Page 102 of Time Out

I’d do whatever she needed to feel safe and happy and fulfilled however that meant. For now, she was safe.

Here.

Not screaming at me like she’d done on the phone.

It was enough.

“Well, isn’t this a lovely place?” Beth’s eyes lit with wonder as we stepped into Davis’s home.

Funny how I’d thought the same thing, and yet now, it didn’t feel majestic or incredible or lavish.

It was home. Warm, inviting, with a gorgeous view and luxurious sure, but more than any of the rest, it was home.

Funny how that’d happened so quick and I wasn’t even fully moved in yet.

“There’s a pool outside,” I told Ruth quietly. We’d been allowed to swim growing up as long as we wore full-body swimsuits that came down to our knees. “And a hot tub, if you ever want to sit in it. It’s gorgeous when the sun sets.”

“Okay.”

“How cool,” Jenna said on my other side.

Unlike Ruth, she sounded excited by everything, and while we’d never really been friends due to our age difference, she felt a lot like how I used to be. A small-town girl with dreams of seeing the world.

At least she had parents who seemed willing to help her with them instead of squashing them.

“Would anyone like anything to drink?”

“I’ll take a water, please, Magdalene. And thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And Maggie. Magdalene isn’t someone I know anymore.”

Ruth scoffed and walked toward the windows. The inky black night was peppered with lights, but that was pretty much all you could see.

“Probably shouldn’t have said that,” I muttered to Beth, who was giving me an understanding smile.

“It’ll be okay. Give her time. Today’s been a lot, and I’m betting she’s second-guessing herself right now, but it is the right thing.” She settled her hand on my shoulder tentatively, like I’d be afraid of her touch, but I leaned in instead and gave her a hug.

“Thank you.”

“Anything for you, Maggie.”

I grinned against her chest and pulled back.

Davis stepped up behind me and handed the water to Mark. “Would any of you ladies like anything? We have some snacks, or I can make a quick dinner—”

“You cook?” It came from Ruth, who’d spun so fast her hair whipped around her. “You cook.” She glanced at the water Mark was holding. “And you got him water.”

“Sure, I can cook.”

Davis said it easily like he couldn’t fathom the problem.

“Lots of men cook,” Mark said softly to Ruth.

Her face screwed up, and she rolled her eyes.

It was a defiant gesture, something she’d never do in front of the men in our house, which gave me hope she wasn’t as scared as she looked, but I understood, especially when she glared at me. “What do you do then? If he’s cooking?”

In truth, I hadn’t cooked a meal at all since I started spending time with Davis. He was always in the kitchen, taking care of the meals and me.

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