Page 73 of No More Hiding

“My father had no siblings either. As far as I know his parents are gone too.”

“Did your father pass away too?” he asked.

“No. We don’t talk and haven’t for a long time,” she said firmly. “When I said before that the only family I was close to is gone, that is the truth.”

He nodded his head and let it drop. She didn’t think she was being mean. She was being honest.

Not only did the man that fathered her want to flee the country with her mother and leave her behind, but he was a crook on top of it that ruined millions of lives in the process. Why? For greed. That wasn’t who she was or ever would be.

That wasn’t who she wanted to be associated with and didn’t want anyone to know.

If there was one thing she’d learned in life it was that people judged. You were often found guilty of a crime that you not only didn’t commit but that you also weren’t aware was going on, just because it happened in your household.

The fact the government helped to hide her identity proved to her it was the right thing to do.

No, she wasn’t in witness protection. Not like many thought.

But she wasn’t who she was born as and there shouldn’t be any trace of her before the date she changed her name.

Her social security number was different, but her date of birth the same. She hadn’t wanted to change too many things and get tripped up in lies.

“Okay,” he said. “If anyone can understand how hard it is to move past something, it’s me.”

“It’s not so much moving past as it’s not relevant in my life,” she said simply.

She turned her head when she heard whining in the back to see Sammie getting frustrated at being put behind them.

“Someone isn’t happy,” he said. “I know. I should put her in the car more, but I can’t seem to get out of the house to do it. It’s more work than it should be.”

“She rides in the car to come to my house,” she said.

“A few blocks and she’s still excited to be in the car before we get to your place and is more ticked off to have to get out again. Once the excitement wears off she wants to be in the front with me.”

“And you let her,” she said.

“I do, but she’s too big for your lap. So the back it is. She’ll settle down. How busy are you going to be tomorrow at work?”

“Pretty busy. You’d be surprised how many women book appointments. Jenna said she only has two, but I’m sure she could get a lot more if she wanted. She complains all the time she isn’t as busy.”

“Maybe she really doesn’t want to do it,” he said.“Or be as busy?”

“She does. I’d know if she didn’t and I’ve asked her a few times. She will admit she needs to be pushed in life. She’s like a child at times and that is fine, but she’s twenty-three. She’s naive on one hand but wants to be an adult on the other.”

“An adult that doesn’t want to do much?” he asked.

“Pretty much. She still lives at home by choice. I think she could move out, not sure if she could afford it alone but has talked about friends wanting to get places with her. She wastes her money on things.”

“Which is her choice to do,” he said.

“Exactly. Then she complains she needs more and that is when I remind her that she can earn more if she hustles and she laughs and says it’s hard. She knows it. Again laziness. It’s like the kick in the butt she needs. She tells us all the time she appreciates us pushing, but it gets tiring too.”

“I bet you’ve never been that way a day in your life,” he said.

“No. I’m a pretty decisive person.”

They drove the rest of the way talking about different subjects but nothing serious. By the time they pulled into his parents’ driveway, Sammie had finally lain down to sleep.

“Ironic, isn’t it?” he said. “At least we know it takes about an hour for her to settle down if we go on any long trips together.”