His weight left me but he wasn’t gone but a second when I was on my feet in front of him.

I opened my eyes and tilted my head back to look at him as both his hands settled at my neck.

“I gotta go into town,” he said. “It’ll give you time.”

I nodded again.

“I wanna know what’s happenin’ with Damon before Mindy gets near town. I need to leave her with you.”

“We’ll be all right,” I assured him and his forehead dropped to mine.

“Nina, I get Mindy sorted out, tonight, I want you to talk to me.”

“Max –”

“Think about it, honey.”

I bit my lip then said, “Okay.”

“All right.” His thumb swept my jaw then his hands brought me closer and his lips went to my forehead. “Be back as soon as I can,” he muttered there, kissed me sweet then let me go and walked away without looking back.

The minute I lost sight of Max, I ran to the bathroom, closed the door, put my back to it and lifted my hands in front of me. They were shaking.

I closed my eyes and tried to blank my mind.

I like him, Charlie said to me.

“Be quiet,” I whispered.

Nina? Charlie called.

“I said, be quiet.”

Sweetheart, see that light? he asked.

“Please,” I begged.

Neenee Bean, it isn’t a train, Charlie told me.

“Shut up.”

You’re almost there, he finished.

I closed my eyes, slid down the door, pulled my legs to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, putting my cheek to knee.

A knock came at the door and I jumped.

“Nina?” Mindy called.

“Be right out!” I called back.

“You okay?”

“Great, just going to take a shower.”

There was a hesitation then, “All right.”

I waited for Mindy to come back, say something more, knock again, for Charlie to invade my mind.

When nothing happened, I took a shower.

* * * * *

Feeling the need to be prepared for what came next, I not only took a shower, I did my hair and makeup too. Then I dressed in jeans and a thin, violet, boat neck sweater that had a wide dip at the top of the back and a tie across my shoulders holding the sides together.

Dressed and ready to face my next ordeal, I wound my way down Max’s stairs and saw Mindy sitting at his computer. All buoyant, skip-dancing Mindy gone, what happened the night before had worn her innate cheerfulness clean away.

Last night she’d cried all the way to Max’s house then she’d pulled herself together when we walked in then she starting crying again when Max got me some ice for my eye.

“Go upstairs, honey,” Max had whispered while he held the ice to my eye. “Get ready for bed, lie down, keep the ice on as much as you can. I’ve got Mindy and I’ll be up soon.”

Considering the situation, I hadn’t argued about him “having Mindy” or, more importantly, meeting me in bed. Firstly, since Mindy was sleeping on the couch, there was nowhere else for either Max or I to bed down. Secondly, I knew Mindy needed Max just then and me arguing about sleeping arrangements would delay her getting him. Therefore, I did as I was told, lying in bed and listening to their murmuring until I fell asleep.

Now I knew, even with all that crying last night, watching her despondently clicking on Max’s computer, she was having a very prolonged “bad moment” and I had to do what I could to make it go away.

She tipped her head back to give me a small smile but that too looked dead. Then she turned back to the computer screen.

I walked up to her, hesitated because it seemed we’d known each other an age with all that had gone on but we didn’t know each other all that well then I went for it and gently pulled her hair over her shoulder.

“I have to check my e-mail, darling, then make a couple of calls. If you want to get a shower, after I’m done, I’ll give you a facial,” I offered, drawing her long, curly, soft hair through my palm again and down her back.

She twisted her neck to look at me. “A facial?”

“Yes, I do an at home facial every weekend. Brought all my stuff with me. It’s fantastic. Your skin will never feel so good.” I put my hand to her cheek and said, “Promise.”

“Are you okay?” she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion or fear or both.

“I’m fine,” I lied because I… was… not.

“Max sounded –”

“He’s fine.”

She shook her head and my hand dropped away.

“He sounded pissed,” she told me and she was right, except it was a significant understatement. “Never heard him like that, seen his face like that. Even when he was fighting Damon last night he was in control.”

I pressed my lips together, uncertain how to proceed. Then I decided on honesty.

“You know what happened to you a few weeks ago?”

Her eyes got wide then her mouth got tight then she swallowed before she nodded.

“One day, sweetheart, you’re going to have to tell a good man what happened to you and, on your behalf, he’s going to get like Max did earlier.”

I watched her shiver, actually watched her shiver, before she whispered, “You’ve been raped too?”

I shook my head quickly and said, “Beaten.”

“Oh Nina.” She was still whispering but now tears were in her eyes and I bent at the waist, got close and put my hand back to her face.

“We girls, we’re tough, darling. Soft on the outside but, deep down, we’re tough. Doesn’t feel like it now but none of this is going to beat you.”

She was trembling, also visibly, but she said, “Okay.”

“I promise.”

“Okay.”

“Go get a shower, sweetheart, use my stuff.” When she hesitated, I continued, “Showers work miracles.” I ran my knuckles along her cheek and smiled before I finished, “And facials are even better.”

She nodded and repeated, “Okay.”

I pulled away and she got up and walked to the stairs as I sat down at the computer.

“Neens?” she called, giving me a new nickname that I instantly liked.

I looked to see she was halfway up the stairs, standing in a curve and looking down at me.

“Yes, my lovely?” I answered.

“You told Max about… what happened to you?”

“Sorry, it was bad timing. It just happened.”

“I’m glad,” she said. “I’m glad you trusted him with that and I’m glad that’s why he was the way he was because he scared me but it doesn’t scare me now that he was that way for you.”