“Well, that was fast!” Meemaw says when I come through the front door. She’s folding the laundry she had already gone off to do before Lucinda and I set out for the medical trailer.
“I’ve got your scrubs right here along with this piece of paper I pulled out of the pocket with some woman’s name on it. I kept it for you just in case it was something you needed to remember.”
I take the piece of paper with “Stephanie” written across it. Yes, yes, it was something I needed to remember. If I get out of here, maybe I can figure out how to help the other woman being held prisoner by a Fairgood MC.
“Just let me finish folding up this laundry, then I want to hear all about your day,” Meemaw says after handing me the note.
Meemaw. Sweet and kind Meemaw. She might be the only person I can turn to right now.
“Can I talk to you?” I ask, my voice taking on a desperate tinge.
“Sure!” Her face immediately fills with concern. “What's wrong, honey?”
“I don't belong here,” I explain to her in a rush of breath. “Waylon basically kidnapped me from everything I knew back in Delaware. He’s pretty much destroyed my life plan. And I'm not sure what's waiting for me back home, but I've got to return to Wilmington to fix everything and try to get my real job back. That's where I belong. In Delaware. Not here.”
“But I thought you were supposed to be the town’s new nurse,” Meemaw replies, setting my scrubs aside with a confused smile. “That's what Waylon said.
“I’m not, and I’m not supposed to be here,” I answer, my voice quavering. “It doesn't matter what Waylon said.”
I take Meemaw’s hands in mine. “Lucinda said you are kind and that you helped her out when she really needed it. So I need you to help me right now, too. Tell me where I am. I will sneak out of here in the dead of night and walk for as long as it takes to get anywhere that’s not here. But I need to know which way to go. I also need money. I will pay you back when I return to Delaware and can access my bank account. I promise you that on my soul. But I need you to loan me some money so that I can escape from this place.”
Meemaw looks at me, her eyes large with shock. But then she simply asks, “How much do you need? Is five hundred enough? And don’t you even think about sneaking out of here during the night. I can cash a check at Charlie’s and borrow his car to drive you myself. But five hundred is his limit for cashing checks.”
She actually sounds apologetic that she can’t give me more.
Relief makes my eyes well up with tears. “Five hundred dollars is more than enough, I think. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“No need to thank me. This small town of ours might be new, but this is a place where we help each other out so that everybody can live their best life,” Meemaw answers, grabbing her purse. “Just give me twenty minutes or so to get there and get back, okay? You can make yourself a sandwich while I’m gone.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, nearly overcome with gratitude.
After she’s gone, I do exactly as she suggested. I grab some bread and lunch meat from the refrigerator and make myself a couple of sandwiches. Then I find a little roll-on suitcase and throw in my scrubs along with all the things Lucinda brought over. I probably won’t be able to get on a plane without any ID. I might need a few changes of clothes for a long bus trip.
The door opens behind me just as I'm closing up the suitcase.
Now it’s my turn to say, “That was faster than I expected!”
I stand up and ask, “Is it okay if I borrow your suitcase? I promise to send it back when I get to—”
I cut off when I turn around to see the person standing at the door.
Not Meemaw.
Waylon.
He stands there in only a pair of camo pants and boots. He’s shirtless and sweaty like he was hard at work somewhere else before he came over here.
His hair is tied back, which makes his face seem even more furious when he asks, “You really thought I or anybody here was going to let you leave?”
CHAPTER 29
Waylon.
Waylon is here glowering down at me instead of nice Meemaw, who must have betrayed me and told him I was trying to leave.
My heart is a frantic beat inside my chest. I thought I was so close to getting out of here. But now, all that hope is dying like the light in Stephanie’s eyes.
Still, I dare to answer his question, “You really thought I wasn’t going to try to leave? I have a life in Delaware. A job I need to try to get back. You can’t keep me here!”