Page 51 of Receiving His Mercy
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Just a sore head.”
“Have you taken some painkillers? Have you been seen by a doctor?”
“Yes and no. I think I need some more. I just need my handbag.”
Where had that gone?
He picked it up off the floor where she must have dropped it and handed it to her.
“I’ll get you some water.” He walked into the kitchenette. She’d rented a one-bedroom apartment. It was small, but she didn’t need much. Rentals in this area were expensive and it seemed a waste of money to get something with more floor space just for her.
He handed her the glass of water, sitting back on the coffee table as she swallowed the pills. He checked his watch.
“Is there somewhere you need to be?” she asked.
She wasn’t sure if she was eager to get rid of him or disappointed that he had to go.
“No, just taking note of what time you had those.”
Umm.
“Why?” she asked.
“So I know when you’ll need some more. You don’t want to overdose on painkillers.”
Did he think he was still going to be here when she had to take more? Before she could answer, he was talking again.
“I want you to listen to me,” he said. “What happened to you as a child was terrible. Your parents were neglectful and abusive.But none of it is your fault. Understand? You have nothing to feel ashamed of.”
“I know. But I can’t help but feel that way.”
“Whatever you had to do to survive, was something you had to do. Okay? I’m definitely not going to judge you.”
She swallowed heavily, nodding. “I, well, it’s terrible but sometimes I stole food.”
“Don’t blame you at all,” he said immediately. “And I’m sure that whoever you stole it from wouldn’t care.”
She glanced away. “What if I stole it from Lacey’s house?”
“Baby, you think Lacey would care? She was giving you food at school. She’s one of the most generous people I know. She was probably leaving food out deliberately for you.”
Surprise filled her and she did remember several times where food had been on the counter, making it easier for her to stuff it into her pockets. “You think so?”
“Yeah, she was likely doing whatever she could to make sure you had food to eat.”
“I thought Tyler caught me once. I was sneaking food into a bag I’d brought with me and he walked into the kitchen. I ran off, certain he’d tell your uncle or Lacey or you, but no one ever said anything to me.”
“Maybe he didn’t see you.”
She nodded.
“You came to her place a lot,” she said to him. “I liked that. Better than when she was at your place and I didn’t see any of you as much.”
“We liked to stay over whenever we could because our uncle could be a neglectful piece of shit.”
“Yeah.” She hated that Lacey had been treated so badly by her father. Made to feel less than her dead brother. Lacey deserved so much better. “I didn’t move to Albany until afterBrax’s death, but Lacey told me that he blamed her for it.” Asshole.
