Forgive Me Read Online Free PDF Page B

back.”
    Royce noticed the pained look on her face. He leaned back and wondered what he’d gotten himself into. Maybe it was a midlife crisis. Maybe it was the fact he’d be turning sixty soon and missed having a wife and a daughter. His divorce felt like the final blow to a once perfect life. His daughter, Ramona, died in a car accident, leaving Royce and his wife strangers. Ramona, a twenty-three-year-old graduate student at Indiana University, died en route to Millicent’s birthday party. She was the victim of a head-on collision by a semitrailer. Numbness set in after her funeral as Royce and his beloved Millie tried to get back on track. Sure, the sincere, empathetic clichés comforted them for a moment, but their lives were forever altered. When Tawatha walked into Hinton and Conyers, Royce’s construction company, he felt alive again. She looked so much like Ramona he avoided her for the first three weeks she worked. Slowly, he got to know her, admonished her for the skimpy attire she wore each day, and encouraged her to rise up and be a young lady. Her four children became his surrogate grandchildren. He showered the children with clothes, money, and tickets to Pacer and Fever games. When she killed them in the fire, he knew he couldn’t abandon her as everyone else had. He knew her temporary lapse in judgment was the result of being overwhelmed with the children. There could be no other explanation.
    â€œRoyce, how was your day today?”
    Tawatha rejoined him on the sofa and grabbed the food bag from the coffee table.
    â€œI had some business to take care of with Millie. We finally sold our last piece of property in Winona Lake.”
    â€œDoes she know I’m here?”
    â€œNo, Tawatha. Only my business partner knows.”
    â€œBet Mr. Conyers isn’t happy, is he?”
    â€œWell, he thinks I could have used better judgment, but the last time I checked, fifty-nine was old enough to handle my own business.”
    Tawatha stopped mid-chew, placed her sandwich back in the wrapper, and sidled next to Royce. She rubbed his leg and nibbled on his ear lobe.
    â€œYou’re also old enough to handle business with me,” said Tawatha.
    Confused, Royce removed her hands from his thigh. “Tawatha, what are you doing?”
    â€œEarning my keep,” she said. She attempted to kiss his lips this time, but he tucked his lips inward so she’d be unsuccessful.
    Royce stood. He was embarrassed his body betrayed him. He couldn’t hide his erection and wondered why he hadn’t anticipated this.
    â€œSee, you want me.” She stood to hug him, but Royce stood his ground.
    â€œSit down so we can talk,” said Royce. Tawatha pouted and fell back on the sofa. Royce paced until he could calm himself. “We have to establish some ground rules. I never meant to mislead you in any way, Tawatha. My generosity isn’t some sick bid to have sex with you. The only regret I’ve had outside of losing my daughter is not helping my childhood cousin, Quenton. We grew up together, were scholars, and got full-ride scholarships to IU. Something went wrong our freshman year. Quen was arrested for theft. He never bounced back after the first arrest, and the family tagged him The Habizzle, or the habitual offender.
    â€œWe turned our backs on him, never letting him stop by for food,showers, or anything. He stopped by Hinton and Conyers one day to ask for one hundred dollars, and I treated him like gum on my shoes. I may have tossed him a ten and told him to get lost. He looked awful and smelled like he’d fallen in a hog trough. Last I heard, he walks up and down New Jersey Street panhandling people for change. People call him Lean on Me for some reason. I’ve never been able to find him. I vowed after our last encounter that if I could help someone, I would.”
    Tawatha cupped her hands over her mouth. She remembered hearing the name Lean on Me from