Private Finished New Chapters in Our Lives

Chloe ate the enchiladas with a fork. Some of the rice and beans she ate the same way, some of it she put on her tortilla. She noticed Malara following her lead, but she didn't know if she wanted to point it out.

"I wouldn't be doing it for Amber's sake," she said. "It would be an operational security thing. I don't want her saying anything that would get my... that would get Gabriel asking questions."

She almost called him her dad again. And he was, but talking about him like that made this harder for her, emotionally. Until Amber came along, he was the only family she had on this island. She was the only family he had, period. Despite everything, she felt guilty for wanting to push him away like this. And despite everything else, it felt good to have a parent again, for as long as she did. Not to mention all of the things he had done for her sake, even if it was ultimately meant to be for his own benefit.

Though now he might kill her if she went on this path. She didn't know how to feel about any of this.

"I'll figure something out."

Chloe finished off her margarita. She got a refill, and finished that one too; this is when she realized exactly how strong those drinks were.

When the main course was over she introduced Malara to churros. She also ate at least one of them in a way that was definitely intended to be seductive. There were obvious anatomical reasons that this didn't really make sense. It sounded like a better idea in her head at the time. She snorted at herself and stopped.

"I'm glad I got past my first impression of you from that... dumb party Dori put on. And that we became friends anyway. God, that feels like it was so long ago now. Now we're both moms and I go to PTA things sometimes. And we've gone into battle together and stuff." She couldn't believe it had only been a year. Probably not even that long.

"And I'd probably just be dead," Chloe said. "If I didn't end up here, I mean. Or maybe I'd be some kind of sex slave. I dunno. You know what my options looked like, back there."

Chloe was remembering how she got that binge drinking problem in the first place. The alcohol mellowed her out. She could relax more. She was able to talk about stuff like this or snuggle up with virtual strangers without getting caught up in shame or guilt.

"Say, isn't Mother's day coming up in the summer? We should plan something for it. You and me and Pandora. And maybe something family friendly with the girls too." She thought for a second. "Did you even know Mother's Day was a thing? I don't know if the girls do either. Pandora might, though."