Page 39 of Chasing Sunrise

“Landed me in the hospital for a few days. Spider bite.”

“Where?” She lifted both her hands in a stop motion. “Don’t answer that.”

“Not on my indispensable essentials,” he clarified.

She covered her ears with her hands.

He continued to tease her. “My ass cheek. Took me a week before I finally told anyone. By then, the bite had morphed into a horrible dent and oozed with puss. I went to the doctor, and he immediately sent me to the ER. Not sure I’ve ever been so sick.”

“Yet, here you are putting yourself in danger again and wanting me to do the same. Why?”

“It only happened once out of hundreds of times.” He sighed. “And I needed to get away or I’d lose my sanity.”

~

They enjoyed a busymorning. Kasey insisted they go for a hike. Clouds obstructed parts of the sky and cool air circulated. Since it was early spring, the terrain on the trail was still recovering from the winter cold and plants were just starting to sprout new growth. Amanda could only guess at how pretty the spot would be during the summer.

Kasey drove her into town while Edward ran back in forth in the bed of the truck.

“I thought camping would be more relaxing,” she said.

“You didn’t find the hike relaxing?”

“My idea of relaxing is reading a book or taking a nap.”

He turned into the parking lot of a store. “We’ll get you a fishing license. Fishing is very relaxing.”

Once they were back in the truck and on the road, Kasey said, “I can’t believe you’ve never been camping. I lived for it as a kid. We went all the time.”

“What about the beach cabin?”

“We didn’t get it until my dad’s uncle died. I was in high school by then. When we were growing up my parents couldn’t afford much. Camping is pretty cheap. We went a lot with our cousins. What did you do on the weekends or during summer vacation?”

Disappointment dropped in her stomach like a stone going down an endless well. “We moved a lot and always seemed to be in a new place.”

“I never moved as a kid. We always lived in the same house. The house where they still live.”

Stability. He’d had stability. She doubted her parents had known how to spell the word.

“How often did you move?”

“Every year or two. Sometimes twice a year.”

“Really?” Intrigue sparked his tone. “I went to school with some of the same people my whole life. I can’t imagine going to school and knowing no one. Even in kindergarten, I knew the kids from church and my neighborhood.”

“I was the perpetual new girl.” She kept her voice upbeat.

“Did you ever move back to the same place?”

“No.”

“What about family?”

“I’m an only child. My folks were from London. I have grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, but they’re in England.”

“Were from London?” he asked.

“They were killed in a car accident when I was eighteen.” She tried to keep the devastation from her voice.

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