The Debra Dilemma (The Lone Stars Book 4) Read Free Page A

Louise’s eye roll was implied or more than likely, it was real only he couldn’t see it.
    “That’s not very nice.” He took another stab at being offended.
    “It may not be nice, but it’s the truth.” She drummed her fingers again. “So are you coming to dinner?”
    “That all depends…are you making your famous peach pie?” Peach pie sounded heavenly and just the thing to take his mind off of his troubles.
    “I think that can be arranged. I put some Fredericksburg peaches in the freezer last summer so I could make a pie or two.” There was a grin in Sweet Louise’s voice.
    “I’ll be there.” Too bad dinner wasn’t tonight so he could get his mind off of Debra.
    “Six-thirty sharp.” She said.
    “I won’t be late.” Now he’d have to wait twenty-two hours and twelve minutes until he got the latest Debra report.
    Unless….
    “Sorry, Sweet Louise, but I need to go.”
    “Bye, Honey. See you tomorrow.” She hung up.
    Now all he needed was to find Safe Place. How about a little donation to his new favorite charity?
     
     

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Chapter 2
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    Debra Covington could finally look at herself in the mirror and not turn away. She’d spent the last ten years punishing a man who didn’t love her, but it had only taken five minutes of working at Safe Place to realize that the only person she’d been punishing was herself.
    She looked around. She’d done her best to turn her drab, taupe, institutional office into a mellow safe haven for the abused, but the apricot-colored walls, muted watercolors, and marshmallow-soft, over-stuffed furniture couldn’t banish bruises, physical or mental. She knew she should be doing better for the clients who funneled in and out of here, but in the meantime she put on a good show. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about every single one of them, it’s just that she was a wonderful actress. Pretending to be a good person was working. If they only knew the real Debra, they’d hate her too. The people who made it to Safe Place deserved the best possible version of herself, even if it was a lie.
    Besides Debra and the staff, no one wanted to be at Safe Place—it was a last resort in a life filled with unimaginable pain.
    “Is my mommy going to be okay?” Five-year-old Ellie sat on a puffy light blue beanbag in front of Debra’s desk. She looked like something from a Campbell’s Soup commercial with her curly blonde hair, bright blue eyes and a sprinkling of freckles across a turned up nose—but this little girl had seen more than any child should ever see. This time her father had beaten her mother unconscious because she’d put four ice cubes in his iced tea instead of five.
    “Absolutely. As soon as Dr. Matthews is finished with her, I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Debra stood, walked around her desk, and offered the little girl her hand. She’d learned to offer a touch but never take it for granted, because those who’d been abused needed to control their personal space—it was step one in learning to control their environment.
    Ellie looked at Debra’s outstretched hand and finally made the decision to take it. The child had only the clothes on her back and no shoes. As soon as Ellie’s mother had regained consciousness, she’d grabbed her child and run to a neighbor’s house. Hopefully, this was the wakeup call that she needed to get away from her abusive husband, but the statistics weren’t on her side. On average, a woman leaves her abusive partner seven times before she leaves for good. For Ellie’s sake, Debra hoped this was lucky number seven.
    “How about we stop by the toy room on our way to see your mother. I bet there’s a teddy bear in there waiting for a new home.” This was the part of her job that Debra loved the most. Taking a scared child into the toy room and watching their face light up as they picked out something new.
    “I had to leave Mr. Snuggles at home. He’s my teddy bear. Think he’s okay?” Ellie looked up, her