Life Begins Read Free

protect.” He knew she got his silent message. She didn’t have a choice in this. “I will return quickly. Let the group know.” He left before she could say another word.

Chapter 2
                  She didn’t even know the man’s name and he was now going to the store to buy car seats. She felt almost sick with worry about it. It wasn’t that she worried the man would take advantage of her. Her spirit didn’t give her that sense, but that didn’t mean that he would make her feel safe. No, those dark and brooding eyes of his read trouble. She, for one, planned to obey that silent warning.
                  She stood watching after him for a long time before she finally heard her name called behind her. She turned, finding Marisol standing there waiting. “What’s going on, chica ? Where’s tall dark and handsome. We’re ready to begin.”
                  Josie tried to smile as she turned to her friend. “He went to the store, but should be back soon.” He had left his kids after all.
                  “Awesome, so then I guess we’ll do other things while we wait for him to come back.”
                  Josie said nothing as she returned to her seat. Carl the letch, had moved seats so he could be the one to sit next to her. She wished that he would just stop because she had already made it clear that she wasn’t interested in sharing his bed, the only thing he wanted out of the women in the group. She didn’t care if he had slept with anyone else; she simply knew that she wasn’t interested. Being divorced didn’t make her tainted, and it certainly didn’t mean that she had to put aside her values because some guy wanted to have sex.
                  She sat quietly in her seat as the group leader opened the session up in prayer and talked to them about some upcoming activities leadership had planned to help single parents connect with God and one another on a deeper level. Josie thought it would be nice, if she could get the necessary time off work, not that she believed she could take the vacation with the crazy hours management insisted she work. Then, when they mentioned the possibility of leaving behind the children, she knew she wouldn’t be able to do it. A two-year-old and a three-month-old with a babysitter for the weekend? She simply couldn’t do it.
                  She began to ignore the announcements after that, feeling more than a little depressed about her situation. Once, she would have said her life had everything. She had a husband, a house, beautiful children, and a car that always ran smoothly. It was nothing for Gary to drop everything to take her on vacation, or on expensive dates where they simply enjoyed each other’s company. She loved when everything had been nice and easy to deal with.
                  God, she didn’t want to cry while in group, like a weakling. She just couldn’t do it. She felt an elbow nudge her in her ribs. “We’re getting ready to talk about our weeks,” Carl leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Just thought you wanted to start paying attention.”
                  She nodded absently, not that it mattered. Her every week seemed to run the same. The only thing that had changed was her friendly stranger, who seemed to like rescuing her. He managed to return just as Elsa finished giving her usual long winded diatribe about arguing with her ex-husband and her teenage sons. Personally, Josie had no idea how the other woman managed five almost grown young men.
                  She watched the stranger walk along the edge of the group, coming to stand right behind what had been his chair and it actually surprised Josie that Carl moved out of the way. She tried to contain her laugh as she didn’t want to draw attention to herself, but it was hard because normally no one could get Carl away from a target once he set his sights on a