Jenkins spent all day with the new Pamela. She was so different from the previous Pamela—both versions. Her eyes twinkled when she smiled, and she laughed with her whole body. He was able to call her Pamela now. She was destined to be Pamela; her inner beauty now matched her outer beauty.
Pamela popped a french fry drizzled with ranch into her mouth. They huddled over a table together in a booth at a local eatery. Shopping bags full of clothing and shoes sat on either side of Pamela. She refused to buy anything unless it was with money she earned from working, and her final paycheck arrived from the movie she had finished filming the previous week.
The sun hung low in the sky, and she kept leaning forward to grab food from their plates. Her perfume filled the space between them, and Jenkins drank in her scent. She was intoxicating. He tried to keep his feelings at bay, but after helping her adjust to her new life, and watching her experience a new level of luxury, he found himself struggling.
“Can we enter the trust tree?” Her green eyes softened as she looked intently at Jenkins. He raised his eyebrows. A small smile played on his lips.
“Again? Didn’t we enter the trust tree yesterday when you asked me if a dress made your ankles look fat?” He smiled again at the memory. “It didn’t by the way.”
She wrinkled her nose and tossed a fry at him. “Okay, yes, I did use the trust tree for that. But I have something important I want to share.”
Jenkins leaned forward. His smile dropped as he hung on her every word.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get married again.” Another fry went into her mouth and Jenkins felt his shoulder drop. Disappointment was an emotion he always struggled to hide.
“What if you found the right guy?” He lifted his voice to mimic the hope that burned deep inside.What if you could find your way to me?he thought, as his heart pleaded for her to open up to him.
“No such thing. Men only want to use and abuse women. Plain and simple,” she retorted.
Jenkins shifted in his seat and grabbed his soda to take a sip.
“I know this is a lot to share but it feels good to finally have the truth out there,” Pamela said. Her eyes scanned the vicinity before continuing. “I was sexually assaulted when I was nineteen, then soon after I met Sam,” Pamela explained, grabbing a new fry.
“At the time, he was my knight in shining armor, a true gentleman. He’d had big plans to be rich and had wanted to give me the world,” she paused, lost in a far off thought.
She shook the memory away. “It wasn’t until right before we got married that the problems started. He would get angry and defensive when I brought up my feelings.” She paused to take a sip of her milkshake.
“One time, he punched the middle console of his truck, and when I winced away, he screamed, ‘What? Do you think I am going to hit you? What kind of man do you think I am?’” Pamela shrugged as though she was talking about an emotional paper cut instead of a puncture wound.
“Did he ever?” Jenkins swallowed hard, his fist curled around themselves under the table.
Pamela nodded. “Yes, and it was usually me who apologized after.” A small chuckle escaped and Jenkins watched her, unsure what to say in response.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to put another woman in my situation. I just had a brief moment where I wanted to escape, even if only for a day.” Her voice dropped, and she spun a fry between her fingers. “I can’t imagine what Darla is going through right now.” She shuddered and looked at him.
Jenkins nodded. He had to stomach her casually recounting all the trauma and abuse she endured over the years, and he wanted so badly to take away every single invisible wound Sam had left on her. He understood that better than most and right now he didn’t want to think about Darla.
“Since we’re in the trust tree, I should tell you about my lovely uncle. He would get drunk and beat up on me and my sister. I did my best to shield her from his rage, but I was weak, and he would separate us. When Darla came along, I thought it was our chance at a new life. But then … ” He trailed off as tears pooled in his eyes.
“The car accident.” Pamela finished his sentence. She reached across and squeezed his hand. “You’ve come so far in spite of what Darla has done.” Her smile made his heart leap, and he wished her words were true.
The truth was, he was constantly looking over his shoulder. He didn’t know if or when Darla would show up. It could be inPamela’s old body as Callie or someone else’s entirely. The latter kept him awake most nights.
“Anyways, I don’t think you should count out marriage altogether. I think you need a chance to focus on yourself. Be a little selfish and heal.” He squeezed her hand in return and then stole a fry from her plate. “Besides, I think after everything we have been through, all of which was because of other people’s actions, we deserve to find our own version of happiness.”
“I guess.” Pamela glanced over at the new security detail Jenkins insisted she should hire. “Is it weird I still feel uncomfortable spending money that technically isn’t mine?” She nodded her head in the direction of the incognito men in sunglasses constantly surveying the area. “Are you sure they’re really needed? We haven’t heard from her in six months.”
“They are necessary. I promise. There is no telling if she is going to show up. When I spoke to her on the phone, she seemed infuriated.”
“Are you going to hire your own security?” Her green eyes flickered with worry.
Jenkins shook his head. “I am more concerned with your safety.”
Pamela shot daggers at Jenkins and scrunched her nose in disapproval before sitting up straight and tossing her arms in the air. “Oh, and tonight is that cast-and-crew wrap party at the director’s house. Will you please come with me? It’s really because of your help that I did so well with filming this movie, and it would mean so much if you came.” She clasped her hands together and gave him her best puppy dog eyes.
Jenkins laughed at her sweet, tender disposition. “Sure, I can come with you. Where does he live?”
“He is actually just across the street from me, which is great because we can just walk from my house—er—I mean fromthehouse over to the party and back.”
