Love's Someday Read Free Page A

at Kaitlyn.
    “Potty break,” Kaitlyn said softly.
    Erica looked over her shoulder. Ashleigh appeared to be asleep, and Drew didn’t make a sound. She and Kaitlyn climbed out and closed the doors gently.

    “You’re not asleep,” Drew said as she watched Kaitlyn and Erica walk toward the restrooms. Ashleigh didn’t respond, but Drew had seen her moments before they stopped take a drink from her Pepsi and replace the bottle in the cup holder. “Ashleigh.”
    Ashleigh turned and looked at her. Her eyes were puffy and swollen with dark circles beneath them. “What?” She reached for the bottle again.
    “You know I’m going to scour the Net when we get home.” Drew took the bottle from Ashleigh then made a face of disgust when she realized the soda was flat and warm.
    “And I’m sure that you’ll discover my dirty secret. You don’t need me to tell you anything.”
    “Why are you being like this? I thought I was your closest friend. Help me understand.”
    Ashleigh shook her head in frustration. “I had all of that tucked away. For years, I convinced myself that it wasn’t really me. I mean, what are the chances that anyone would play that damn video? It’s been twenty years.”
    Drew tried to keep her tone level. “We saw it. There’s no taking it back now. Let us—me—help you deal with it. Ash, open up, tell me what happened to make you so upset by all this.”
    “I feel like…” Ashleigh wiped angrily at the tears that slipped from her eyes. “Everything’s out of control. I’ve dealt with this. I don’t want to be forced to confront it now.”
    “If you’ve shelved it somewhere in your brain, you haven’t dealt with anything.” Drew reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind Ashleigh’s ear. “You’ve got a woman that loves you and friends in me and Kaitlyn that will never judge you.”
    Ashleigh turned back toward the window. “Can you honestly promise that? You have no idea what I’ve done.”
    “If I had done what you did, could you turn your back on me?”
    Ashleigh didn’t answer as her body shook with silent sobs.
    “Come here.” Drew unbuckled her seat belt and pulled Ashleigh close. “I don’t care what you’ve done. You’re my best friend, more like a sister, really. You’ll always have me beside you, I promise.”
    Ashleigh let herself be pulled into Drew’s embrace, but self-recrimination kept her from returning the hug. When Drew noticed Kaitlyn and Erica making their way back, she gently pushed Ashleigh’s head down into her lap. She and Kaitlyn exchanged glances when Kaitlyn climbed back into the driver’s seat. Erica climbed into her seat with a quick glance back but said nothing. The rest of the trip was made in silence.

Chapter Three

    When they arrived home in St. Francisville , Louisiana, Erica felt her tension rise. Within minutes, they would drop Kaitlyn and Drew off, then the buffer between her and Ashleigh would be gone. She wanted to know, had to know, whatever Ashleigh would invariably reveal, but there was a part of her that wished they could pretend everything was the same.
    “I’ll pick you up in the morning,” Kaitlyn said as Erica helped her pull out their suitcases. She lowered her voice. “And if you need to talk, you’ve only got to walk two doors down.”
    “I appreciate it, Katie.” Erica forced a smile.
    Ashleigh was already in the passenger’s seat when Erica climbed back into the vehicle. “Do you want to order a pizza or something?” She tried to sound causal.
    “I’m not hungry,” Ashleigh said without looking at her. “You may want to order a small. I’ll have cereal later.”
    Erica doubted that she’d be able to eat much, either, and dispensed with the idea as she pulled into their driveway. They unloaded their things in silence. Erica was unsure what to do with herself when Ashleigh took their dirty clothes into the laundry room. She made herself a cup of tea and leaned against the kitchen counter until