Fitting The Pieces (The Riverdale Series Book 3) by Janine Infante Bosco Page B

carefully slipped it into his back pocket.
                “Thank you.” He said hoarsely.
                She nodded. “Okay, Cara… time to put your big girl
panties on.” She murmured as she took hold of the suitcase one more time and
turned around.
                Luke smiled slightly when he heard her coach herself, a
little piece of the Cara Sloane he once knew, shining through the broken
version that stood before him. “Hey…” He called and she glanced over her
shoulder, raising an eyebrow towards him. “C’mere.” He whispered.
                She looked at him confused for a moment and turned around
to completely face him. He stepped forward and closed the space between them as
he wrapped his arms around her delicate frame.
                “I’m proud of you for taking this step.” He whispered
into her hair as he held her against him for the briefest of moments. He didn’t
give himself a second to question his actions and did as he felt. After a
moment he pulled back and nodded towards the door behind her. “Now you can go.”
He said and offered her a smile.
                The corners of her mouth curved slightly and she treated
him to a smile before she turned around and this time she didn’t hesitate, she
walked straight through the automatic doors that opened for her. Luke watched
them close behind her and stood still for a moment, sighing heavily as he let
her go.
      * * * * *
                Once Cara had been admitted into the rehab facility, they
had taken her to her room and gave her a few moments to situate her belongings.
The room that had been appointed to her resembled a small hotel suite,
completely different than what she had expected. She didn’t know why, but for
some reason she thought she would feel trapped, as if she was a prisoner. Maybe
she still would, but right now she wasn’t feeling all the anxiety she had
anticipated on her way up here. Once she had unpacked some of her belongings
and made her room feel a bit more as if it were her own, she made her way
downstairs to the reception area.
                She was scheduled for an assessment with one of the
counselors and then would be taken to detox. She assumed that was when the
anxiety would kick in. Pushing those thoughts out of her head, she took a seat
and waited for her name to be called. There were very few people who were
seated in the large area that reminded her of oversized living room. As she
glanced around she wondered what their stories were and why they were here
picking up the pieces of their lives just as she was.
                She reached down absent-mindedly and her fingers found
the delicate gold chain that hung around her neck. The only thing that dangled
from it was her engagement ring and it fell over her heart. Her name was called
and she looked in the direction of the person who had called it. The woman with
a welcoming smile was middle-aged, with red hair. She wore glasses and was dressed
professionally.
                Cara stood and met her in the doorway of her office. She
held out her hand as she introduced herself.
                “You must be Cara, my name is Linda Snyder and I will be
one of your counselors.” She said softly.
                Cara shook her hand and stepped inside of her office.
Once they were both inside Ms. Snyder nodded towards a row of seats.
                “Why don’t you have a seat and we’ll get started.” Ms.
Snyder said.
                Cara took a deep breath and took a seat and watched as
Ms. Snyder did the same.
                “Do you have any questions for me before we begin?” She
asked.
                Cara shook her head and wiped her palms along her thighs.
Her nerves were beginning to settle in and she couldn’t help but wonder what
Ms. Snyder thought when she looked at her.
                “Okay,