Page 31 of Before the Storm
Killing his own to prove a point.
A hand came down on her shoulder. “Hey.”
She jumped, spinning around, shoving whoever had touched her.
“Whoa. It’s just me, Phoenix.” He stood there with both hands up in the air, showing his palms. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to spook you. I honestly thought you heard those creaky steps.”
“I didn’t hear anything.” She brushed her hair from her face. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
He laughed. “I’m fine. Luckily, I hadn’t poured my wine yet.” He turned and pointed to the bottle on the far table. “You must have been deep in thought. I set that down along with a cheese board.”
Tell one person your story. It will help you heal.Those were Anne Marie’s words. She mentioned that it didn’t have to be in the vein of sharing it with the world. Or bringing her father’s church down. It was just about unburdening herself of the pain she carried deep in her soul. To get them out of her heart so she could live her life to the fullest. Have all her dreams and leave that life in her rearview once and for all.
Could Phoenix be the one person she could trust with the horrors of her past? Would it be too much to ask of him to share that part of her life with?
“Wow, you’re still thinking about something deep.” He took her empty glass and guided her toward the lounge chairs.
The sundeck had become one of her favorite places to spend her free time. It was peaceful, even when boats zoomed up and down the shore.
He lifted the bottle of wine and poured before settling into one of the lounge chairs.
She followed suit, holding the glass close to her chest. If she drank too much more, she might find out what it was like to be drunk. She wasn’t sure that was a good idea. “It’s easy to get lost in thought out here.”
“That’s so true.” He lifted a cracker and placed a piece of meat and a slice of cheese on top. He plopped it in his mouth and devoured it. “I’ve spent a lot of time contemplating my life up here,” he said. “What put that scowl on your pretty face?”
She rubbed her forehead.
“Are you still worried about Pam? Because I think we put that to bed. I heard through one of her friends that Pam went out on a date with some guy. She’s moved on. She won’t be bothering either one of us anymore.”
“It’s not that.” A thick lump formed in Janelle’s throat. “I mean, I do worry about running into her in places.” Janelle never went anywhere besides Blue Moon, the grocery store, and home. But Pam wasn’t someone she wanted to have any conversation with. While she’d done what she needed to in order to protect herself, she didn’t know if she had the strength to defend herself one-on-one. Even with words. “I was thinking about my parents and my home back in New Mexico.”
“Is that where you’re originally from?”
She nodded. Her heart beat so fast it hurt.
“You mentioned your parents had passed? How old were you?”
She closed her eyes. “I wasn’t truthful about that,” she whispered. “My mother did die when I was young, but my father is still alive.”
“Why did you need to lie to me about that?”
She blinked and glanced to the sky, which was filled with bright stars. She hoped they would give her the courage to get through this without either telling more lies or falling apart. “I’ve only told two other people about what happened to me.” She let out a nervous laugh. “And truth be told, I didn’t tell them. They knew what was happening because they both had lived it, just differently.”
Phoenix swung his legs to the side, leaned over, and took her glass from her hands. “I’m going to try to make this as easy as possible for you.” He kissed her palm. “I told you that tomorrow I wanted to take you somewhere as a surprise.”
“That makes me a little nervous. I don’t like surprises.”
“Well, it’s a strange one because Foster, Brandi’s brother-in-law, and I both volunteer a lot at a women’s shelter. That’s where we’re going tomorrow.”
She cocked her head. “Why?”
“Because I thought it might be good for you.” He lowered his chin. “I don’t want to tell your story for you, but I know the signs. I’ve seen battered women and I can tell when someone has been in that situation.”
She jerked her hand away, gasping, covering her mouth.
“I’m not judging. This is a safe space. I’m certainly not pressuring you to tell me anything. That’s up to you. But tomorrow was about me showing you that I understand.”
“My past is that obvious to you? To everyone?”
