Page 76 of The Naughty Elf

I sigh and deflate further against Dad’s side. He drops a kiss on the top of my head.

“I brought you a fried chicken sandwich and mac n cheese. Mom says you haven’t been eating.”

I shake my head. Besides the morning sickness, I’ve never been good at eating when my emotions are so out of my control.

“From Leonardo’s?” I ask, my mouth watering just enough to get my stomach revving.

“You bet. Extra pickles on the side.”

My dad is the sweetest man to ever live. Or maybe I’m biased. I don’t think I am. I smile up at him, and he smiles back, prodding me to my feet and following after me. He lays out the food as I get the plates, and we eat standing at the counter.

Neither of us says anything until I devour most of my food. It helps. I feel more myself than I have in days.

Dad clears his throat again. “Have you talked with them?”

I shake my head.

“You should. Maybe think about taking them up on their offer to let you work from home.”

Sighing, I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“They’ve stopped by here at least once a day since.”

I lift my brow. “And they’ve left alive? You’re losing your edge, Dad.”

He offers me a small smile. “I will kill them if they hurt you. Drop their bodies in the woods where we like to camp and call it a hiking accident.”

That pulls a small, incredulous laugh out of me. “I don’t doubt it for a second. There’s no need.”

At least, not yet.

A queasy gurgle turns my stomach halfway through my mac n cheese. Dad’s big, warm hand finds my back, rubbing in circles. I’m flashed back to being ten with the flu. Mom couldn’t deal with the vomiting, so Dad sat vigilantly at my bedside for two days until I could keep solid food down.

“You seem tired, honey.”

I nod, willing my stomach not to revolt. Leonardo’s was too good to waste this way. After a few minutes, I’m able to stand upright again without the threat of my lunch coming back up.

“What really happened? Is it worse than they told me?” The worry in my dad’s eyes breaks my heart.

“It’s not. It could have been, but it wasn’t.”

Dad grumbles. “That’s not making me feel much better.”

“He said some nasty things. They hurt more than the groping did.” His intent to take what he wanted scared me. If Sawyer hadn’t been there…

I shake the thought away. There’s no use in thinking about what might have happened. It didn’t. And I should be thankful for that.

“Ginger.” The way he said my name is filled with so many things.

I sigh and just blurt it out. “He grabbed my boob, Dad. And covered my mouth when I tried to scream. I couldn’t push him off.”

Red crawled up his neck and onto his face, anger flashing and turning my dad into a new creature. I place my hand on his forearm and squeeze.

“He scared me more than he hurt me.”

“He would have hurt you.”

Feeling the fear of it for the hundredth time, I nod. “But like the guys promised you when they hired me, they kept me safe. Okay?”

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