Because Sophie was trembling. Not defiant. Terrified.
Whatever this was, cornering her in a resort parking lot would break something I couldn’t glue back together.
“Okay,” I said.
Her head snapped up. “What?”
A lullaby I used to sing to her.
“Okay. If this baby needs somewhere safe tonight, we’ll take her home. We’ll figure the rest out there.”
Her mouth opened and closed.
“Just tell me one thing. Is her mother alive? Is she safe?”
Sophie nodded quickly. “Yes. I promise. She’s safe.”
“Then get in the car, sweetheart.”
“She just needs time to get somewhere safe.”
Sophie stared at me, then some of the tension left her shoulders.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
I loaded her bags into the trunk while she strapped a secondhand car seat into the back.
***
On the road, I checked the rearview mirror more than I checked traffic.
Sophie was humming to the baby. A lullaby I used to sing to her.
