She went back to the side of the barn that faced the road and conjured her light again. Her mother would be waiting up for her, and she would be watch...ng for that light approaching.Her mother's excuse tonight was mending. She always gave some reason why she was up waiting on her daughter, even though she knew that Devan knew better. It was a little game they played, and they both actually enjoyed it. Devan's mother could be quite creative with her excuses when pressed.When Devan reached the. ’ Red giggled and that quickly turned into a laugh that broke the tension Red had been feeling. ‘Point taken, Shannon trained that girl way too well.’ All I could think of as I was driving was, Amen to that. ******* There was another couriered package waiting for us when we arrived at the next hotel. Red waited for me to open it yet all I did was place it into my suitcase and lock it. We once again booked a small conference room for the next morning and we caught up with Mathew. ‘The phone. I told the whole crew that we were pleased with their effort and expected an even better second day from them.I also told Kyle I needed to see him privately, to discuss a situation I was concerned about, one that I wanted some advice about. He finished up with loading his team and then arranged for all of them to meet for lunch at a restaurant in Birmingham's East side.When the sales team dispersed to go to their assigned areas, Kyle turned back to face me. He was smiling, and looking more. You were just a kid and didn’t know what you were doing.’ The door opened, and Mutt Hayes came in with Michelle Hawkins. Tom looked, then slid back toward the wall. They took a table toward the front, refusing menus. Ashley sensed Tom’s discomfort and whispered: ‘What’s wrong, Tom?’ ‘Mutt Hayes is here with my new neighbor,’ he whispered back. ‘I don’t want either of them to see me here.’ She turned around to look. The wanna be pool hustler was still tracking her like a vulture from his bar.