"Which one?" he asked.
"I'm getting measured!"
"I thought your mom would like it," he explained. "She said she wanted the whole thing for posterity."
"I'm in my underwear," Faith snapped. "You weren't even supposed to be in the room!"
And she wasn't wearing a bra yet. She should've been, but she wasn't. The girl's arms had been straight out, her chest completely exposed, and this man hadn't deleted the picture. That was the last thing I needed. I also wished I could bleach the image out of my mind, because she didn't deserve to haveanyonelook at that. Unfortunately, all I could do was pretend that I didn't see it.
"Well, flip it back," I said, squinting my eyes closed.
"Give that back," Brody said. "If you don't like the pictures, that's fine. Your mom wanted them." But he didn't show her. He just put the phone back in his pocket. "And come back over here."
"No," Faith said.
"Faith!" Meredith snapped. "If these sessions are going to give you an attitude, then I don't have to let you go."
"Fine," she said, but she went the other way to stand beside her mother.
And that was strike three, as far as I was concerned. The girl was intentionally avoiding being near him, he had partially nude photos of her on his phone, and I'd seen him touch her in a manner inappropriate for their relationship. The only problem was that I had to make the rest of this meeting seem like something professional.
In reality, all I wanted to do was get out of there and call Child Protective Services. I wanted to put my fist in that man's face. I also knew that none of that would help in the long run. Right now, I had to take care of Faith, and that meant keeping my cool so things didn't get worse.
"You know," Brody said, "I don't actually think that Faith needs to see anyone at this time." Then he finally wrapped his fingers around Meredith's hand, acting like he'd noticed her for the first time. "You should probably just tell Luke to put that extra money in her college fund."
"She doesn't have one," Meredith said, sounding like it wasn't the first time. "Her father barely pays enough to keep her in clothes."
"And that's why I'm going to take care of you two."
Listening to him, I was on the verge of vomiting.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Icouldn't take it. I knew I should be getting ready to feed the cows, but the only thing I could think about was Faith. Cy was going to her house today. He was looking for something, and I was terrified that he might find it. I was just as terrified that Meredith might be right and those people had used me. That meant there was only one thing to do. I had to see how the visit went.
I walked up to Violet's front door and paused. The wood was the same. The glass in the middle was just like I'd remembered. Too many times, I'd entered this house without thinking. Back when I was a kid, I'd called this home. Every day after my chores or work, I'd pushed through this door without thinking about it. When Violet moved in, I'd quickly begun to do the same.
Yesterday, this has been my haven. Today, I stared at that door, trying to decide if I should knock. Something had changed, and I didn't like the way it made my insides knot up. So, I decided to do both. Pulling my hat off my head, I tapped at the wood and then reached for the knob and stepped in.
"Violet?" I called as soon as I was inside.
"Living room," she called back.
I headed that way, only to find her and Ash sitting there, looking a little too tense. Cy was nowhere to be seen, though. Hoping I didn't look as nervous as I felt, I set my hat on the bar and then turned that way to join them, taking the chair on the far side of the room. I didn't lean back, though. Nope, I perched on the edge of that chair and hunched over my knees, clenching my hands before me.
"How'd things go with Faith?" I asked.
"He's not back yet," Ash said. "No text, no calls, nothing. We're waiting."
"You ok?" Violet asked.
"Not really," I admitted, looking over at her.
Like always, she looked perfect. Her cute little summer outfit was just a little too careful to be some ol' thing she'd pulled on. Her makeup was flawless. Her hair had been straightened to hang around her face like a pastel rainbow made of glass. I was starting to realize that her beauty was her armor, but I didn't really like what that meant right now.
"Yeah," I said, bouncing my hands between my knees. "So, um, I talked to Faith yesterday. I think y'all are wrong. I don't think it's Brody that's the problem. I think it's Meredith. She doesn't like me talking to Faith so much, you know? And that made me wonder if maybe Meredith thinks about me what you're thinking about Brody."
"Luke..." Violet tried.
