Lanie lay in bed, watching the early morning sunlight play off the waves. None of them had slept much the night before. Although exhausted from wrestling with her emotions, Lanie found sleep elusive, and she heard John every time he got up with a fussy Sonny Buck. An hour before, she’d heard the rustle of sheets as he went back to bed after settling the baby.Hope wanted to spring eternal, but she insisted on squashing it. It whispered to her, telling her to remember the intensity in his voice when he’d talked about being afraid she’d die. It curled up in her, warming her, wanting her to see what the future would hold if she’d give him another chance.Reality said something different. Joined with anger and self-preservation, it cynically insisted that he couldn’t be trusted. Whenever hope dared to speak, reality laughed and told her to remember the desperation in his voice when he asked for Beth, not her.After a sleepless night, Lanie had dry, gritty eyes and the desire to be devoid of emotions.
