out of bed and shrugging her robe on. “The other waitress from the diner,” Danni said. “Her boyfriend’s an ass, but she’s cool. Go find pants, Lancelot, we’re good here.”
Derek disappeared into the bedroom while Danni opened the door for a hysterical Sarah, who was now sporting a hell of a shiner on her left eye. Her normally pale skin was ashen, and she was limping.
“Hell, Sarah, what did he do this time?”
Sarah shut the door behind her, locked it, and after a moment, grabbed a chair and stuffed it under the door handle. Danni’d gotten the chair for a couple bucks at the thrift store, and doubted it would stand up to much, but it let Sarah’s shoulders come down a notch. She curled into the corner of the couch, her sobs all the more horrible for being almost silent.
Derek had pulled his jeans on, took one look at Sarah, and ducked into Danni’s kitchen. He came back with an ice pack wrapped in a dish towel, then mouthed the word “coffee” at Danni, who nodded. He made himself scarce while Sarah poured out the same old story about her boyfriend Ryan. They’d gone out; he’d taken her to a dive bar out of town. He had had too much to drink, had decided she was flirting with the bartender, so he’d busted her lip. Only this time, she told him it was too much, and she was leaving, so he’d got her eye and hit her twice with a chair before she could get out the door.
Danni thanked her lucky stars that Cole was upstairs with Mrs. Clark. “Sarah, we should call the police. He needs to be stopped.”
Sarah snorted. “You know it’s not that easy. They’d never believe that the high- powered lawyer was cheating on his wife with a waitress. I don’t have any proof. No one ever sees us together. No one respectable anyway. They’d just say I deserve it.”
“He barely qualifies as an ambulance chaser, Sarah, it’s not like he’s a priest or a saint.”
“No, Danni. No cops.”
She sighed. “You can’t go back to him, Sarah. You can’t. No matter what he says.”
“He’s a good guy when he’s not drunk.”
“And one of these days, he’s going to kill you.”
“It’ll never get that far. I just need to steer clear of him when he’s been drinking.”
It was an old argument, and one that Danni hadn’t managed to win yet. She could smell coffee in the kitchen, and damn but she needed it, if she was going to stay awake at all.
“I just want to sleep on the couch, Danni, and then I’ll get out of your hair, okay? I promise. I won’t cause you any trouble.”
In the kitchen, Derek stopped her before she could lift the coffee pot. “You go back to bed and rest. It’s probably for the best that I’m not here in the morning, after all.”
She stared at him blankly, and he pointed at the refrigerator, where several of Cole’s drawings were proudly displayed. For a moment, she wanted to curl in on herself, hating that he was done with her because of her boy, and then remembering that being done with him had been the goal. Just, maybe not quite so fast. “He’s five,” she said. “His name is Cole, and he’s the love of my life.”
He smiled at her, with more respect in the expression than she’d thought she’d see. “That’s great,” he said. “I’m glad he has you.” He pointed with his chin at the couch. “What’s Ryan the dirtbag’s last name?”
“You go after all the guys in the world who beat on their women? You’re gonna be busy for the rest of your life.”
“What’s his name?”
“I don’t know why it matters. Sarah’s never going to admit that he did anything to her. Her husband beat on her, too, and convinced her it was her fault. If he hadn’t killed himself crashing their car into a tree when he was drunk, he would’ve been hitting her tonight, instead of her jerk boyfriend.”
“I’m not going to involve the cops. I just want to have a conversation
Derek disappeared into the bedroom while Danni opened the door for a hysterical Sarah, who was now sporting a hell of a shiner on her left eye. Her normally pale skin was ashen, and she was limping.
“Hell, Sarah, what did he do this time?”
Sarah shut the door behind her, locked it, and after a moment, grabbed a chair and stuffed it under the door handle. Danni’d gotten the chair for a couple bucks at the thrift store, and doubted it would stand up to much, but it let Sarah’s shoulders come down a notch. She curled into the corner of the couch, her sobs all the more horrible for being almost silent.
Derek had pulled his jeans on, took one look at Sarah, and ducked into Danni’s kitchen. He came back with an ice pack wrapped in a dish towel, then mouthed the word “coffee” at Danni, who nodded. He made himself scarce while Sarah poured out the same old story about her boyfriend Ryan. They’d gone out; he’d taken her to a dive bar out of town. He had had too much to drink, had decided she was flirting with the bartender, so he’d busted her lip. Only this time, she told him it was too much, and she was leaving, so he’d got her eye and hit her twice with a chair before she could get out the door.
Danni thanked her lucky stars that Cole was upstairs with Mrs. Clark. “Sarah, we should call the police. He needs to be stopped.”
Sarah snorted. “You know it’s not that easy. They’d never believe that the high- powered lawyer was cheating on his wife with a waitress. I don’t have any proof. No one ever sees us together. No one respectable anyway. They’d just say I deserve it.”
“He barely qualifies as an ambulance chaser, Sarah, it’s not like he’s a priest or a saint.”
“No, Danni. No cops.”
She sighed. “You can’t go back to him, Sarah. You can’t. No matter what he says.”
“He’s a good guy when he’s not drunk.”
“And one of these days, he’s going to kill you.”
“It’ll never get that far. I just need to steer clear of him when he’s been drinking.”
It was an old argument, and one that Danni hadn’t managed to win yet. She could smell coffee in the kitchen, and damn but she needed it, if she was going to stay awake at all.
“I just want to sleep on the couch, Danni, and then I’ll get out of your hair, okay? I promise. I won’t cause you any trouble.”
In the kitchen, Derek stopped her before she could lift the coffee pot. “You go back to bed and rest. It’s probably for the best that I’m not here in the morning, after all.”
She stared at him blankly, and he pointed at the refrigerator, where several of Cole’s drawings were proudly displayed. For a moment, she wanted to curl in on herself, hating that he was done with her because of her boy, and then remembering that being done with him had been the goal. Just, maybe not quite so fast. “He’s five,” she said. “His name is Cole, and he’s the love of my life.”
He smiled at her, with more respect in the expression than she’d thought she’d see. “That’s great,” he said. “I’m glad he has you.” He pointed with his chin at the couch. “What’s Ryan the dirtbag’s last name?”
“You go after all the guys in the world who beat on their women? You’re gonna be busy for the rest of your life.”
“What’s his name?”
“I don’t know why it matters. Sarah’s never going to admit that he did anything to her. Her husband beat on her, too, and convinced her it was her fault. If he hadn’t killed himself crashing their car into a tree when he was drunk, he would’ve been hitting her tonight, instead of her jerk boyfriend.”
“I’m not going to involve the cops. I just want to have a conversation
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