by Gail Sattler
“You mean he just disappeared? He’s got to be somewhere.”
“Rick asked Alex’s friends but no one would tell him anything. My best friend was his sister. She didn’t know, either—and I couldn’t tell her what had happened. She blamed me. I know she did.”
Daphne paused, looked down, took a deep breath, then looked back up at him. “His boss just said he’d moved on, and wouldn’t give details. A week later a florist delivered some flowers with a note saying ‘I’m sorry’ but they wouldn’t tell me where the order came from.
“The police, except for Rick, don’t consider him dangerous. Rick wants me to press charges, but with Alex gone, I decided to wait. For now, I need to get on with my life, not to keep going over what I can’t change. I’m trying to put it behind me.” She clasped and unclasped her hands.
“The policemen said hopefully he would show up, since they don’t have the manpower to actively search for him without a warrant. When he surfaces, I can decide then what to do. It’s been six months, so I guess he’s moved on with his life. Maybe he’s even left the country. I don’t know. Now I don’t even know if I want him to be found and get everything dragged through the courts. Yet at the same time, I want him to be punished.”
He’d heard that rape and rape-related court cases were tough. Everything had to be brought into the open, with all the wounds opened and exposed and analyzed. He didn’t know anyone who’d been through it, only what he’d read in the papers. Much of the painful details would become public knowledge, although he was sure some would be kept private. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be so violated. “Are you okay now?” he asked out loud, although he expected she was really far from okay.
“I’ve been working on it.” She gave a lame, self-depreciating laugh. “But as you can see, some days are better than others. Today turned out to be one of the not better days. I’d decided with the promotion it was time to get on with my life. It doesn’t look like I’m doing all that well. I’m so sorry.”
Cory shook his head. “Don’t be sorry. Ever. You’ve been through a lot.” He could see that she’d have trust issues with men for a long time, and now he understood why she’d insisted on taking her own car and finding a spot close to the door. He also understood why Rick was reluctant to leave her side, and why Rick had chosen him to be with her today, even with a warning.
Now that he knew, he feared that if he ever came face to face with Alex it would spell disaster, both for Alex and for himself.
Daphne looked toward the growing crowd. “I think it’s time to rejoin the party.” She checked her watch. “We haven’t done much schmoozing, and it’s nearly time for the meal and the speeches.”
“I think the most important thing is that you showed up. If you’re really okay, let’s go to our assigned seats. If not, I’m okay if you want to leave.”
She shook her head. “No. I need to do this. I’m safe here. There’s nothing here to hurt me, and I have every reason to stay. Like I said, I need to get on with my life. I can’t let Alex control me anymore. Let’s go join everybody.”
They stood at the same time. “You might want to go to the ladies’ bathroom and fix your makeup. I’ll meet you back at our table.”
“Of course. Thanks.”
She dashed off before he could say she had nothing to thank him for.
As he sat at the table there were two people he hadn’t met, but Xavier and his fiancée, whose name he couldn’t remember, were at the same table.
The woman leaned forward over the table to him. “Is Daphne okay?”
She really wasn’t, but it wasn’t any of this woman’s business. “No worries. Everything is fine.” Or, as fine as it could be, which wasn’t fine at all. “Excuse me. I need to go get a couple of drinks for Daphne and me.”
While he waited in line he thought about what he could do to help, but he didn’t know what.
Daphne arrived at the table at the same time as he did. She slid into the chair beside his as if nothing had happened.
She turned to give him the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. “Did I miss anything?”
“I don’t think so. It looks like they’re going to start some of the speeches.”
Her chair was angled to have her back toward the stage and podium. Before he realized what she was doing, she stood, pushed her chair until it was beside his and sat again.
They were so close that to the unknowing eye, they would have seemed like a couple. As he wished they could be, now even more than before.
She turned to him, smiling, yet her eyes seemed sad. “Are you ready for this?”
“Yes,” he said, but his brain screamed no. Something in his life had changed. Something he didn’t think he was ready for at all.
Maybe, just maybe, he might be falling a little in love.
Chapter 3
Just as she did every day as she left the office, Daphne slipped into her car and immediately locked the door. But today, before she started the engine, she looked up to the second floor, to the window of what was now her private office.
This was it. The start of her new life. With her first pay stub at her new salary tucked into her purse, she now knew how much she would be earning after taxes. After a few months she could either move out on her own, or she could continue to live with her parents until she squirreled away enough money for a down payment on a small condo.
Six months ago she would have called a few friends and gone out to celebrate. Or, she would have gone out with Alex to make plans for their future. Or maybe both.
Now neither was a consideration. Out of fear, she’d turned herself into a hermit. Her only outlet for months had been a post-trauma therapy group. It had helped a lot, but at the same time, listening to the other women’s stories had added a new level of fear.
The one time she’d gone out to a business event without her brother she’d almost had a meltdown, then a man she’d barely known had helped her pull herself together. Cory. She didn’t know what a forest ranger did exactly, but probably calming small and frightened animals was part of Cory’s job. He’d taken over without being pushy or threatening, providing a safe escape while taking her aside to help her get her bearings. He had a gentle way about him. Like a Great Dane, he knew his power, so he had nothing he needed to prove.
As Daphne continued to stare up at the window, her phone sang out.
She had no idea who it could be. This time it couldn’t be her boss because she’d bade him goodbye for the weekend only minutes ago. Her friends had stopped calling months ago.
The display on her phone showed the caller to be Cory.
Her first thought was to let it go to voice mail, but she couldn’t do that. Not after he’d been key to her keeping her promotion—and her dignity. She owed him. Big time.
Her finger shook as she swiped the keypad to answer.
“Hi, Cory. I was just thinking of you.”
Silence hung for a few seconds. “Really? Good things, I hope.”
She doubted that comparing him to a large and somewhat loose-jowled slobbery dog would be taken as a compliment, so she just said, “Yes.”
Another silence hung, then he cleared his throat. “I was just talking to Rick and he said you’d be getting off work about now. I was wondering if you’d like to join me for dinner. Nothing fancy. In fact, I was kind of thinking of going to that restaurant on the second floor of the mall and getting a table on the balcony overlooking all the action.”
She knew the place. It was busy and always crowded, but yet the spot he mentioned was nice, if a person didn’t mind that all the shoppers could see you as they walked by, or all the background noise. It would be a protected spot in the middle of mayhem.
Since Cory had already spoken to Rick, Rick knew where they were going, and a reasonable time that she’d be home. He’d time it to the minute.
But this time, unlike the last time she’d met a man for a dinner engagement, she would have her own car. She wouldn’t
need to get into any enclosed spaces with anyone where there were no means of escape.
Daphne sucked in a deep breath and reminded herself that getting the promotion was the start of reclaiming her life. She needed to break out of the fish bowl in which she’d enclosed herself. She’d prayed for God to help her, and maybe this was how it was going to happen. One small step, but still a step. All she had to do was to accept the help He gave her.
“Yes, that sounds nice.” Terrifying, but nice. She checked her watch. “I could be there in fifteen minutes. Would that work for you?”
“Yes. Fifteen minutes would be perfect. I’ll see you there.”
It was done. Tonight would be her night of celebration. At the mall she would be safe in the crowd. Especially if she had a watchdog with her. And with her own car, she didn’t need to fear the watchdog. She only had to feed him.
Inwardly, Daphne cringed at her thoughts. She needed to stop thinking of Cory like a large dog. But then again, not a dog, he was more like a bear.
She tried to stop the mental picture. She had no reason not to trust him, since Rick trusted him. She couldn’t understand why Cory had asked her to join him for dinner. Unless, as repayment for being her escort to the chamber dinner, he wanted her help selecting a gift for his mother for Mother’s Day. Therefore, a restaurant at the mall made sense.
That, she could handle. She also would pick something up for her mother tonight, instead of buying it online and having it shipped as she’d planned.
Before she started the car, she sent a quick text to Rick telling him she’d agreed to meet Cory at the mall for dinner and a little shopping.
She made her way there in good time and even found a good parking spot close to the main door.
Venturing through the mall wasn’t as bad as she’d feared. Rather than feel terrified by all the strangers, instead she felt safe buried in the crowd. Confidence buoyed, she rode up the escalator to the second level and entered the restaurant Cory had chosen. He was easy to find. Even sitting, his head towered above everyone else already seated, making her realize he never slouched, standing or sitting.
She would never have to worry about losing him.
Not that she planned to spend any more time with him once she helped him with his shopping.
He smiled and waved as soon as he saw her. Her stomach made a crazy flutter and she couldn’t tell if it was fear or something else.
Fortunately he didn’t stand as she weaved through the people waiting for a table.
She quickly slipped into the chair across from him. “Have you been waiting long?” She leaned to tuck her purse between her feet. “They’re starting a waiting list.”
He shook his head. “I’ve only been here a few minutes.”
Looking at the half-empty coffee cup in front of him, apparently he either drank his coffee very fast or the restaurant served it lukewarm. “Today will be a good day for shopping for Mother’s Day. I saw lots of sale signs.”
He turned to look past the crowd, past the balcony that overlooked the mall. “That’s good.”
“Do you have something specific that you’re thinking of, or are you going to browse for ideas? My mom likes to knit, so this year I want to buy her a pattern and some yarn to make a sweater for Missy. It will keep her busy over the summer.”
Cory raised his cup and swirled his coffee. “I’ve already bought my mom a gift card from the gas station, all I have to do is buy a stamp and put it in the mailbox.” He raised the cup to his lips and began to sip the lukewarm brew.
“You give your mother gas?”
His eyes widened and he choked. He pressed his fist to his mouth as he coughed and then clunked the cup down onto the table so fast some coffee splashed out.
As soon as she realized what she’d said, Daphne covered her mouth with her hands. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean that the way it came out.”
He laughed then began to cough again. “Actually she’s said worse about me. Don’t worry about it.”
Watching him recover, she wondered if he was serious or kidding about what worse things his mother would say, which then made her wonder what kind of relationship he had with his mother. Her own mother had cautioned her to look at the way a man treated his mother before she got into a serious relationship, because the way a man treated his mother would be similar to the way he treated his wife—with love and respect or not.
From what she’d seen Alex had a good relationship with his mother, but now that she thought about it, his mother had made jokes about always giving Alex whatever he wanted, and being so glad Daphne was doing the same. Maybe that was why the first time Daphne had said no to him, it had thrown him over the edge.
Cory turned to focus his attention on calling a waitress for more napkins, so Daphne focused her attention on him. At his size and obvious strength, she couldn’t imagine what Cory could do if his temper flared or if he didn’t get what he thought he deserved.
She cleared her throat. “Tell me about your mother. Why would you give your mother a gas card for Mother’s Day?”
“Because my mother isn’t very good with money,” he muttered as he caught the waitress’s attention. “She needs practical things.”
At his words a million thoughts ran through her mind, the foremost was his relationship with his mother in general.
But really, it didn’t matter. She’d planned to pay back his kindness by helping him select a gift and then they would go their separate ways.
Except, he wasn’t buying a gift. He’d selected what he was going to give his mother already. She would have to repay him some other way.
She already knew he lived in an apartment. She didn’t know if he was alone or with a friend, but she did know he was single.
Maybe she could bake him some cookies.
She cleared her throat. “Do you like chocolate?”
He broke out into a big grin. “I do. Why?”
Before she could answer, the server appeared with a handful of new napkins. “Are you folks ready to order?” The young woman stood above her, pencil poised above the order pad.
Daphne hadn’t even picked up the menu. But she didn’t want to spend the whole evening with Cory at the restaurant. “I’ll have what he’s having.”
Cory’s eyebrows quirked. “But you don’t know what I’m having. We never talked about it.”
“I trust you.” At her words her heart skipped a beat. She trusted him to choose a meal. After that she would work on trusting him for other things, too. She needed to do that. After all, if her brother trusted him, then she could trust him, too.
Cory cleared his throat. “I’ll have the double burger with mushrooms. Super-size the fries with a side of gravy. This comes with coleslaw, too, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, it does.” The server turned to Daphne. “Are you sure you want what he’s having?”
She felt her cheeks turn warm. “I’ll take the same burger platter, but the regular portions. I only want a single burger and no gravy on my fries.”
The server bit her lower lip, very unsuccessful at hiding her grin. “Would you also like coffee, the same as him? That only comes in one size.”
Daphne nodded. “Sure.”
When the server left, Cory turned to Daphne. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I eat a lot, especially on Friday at the end of the week. I don’t know why that is, I’m just more hungry on Fridays.”
All she could do was look at him. Even though he wasn’t fat, he was probably double her weight. It would only be natural that he would eat twice as much as she did, even on a normal day when he wasn’t hungry. With the small portions they’d been served last weekend at the chamber of commerce dinner, he must have picked up something to eat on the way home.
She wondered if Cory’s mother seemed to have difficulty with money because she still hadn’t recovered from the cost of feeding him in his teenaged years.
“It’s okay. I don’t know why I wasn’t expecting that, but I should have. I can
’t imagine feeding you as a child. Do you have brothers and sisters as big as you?”
A look of regret showed in his expression before he turned away so she couldn’t see his face. “No. I was an only child.”
She waited to hear more, but a silence hung between them until he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why did you ask earlier if I like chocolate?”
It had made sense at the time, but now she felt silly. “Since I’m obviously not helping you with buying any gifts today, I thought maybe I might make you some chocolate-chip cookies to say thank you for sacrificing your weekend and going with me to the chamber of commerce dinner.”
“As much as I like home-made cookies, you don’t have to do that. It was good going out with you.” He paused. “In fact, I’d like to go out with you again.”
The world turned to ice and her vision began to narrow into a tunnel. So she wouldn’t have a repeat of what happened at the chamber banquet, she forced herself to take in a long, deep breath and then another until the dizziness abated. Fortunately she was sitting, so she didn’t have to worry as much about making a fool of herself again until that happened.
Earlier today she’d promised herself, and God, that she was going to get on with her life. Apparently, God was calling her to step up to the plate.
Daphne cleared her throat and hoped her words sounded more sincere than she felt. “Sure. I’d like that.”
Cory smiled, oblivious to how she was feeling. “Great. How about tomorrow? I can pick you up for lunch and we can go do something in the afternoon.”
She tried not to let her head swim. She told herself that Cory wasn’t Alex. It was time to do what her therapist said, and to stop letting the fear control her.
“Sure. That sounds…” She couldn’t say fun. “Good. That sounds good.”