Cherry didn't seem to know what to do but, eventually, she cast aside her reservations and hugged Elle. "Hey. It's gonna be okay. Can you tell me what's wrong? Did somebody say something to you?"
"I miss my dad!" she wailed.
She missed her mom too. And the life she could have had if both of her parents were still alive and she never had to deal with Darlene or her horrible daughters.
Normally, Elle was stronger than this. She dealt with her situation without getting upset because she knew she had to. But it was too much right now. She missed her dad, was upset that she managed to reconnect with a really great guy when she was pretending to be someone else, and hated that she was in a financial position where she felt like she had to accept this ridiculous offer in the first place.
Cherry sighed and patted her back. "I'm so sorry, Elle. I know what it's like to miss a parent. I was raised by my granny and losing her devastated me."
