Page 5 of Sexual Healing

Leah nodded as she studied the couple from the café’s massive window. “I think she likes him too. She’s just a little cautious of men right now. They’re all wretched.”

Realizing what she’d said, she glanced at Reese. “What I mean is that--”

“I know what you meant, baby. Not for one minute did I think you included me in the category of wretched men.”

“Of course not! You’re almost too good to be true.”

He smiled. “I hope you keep thinking that way, but I am true and will always be here for you.” He then glanced out thewindow and added, “Just like I believe Silas will be there for Marie if she gives him a chance.”

“I hope she does.” She knew, first-hand, how hard it was to be alone. When she’d lived in California, she’d been very alone…until she had met Grace.

She was convinced Grace Thorpe had been a gift from heaven. One night, while walking home from the restaurant where she’d worked, she was sure she had heard footsteps behind her. She’d been frightened out of her wits, and all she could think about was another man doing to her what Neil had done. In desperation, she had run to the first house she’d seen–one with a porch light on. She had banged on the door, which had been opened by an older woman no bigger than a mite with a fierce frown on her face, and a large rolling pin in her hand.

Grace had immediately let her in. The woman offered her safety, food to eat, and a place to stay, which was much better than the dump Leah had been living in. It just so happened that Grace’s two sons were planning to move her in with them and their wives on a rotating basis. And that was something Grace was definitely not happy about. The last thing she wanted was to move out of the home she loved and lose her independence.

Grace had convinced her sons that what she needed was a live-in companion; someone to be there with her during the day and help with grocery shopping and transportation to church on Sundays. It was a perfect opportunity for Leah since she worked at the restaurant at night. Her sons agreed, and Leah got the job. In a short time, Grace became the mother she’d lost, the grandmother she’d never had, and the confidant she’d desperately needed.

Reese and Leah watched Marie get in her car, and Silas got in his, then proceeded to follow her out of the parking lot. Leah was glad. Marie’s ex-husband could be parked somewhere close, intending to follow her home. He’d think twice if he saw Silas.

That reminded her of something else Leah had been fearful of. For years, she’d been terrified that Neil would track her to California and rape her again since she hadn’t reported him to the police. It wasn’t until she returned home for her father’s funeral that she’d learned Neil had been killed.

“Well, I guess I’ll finish closing up,” she said, glancing at Reese.

He nodded. “And as usual, I’ll be back when you’re ready to leave.”

Leah and Reese had dinner at one of the Italian restaurants in town. When they entered the establishment, it no longer bothered her when several pairs of eyes turned in their direction. She ignored the cold stares from the women who obviously couldn’t understand why the town’s most eligible bachelor preferred hanging around with the woman who had broken his heart instead of moving on to someone else.

Reese escorted her to a table in the back. “Hungry?” she asked him.

“Always,” he said, grinning.

“That’s something I want to talk to you about.”

He lifted a brow. “What?”

“I’ve been thinking about your suggestion of expanding the café. I think it’s a good idea.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

“As well, I’ve been thinking of extending the café’s hours to include dinner. That would mean instead of closing at three, we’ll remain open until five.”

He lifted a brow. “Would you want to be at the café that long each day?”

“Well, it would change the way things are,” she said. “I get to the cafe every morning around eight to set things up, but you arrive at the warehouse at six o’clock. If we decide to continue having dinner together, it might mean an extra-long workday for you.”

He chuckled. “Not really. I usually spend an hour with you for breakfast and another hour for lunch. Then there are those days when you weigh so heavily on my mind that I can’t finish much work. So, I mosey next door to your place, sip a glass of iced tea, and watch you. I can’t see any of that changing, Leah. If I decide to close the shop early, I can always join you at the café for dinner. Sounds like a good plan to me.”

She smiled. “Thanks, Reese, for being so accommodating.”

“You need to stop thanking me so much. Whatever I do, I do because I love you.”

•••

Later that night, Leah smiled as she slid between the covers. She had heard from both Angie and Marie. Angie’s test had come back negative, which was wonderful, and Marie had followed Silas’s advice and filed a restraining order on her ex-husband. Luckily, Silas’ father was the town’s sheriff. Sheriff Milner’s background check revealed a warrant for the man’s arrest. Last week, he’d assaulted his current wife in Kansas. The woman was still recuperating in the hospital.

Now that the police had been told the man was in town, it wasn’t long before he was picked up at a hotel on the outskirts of town and arrested. The plan was to extradite him back to Kansas this week. Leah was glad the man would soon be behind bars where he belonged, but she was even happier that the man’s unexpected appearance seemed to have drawn Silas and Marie closer together. While she and Marie were on the phone, she could hear Silas in the background, conversing with Marie’s seven and eight-year-old sons.

It seemed everyone’s lives were falling into place. Now, if only she could get hers to do the same.

---