Page 97 of Home With You

I nod. "You too."

"Honey, you don't have to pretend with me. I know you're upset."

"I'm not upset." I wipe my eyes and force out a smile. "This is what's best for you. You shouldn't be out here anymore. It's too cold. Too dangerous. I'm happy you found a place."

"I haven't just yet. Zoe's still trying to find me a home. She said there's a woman at her church who might take me in. She's a widow living in a large house and could use the company. She wouldn't even charge me rent."

"That's great, although I think Zoe would rather have you stay where you're at. Her kids seem to really like you."

Gladys' smile widens. "Aren't they precious? I love spending time with them." She squeezes my hands. "Enough about me. Let's talk about you. Are you and Miles...seeing each other?"

"No." I shake my head. "It's not like that. We're just friends."

"But you stayed with him last night?"

"Yeah. We went to dinner and he let me wash my clothes at his apartment. But I think I'll spend today back here at the tent. I don't want to crowd him, and I know he has work to do."

Gladys looks over at Miles, who appears to be playing hide and seek with the girls. They're trying to hide behind him, giggling.

"He's the one," Gladys says.

"The one what?"

She looks at me. "The one for you."

"Miles?" I laugh. "No, he's not. We're not even dating."

"You don't see it yet, but he is. He's kind and generous and he wouldn't hurt you like that other man did."

"You don't know that. I never thought Rob would hurt me."

"Oh, but you did. Deep down there was something inside you telling you he wasn't the man you thought he was. Something you chose to ignore because on the surface, he was the man you thought you wanted."

She's right, but I try not to think about that because it makes me feel stupid for staying with him. The signs were there but I ignored them because Rob was good-looking, successful, and had money and a house. All things I thought I wanted. I ignored my gut because I didn't want to listen to it. It's one of my biggest regrets.

"What if it happens again?" I say to Gladys. "Miles is good-looking and successful just like Rob was. He buys me stuff. Takes me out to nice places for dinner."

"It's not the same," Gladys says.

"But how do I know that? How do I know it won't happen again?"

"Because that feeling isn't there." She points her finger at my stomach. "Is it?"

I shake my head. "No. Not at all."

"Then trust it this time. Trust what your gut is telling you. And trust your heart."

"I'm not ready to. And it's not what I want. I don't want to get involved with a guy when I'm on the streets. I want to get out of this life and back on my feet before I start dating again."

"Life doesn't work that way. We don't get to choose when we'll find love. It finds us."

"If that's true, it has horrible timing."

"It has perfect timing. It's just not YOUR timing."

"Gladys, I know you like Miles but I can't be with him. Or any guy. I need to focus on myself right now. I need to get a job and be able to support myself."

"Honey, you've been saying that for over six months now. Isn't it time you let someone help you?"

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