Page 9 of Tinley's Daddy
“How do you know that?”
“I can see it in her eyes.” He popped in the photo of her when she must have heard the men’s voices down the hall, then a second before she decided an unknown stranger was safer than the men who were looking for her.
I closed the screen and walked to the bathroom door.
“I’m sorry about that.” I lightly tapped on the door. “He’s gone. It’s safe to come out.”
I stepped back, and she opened the door and peeked out. She looked at me and then around the room behind me before stepping out.
My clothes engulfed her.
The shirt fell well past her knees, and she tucked it into my basketball shorts that reached her calves.
“A little big for you.”
She shrugged and went back over to her corner at the end of the couch.
“Oh, hey.” I reached for her, but she flinched and flattened against the wall. “Oh my God. I’m sorry. I…”
God, how do I do this?Every instinct in me told me this girl needed help, and I wanted so badly to help her.
I flopped on the desk chair and gripped the handles on the armrest.
“Hey.”
Her eyes darted around.
“Can you please look at me for a few seconds?”
She peeked at me with a side-eye and caught my gaze.
“I promise.” I held a hand over my chest. “With all my heart, I will not hurt you.”
She drew back with a look of disbelief on her face.
“I swear.” I even crossed my heart for good measure. “If you will allow me to help you, we’ll go at your pace. Whatever you need, however you feel comfortable communicating, you’re in charge. Okay?”
The disgust remained, but at least she relaxed from plastering herself against the wall.
She held one hand across her midsection and picked at the couch with the other. I turned around and found a small legal pad and a pen.
“If I asked you some questions, could you write the answers down for me?” I set the pad and pen on the coffee table in front of the couch.
She lowered herself and sat on the couch. She stared at the pad and pen for a full minute. I heard theJeopardy!theme playing in my head. I grabbed another bottle of water from the refrigerator and set it on the table next to the pad and pen.
She eyed the water.
Maybe she was tired of the water.
“Would you prefer tea or juice?” I pointed to the mini fridge. “Or something easier to eat like maybe fruit or some warm soup.”
Her eyes brightened when I mentioned soup.
I tried to use that.
“So, fruit.”
Her head shook furiously.
