Chapter SeventeenShadows lengthened as Cora glanced at Van. He’d grown pensive in the last few minutes, and she hesitated to intrude on his thoughts. Unless, of course, he needed cheering up. How was she to know what to do?
She stopped along the shoreline of the Y-shaped pond on the west side of the park and bent to pick up a stone. She’d spent many hours with her sisters skipping rocks on the lakes at home. A gust of wind tangled her hair around her face, and she scraped away the errant locks. The aroma of grass, water, and vegetation pushed the ever-present smell of coal to the background. She took a deep breath and heaved the stone toward the water.
One—two—three—four skips, then a plop as the rock sunk.
“Not bad for a girl.” The clouds in Van’s eyes had cleared, and he tossed a ston
