Page 41 of The Cauldronball Run
"But you didn't mean it?"
"I thought I did.I thought..."She sighed."I thought if he won the money, it would solve our problems.But the real problem isn't debt.It's that I'm terrified of trusting someone again after my ex-husband destroyed me."
"What did he do?"
"Convinced me I was worthless.That I was lucky he tolerated my magic, my job, my existence.By the time he left, I believed him.Then I met J.J., and he made me feel valuable again.But when he actually drove away..."
"You thought he was like your ex?"
"Maybe."The admission hurt."Or maybe I pushed him away before he could hurt me worse."
Smokie held Mr.Snuggles up to his ear, nodding at whatever wisdom the bear was sharing."Mr.Snuggles says love requires trust.And trust requires faith that the other person will choose you, even when it's hard."
"Mr.Snuggles is very wise."
"He also says your orc is probably miserable right now."
Farrah laughed, though it was watery."How would Mr.Snuggles know that?"
"Because Mr.Snuggles knows that real love hurts when you're apart.And if the orc really loves you, he's suffering just as much as you are."
She wanted to believe that.Wanted to believe J.J.was out there missing her, maybe even turning around to come back.But that was fairy tale thinking, and she'd learned the hard way that fairy tales weren't real.
Chapter Thirteen
J.J
Highway 60 - Outside Phoenix
The desert highway stretched endlessly ahead, but J.J.wasn't looking at the road.His attention kept shifting to the rearview mirror, where headlights had been steadily gaining for the last ten miles.Multiple sets.Moving in formation.
Cops?His stomach clenched.If Grizz had found him now, when he was this close to Farrah—
The CB radio hissed to life.
"Green Machine, this is Flame Rider.Don't panic, it's us.All of us."
