Page 96 of Back To Our Beginning

Little Grandma nodded. Encouraging me to go on.

“She was out of her mind. I don’t know if it was drugs or what. She begged her boyfriend. He was a biker. She begged him to let her live at his motorcycle compound. He said he would make her a prostitute, but she didn’t care.”

Little Grandma sucked in a deep breath, but when I looked up at her, her face looked calm.

“I asked her to help me, and we’d both escape. She said vile things and said she wouldn’t. She said she loved Grizz.” I looked down at my sandwich again. “It was sick. She was sick.” I stopped talking.

“And then what happened?”

“Grizz threatened to rape me.”

“Aw, Maddie Girl.”

“But he didn’t. Not even close,” I rushed to assure her.

“Yes, Sweetpea, but you had to be scared.”

“I really was scared when they forced me to cook dinner. I saw what they were doing to Lana out in the open.” I felt a tear dripping down my face. “I decided not to think about it. So, I didn’t. But deep down, in my heart, and in my gut. I was scared.”

“Give me your hands.” Little Grandma put her hands on the table, palms up. I clutched them.

“And now, Maddie?”

“It’s stupid,” I whispered.

“We agreed. Nothing’s stupid, remember?”

“I’ve been feeling dirty. Like somehow this did touch me.”

She squeezed my hands, and we stared at one another. Suddenly, my stomach growled. Loudly.

I giggled. Then Little Grandma giggled.

“How are you feeling now, besides hungry?”

My eyes widened, and my shoulders totally relaxed. I wasn’t feeling dirty anymore.

Beau was in for one wild night.

“I’m feeling better,” I said slowly. “I’m feeling lighter.” I grinned. “You should bottle your wisdom and sell it as Little Grandma’s Cure-All Elixir.”

“Enough with your sass. Eat your lunch.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

“Did you have fun with Ruby?” I asked as I opened the car door for Maddie’s.

“Ruby couldn’t make it. I had lunch with Little Grandma instead.” She put a pink box in the foot well in front of her.

“You’ll have to tell me about it.” I closed her door and went around the nose of the Escalade to the driver’s side and got in.

“Have I told you lately that I love you?” Maddie asked with a smile as soon as my door was closed.

“What’s bringing this on?”

“Just answer the question.”

“You tell me in a lot of different ways, honey,” I said as I started the engine.