She tugged the blanket tightly around her shoulders as she mentally repeated the chant her father had taught her to quell an oncoming panic attack. She hated the rain. Simply the sound of it hitting the window, or even the shower running, could be enough to trigger a full blown crisis. Not so much now, but when she first came home, it happened every single time. She solved that problem by bathing rather than showering and staying away from the windows. Now, with help, and so long as she stayed inside when it rained, she was all right. Or, maybe she stayed inside in case it rained. Or she just stayed inside—full stop. If the forecast looked good, she might let her parents take her to church, but that rarely happened. She’d rather listen online. It was safer that way. “Eva?” Felicity’s voice and rapid footsteps echoed through the house. How could one person make so much noise? And why was she home in the middle of the day? Had she been fired? Maybe she’d actually taken a lunch break for once rather than grabbing something to eat in her office or as she walked along the busy corridors of the local theatre where she worked?
