Page 22 of The Journey of a Lifetime (Tiny Homes and Happy Tails #2)

C indy munched on her egg and bacon sandwich while Maggie barely kept the van under the speed limit.

“I don’t see why we had to leave before eating breakfast.” Cindy took a drink of water. “I mean, it’s supposed to be a road trip. It’s not like you have a deadline.”

Maggie had taken a quick shower without bothering to wash her hair.

By the time she got back to the campsite, Cindy was frying eggs and cooking bacon.

She told her to make a breakfast sandwich so they could eat on the road.

After seeing the flyer, Maggie was scared to stay longer in case someone would recognize Cindy.

Maggie didn’t look at the girl. She didn’t want her to see the lie in her eyes. “The quicker we get to Colorado, the more time I will have to spend in the mountains. Besides, it’s a lot cooler.” She cleared her throat. “Have you ever been to the mountains?”

Cindy chewed thoughtfully. “When I was about eight, my parents took me to the Smokey Mountains. We stayed in a motel while we did all kinds of things like mining for gold and cooking over a campfire.” She glanced at Maggie.

“You know, when Tony said we were going to travel around in his camper, I thought it was going to be a wonderful time. Turns out camping wasn’t as fun as I remember. ”

Maggie cut a glance at her “Maybe camping wasn’t the issue. Maybe he was.”

Cindy rested her sandwich on the paper towel on her lap.

Maggie regretted saying anything. She shouldn’t have brought up Tony. The more she disparaged him, the more Cindy would defend him.

“I wonder how far he got without me.” Cindy stared out the window.

Maggie frowned. “What do you mean?”

Cindy shrugged. “Tony was always helpless when it came to directions. He would let me read the map and tell him where to turn. Now that I’m gone, what’s he going to do?”

Maggie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She took a few beats before answering. “He has a cell phone, right? Can’t he just use Google maps? Where was he planning on going anyway?”

Cindy blinked. “Mexico. He said we were going to go to Mexico because the cost of living is cheaper there.”

Maggie frowned. “So, he has your passport?”

Cindy nodded. “Tony always locked up important papers in this safe he kept in the truck camper.”

Maggie tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “Oh yeah? Like what kind of important stuff?”

Cindy picked up her sandwich and pulled off some bread. “You know, like my birth certificate, passport, money from my savings account ….”

Maggie’s stomach dropped. “So, he kept your papers locked up. From you.”

Cindy quickly shook her head. “It’s not like that. He knows how forgetful I am and always losing things. He locked them up so they would be protected.”

Maggie stole a glance at Cindy. “I noticed you had your driver’s license with you. Did he let you drive a lot?”

Cindy’s brows knit together. “Tony never let me drive.”

Maggie bit the inside of her lip. “So, what would happen if he got tired?”

Cindy wrapped her unfinished breakfast sandwich in the paper towel. “We would stop at a rest area or parking lot and sleep.”

Maggie signaled and passed a slow-moving car.

“I know why we left so fast from that RV park.” Cindy stated.

Maggie’s heartbeat sped up. “You do?”

Cindy gave her a steady look and nodded. “You got a text from your boyfriend. It must have upset you.”

Maggie felt relief surge through.

“How long have you been with your boyfriend?”

Maggie was grateful for the change in conversation. “His name is Mason, and we’ve dated since tenth grade.”

Cindy nodded. “That’s a long time. I met Tony online. He sent me a message on Instagram. He’s my first boyfriend.”

Maggie rested her arm on the console. “Oh yeah? Mason is my first boyfriend too.”

Walker put his snout on the console, wanting a pet.

Cindy chuckled and gave him some pets.

Maggie decided to push for more answers. “We are both majoring in law. His father is an attorney, and he wanted to go into the family business.”

Cindy cocked her head. “What about you? Why did you want to study law?”

Maggie shrugged. “My parents always wanted me to be an attorney.”

Cindy frowned. “So, you didn’t want to be an attorney?”

Maggie shifted in her seat. “I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t say you did either.” Cindy stated. “What do you want to do?”

Maggie didn’t need to think about her answer. “I wanted to be a writer. But my mom said I would never make any money. She said an attorney would be a better choice.”

Cindy gave her a sympathetic look. “Your mom doesn’t sound very supportive.”

Maggie bristled. “What did you want to do?” She didn’t like how the conversation turned to her.

Cindy brightened. “I wanted to be a veterinarian. I’ve always loved animals. My mom would take me to the animal shelter to volunteer on the weekends.”

So did Cindy give up her dreams for Tony?

Her phone rang and she glanced over at it.

It was from Mason.

“Are you going to answer that?”

Maggie hit the decline button. “I’ll call them back.”

Cindy pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. “Looks like I’m not the only one with family issues.” She sighed heavily.

Maggie wanted to argue, but she stayed silent. Maybe what Cindy was saying was truer than Maggie realized.