“Crap.” She lifted her head. “What happened? Was it the pimp?”
Dani set her water on the corner of the desk. “No, he didn’t come back. It was...” She trailed off. “Never mind. It’s probably nothing and you’ve got enough going on.”
“No. If something is going on, I need to know.”
“That’s just it,” Dani said. “It’s nothing concrete. Just... a feeling, maybe?”
Taryn trusted her implicitly. “No. It’s something. You don’t get worried otherwise. I trust your instincts. Tell me.”
Dani sighed and leaned back in her chair. “You’re supposed to tell me that I’m wrong.”
“Tell me what you’ve got and maybe I will. But I know better than to ignore your instincts.”
Fiddling with her ring, Dani collected her thoughts. Taryn was impatient to know what had brought her friend and second-in-command here, but also appreciated the few moments of silence before the next problem hit.
“It’s Rhonda. Something’s going on,” Dani said finally. She held up her hand to stop Taryn from asking any questions. “No, I don’t know exactly what. I tried asking, but she completely shut me down.”
“But?” Dani knew the bar staff as well as Taryn did, if not better. If she’d noticed something amiss, she was probably right.
“But... she’s been late for shifts. Not flighty late or stuck-in-traffic late. Just... late. Less talkative. Not just when I ask her questions. With the other staff and the customers.”
Taryn’s lips pinched and she pondered Dani’s information. Rhonda had been here six months and she’d always been quiet, self-contained. She was making good progress, but although Taryn didn’t have a set timeline for anyone to get back on their feet, Rhonda wasn’t as far along as Taryn would like.
That was okay, she reminded herself. Everyone dealt with trauma differently. Rhonda had refused therapy. There was no way Taryn would or could force her to go. She had to want to be there. Maybe she should have pushed the other woman a little harder.
“It’s not your fault.” Dani’s voice was sharp.
“I didn’t say anything,” Taryn said harshly.
“You didn’t have to. You’re blaming yourself. I can tell.”
True. But Dani didn’t have to call her on it. Taryn huffed out a sigh. “I should have made sure she got therapy. Or, I don’t know, socialized more.”
“That’s not the way it works,” Dani countered. “You know that. You give them a safe place to land and an amazing support system. The rest is up to them. To us.” She pressed a hand against her chest, including herself in the group of women Taryn had rescued.
Or rather, had helped to rescue themselves. Dani was correct. Taryn couldn’t force them—they had to do the work themselves.
“You’re right, you’re right.” Taryn held her hands up in surrender.
Dani laughed. Then both women sobered.
“What do you think we should do?” Taryn asked.
“I don’t know. That’s why I was hoping maybe you’d noticed. Maybe you’d have ideas.” Dani sighed. “Rhonda’s been here a few months and hasn’t given us a reason to worry about her. It’s just recently...” her voice trailed off. “That’s why I’m worried.”
Dammit. Now Taryn was too. “Do you want me to talk to her?”
Dani pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. “I don’t know. For now, could you keep an eye on her too? Maybe I’m just imagining it?”
Taryn was pretty sure Dani wasn’t. “Sure,” she said. “I trust you, but I’ll watch her the next few days.”
“Thanks,” Dani said.
“Any other potential problems I need to worry about?”
“I don’t think so. We did inventory tonight and the order should be here tomorrow afternoon.”
Taryn nodded. That was good—weekends were always busy.
