I watched him until he reached the door. Once he opened it and didn’t turn back, I panicked. “Six times!” He stopped, but didn’t come back in until I continued. “I slept with him six times.” Once I started the words rushed out and so did the tears.
Dennis was quiet while I admitted what I had done with Tony. How Craig took an innocent comment from me and twisted it to mean that I wanted to help teach Tony. The hardest thing to admit was that most of those times turned into having both of them at once and how I felt used and cheap afterwards because Tony never needed lessons.
I could feel the tension rolling off Dennis in waves. I didn’t really have much else to say, but I was afraid that if I stopped talking he would leave me. “I can’t even tell you why I agreed. I guess I didn’t want to disappoint Craig. It’s not that I was attracted to Tony. I never would have done anything with him if it weren’t for Craig.”
“Stop.” Dennis cupped my face and kissed me lightly. “I love you, Drew. Thank you for telling me. You don’t need to make excuses.”
My hands clutched his shirt to keep him near me. “You’re not mad?”
“Not at you.” He wiped my tears away. “I’d like to kick their asses for treating you like that.” Dennis put his forehead to mine. “I knew he wasn’t good to you, but I had no idea . . .”
I wrapped my arms around him and clung to him as hard as I could. “Don’t leave me.”
He pulled me closer and tucked my head under his chin. “I’m not going anywhere.”
~*~
Terri and I met a few days later for lunch. We hadn’t been able to meet up since she told Mark about the new doctor, and I hadn’t yet told her that Dennis knew the truth about Tony. I was trying to understand why he still wanted to be with me. I thought for sure he wouldn’t be able to handle it. It made me wonder what else he’d be able to handle, but I didn’t want to tempt fate and test his limits.
We sat in the back corner of our favorite restaurant so that we wouldn’t be overheard or distracted by other customers. I hit Terri to go first the second our waitress left after setting our drinks down. “How did Mark take the news?”
Terri started playing with her straw and ice. “He wasn’t pleased.” She looked at me. “He wants me to quit.”
“Wow. You love your job. What are you going to do?” I couldn’t believe Mark asked her to give up the one thing she’d always wanted to do.
She shrugged and looked at her drink again. “I’ve been thinking about it, but I don’t want to.”
I sat back against the booth. I didn’t know what to tell her. She loved her job and frankly was born for it. She shouldn’t have to leave because of some creep. “Is he still making advances towards you?”
“Not directly.” Terri leaned back and crossed her arms. “I still get the back pat when we do something good, and he’ll walk by me when there’s limited space so he has to brush up against me.”
“Have you thought about reporting him?”
“I already have.” She went back to playing with her drink.
I was shocked. “When did you do that?”
“Yesterday.” Terri sighed and placed her elbows on the table with her face in her hands. “Everyone is going to hate me. They all love him, and this is going to . . .” She started crying.
I went around to her side of the booth and put my arm around my friend. “They all love you, too, Terri. It will work out.”
We sat on the same side of the booth, talking about her options and what she would do if they didn’t back her. I had no doubt that once word got out about what he’d been doing to Terri, most people would stand by her and watch him more carefully. If he were allowed to stay, at least she’d be protected.
I moved back over to my side once our food arrived. Terri started in on my issues. “So, Dennis told Mark that Carl left. Is that true and why am I hearing second hand info on my best friend?” She crunched a fry to express her frustration with me.
“Dennis talks to Mark a lot, doesn’t he?”
Terri’s nod told me that she already knew about the altercation with Tony. I took a bite of my burger. “You’re only delaying the inevitable. I will get it out of you.”
I put my burger down and slowly finished my bite. “I planned on telling you. You’ve just had a lot going on yourself these days.”
Terri put her hand across the table and motioned for me to give it up. I closed my eyes before reaching in my purse to get the note Carl had written. I handed it over and started to eat my lunch again while she read it. It looked as if she read it three times.
“No matter how many times you read it, it won’t say anything different.”
“It doesn’t say anything at all.” Terri put it down and looked at me. “Why would Dennis think he’s gone?”
I narrowed my eyes at Terri. “What do you mean? He gave me the last donation along with a list of other possible clients, and he’s removed Amy from the center. He has nothing to come back for.”
Terri threw a fry at me. “Sometimes I worry how you make it through the day without me there to guide you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I picked up the fry off my lap and threw it back at her.
“He’s not done.” She picked up the note again. “There’s no goodbye here. It says Amy won’t be coming back, but nothing about him staying away.”
I grabbed the note back from her and read it as if it would say something new to me. I started shaking my head. “No, he’s done. There aren’t any more games to play. He can’t use Amy if he removes her from the center. He’s already given me the donation, so it’s not as if he can dangle that in front of me.”
“No, there’s something else he wants to dangle in front of you.” Terri laughed at my expression and suddenly grew serious. “Let’s go.” She reached into her purse and tossed money on the table.
“What’s wrong? We haven’t finished our lunch.”
“Some things never change.” I sat there in shock as Craig sat next to me. “You’re looking good, baby.” He turned to Terri. “And you’re still looking good, too. How many kids you got now? Marcus is one lucky man.”
“Craig, I suggest you go before I call the police.” Terri had her cell phone out.
“I’m a free man now. I have the right to be here. They won’t do anything, but call if you want to.” He turned to me and put his hand on my leg. “You wore a skirt. Easy access is exactly what we need. You’ve got to know how much I need you right now.”
As his hand slowly crept up my thigh, I put my hands on the table. I grabbed the silverware bundle and started to remove the napkin. Craig was making rude comments thinking I wanted the napkin to cover my lap. What I wanted was the steak knife. When he started kissing my neck, I made my move.
I took the sharp edge of the knife and pressed it against his forearm. He stopped kissing me when he felt the cold blade. I surprised myself by the strength in my voice. “Back off.”
He hesitated trying to test me, so I cut him a little. Craig backed up and slid to the edge of the booth. That’s when I got my first real look at the new Craig. He’d filled out in prison. His shoulders were broad and his arms thick. I couldn’t see him from the waist down, but I was sure the rest of him matched his new upper body physique. No doubt the time on his hands and threats I heard he received for killing an unborn child forced him to work out and protect himself.
Craig grabbed the napkin and wiped the blood off his arm before slowly getting up. “I understand. You’re still a little sore about the misunderstanding at the stairs. Well, I’m back now, and I’ll wait as long as it takes.” He bent over and leaned on the table to get within an inch of my face. “You will be mine again. Make no mistake about it.”
“Is there a problem here?” The manager was standing behind Craig with our waitress standing behind him.
Craig glared at me one more time before plastering the fake smile I’d seen so many times before and stood up straight. “No, sir, I was just leaving.”
I didn’t really start shaking until he left. It was Terri’s turn to come over to my side and comfort me.
~*~
“We should get a restraining order. I don’t want this asshole anywhere near Drew.” Dennis was pacing in Terri and Mark’s living room.
I was too shaken to go back to the center, and Terri wouldn’t let me go home alone. She called Mark on the way home, and he and Dennis showed up a short time later. I think Dennis wanted to take me home, but Mark wouldn’t let him. Mark had been protecting me for so long that it was a little difficult for him to let go.
“She does need a restraining order because it will be a good reason to call the police when he does show, but it won’t stop him from seeing her.” Mark started scrolling through his phone. “Let me go make a phone call.”
Terri lifted her hand to him as he walked by, and they briefly squeezed each other’s hands before Mark left to make his call. She turned to me when they let go. “Drew, do you need anything?”
“Just for everyone to stop talking as if I’m not in the room.”
Terri rubbed my shoulder and upper arm before getting up. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything.” She looked at Dennis and back to me, and I understood she was giving us time alone. Dennis had never been through this before, and while seeing Craig was a shock, it really was minor compared to the other things we’d dealt with from Craig.
When Dennis turned to continue his pacing, I was blocking his path. “Hey.” I put my arms around him. “Nothing happened today. I’m fine. So he’s out now, and we need to deal with that, but I am fine.”
Dennis sighed and put his arms around me. “I know you are now, but—”
I covered his lips with my fingers. “No buts.” I smiled when he took my hand and kissed my palm. “I love you, Dennis.”
He kissed my nose before putting his forehead to mine. “I love you, too. I just want to protect you.”
“Just loving me is protection enough. He can’t get into my head as he did before if you’re in my heart now.”
Dennis cupped my face and kissed me. It was a slow, deep kiss that told me he would protect me no matter what. I’d never felt more loved or protected and desperately clung to him, never wanting that feeling to go away.
“Okay, I called a friend of mine and . . . sorry.” Mark started to back out of the room when he noticed we were kissing.
Dennis pulled away and turned to Mark, but still held me close. “No, I want to hear. What do we have to do?”
I let go of Dennis while he and Mark talked as if I weren’t in the room again. This time I didn’t mind. I zoned out while they discussed the process and what was needed. I knew it was necessary, but Mark was right that it wouldn’t stop him from coming back.
Terri came back and sat next to me on the sofa. I was staring off into space, and she patted my knee to get my attention. I looked at her and gave her a half smile. “I thought you were very brave today when Craig sat next to you. I was afraid you were going to panic or have a flashback.” She threw her head back and started laughing. “And then you cut him. You should have seen the look on his face.”
~*~
We had gone to the police station to file the harassment report with Mark’s friend, Detective Jonahs. He said he would visit the restaurant that Terri and I went to for statements from the waitress and manager. I asked him to keep in contact with Mark about the progress on the restraining order. I didn’t want to deal with it. Dennis was a little hurt by that, and I knew we would need to talk about it when he took me home with him.
Dennis sat on the sofa and started flipping through the channels on the television. I took the remote from him and turned the television off. “I love you, Dennis.”
“You have a funny way of showing it.” He got up and went to the kitchen. I sighed and followed him. “Do you know how . . . ridiculous I felt when you asked Mark to take care of it for you?”
I leaned against the counter while Dennis opened a beer. “I’m sorry. Mark has been through this before, and it’s his friend that’s helping. Plus, every time your phone rings, I would wonder if it was that cop. I don’t want to be on edge with you.”
As if on cue, his phone rang. I flung my hands in the air. “See? I’d be freaking out if we gave him your number to call!” I went back to the living room and started flipping through the channels myself.
Dennis slowly came back in the living room, but was still on the phone. “Of course I want to help. We’ll be over soon.” He hung up and looked at me. “Deb left Tom and has moved back home.” He sat next to me as I turned the television off. “Rachael is calling a family meeting because she’s really worried about her.”
“I don’t think I should be there.”
“You’re family. Don’t you know that?”
I turned to him and took his hand. “Of course I know that, and if it were anyone else, I’d be there with you. Deb and I don’t get along, and I’ll only cause more tension and anxiety.”
Dennis sat there holding my hand. He kept looking at it and turning it over from one hand to the other as if it were going to tell him something. “I don’t want to leave you.”
I slid next to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I’ll be fine. Deb needs you a little more than I do right now.” He squeezed me tightly. I could tell he had an internal debate going on about where he should be. I pulled back a little, but kept my arms around his neck. “Dennis, go. I’m just going to relax in the tub and then go to bed.”
“You’re going to stay here?” Dennis looked completely shocked that I would stay without him.
I took my arms back and looked just as shocked as he did. “Is that a problem?”
Dennis smiled. “No, I just thought you’d go back to your place. I like the thought of you waiting for me at home.” He looked away and took a deep breath before looking back at me. “Have you decided if you’re going to extend your lease or not?”
I’d only signed up for a six month lease since I wasn’t sure if I could do it on my own. I didn’t want to have to pay for a full year if I needed to move back in with Terri and Mark just a few months into the lease. I wasn’t exactly sure why he was worried about my lease right then. I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I like the place, but I was thinking about moving to some place bigger.”
“I know the perfect place that you would just love, and you don’t even have to sign a lease.”
I shoved him. “It’s a little early to be deciding what to do with Deb and Tom’s place, don’t you think?”
“No.” Dennis smiled and shook his head. “I meant here. Move in with me.”
I smiled back. “Really? You wouldn’t get sick of me?”
“Not at all.” He started kissing my neck. “I want to come home to you every day.”
I wrapped my arms back around him. “Let me think about it.”
He pulled back. “What’s there to think about?”
“It’s a big decision. I love you, but I want to make sure we aren’t rushing it.”
He nodded. “Okay.” He looked at his watch. “I’m going to head over and see what’s got Rachael so worried, and I’ll be right back.” Dennis kissed me before he left.
Chapter 21
“You’re sure Gloria isn’t coming today?” Karen had already asked me five times if Gloria was coming in.
“My answer is not going to change, Karen. There are things she needs to take care of at home. I’m not really sure when she’s going to be back.” I was exhausted and helping out in the baby room today. I knew Gloria wasn’t going to be in, but I didn’t know Peggy had decided to ditch me, too.
I had already fallen asleep by the time Dennis had gotten home from his family meeting, and those few hours were the only hours I’d slept. It was still more sleep than Dennis had gotten. I wasn’t sure how he was going to make it through the day. I may not have liked Deb, but I was concerned for Dennis and his family if there really was a problem. Dennis said they were worried about her lack of con
cern that her marriage was falling apart.
Rachael had been on assignment for a photo shoot in Montana, and she’d run into Tom while he was out of town for his job, too. She’d also run into his girlfriend. Tom told her then that Deb already knew about his affair. Rachael didn’t believe it until she asked Deb about it and she confirmed it. That’s what they were fighting about during the dinner at Gloria’s house.
Rachael told Deb she would help her any way she could if she wanted to leave Tom, but Deb swore she was okay with the arrangement and didn’t want to leave. Now that she’d left so abruptly and seemed fine with it, everyone felt there was more to the story that Deb wasn’t telling or they felt she was about to have a nervous breakdown. I held back my opinion that Deb could use a good mental health specialist—nervous breakdown or not.
Michael started crying and broke me out of my thoughts. I picked up the fussy six-month-old, and he seemed a little warm. I wasn’t sure if it was from him crying or if he was running a fever. I closed my eyes when he spit up on my jacket. Wonderful. I looked down at his suddenly smiling face. “Oh, is that funny to you? I dress nicely for a change today and this is how you treat me?” I dressed nicely because I didn’t have anything else at Dennis’s place other than a suit I had taken off after a meeting one day. If I didn’t move in with him, I needed to at least have a couple of extra outfits available.
Tricia came in and groaned when she saw my jacket. “You really need to start putting a cloth over your shoulder when you pick them up.”
“I know. He was just so upset. I thought I would get one after I picked him up.” I sighed and looked back at Michael. “It’ll be okay, though.”
“Oh, I almost forgot. There’s a guy in the office, waiting for you. He has some questions about enrolling his children.” She reached for a cloth and made a show of putting it over her shoulder before taking Michael from me.
“Yes, yes. I’ll remember next time.” I headed to my office and took off my jacket. I had taken one of the cloths I should have used in the first place and tried to clean it up as much as possible on my way to the office. I threw the jacket on a table in the corner before entering. The last thing I wanted was to take a smelly jacket in with a parent that may have wanted to bring his child there.
Striving for Normal (Striving Series) Page 25