The Sooner the Better by Debbie Macomber Read Free Book Online Page B

Jason this way; his open exuberant personality encouraged confidences and camaraderie.
    With billowing exhaust and much grinding of gears, the bus finally pulled into the station. Jason had been right to warn her about its likely condition. The rattletrap of a vehicle looked as if it’d been on the road since the Second World War. Its color was no longer distinguishable and half the windows were missing. In this heat, though, that was probably a blessing.
    The bus was one thing, her fellow travelers another. The minute the bus rolled into the yard, people appeared from every direction. Adults and children and caged chickens. One man was hefting a pig under his arm.
    â€œGo and get us the best seat you can,” Jason advised, urging her toward the bus. “I’ll make sure our luggage gets on board.”
    Lorraine watched, astonished, as two men clambered on top of the bus and waited for Jason and another man to throw suitcases up to them. She didn’t envy anyone the task of lifting her suitcase, let alone hurling it eight feet off the ground.
    After about ten minutes a breathless Jason climbed on board and collapsed onto the seat beside her.
    â€œYou mentioned you’d be traveling to someplace near El Mirador,” Lorraine said once he’d caught his breath.
    â€œI’m on my way to another dig,” he said, shifting a bit to give her more room on the cramped seat. The narrow cushion was barely wide enough for one adult, let alone two.
    He’d told Lorraine a little about Mayan ruins earlier, and she’d found it fascinating.
    â€œThere’s a dig near El Mirador?” She’d researched the tiny coastal town at the library and on the internet, but hadn’t learned much. El Mirador had a population of less than a thousand. The economy of many of these towns along the coast depended, not surprisingly, on the fishing industry, but there was little else. She couldn’t remember reading about Mayan ruins in the area around El Mirador, but that didn’t mean much.
    â€œActually,” Jason said, “our El Mirador was named after another El Mirador, in Guatemala. It was an important Mayan site—one of the earliest. But there’s a Mayan temple a few miles from this El Mirador, too. It was discovered a few years ago, and they’ve only begun excavating, so I want to spend a few weeks there before I go home.”
    â€œHome is Missouri, right?”
    â€œJefferson City,” he said. “Now what about you? Why are you traveling to El Mirador? It’s not like the town’s exactly a tourist destination.”
    Lorraine took her time answering, wondering how much to tell Jason. She’d known him slightly more than an hour. Granted, they’d become virtually instant friends, but still… This wasn’t the kind of personal information one generally shared on such recent acquaintance.
    â€œMy father lives there,” she said without elaborating.
    â€œIn El Mirador?” Jason’s eyes widened briefly. “What’s he doing there?”
    â€œHe’s a teacher.”
    â€œThe Peace Corps?”
    Lorraine looked out the window. Considering how nervous she was about meeting her father, she should be grateful for someone to talk to. She’d tell Jason the whole story, she decided impulsively. He’d certainly told her a lot about his own background, and she sensed she could trust him. She took a deep breath. “To be honest, Jason, I don’t really know. I haven’t seen him since I was three—I was told he’d died of leukemia. I only found out a month ago that he’s actually alive, and once I did, I couldn’t stay away. My fiancé thinks I’ve gone off the deep end and maybe I have.” She ended up telling Jason about her mother’s death, the letter she’d discovered with the items from the safe-deposit box and about Gary.
    Jason took a moment to absorb everything. “Does