CHAPTER 3
Kimmie woke up to a crisp autumn morning. She and Pip had been clutching each other in their sleep, whether from the cold or the sheer loneliness of their existence and the grief they both shared.
She slid out of bed, careful not to wake him, and peeked out the bedroom door. Chuck was still asleep in his recliner, but the quiet and peace of the morning wouldn’t last long. If she was lucky, she’d have time for a shower without hearing her stepfather yell about all the money she wasted running the hot water.
Maybe if he fixed all the stupid leaks in this cheap trailer, she wouldn’t be so cold all the time and need to thaw herself out under the scalding flow.
Kimmie had taken these past few days off from work, but they needed her back at the daycare soon. One of her coworkers ha
