I said he cheats.”
She said you cheat.
I guess we’ll have to play a few games and find out. I’ll pick you up at six. I thought you might like to help feed the horses.
I’ve never ridden one.
You can’t stay in Texas and not know how to ride a horse. It must be a law somewhere.
Ha! See you soon.
“He’ll pick us up at six,” Kara said, jumping from her bed and heading to the bathroom.
Rebecca’s stomach plummeted. Her courageous offer of giving Kara a choice about dinner backfired. It amazed her how fast the teen recaptured her spirit in four weeks. If only she managed to convince her to contact her mom. Deciding Karamight’ve made a point about her gut feelings, she decided to give Rachel a bit of credit. After all, she seemed to have changed somewhat since the last time Rebecca saw her.
Since the other teens left, Rebecca used their old room, giving her a moment of privacy. Entering the master bathroom, she brushed her long, blonde hair, wondering what Rachel thought about her untrimmed tresses. She dug into her makeup bag and attempted to make herself presentable. Rebecca stood back and peered at her reflection in the mirror. Her cheeks sunk in, making her eyes appear huge. Her collarbone jutted out from her blouse. The belt held her baggy pants in place. With all the bruises and cuts, she didn’t enjoy the feeling of the material rubbing against her skin. Wishing she owned a turtle neck to cover the yellowing old bruises on her chest, Rebecca searched the closet for a sweater to layer over it.
“I’m ready,” Kara called from the doorway.
“I’ll be there in a sec,” Rebecca called out, taking one last glance before deciding it was the best she could do.
Promptly at six, Julio pulled into the driveway. Kara bounded down the steps to greet him. “Hey, Julio. Thank you for the invitation.”
“You’re welcome,” he said, opening the passenger back door for her.
As Rebecca drew closer, he moved to the front passenger door and opened it. “Hello, Becca,” he murmured.
“Hi,” she said, pulling her coat closer around her and getting inside.
“I hope you like chili and cornbread,” he said to Kara. “It’s Delaney’s specialty.”
