Page 73 of Power
“What do you do?”
I hesitate for a split second. “I’m a waitress at a high-end restaurant.”
May arches a brow and tilts her head to the side. “Waitressing must be a dangerous business.”
“No, not especially. Why do you say that?” She points to my yellowing bruises. “Oh, no, I was in an accident.” May’s eyes penetrate through my soul, unnerving me. “It was nothing.”
“How old is Emily?”
“She’s ten,” I reply and look at the curry I’ve dished out into one of the disposable bowls. I push the little remaining around, trying not to look directly at May.
“Is that the story you’ve told Emily to protect her from the truth?”
There’s a part of me that feels like May is some kind of snake charmer. “Are you psychic?”
“No, but I’m old. I’ve been around for nearly seventy-five years, Reece, and I can read people very well. I know a good egg when I see one, and I know you have a heart of gold, regardless of the trauma you’ve been through.”
I swallow the lump in my throat as a chill runs up my spine, causing me to tremble. “How do you know?” I ask in a small voice.
“Sweet girl, you look young enough to be that little girl’s sister, not her mother. How old were you? Twelve? Thirteen?”
I clear my throat and look around in case anyone can hear me. “I was fifteen when I had her.”
“I’ll make a wager that the circumstances were anything but favorable.”
“How do you know?” I repeat in a barely audible voice.
“I’ve seen a lot in my years, and helped many women. But you don’t need financial help, do you?”
“It’s like you’re reading into my soul. Do I have a tattoo across my forehead?”
“I told you, I’m very good at reading people. So, tell me, are you running from someone? Because I’ll tell you right now, if you’re running from the bastard who did that to your face, no better town than Hope River to protect you.”
A sense of ease falls over me. May is protective, without even knowing me. “No, this guy has been dealt with.” I crinkle my forehead as I look down at the bowl. “I think.”
“What are you running from?”
“A complicated relationship that can never be,” I answer earnestly.
“Why can it never be?”
“Because of his job, and because of mine.”
She cracks a smile. “Aha, so you’re not a waitress.”
“No, I’m not. But that’s what I tell people, so they don’t ask me any more questions about it.”
“Why can’t you be together? Is he in the mafia?”
I snort and shake my head. “No, not quite. He’s a public figure, and if it got out that he was seeing me given what I do, it would absolutely destroy his career. Not to mention the damage it would do to Emily.”
“Kids are resilient, and quite smart. You may have been successful in hiding your real career from her, but there’s going to come a time when she’s going to figure it out.”
“I only hope she doesn’t figure it out before I have the opportunity to tell her.”
“She’s ten today, and before you know it, she’ll be eighteen and ready to move away from home so she can go to college.”
“She already boards at school.”
