Page 16 of Coffee Shop Girl
“I’m in the middle of town.”
Her gaze tapered. “That doesn’t make you safe. I know you can take care of yourself, but be aware that he will probably come looking for them. If this guy isn’t stable, things could get ugly, and I don’t like knowing you’re alone at that shop with them.”
My thoughts flitted to Mav. Not entirely alone. At least whenever he’d be there.
“Thanks, Jada. We’ll take extra precautions.”
“I’m always here for you,” she said, lifting a long, skinny finger. “Always. But right now, you have a big decision to face. Start gathering the facts, and let me know if you need to talk about it. In the meantime, get them lots of fresh air. Keep them active and engaged. Kids grieve with their hands and feet. The more you give them to do, the less they’ll need to lash out. Can you do that?”
I’d have to figure something out. They weren’t toddlers. They could do things on their own. Maybe Lizbeth could help me barista, and Ellie could clean at night. A trip to the library would easily set Lizbeth up for weeks, but what about Ellie?
“We’ll figure it out.”
She smiled, and warmth and relief lingered in it. “Good. I like hearing that. Keep in touch, and send them my way this weekend. I need some help with the horses and in the barn. Ellie strikes me as the kind of girl who would get along great with my new colt.”
* * *
We drovetoward a lush sunset in near silence. The thin, pale line of Lizbeth’s lips gave her away. No doubt she’d heard or listened to what Jada and I had said. If Ellie had heard, she gave no sign. I didn’t want to hide the truth from Lizbeth. She deserved to know what was going on. But I didn’t want to scare her, either.
Because I had no idea what I was going to do.
When I pulled into the back parking lot of the dark Frolicking Moose, my stomach sank. This catastrophe was always waiting. Always needing more than I could give.
Was parenting different?
Parenting abused kids?
Ellie climbed out and hurried to the back door with the blanket over her head. The only thing behind us was the endless expanse of the reservoir and Dad’s favorite canoe.
“I, uh, forgot to get dinner,” I said sheepishly. “How about the two of you watch a movie on my laptop upstairs while I go grab us something to eat?”
“Sure,” Lizbeth said, quickly adding, “thanks. Let me know if I can help at all. I mean, to make it easier. I’m not even that hungry.”
Her stomach growled.
I quirked an eyebrow at her.
She blushed. No doubt she was trying to make this easy, to be as small as possible, so they didn’t disturb my life too much. Her quick smile, a little too forced, made me sick to my stomach. Before Lizbeth could go, I grabbed her wrist, stopping her.
She whipped around a little too fast, eyes wide. I released her immediately.
“Sorry,” I said, “I ... I didn’t think that through.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Her rushed words made me want to rake my nails down Jim’s face. How had Mama stayed married to him? “You heard me and Jada talking, didn’t you?”
Lizbeth’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth to deny it, but then stopped when I held up a hand and shook my head.
“Yes.”
“You’ve done an amazing job so far, Lizbeth, keeping the both of you alive and getting here. You’re also far more intelligent than I am. So, it wouldn’t be very honest of me to lie to you and say everything was going to be a storybook from here on out.”
Her expression fell, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something back there. Rage, maybe. The same steel that Ellie showed every moment. Lizbeth had it too—only it was way back there. Deep. Livid. Stewing.
“Are you going to keep us?” she whispered, slumping in the front seat.
“Do you want me to?”
