For now, she was a princess in a castle and she reveled in the feeling. It was only temporary, but there was nothing wrong with enjoying it while it lasted.
After a quick shower, she’d get dressed, thank Kayla for her hospitality and return to the world where she would cherish the few house spent inside the fairytale.
She turned from the mirror and stepped into the shower.
The showerhead at the motel felt like a thousand needles pricking her skin. Nathan’s showerhead offered a glorious allover body massage. Hot water gushed from the faucet all throughout her shower and didn’t turn ice cold after only a few minutes. It was heavenly.
S
arah could have let the water pour over her for hours but she had already overstayed her welcome. It was time to get ready for work and figure out her next move.
She
turned off the faucet, reached for one of the towels and wrapped herself in its luxurious softness. The towel was so big it nearly wrapped around her twice. She closed her eyes and inhaled. The towel smelled like Nathan. That same laundry detergent or fabric softener scent that she would associate with him from now on.
After getting dressed,
Sarah styled her hair and swiped on the barest hint of eye shadow and blush, also a gift from Miri. She slung her backpack over her shoulder, grabbed her bag of instant noodles and went down the hall toward the kitchen.
Kayla was pulling a gallon of milk out of the refrigerator.
She looked up at Sarah and smiled. “Come in, Sarah! Have some breakfast with us.”
Sarah’s stomach growled again and she hoped Kayla couldn’t hear it.
“I really should go. I’ve already overstayed my welcome.”
“
Pulleese,” Kayla insisted.
A second later,
Sarah found herself sitting next to Robbie with a heaping bowl of cereal in front of her. Kayla shoved a spoon in her direction then poured herself a cup of coffee.
Sarah dunked the crisp, sugary cereal under the milk and took a bite. Fresh milk! It had been ages since Sarah had fresh milk.
The cereal was fresh too, not stale and bug infested.
“Would you like some
coffee or fruit punch?” Kayla asked.
“
No thanks,” Sarah answered. Finding room in her stomach for all this cereal was going to be a stretch as it was.
“
There’s some of Nathan’s OJ in the fridge if you’d rather have that.”
“
No, that’s okay.”
“I don’t blame you.
It’s only been a few weeks and I’ve already had it up to my nose in non-fat this and low-sodium that. I know his body is his machine or whatever but sometimes a girl needs some cookie dough ice cream, you know what I mean?”
Sarah couldn’t help but laugh.
She’d had some of Nathan’s orange juice the night before and it was delicious.
Kayla shook her head and rolled her eyes.
“Nathan’s into this juicing thing now so he’s juicing everything in sight. Fresh squeezed OJ and carrot juice is okay, but I gotta admit I love me some preservatives and extra sugar once in a while.”
Kayla settled into the chair across from Sarah and poured herself a bowl of cereal.
“Nathan didn’t tell me anything about you except that you’re new to Red Valley. Where ‘bouts are you from?”
“Southern California
,” Sarah answered vaguely.
“That’s a ways from home.
I can totally relate. I just about went into culture shock coming from Colorado to California. Nathan was nice enough to let me stay with him for a little while until I get a place of my own. Believe me, I can’t wait. Even though he insists we’re not, I think Robbie and I are cramping his style. A single guy doesn’t need his grown sister living with him. So, where do you work, Sarah?”
“At a hair salon.”
“Oh, that mist be fun.”
“Wh
at about you?” Sarah asked.
“Right now I’m working part-time at the
police station helping to field 9-1-1 calls.”
“Wow
that sounds intense.”
“It is but I like it.
I’m working a lot but Robbie absolutely
loves
daycare. He’s made a ton of new friends there. Isn’t that right, Robbie?”
Robbie grunted around the Cheerio in his mouth.
“So, how do you like Red Valley so far?” Kayla asked. “I’ve been working so much I haven’t had a chance to go anywhere.”
“
Me neither. From what I’ve seen it seems nice.”
“
We’ll have to go out and do something together sometime. Gosh, the trade happened so fast I just took a leap of faith and came here with Nathan without really knowing anything about the area.”
Sarah knew a thing or two about leaps of faith. They were always easier when there was someone there to catch you.
Where Nathan was quiet and guarded, Kayla was not. They chatted easily over breakfast and Sarah learned that she was a single mom who wanted to go to school fulltime when she figured out exactly what career she wanted to pursue.
While they talked,
Robbie fiddled with his sippy cup and finally managed to get the lid off the top.
“Robbie, don’t take that off
,” Kayla chided.
“Here, I’ll fix it,” Sarah offered. Before she had the chance to snap the lid back into place, Robbie’s face contorted and he sneezed, his little arms jerk
ed and sent the cup of fruit punch right onto Sarah’s long sleeve shirt. Red liquid seeped through the fabric on her chest and she gasped.
“Oh, jeez, Sarah.
Here let’s get your shirt into the washer before the stain sets in.”
Sarah hesitated.
A thin tank top was all she had on underneath. If she took the shirt off, Kayla would see her bruises. Sure, they were yellowing and would eventually fade, but they were still there, a blatant reminder of her ugly past.
On the other hand,
Sarah couldn’t wear stained clothes to the salon. She had no other choice.
S
lowly, she peeled off the shirt and handed it to Kayla. Kayla took the shirt from her and diverted her eyes but Sarah knew she’d seen her secret.
“
I have a cardigan that’s too small for me that you can borrow. Do you have any other laundry you want to throw in with it? We might as well make a whole load.”
“Sure.
If that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay.”
Sarah went to her backpack and gathered her clothes. They could use a good wash in an actual washing machine. Since she’d come into town, she’d been using the bathroom sink. The Laundromat near the Half Moon was a crime scene waiting to happen so she’d avoided it altogether.
Sarah
brought the armful of clothes to Kayla and she loaded them into the washing machine. In return, Kayla handed Sarah the softest sweater she’d ever felt. It was periwinkle blue with cute little pearl buttons.
“Oh, it’s much too nice,” Sarah said
with a shake of her head.
Kayla shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I haven’t been able to fit into it since
way
before Robbie was born. Just return it tonight in exchange for your clean clothes.”
“Okay.
” An exchange was good. “Thank you, Kayla.”
Kayla bit her lip
and looked Sarah in the eye. “How long did he beat you?”
Sarah’s chin came up defensively
and her jaw clamped shut.
“
I’m sorry. I know it’s none of my business. It’s just that I know what you’re going through. My boyfriend used to beat me.”
“He did?” Sarah had never stopped to think there were others out there like her.
For so long it had been her, all alone, against the world.
Kayla nodded. “
Yes. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, I admire you, Sarah.”
Sarah’s brow furrowed.
“You do?”
“Yes
, because you had the guts to get out.” Kayla moved around the kitchen, rinsing out the cereal bowls and loading them into the dishwasher. “I stayed for two years. I thought the beatings would stop after I found out I was pregnant with Robbie, but they didn’t. They never would have,” she said sadly. “Robbie’s father OD’d and died a week before Robbie was born and then Nathan took us in.”
Sarah paused
and let Kayla’s story sink in. Finally, she gathered up the courage and told Kayla the truth. Before she could stop herself, the words spilled out. “It was for nine years. And it was my Uncle Dwight.” Saying his name out loud to someone who was practically a stranger felt odd yet liberating.
Kayla put down the dish towel she was holding and
went to Sarah. “Come here.” She pulled her into a hug and didn’t let go until Sarah returned it. They stood for a moment, holding on to each other.
“I’ve never told anyone that before,” Sarah admitted with a shaky voice.
“Your secret is safe with me, Sarah.”
That was a relief.
It was easy to talk to Kayla but Sarah wasn’t ready to share her past with Nathan yet. Things were much too new.
Sarah pulled away and asked,
“What made you stay? With your boyfriend?”
Kayla’s eyes had a faraway look but she blinked it away as if she were afraid of lingering in the past for too long.
“I stayed because he swore he loved me. But then he’d get drunk and I guess I looked like a punching bag after a few beers and then he didn’t love me so much. Nine years is an eternity. Why did
you
stay so long?” Kayla wasn’t prying. It was just two female soldiers trading stories about the battlefield.
“He, uh, he told me he’d make me sorry if I ever left.”
And Dwight
never
bluffed.
“Thank you for sharing your story with me
, Sarah. It helps to keep me motivated. See, I’m going to go to school to be an attorney–or a psychologist--I haven’t decided between criminal justice or counseling yet, but I definitely want to do something that helps women. You wouldn’t believe how many domestic disturbance calls we get at the station. I can’t put an end to it, but I’d like to help the victims get their lives back.”
“That’s
amazing, Kayla. And here all I do is hair,” Sarah said, feeling small and a little insignificant.
“It’s still important. You’re changing the world, too
, Sarah. One head at a time.”
* * *
Nathan half expected Sarah to be long gone when he returned home from the batting cage. Instead, he found her at the kitchen table, chatting with his sister. The two looked like they’d become fast friends and that made him smile. Kayla probably needed a friend as much as Sarah did.
Robbie
had made a new friend, too. He was sitting on Sarah’s lap showing her his favorite dump truck.
Seeing Sarah safe and sound at his kitchen table was a huge relief.
Nathan felt like a schmuck for sneaking out that morning but he wasn’t any good to anyone in that kind of mindset. Now he was feeling a heck of a lot better.
“Hello, ladies.
Hey, Robbie,” Nathan greeted.
“
Thun!” Robbie jumped off Sarah’s lap and flew into Nathan’s arms.
After a quick hug, Nathan care
fully set Robbie back down. He squatted and put his palm out flat and told Robbie, “Gimme five.”
Robbie slapped his hand.
“Fie!”
“Up high.”
Robbie stretched on tip-toe and slapped Nathan’s hand again. “High!”
“Down low.”
Robbie’s tongue hung out of his mouth as he concentrated on putting his hand in the right place. “Low!”
“Good job, little buddy,” Nathan praised.
Robbie puckered his lips, leaned forward and kissed Nathan on the nose with a noisy “mwah!”.
Sarah swallowed down the lump in her throat. That kind of
love didn’t exist where she came from.
Robbie reclaimed his dump truck from Sarah and drove circles with it on the floor at her feet.
“You sure were up early this morning, Nathan,” Kayla pointed out.
Nathan stood up straight
and stretched his back. “Yeah, I had yoga and some errands to run,” he explained.
Sarah got up and went to her backpack. “I should go.” She averted her eyes from Nathan. She was more than a little embarrassed for not only sleeping in his be
d but using his shower and waking him up with her nightmare as well. And she needed some time to process the heartwarming scene she’d just witnessed between him and his nephew.
“I
’ll give you a ride to the salon.”
Nathan’s voice stopped her in her tracks and she turned to look at him.
“Oh, well…” She started to decline his offer but the look in his eyes and the firm set of his jaw told her it would be pointless. “Thank you. I’d like that.”
“Robbie, say goodbye to Sarah
,” Kayla instructed.