“Do you have a passport?” he asked.
She tipped her head. “How do you think I got into the country?
“Can I see it?”
She dug into the bag and pulled out a navy-blue US passport and handed it over.
It had been issued eight years ago. In the photo, her face looked fuller and eyes brighter. From her birthdate, he worked the figures. Thirty-nine. Further snooping showed she was born in New York. He flipped through the pages used for immigration stamps. “You haven’t used this once.”
She shrugged. “Like I said, taking this trip—it’s a big deal for me.”
Guilt sucker punched him. Damn rules! No wonder he’d ignored them most of his life. A quick risk calculation on a visit from Claudia was low. During his employment here, the home office only got good feedback on Julian’s tours—so he’d been told.
If he did this one little thing, how would she know?
He looked again at the bus. Several occupants gave him eager nods. When he looked to Mamie, she watched him.
He kicked a stray stone gently off the curb. “If I say yes, will you promise to be low key?”
“Low key. Of course.”
“I’d like to keep this letter from your uncle. For my records, in case my boss finds out your uncle transferred his paperwork to you.”
“So, I can go?”
“Yup.”
Twirling to face the bus, she flashed a thumb in the air. A loud cheer erupted from inside. She slowly turned back to him and smiled sweetly, the relief in her eyes a reward he wasn’t sure he deserved. “Thank you. You won’t regret this.”
He motioned to the bus before he changed his mind. “Get on. We’re behind schedule.”
As she took a seat toward the front, the other riders whooped loudly. With any luck, he’d skate by without Claudia finding out.
How much could go wrong with a bus full of people over sixty-five and a thirty-nine-year-old who’d never left the US?
Meet the Author
Sharon Struth believes you’re never too old to pursue a dream. The Hourglass, her debut novel, was a finalist in the National Readers’ Choice Awards for Best First Book. She is the author of the popular Blue Moon Lake series, which includes Share the Moon.
When she’s not working, she and her husband happily sip their way through the scenic towns of the Connecticut Wine Trail, travel the world, and enjoy spending time with their precious pets and two grown daughters. She writes from the friendliest place she’s ever lived, Bethel, Connecticut. For more information, including where to find her published essays, please visit www.sharonstruth.com or visit her blog, Musings from the Middle Ages & More at https://sharonstruth.wordpress.com/.
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