The morning was emotional, and I set to work scrubbing the bathrooms. I had a lot of regrets and felt responsible for Callie falling victim to that man.
I allowed her to date at a young age and should have been concerned she was never without a boyfriend. She went from one to another. Meanwhile, Ray was her only male role model, and she wasn't his responsibility.
I should have prepared her by telling her about my own abuse. Protecting her, proved to expose her, I thought as I went to work on the tile grout with a toothbrush. Jim found me assaulting the grime, and I wasn't aware I was crying.
"Take a break. Talk to me."
"It's my fault. I should have prepared her better."
"No, the blame is on the monster. It's no good for either of you to take the blame for what he did."
His voice was soft and kind and calming. Still, I argued. "I should have told her what happened to me."
To my surprise, Jim sat down next to me on the bathroom floor and took my hand. His hand was large and smooth and the way it dwarfed my hand was comforting.
"What happened to you?"
"My boyfriend beat me. He drank too much. He almost killed me when I was pregnant."
"Was he her father?" I nodded. "What happened?"
"He took off, but the hospital placed me in a shelter. One day Brenda came to volunteer, and she offered me a job and a home."
"I remember when I first saw you. We were over for dinner and I thought you were beautiful. I remember thinking it was a good thing you were working for a stand-up guy like Ray, because too many men bragged about dallying with their live-in help."
"Ray loved Brenda. Would you? Did you?" I boldly asked. I pulled my hand away, not feeling comfortable given my question.
He laughed. "No, I remained faithful for love, but we never had any live-in help to tempt me, thankfully. Not that I would be tempted, although we had ups and downs like all couples. I remember when the boys were younger and I worked too much, it felt like they were a threesome and I was on the outside looking in."
"You're close to the boys now. When did it change?"
"When they got older. After we lost her and with Dan not fully until Paige. I'm really proud of them both."
"So you never strayed?" I was curious mostly because through the years I assumed he was the type who would.
"No, Deb was too smart, so I could never get away with it. I never wanted to, but I would never dare to even if I had."
I laughed. He was surprisingly honest. "You never married?" I shook my head. "But you've dated?"
"Occasionally, there was a divorced dad, who had a child in school with Callie. We were getting along and then he realized I was a housekeeper. I wasn't good enough for him. I lost interest after him."
"Your work is as important as anyone's. You sell yourself short."
Jim Currier continued to surprise me. When we both stood up, I felt better.
"Thank you."
"I'm just glad you feel better. You're still beautiful, especially when you smile."
His words sent a wave of emotion through me I didn't realize I could still feel, even though he was just being kind.
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A Summer Thing
Romance(Completed) When Patricia's daughter comes to her battered, she has to look at her own past as she helps her heal. As she focuses on mothering, she becomes aware that she is also woman. After leaving Parker, Callie never thought she would have a sum...
