Chapter 19

I was in the passenger seat and Sterling was driving. Some jazz tunes played on the radio but it was at a low volume. The windows were rolled down and the wind blew in the car, causing my hair to fly backward.

Since I cried into the arms of Sterling, I had not said a single word. And though my mouth may have been shut, my mind was doing all the talking. It was spinning faster than a tornado.

After thirty minutes of driving, I reached for my phone to check the time and saw so many missed calls and texts. Most are from Samuel and the others from my dad. Mom may have told him the truth or maybe a washed-down version of it.

“Would you like us to stop and get ice cream?” Sterling’s voice grabbed my attention and I looked up at him.

“What?” I asked even though I heard him well the first time.

“I asked whether you would like to get ice cream?” His voice was smooth and he did not take his eyes off the road. “I know a really nice ice cream shop not far from home. We could stop there.” He