Page 45 of Beyond Perfect

A man raised his hand. “Our child was sexually assaulted by her birth father. Truthfully, I’m afraid to touch her.”

“You have to take that situation slowly.” Gemma’s voice was full of sympathy. “Does she let anyone touch her?”

“No.”

At the same time, his wife said, “Yes.”

Gemma waited.

His wife added, “She hugged me when we made cookies together and then again when we went shopping for new shoes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” the man asked.

“Because I thought you’d feel bad.”

“There’s something to be learned from this,” Gemma put in. “Parents should be honest with each other.”

Caleb was keeping some things from Maisy, but that had nothing to do with Freddie.

“Any others on how to deal with this issue?”

Caleb spoke up. “I’d sit down with the child and be honest. Tell her that’s a concern. Try to get her to see it’s because she was abused. And not all men are abusers. One other thing, if I may?”

“Of course, go ahead.”

“You have to be patient. Don’t push her. But do things with her, like your wife does. Just the two of you. What does she like?”

“Cooking shows.”

“Then watch them with her. Maybe take one of the recipes on TV and make it with her.”

“I’m a pretty good cook.”

“There, that’s perfect.”

Gemma smiled approvingly. “Thank you, sir, for your significant insights.”

The compliment, coming from someone of her caliber, sparked a bit of joy inside him. He basked in it.

After class ended, Gemma walked over to where Caleb and Maisy were seated. First she fussed over Maisy because she knew his sister was leaving Pathways. Then she read his name tag. “Caleb, do you have counseling experience?”

“Yes, I’m a certified psychologist.”

“Where do you practice?”

“I recently set up a small practice. I only have five clients. The office in my home has its own entrance and we’re on a quiet street.”

“Did you ever think of joining a larger practice?”

“Not right now. Things are complicated for me.”

“Ah. Well, if you ever decide you want to change things up, I can talk to you about it. I used to work in one and I can give you the pros and cons.” She took something out of a side pocket. “Here’s my card. Call me sometime. We’ll get together for coffee.”

On the way home, Maisy shook her head. “That’s probably the warmest I’ve ever seen Gemma. I think she liked you.”

“I like her, too.”

“You got her card, buddy. You can see her again.”

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