Page 29 of Escaping the King
I didn't want to drive into the city and see what else was open.
Quite honestly, I could do with a hot meal and a few strong cups of coffee to help keep me awake.
“Momma, hungee.Pweese, Momma,” Dani whined in the back seat.
I squinted and—yes.It was absolutely a truck stop.“One minute, baby.One more minute and we'll get you some food.”
That seemed to quiet her down.
“See the lights, Dani?”I pointed with my finger.“We'll get you some food and some juice.”
She gasped dramatically, and it made me smile.“Juicy?”
In our house, juice was a rare occurrence.I didn't give it to her very often.But when I did, she loved it.
“Yes, baby.One more minute.”
I turned off the highway and onto the side road.A few semis were parked off to the side.Other than that, the parking lot was pretty empty.Thank goodness.
I found a spot close to the front and parked.I got out and shut my door, then I opened Dani's door.She smiled at me.
Gosh.
This kid.
She stole my heart on a daily basis.I loved her so much.“Ready to eat?”I undid her straps and pulled her out.She clung to me.“Juicy?”she asked in her cute little girl voice.
“Yes, honey.Momma's going to get you some juicy.”I kissed her chubby cheek and hurried toward the truck stop's doors.
It was bright inside, and Dani and I both winced a bit at the shocking change.
“Oh, red!”Dani pointed to the shiny red chairs and booths in front of us.
“What a cutie pahtootie you've got there,” a woman's voice called out.I had to look around to find out where she was.
Finally, a gray-haired woman walked around the front counter.She wore a red and white uniform.It was a cute dress.If you were six.
But on a sixty-plus year old, it looked a little odd.
Her hair was up in a tall bun.I was curious how much hair product she had to use to get it to stay like that.
I'd guess a lot.
“Who do we have here?”the woman walked right up to us and offered her hand to Dani.
Dani smiled at the lady.
“What's your name, sweetie?”she asked Dani with a grin.
Dani's hand promptly slapped her chest.“Dammi.”
The woman and I both laughed at how cute Dani's confidence was.I hoped she held onto that.
“Her name is Daniella.Dani for short,” I said, and then quickly wished I hadn't.
We were hours away from Chicago.But still, we needed to be more careful and not stick out.And certainly not tell strangers our real names.
“That's a beautiful name, Daniella.”The woman shook her hand.“My name is Sheila.”
