I shrugged. "Hazard of the job. I also know how personal biases lead them to often make the wrong conclusion." Then I glanced over. "It's almost like I grew up in this town."
Luke lifted his chin in acknowledgement of that. "Heard we were both at Southwind at the same time."
"Yep. Looking back, I think we even bumped into each other. Bea had you working with the horses, right? I cleaned the stalls. We couldn't figure out how you ended up in the big house, and then the other guys started spreading rumors about how you were a dad, and Vera wouldn't let the baby live in the cabins. I assumed it was..." I paused, remembering I was in church so couldn't say bullshit. "Let's go with an exaggeration."
"Yeah," Luke agreed. "I only had partial custody, but that was me." Then he paused. "Wait. Were you the one that spilled the grain all over the alley?"
I groaned. "The bag had a tear and just before I could get it in the bin, it split. I had that stuff inside my clothes, and I had no idea what to do. Bea told me to go change - because I kept picking at it - and said she'd sweep it up."
"I swept it up," Luke told me. "What are the chances."
I murmured in agreement, but I'd just found Faith and her stepdad. Sure enough, the man's arm was draped along the back of the bench behind her. And just like she'd said, she was leaning forward, swishing her feet. I didn't say a thing to Luke, but I watched. When we all stood, or sat, or bent our heads to pray, I watched.
When Brody started to play with the hair between her shoulders, I got mad. When the man rested his hand on the twelve-year-old's thigh, I felt sick. With my own eyes, I watched him smile down at her with a little too much interest. Not pride. Not compassion. The man leered at that child.
Faith said he was creepy. She wasn't old enough to know lechery when she saw it. Sure, Brody never crossed a line with her, but he looked like he wanted to. He also acted like he knew exactly how far he could go before others would notice. Granted, those others weren't me.
They hadn't been approached by sixty-year-old men who wanted to watch a boy suck them off. They hadn't been paid good money to bend over and let a pervert have his way with their ass. I knew how to find my clients by the eyes, and those looks still gave me nightmares. Most people didn't dread hearing the words, "That's my boy," the way I did.
Then there was my training. I knew the human mind. I'd taken a few too many classes on sexual deviancy. I noticed when Brody's eyes dropped to Faith's chest or where her legs met. The way his fingers trailed across her head or shoulders wasn't parental at all. That was how a man touched his lover. It was meant to be sensual, so when Faith leaned away, I knew I wasn't making it up.
Something was going on in that house, and my gut said it was something very bad. I made it through the service by reminding myself that he hadn't touched her yet. If I had anything to do with it, he never would. I'd kill that man before I'd let Faith get hurt the way I'd been.
But Meredith was completely oblivious. Beside me, Luke watched too. From the expression on his face, I knew he didn't see the same thing I did. So I tried to see it his way. What would a dad think seeing his daughter beside his replacement? He probably saw her resenting the discipline. Her boredom, too. I just wasn't sure why Brody sat beside her and not her mother. To me, that was the biggest red flag of all.
So, as soon as the service was over, I leaned toward Luke. "Hey, I want to meet Faith's mom and stepdad."
"Brace for the worst," Luke warned me, but he tipped his head that way.
I reached the aisle just a few people before them. I waited, then pointed at Faith, silently asking if she'd let me sneak in front of her. Naturally, she nodded. Luke followed, but I looked back at Brody.
"Hi, I'm Cy, the doctor Faith's been talking to during the week." And I offered my hand.
He took it, pulling his arm back as fast as he could. "No offense, but I'm not sure she needs to see a shrink."
"Faith," Meredith said, "why don't you go outside with your father?"
Luke tilted his head, and the pair of them headed out front. Faith was almost skipping with joy. The change in her from being with her mother to her father was drastic, and I was honestly surprised that no one else seemed to notice. Then again, they probably thought Luke spoiled her, so of course she didn't want to be with the parents who made her behave.
"Meredith," I said, offering her my hand next. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Don't you listen to anything that man says," she told me.
"From Faith," I clarified.
"Oh."
Brody just sighed. "No offense, sir, but we have a scheduled brunch after church."
"That's not a problem," I said, turning to make it clear I'd walk out with them. "I was just wondering if I could come over and speak with you both about what I'm doing with Faith. I have a few concerns, and I think Meredith deserves to be as informed as Luke."
Yes, I was pushing this man's buttons, and watching his jaw clench proved it was working. "I get home from work around six. If you have concerns with her, you can talk to both of us."
"That will be perfect. Say, tomorrow?" I asked.
"Luke won't be there," Meredith told me. "He feeds cows at that time."
"I've already spoken with him," I assured her. "This is a chance for me to get to know both of you. Faith can be there. It's not a problem, but I think it's important that we're all on the same page. She's had some troubles with bullying, and it's really rocked her confidence."
