Page 48 of Always on My Mind

“Who is the woman?”

Jamie bit her lip. “My ex-girlfriend.”

“I see. Did you tell your father the truth?”

Jamie’s chin wobbled, and she swallowed a lump in her throat. “No.”

“Why don’t I come over and we can discuss it, hm?”

“Okay. Do therapists normally make house calls?”

“Sure. Besides, since your father caused this, I’ll charge him double for the session.”

A chuckle escaped Jamie’s chest. “I’ll see you soon.”

Lila arrived within half an hour. Before she began therapy, she put the kettle on and made them each a cup of tea.

“It’s much too early to have this kind of talk without a cuppa,” she said. “And that your father would accost you at this hour before you’ve even had a chance to caffeinate is totally barbaric.”

Jamie watched the steam rise out of her cup for a long moment before she took a sip. It warmed and soothed her chest, sinking into her stomach and relaxing her muscles. She sank into her couch.

“Start from the beginning,” Lila said gently. “What happened with the photo?”

Jamie relayed the night of the match, but was honest with Lila about the kissing in the rain and what she had said to Tessa.

“And then my father came bursting in here and I didn’t do anything,” she said. “I’ve let her down. I let myself down too. I thought I’d be able to stand up to him.”

“Jamie, you’re a remarkable person, but did you honestly think that after only two months of therapy, you’d be able to make that drastic of a change?” Lila replied. “Your father is the greatest source of trauma in your life. It’s going to take you longer to get to a place where you can face him the way you want to.”

Jamie blinked. “That’s. . . honest.”

“It’s part of my job to be honest with you. And in pursuit of that, I have to say, I’m curious as well about what your ex-girlfriend asked you. What do you think your father will do if you set a boundary or even come out to him?”

“I. . . ” Jamie drummed her fingers on the side of her teacup. “I don’t know if I can talk about it.”

“Has he ever struck you?”

“No.”

“Threatened you?”

“Not really.”

“Anything other than using his words?”

“No. But his words are what did it.”

Lila paused, her eyes fixed on Jamie, who couldn’t make herself look back.

“What did his words do, Jamie?”

“I can’t talk about it because it didn’t happen to me.”

“Jamie,” Lila said, with a sternness Jamie hadn’t heard before. “Clearly, whatever it was has affected you enough to fear him beyond even your own desires. If you name it, we can work through it together.”

Jamie glanced down at her tea again. “I’ve never spoken to anyone about this.”

“There’s no time like therapy to share something of that nature.”

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