I’m out of state.On a vacation.
She hit send.
Her phone buzzed again, and she reached to turn it off.She glanced at the screen and realized it was not a text but a Facebook message.She clicked on it.
It was from Joy Miller.
“Is Cindy okay?We haven’t heard from her in months!Please call me.”
“Did you get another message from your boyfriend?”Cindy walked up to the campsite.
Startled, Maggie stood up and slipped her phone back into her pocket and forced a smile.“Yeah.I think I’m going to turn my phone off for the day.I don’t want Mason to ruin our trip.”
Cindy chortled.“Good idea.I can make us eggs and bacon while you shower.”
Maggie blinked.“How about breakfast sandwiches?That way we can take it with us to the park and eat once we get there.”
Cindy smiled.“Great idea.I’ll keep Walker company while you are gone.”She eased into the swing beside Walker.“Are you ready to help me make breakfast, Walker?”She hugged the canine close.
Maggie ducked inside and gathered her clothes.She hurried to the shower.Her mind raced with what she should say to Cindy’s family.Right now, Cindy was doing well, and she knew if she pushed the issue of reaching out to them Cindy might be resistant.
Hopefully, after a trip into the Rocky Mountain National Park, she would have more insight into how to handle this.
Ever since she realized Tony was looking for Cindy, Maggie had been someone on edge.Since crossing into Colorado she finally relaxed.She had put some distance between them and hopefully it was enough to keep Tony away for them once and for all.
Chapter32
The Rocky Mountains were breathtaking up close.There were elk walking up the side of the narrow road.Maggie had to slow down to make sure they wouldn’t dart out in front of the van.
They also spotted a wolf trotting through the woods with something in its mouth.
The closer they got to the top the thinner the air was.Maggie’s chest hurt a little with the higher elevation.Cindy complained that her head was starting to hurt.Maggie had read about elevation sickness and encouraged her to drink more fluids, which seemed to help.
They parked in the parking lot around halfway up the mountain.Instead of loading up into the bus, like the other visitors, they walked toward the woods with Walker on his leash.
“Let’s don’t go too far.Never know what kind of animal we might meet.”Cindy cast an anxious glance at Maggie.
Maggie nodded.“Why don’t we take our breakfast sandwiches over to that stump over there.”
Walker wagged his tail as they made their way over to a cleared area among the trees.
Maggie glanced around before setting their sandwiches on the tall stump.There was a line forming where people were waiting for the next bus to arrive to take them to the top of the mountain.The mixture of retired couples laughing and younger parents trying to corral their kids while handing out fruit snacks broke through the silence of the park.
“I wonder if I’ll ever have that.”Cindy took a bite of her breakfast sandwich and looked over Maggie’s shoulder.
Maggie followed her gaze to the young couple.The stressed mom had her long brown hair pulled up into a messy ponytail.She kept shoving her sunglasses up on the bridge of her nose as she bent over to hand her cranky toddler a package of gummy fruit snacks.Her daughter was busy entertaining the people waiting by singing a made-up song about bears in the woods.A nearby retired couple commented on how cute she was to the mother, while the husband checked the baseball score on his phone, oblivious that the toddler needed his attention.
Maggie looked at Cindy.“Have what?Being stressed out with kids and a husband who won’t help?”
Cindy blinked and then turned to look at her.“Is that what you see?”
Maggie took a second look.“Yeah.What do you see?”
Cindy took another bite and examined the scene again before replying.“Kids and a husband.You know, a family.”She took another bite.
Maggie could sense she was thinking about Tony.She wanted to grab the girl and shake her senseless before telling her Tony was an abuser and she deserved better.
It made her want to answer the Facebook message to Cindy’s mom even more urgently.
