Sara stared at Murphy and his scar and thought of the cruelties done to him. He didn’t deserve such brutal treatment. No one did. He looked up and met her eyes. She had seen so little of him since their arrival, the intensity of his gaze made her stomach flip-flop. She wanted to get him alone so they could talk. They needed to discuss so many things, she didn’t know where to begin. She wished he would confide in her about his scars and make amends with his family. They cared about him, just wanted to help him through it, and so did she. She missed him. Conversation continued around them, but Sara didn’t notice. She was caught in Murphy’s stare and he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to let her go. She couldn’t read his thoughts, but she did notice the heat that suddenly flared and dropped her fork on her plate with a loud clatter. Heat crept up her neck into her cheeks as she forced her eyes away and took a drink of iced tea. She glanced up to see Alice looking from her to Murphy and wanted to crawl under the table.
